Showing posts with label BUSINESS. Show all posts

Thursday 22 May 2014

Hacking row: Chinese media calls US "mincing rascal"

5/22/2014 09:49:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Hacking row: Chinese media calls US "mincing rascal"

"Regarding the issue of network security, the US is such a mincing rascal that we must stop developing any illusions about it," wrote the Global Times.

BEIJING: Washington is playing the victim of cyberespionage when in fact it is the world's top intelligence power, a Chinese state-run newspaper on Wednesday said in a sharply-worded editorial.

"Regarding the issue of network security, the US is such a mincing rascal that we must stop developing any illusions about it," wrote the Global Times, which is close to the ruling Communist Party.

On Monday, a US grand jury indicted five Chinese military officers on charges they broke into US computers to benefit Chinese state-owned companies, in the first-ever prosecution by Washington of state actors over cyberespionage.

Beijing responded furiously on Tuesday, summoning US ambassador Max Baucus and accusing Washington of double standards.

Authorities also banned the use of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system on all new government computers and suspended activities of a bilateral cyber-working group.

The Global Times, which often takes a nationalistic stance, said that Washington's "pretentious accusation against Chinese army officers is ridiculous" given that the US National Security Agency itself has engaged in widespread cyberspying through its Prism programme.

"Interpol should have ordered the arrest of designers and implementers of the Prism programme but they did not," the paper wrote. "Therefore the US is acting so shameless by posting photos of the five Chinese army officers."

US prosecutors said the five indicted officers belonged to Unit 61398 of People's Liberation Army.

A report last year by US security firm Mandiant said the unit had thousands of workers operating from a nondescript, 12-storey building on the outskirts of Shanghai to pilfer intellectual property and government secrets.

Beijing has denied the accusations, and the Global Times on Wednesday called them "beyond our imagination."

"It's fresh to us that Chinese military and civil companies have such a close relationship," the paper said
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Dubai Police will use Google Glass to nab traffic violators

5/22/2014 09:40:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Dubai Police will use Google Glass to nab traffic violators

According to a report in Gulf News, Dubai Police plans to use Google Glass to photograph traffic offenders as well as identify illegal vehicles.

NEW DELHI: Google Glass is not yet available outside the US. But that is not stopping Dubai Police from testing it as a tool that can help cops nab traffic violators. According to a report in Gulf News, Dubai Police plans to use Google Glass to photograph traffic offenders as well as identify illegal vehicles.
Colonel Khalid Nasser Al Razooqi, general director of Smart Services at Dubai Police, told Gulf News that his department would use two specific apps with the Google Glass.

"One will allow them (cops) to take photos of traffic violations from the Glass, which will go instantly into our system, and the other application helps identify wanted cars," he said. "We at Dubai Police always try to adopt what is new in the market and we like to stay up-to-date."

For now, however, the use of Google Glass as a tool to detect traffic violation is in the test phase. Al Razooqi said that if they got the desired results the department "might decide to launch it and buy more of it".

Google Glass, a head-mounted tiny computer that also has a camera, was showed to public by Google in 2011. Since then it has gone through several hardware revisions and software improvements. However, it is not yet available for sale outside the US. Even in the US, the availability is only through a Google website as part of the Explorer Programme. The gadget is not yet available in the retail market.

One of the reasons behind the slow development of Google Glass has been questions around its usefulness. While it looks futuristic and it has got attention from early adopters, Google Glass doesn't offer any compelling use case for mainstream consumers. That said, doctors, explorers and cops, including some in New York Police Department, are testing the device in ways that may help them do their jobs more efficiently
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Ebay asks all users to change passwords

5/22/2014 09:37:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Ebay asks all users to change passwords

EBay issued a notice on its websites asking users to change their passwords, but took down the message a short time later.

E-commerce company eBay said client identity information including emails, addresses and birthdays was stolen in a hacking attack between late February and early March.

