It states that adding programmers to a job increases the time to complete it.What about the open source community?? Just an afterthought!!
Monthly Archive for September, 2004
Economic Times reports that the global business consultancy firm McKinsey is sourcing all its power point and multimedia presentation for business pitching, out of its IT enabled service unit Visual Graphics India (VGI) in Chennai’s Tidel Park.It is saving work hours of consultants who were spending substantial time on preparing eye catching presentations. VGI is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with 300 professionals who provide McKinsey’s 6,200 consultants with graphics and visuals. They also create visual communication tools like graphics, charts, exhibits, overhead transparencies, on-screen animated presentations, and multi-media products for its 82 offices in 44 countries. Globally, McKinsey works with over 400 companies and many governments. Also, McKinsey’s knowledge centre in Gurgaon employs over a dozen professionals — including mathematics doctorates, who do statistical research for McKinsey consultants around the world.
So now, India has emerged as a kitchen for sourcing power point presentations for McKinsey’s global operations.
Sadagopan writes on his blog site that “In the Mobility Event organized by CNBC & Intel in August 2004 at Mumbai, I made an observation “When Maruti 800 can be financed at Rs 2,500 per month why not a PC at Rs 250 per month?†Since CNBC broadcast the program many times on TV some of my friends watched it. In fact Dr MM Pant from Delhi even informed me that HCL has an offer for Rs 799 per month PC buying option. Today I am pleasantly surprised that PCS is offering a student PC at Rs 499 per month. More interesting is the fact that Indian Bank is financing it. Of late Public Sector Banks have been keeping a long distance from doing any financing of IT products and services. This launch is particularly interesting, as it will get many students from the poorer sections of the society into PC reach. If only BSNL can offer Rs 99 per month wireless access for 3 hours per day it will be further push towards computer literacy for poor students.”
The Brand Name
Laura Ries has identified 9 keys to come up with a powerful brand name. Since brand name itself becomes the guru mantra for success and survival in the business world, a well thought and easily remembered brand name makes for high recall value.
The single most important marketing decision a company can make it what to name a brand. A brand’s power lies in its ability to grab a position in the mind of the consumer. With a poor brand name you make the job of getting into the mind that much harder. With a great brand name you can help your brand down the road to success.
It’s not that a brand with a poor name won’t ever succeed. Many do. If you price something cheap enough, it will move in spite of a dreadful name. Hyundai, for example, sold 400,221 vehicles in the U.S. last year. But did you ever hear someone say, “Eat your heart out, I just got myself a 2004 Hyundai?” Is Hyundai a powerful brand? I think not.
Some powerful brand names include: Lexus, Red Bull, Google and Starbucks. The 9 keys that follow will help you pick the best name possible for your brand. Don’t expect a name to meet all the nine requirements but if it covers more than a few you’ll know you have a winner.
Key #1: Short
Key #2: Simple
Key #3: Suggestive of the category
Key #4: Unique
Key #5: Alliterative
Key #6: Speakable
Key #7: Spellable
Key #8: Shocking
Key #9: Personalized
Lighting Poor India
Stanford GSB reports about Ignite Innovations, which is currently working to produce samples of the Ignite Light, an affordable, solar-powered LED lamp designed to replace the dim and smoky glow of kerosene lamps in rural India.
Ignite Innovations is an experimental class at Stanford University has given birth to a unique startup that promises to bring safe, affordable light to millions of people in the developing world who live without electricity. However, Ignite Innovations is not a charity—it is a for-profit business. “Thinking of the poor as customers instead of the recipients of charity is a breakthrough,” said Ignite president Matt Scott, a Fulbright Scholar who received his MBA from the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 2003. “Business is slowly awakening to a whole new market opportunity serving the 4 billion people who live on less than $1,500 per year.”
Read more about how the search was conducted and what were the parameters that were taken into account. All of it makes interesting reading.
Nextaris
Nextaris is a new information search engine vortal, where you can not only create your own personal account with folders to store the search information, but can also publish and share information.
In simple terms the purpose of Nextaris is to save you time, make your online life easier, and open new vistas for your use of information on the Internet. In other words, to take you beyond search — to function as your personal Internet information toolkit — to help you search the Web, save what you find, share what you find, create journals (blogs), comment on what you find and have saved, and to optionally publish the information you have gathered — a one-stop process; seamless, simple — taking you to the “other side of search”.
A really interesting model for a search site. Check it out.
Business World reports the story of two entrepreneurs who are in the evolutionary process of creating one of the most promising technology companies in India. Their last year’s revenue generation was to the tune of 114 crores, which is an achievement in itself for the five year old company. The whole story describes the chance meeting of two people, Asif Khader and Mukkaram Jan, who turned entrepreneurs. Before starting this company, the duo had dabbled with cement and granite businesses, but their futures lay in software. And the company, Cranes Software, that they started is the only one of its kind in India, dealing with software for scientific computing (now finding multiple applications in statistics, epidemiology and even finance). Their growth process also makes interesting reading; the risks they have taken, the people hired and the results achieved. Hats off to the visionary duo, who not only dreamt big but are on the right path with people and practices in the right place. A great company worthy of a watch in the future.
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