EBay urged users to change their passwords after the attack on a database that also contained encrypted passwords, physical addresses and phone numbers.

The company said it found no evidence of any unauthorized access to financial or credit card information, which is stored separately in encrypted formats.

EBay shares fell as much as 3.2% on Wednesday morning after the latest high-profile hacking attack on a U.S. company.

"For the time being, we cannot comment on the specific number of accounts impacted," eBay spokeswoman Kari Ramirez said. "However, we believe there may be a large number of accounts involved and we are asking all eBay users to change their passwords."

EBay said it was investigating the breach and working with law enforcement agencies.

The company also said it had not seen any indication of increased fraudulent account activity on eBay and that there was no evidence that its online payment service PayPal had been affected in the attack.

The attack on eBay was made through compromised employee accounts that allowed unauthorized access to its corporate network, the company said in a statement. It said the breach was first detected about two weeks ago.

"The real key question going forward will be if any money has been stolen, or any unauthorized activity been performed," Wedbush Securities analyst Gil Luria said.

"As long as this is not the case, this thing will come and go and will not be an issue for eBay," Luria said.

EBay earlier issued a notice on its PayPal website asking users to change their passwords, but took down the message a short time later without explanation.

The message, issued at 1:30 a.m. ET, was headlined "eBay To Ask All eBay Users To Change Passwords" but had no other information other than the words "place holder text".

EBay has been attacked before. In February, hacking group Syrian Electronic Army breached and defaced websites belonging to PayPal UK and eBay. (r.reuters.com/xag59v)

One of the biggest breaches at a U.S. company was at retailer Target Corp, where hackers stole data from up to 70 million credit and debit cards of shoppers who visited its stores during the first three weeks of the holiday shopping season.

Last month, U.S. web media company AOL urged its tens of millions of email account holders to change their passwords and security questions after a cyber attack compromised about 2% of its accounts.

EBay shares fell as low as $50.30 in morning trade on the Nasdaq before recovering to $51.68
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Nokia X successor in the works, features leaked

5/22/2014 09:34:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Nokia X successor in the works, features leaked

Nokia X2 will be powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon 200 processor and have 1GB RAM and 4GB internal storage.

NEW DELHI: After completing the acquisition of Nokia, Microsoft is continuing working on its Android portfolio. The successor of Nokia X, the first Android phone by the company to hit the market, is reportedly under development and a few key specifications have already leaked online.

According to a screenshot posted on Baidu.com, the upcoming Nokia X2 is powered by the Snapdragon 200 (MSM8210) processor, backed by 1GB RAM. It will also have 4GB internal storage. Nokia X has a 1GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Play processor and 512MB RAM.

Nokia X2 smartphone scores 11827 in Antutu benchmark test, which is nearly as high as to that of Moto E (12528 in our test). The phrase "Nokia X2 2015" is written on top of the screenshot, suggesting that the smartphone may be launched next year.

There is no word on the new software features and other hardware specifications of the successor of Nokia X.

Nokia's Android phones feature a heavily customized user interface that combines the elements of Windows Phone and Asha platforms. These smartphones have been launched as a "feeder" service for Microsoft's Lumia range, giving users access to Lumia-like user interface on Android.

Image courtesy: tieba.baidu.com

Can Microsoft Surface Pro 3 replace the laptop?

5/22/2014 09:32:00 am BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Can Microsoft Surface Pro 3 replace the laptop?

The company's new product, the Surface Pro 3, has a 12-inch screen, larger than many small laptop screens.

Many people have both laptop computers and tablets and use them for different tasks. Microsoft on Tuesday redoubled its vision that the two devices should be one and the same, introducing a new version of its Surface tablet with a larger screen.

The company's new product, the Surface Pro 3, has a 12-inch screen, larger than many small laptop screens. The more spacious screen reflects a sharpening of Microsoft's belief that it can still distinguish itself in the tablet market, where it is currently an also-ran, with a device that meets professional and personal needs.

Microsoft argues that current tablets, most notably the iPad, are great for watching movies and other forms of entertainment or reading, but are far weaker when it comes to getting work done. The company's proposition is that the Surface can do both well. A bigger display, Microsoft argues, will let people look at more than one application on their screens at the same time — like email and a word processor — as they can on their laptops.

"We want products and technology that enable people to dream and get stuff done," Satya Nadella, the chief executive of Microsoft, said at an event in New York.

This has been Microsoft's approach since it introduced the original Surface in 2012, however. Earlier Surface versions had a 10.6-inch screen, larger than those on most other tablets.

Microsoft has won praise from many quarters for the design of the Surface, including a cover that also doubles as a laptop-like keyboard and track pad.

Critics of Surface say a hybrid device forces too many design compromises. Timothy D Cook, the chief executive of Apple, once said in reference to the Surface that "you can converge a toaster and refrigerator, but these things are probably not going to be pleasing to the user."

Sales of the Surface have been disappointing, and the company is losing money on the devices. During the first quarter of the year, Microsoft's share of worldwide shipments in the market for tablets and two-in-one computers — tablets with detachable keyboards like the Surface - was 1.3%, putting it in seventh place in the market, according to IDC, the technology research firm. Apple was No. 1 with 32.7%.

The new Surface will start at $799, $100 less than the previous comparable version. The Surface Pro 3, which can be preordered starting on Wednesday, will be available in the US and Canada on June 20.

Before the event on Tuesday, many people expected Microsoft to introduce a smaller Surface, to compete with the iPad Mini, the most popular product in Apple's tablet family. Microsoft is working on such a device, according to a person briefed on the discussions who spoke only on the condition of anonymity. But the company decided against announcing the product on Tuesday, the person said, after Nadella asked the managers of the Surface team if they believed strongly that the device was ready to be shipped.

The Surface team felt the smaller device was not ready, in large part because of software issues, this person said. Microsoft has not completed a version of its Office applications for touch-screen devices running the company's Windows operating system.

Microsoft was concerned that the current Office applications would be difficult to operate on a Surface with a small screen, the person said. A version made for Apple devices has already been released.

"This continues to be a massive uphill battle for Microsoft and Nadella," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. "It feels like a small step in the right direction from a product perspective and strategy perspective."

The innards of the Surface Pro 3 include a microprocessor made by Intel, the chip giant that makes the microprocessor inside most conventional PCs. That means Microsoft's device can run applications written for PCs, unlike the iPad and other tablets.

The new Surface will inevitably be compared with the iPad, and not favorably in many respects. At 1.76 pounds, the Surface Pro 3 is heavier and more expensive than the 1-pound iPad Air, Apple's largest tablet, which starts at $499. Yet Microsoft believes a more apt comparison is Apple's MacBook Air, an ultraslim laptop that is a hit among professionals and starts at $899 and weighs 2.38 pounds.

"This device actually makes a much better argument for consolidating into one device," said JP Gownder, an analyst at Forrester Research.

Panos Panay, a corporate vice president at Microsoft and a creator of the Surface product line, emphasized repeatedly that Microsoft's new product elegantly balanced the capabilities of both devices.

"I am sure that this is the tablet that can replace the laptop," Panay said
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How to avoid blunders while searching for a job

5/20/2014 11:16:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

How to avoid blunders while searching for a job

Find out how to avoid the mistakes that can stall your search for the job of your choice.

1. Waiting for consultants’ response Job seekers irrationally believe that sharing resumes with consultants is enough to land them a job and, thus, await calls that never come. The market operates differently.

The consultant works on behalf of customers who pay him, that is, employers, not candidates. Any resume shared with them goes into their overflowing data bank. The mathematical probability of landing a vacancy with a customer that exactly matches your profile is remote.

If a vacancy arises later, the consultant will find your CV along with many others, as well as on job portals, negating the assumed advantage. So, only your actions will determine the outcome of your search. Increase your efforts to reach out to employers. Sharing your profile on professional networks and job portals is adequate for consultants.

2. Carpet bombing This involves an attacking army softening up enemy defences by saturating the area with artillery shells. Some job seekers adopt this strategy and send out hundreds of mails and resumes to every e-mail ID they can lay their hands on.

This only succeeds in creating new enemies. Senior managers, who take hiring decisions, get hundreds of unsolicited e-mails and treat them as junk. This approach is a total failure and a waste of your job search time. What works instead is a targeted e-mail and resume after you have made the effort to communicate with the person concerned.

You would have already discussed either a specific requirement and your fit or how the other person might connect you to a suitable reference.

3. Forgetting your homework Homework matters more in a job search than it did at school. Not spending enough time and effort on jobs that you want is a big mistake. Landing up at an interview without knowing the employer thoroughly can cost you the job.

Research all public information on the company and develop connections to get an insider’s perspective. Use your contacts to speak to a decision-maker and set up a meeting. If you have been approached by a consultant, glean every bit of information about the role and supplement it with independent efforts.

During the interview, your knowledge will signal your keenness. You will be able to contribute with ideas and relevant questions and differentiate yourself from the rest.

4. Ignoring the network Not building a strong network of people is perhaps the biggest blunder. Most jobs will come through references and connections of people you know. Networking means creating mutually beneficial relationships and building them before you need them.

Invest in people with the sole purpose of helping them. If it takes five minutes or less to connect two people for their benefit or to share a reference, then do it immediately. Start by spending time with your immediate circle of family and friends, then move to ex-colleagues.

Aim to meet 3-5 people a week over coffee or a meal just to strengthen the relationship. When you start the job search, reach out individually to your network and ask for connections or references to decision-makers you want to meet.

5. Selling the wrong story There are two ways in which you can sell wrong stories to potential employers and harm your job search.

Firstly, your resume can read like a job description instead of a list of accomplishments. The recruiter is keen to learn how well you performed in your previous role rather than the expectations from that position. Help him shortlist your resume by quantifying and benchmarking your accomplishments.

Thus, ‘Achieved 120% of sales target for fax machines, highest in a team of 20′ works better than ‘To sell fax machines to corporate clients in the southern region’.

he second set of wrong stories can be told in interviews if you only describe what you seek in the role. The employer would rather hear you speak about how well you have understood the requirements and the results you will achieve. So, focus on challenges faced by the firm and outline the solution, including an estimate of the numbers you can deliver.

6. Playing the spoilt child Many fresh graduates, either from pedigree schools or with protective parents and successful professionals, display an irrational sense of entitlement during the selection process.

This drastically cripples their chances of converting an opportunity. Good credentials merely signal your potential but employers have learnt the hard way that a strong work ethic coupled with a team player attitude delivers better results.

They may select a more respectful and humble candidate. At a senior level, if an executive approaches an employer with arrogance, the latter may weigh the benefits of having a strong gladiator versus the demoralising effect on the rest of the team members.

7. Setting up to fail Create a plan by mapping your goal and dedicating time and resources. Decide your priorities vis-a-vis role, function, job title, compensation, work hours, travel, culture, team size and job security.

Then research and speak to people to make a list of industries and firms you want to work for. Finally, figure out ways to engage with them. You also set yourself up for failure when you lose hope and give up.

An endless wait for response and rejections can drain you of motivation and the lack of confidence can cost you an interview. So keep your mind occupied in your present job or other interests, and practise your interviews repeatedly.

Good news for job seekers: Modi’s victory turns mood bullish in dovish job market

5/20/2014 11:13:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Good news for job seekers: Modi’s victory turns mood bullish in dovish job market

The mere fact of Narendra Modi’s emphatic victory in the elections is enough for sentiment to have changed dramatically in the job market.

Leading recruitment and search firms, including Korn/Ferry International, ABC Consultants, Ikya Human Capital Solutions, EMA Partners, Transearch India and RGF Executive Search, said the general mood has turned bullish almost overnight in a job market that has been on a roller coaster for the past 8-10 quarters amid a prolonged economic slump.

Some sectors had already started picking up in the January-March quarter on the hopes of business sentiment turning positive and a stable government coming to the helm. This has now translated into expectations of big hiring across sectors starting as early as three months from now.

Good news for job seekers: Modi's victory turns mood bullish in dovish job market

“Corporates got sick of inertia and the market had already started picking up in the last quarter. The clear-cut mandate means that expectations have gone up further in terms of the job market looking up,” said Navnit Singh, chairman and country head, Korn/Ferry International, a leading global search firm.

That sentiment was echoed by K Sudarshan, managing partner, India, and regional vicepresident, Asia, EMA Partners International. “Hiring is a function of corporate mood and confidence. The general mood is bullish and a spurt in the job market imminent,” he said.

In a survey that placement firm ABC Consultants conducted in early May, close to 85% of employers had indicated that total headcount in their companies will increase in FY15. “Things were already beginning to look good. We can now expect a new wave of anticipatory hiring,” said Shiv Agrawal, managing director, ABC Consultants.

Given the nature of the decisive mandate, recruiters could not have asked for anything more, Agrawal added. “I won’t be surprised if the increase in employment starts looking like the 2007 levels,” said Ajit Isaac, chairman of Ikya Human Capital Solutions.

While the new government may take a while to start making policy changes, job market momentum is going to build in three to six months. “We see an unprecedented job market from here on,” said Atul Vohra, managing partner, Transearch India. RGF Executive Search predicts a steady growth in the next six months and a big surge in the job market around October.

“This stable government will build momentum in the job market. Domestic business groups that depend on government decisions are expected to do big hiring now,” said R Suresh, managing director. Recruiters expect the infrastructure sector to drive the job market, along with financial services and real estate that will make a strong comeback.

The sectors that picked up in the last quarter include consumer, healthcare and technology while the downturn persisted in engineering, manufacturing and auto. With a stable government in the offing, infrastructure leads other sectors in job market sentiment.

Recruiters also expect an immediate spurt in mining and metals. Healthcare and environment-related reforms are likely to do wonders to the job market, said Sudarshan of EMA Partners.

“If the new government is able to strengthen infrastructure and defence sectors, the resultant public and private spending will result in job creation in big numbers,” Singh of Korn/Ferry added. The job market upturn is expected to cover most of the sectors in six months.

7 ways to build a personal brand at work

5/20/2014 11:11:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

7 ways to build a personal brand at work

In a sea of capable competitors, how can you stand out? An effective personal brand could be your savior…

Personal branding is all about marketing yourself, your achievements and your career. It has always been important to have a strong reputation at work but the difference between now and 5 years ago is that social media has made it possible for everyone to access your professional profiles. Your brand, therefore, has to be not only more personal, but more accessible. Building ‘brand equity’ may make the difference between making or breaking your career. Jappreet Sethi, HR & Strategy advisor to startup ventures and author of career site Humanresourcesblog.in shares seven effective ways in which you can build a powerful personal brand.

A personal brand is an investment: Branding lasts longer than the lifespan of the product or person. While projects that you are currently working on may shut down, your brand adds value to your credentials.

Accept yourself: Accepting oneself means being comfortable with whatever you are; it is an innate ability of being at peace with yourself. It is very difficult to accept ourselves when we are wishing that that we were different. Acceptance allows you to “BE” rather than regretting what you are not. Accepting yourself doesn’t mean you can’t change anything about yourself, it means recognising who and what you are, and then making the most of it.

Set goals: Goals are great for revamping your identity. Personal brands are generally built from impressions, reactions and thoughts that people have about you. Think of your short-term and long terms goals and start thinking of them as integral parts of your personal identity.

Continuously up skill yourself: Strong personal brands are built on a solid foundation of competence. Competence needs to be revisited every few months. Make sure you up-skill yourself by attending professional development courses or working on improvement projects. These are golden investments that may give big returns. A word of caution – you must be open to new ideas and way to do things and make an effort to learn them.

Publish a blog: Publishing a blog that showcases your work shows that you are passionate about whatever you are working on. You can generate healthy discussions and provide insights on your experiences. People will know that you are constantly involved in your field of expertise, and that you are accumulating knowledge from diverse experiences. If you handle this correctly, there will come a time when readers will wait for your next story and choose to ‘subscribe’ to receive your updates.

Be unique: People are always looking for fresh ideas. You are only as good as your latest work. In layman’s terms, you simply cannot ride on a single idea forever. This is the same reason why Facebook is constantly introducing new changes and updates. Come up with new ideas constantly to keep your brand spanking new.

Make use of technology to connect: Gone are the days when you could rely on only one source of promotion, today there are many sources to promote content and oneself. The range varies from LinkedIn which has business professionals to Facebook which has more hep audience to Quora which is all about blogs and don’t forget short messages from twitter or pictures from Instagram.

Like it or hate it – the idea of creating a personal brand in inescapable, so start now!

5/20/2014 11:04:00 pm BUSINESS, EDUCATION, JOBS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

5 tips to have a career in cloud computing

The cloud computing space is evolving fast and the number of opportunities is intensifying by each passing day. There is a significant demand for fresh talent and for candidates with 2-5 years of experience for this role, according to the TimesJobs.com data. Organisations are seeking specialised skills while hiring these candidates. However, experts believe that skills and expertise can be built with experience and time. But there are other crucial factors that contribute to crafting a successful career in cloud computing. Shriranga Mulay, senior vice president – IT Engineering, Netmagic shares a few tips.

Awareness of Application Programming Interface (API): Awareness of API tops the list. Nothing works without them in the cloud computing space. This is particularly important for a person aspiring to build his career in the cloud software engineering.

Awareness of platforms & ability to build them for virtualisation: The incumbent has to have the know-how about popular cloud development environments such as, VMware, OpenStack, etc. and should have the ability to understand the mechanism to integrate these platforms into the cloud services.

Expertise to bring in a USP: Technically, a lot of services various organisations offer are similar to their competition. One has to figure a USP to sell its employer’s services differently. For eg – Netmagic launched NTSS, a tiered secured storage service, which may look similar to that of its competitors. But Netmagic has chosen superior security technology that brings in more guarantee and QoS. Differentiators like these need to be identified by the applicant and implement them.

Awareness of solution designing and architecture: The aspirant should have a solid understanding of a solution design and architecture in the physical world. This knowledge of the basics helps the person to implement and emulate most of the scenarios on a cloud platform which he would have otherwise done in a physical world. For example, Netmagic’s Firewall is exactly emulating the scenario in the real world on cloud infrastructure and eventually provides the service seamlessly to end users.

General knack to be an explorer: The aspirant should know all technology developments in the cloud industry and related ecosystems. The ability to identify new technologies and then use them in the cloud space to make the product or service better is a critical quality that makes a great cloud computing professional.

Certifications also play a pivotal role in building an effective career in cloud computing. There are two types of cloud computing careers that have emerged in the jobs space – IT professionals with specific cloud skills and IT administrators with cloud architecture know-how. According to TechGig.com, some of the top jobs available in these areas for cloud computing professionals in the experience category of 2-5 and 5-10 years include, System Engineer – Cloud (Windows), Cloud Architect Lead Role, Cloud Technical Leads, Cloud and Smarter Infrastructure Consultant.

Volkswagen plans engine assembly in India; to increase 90 per cent localisation

5/20/2014 10:58:00 pm BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Volkswagen plans engine assembly in India; to increase 90 per cent localisation

erman auto giant Volkswagen is considering assembling certain engines in India, with key components produced in the country, as it aims to achieve up to 90 per cent localisation within a few years.

NEW DELHI: German auto giant Volkswagen is considering assembling certain engines in India, with key components produced in the country, as it aims to achieve up to 90 per cent localisation within a few years.

"Our current level of localisation is 70 per cent and our aim is to take this up to 85-90 per cent in the next few years. To achieve levels of 90 per cent local content, we definitely have to localise engines and gearboxes," Volkswagen IndiaPresident & MD Mahesh Kodumudi said.

To start with, the group is considering the assembly of certain engines with certain key components localised in India, he added. "We are close to a decision and we will announce as soon as we make this decision," Kodumudi said.

The localisation programme is part of the company's planned 100 million euro investments for India to expand business, including launching of sedan and SUV in the compact segment and a hatchback.

Kodumudi said: "Localisation is one of the prime targets for us during our current consolidation phase as it helps us in reducing our costs and improving cost competitiveness."

Reiterating the group's long term commitment to the Indian market, he said: "After a strong foundation phase, Volkswagen is now in a consolidation phase since last year. With the five brands under Volkswagen Group India, we are preparing ourselves for the next growth phase which is expected to start within two years."

In the meantime, the company is also working on improving productivity, optimising cost structure and upgrading of sales and after sales network, he added.

When asked about the company's plans to ramp up production capacity at its Chakan plant, Kodumudi said: "Considering that we can go up to 2 lakh cars on the existing setup, which is almost double of existing production, the domestic market will have to grow further."

He added that the Chakan plant's current capacity stood at 1.3 lakh units in the existing two-shift system and with a three-shift system, the company can achieve 1.5 lakh cars every year.

"With some minor upgrades, we can go up to 2 lakh units in the existing setup," Kodumudi said, adding that the company produced 1 lakh cars in 2013 based on the demand from the domestic and export market.

Similarly, the company has capacity of over 89,000 units in its Aurangabad plant and it has enough scope to attain full capacity functioning before going for further expansion, Kodumudi said.

The Wolfsburg-based group, which is present in India through a wholly-owned subsidiary has five brands -- Audi, Volkswagen and Skoda, Porsche and Lamborghini -- in the Indian market.

Volkswagen Group India employs about 5,000 employees in the country.

Government approves 10 FDI proposals worth Rs 140 crore

5/20/2014 10:55:00 pm BUSINESS, TECHNOLOGY No comments

Government approves 10 FDI proposals worth Rs 140 crore

NEW DELHI: The government has cleared 10 foreign direct investment proposal totalling Rs 139.95 crore, including that of Equitas Holding and Ambit Pragma Fund II.

The proposals were cleared following recommendations for the same by Foreign Investment Promotion Board ( FIPB) in its meeting held in March, the Finance Ministry said.

It further said decision on seven proposals was deferred while decision on five have been kept in abeyance. Equitas Holding, a holding cum investment company in micro-finance sector, has got approval to increase FDI from 89.64 per cent to 95.64 per cent by transfer of shares from resident Indians to Non-residents.

The proposal entails investment of Rs 79.93 crore. Ambit Pragma Fund II, a Trust (APF - II) has got government's nod to increase foreign equity from 93.04 per cent to 94.88 per cent.

The seven proposals on which decision has been deferred include that of Alhcon Parenterals (India), HBM Private Equity India, Mauritius and Speciality Restaurants.

Decision has been kept in abeyance on the proposals of Amri India, Financial Software and Systems (P) Ltd, Brunswick India and two others.

The government also rejected a proposal of I Energy Wind Farms (Theni) which had sought post-facto nod for issue of shares to Indian Energy (Mauritius) Ltd, Mauritius (foreign investor) one day before receipt of inward remittances.

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