Facebook acquires blogging site Storylane

Facebook says its new News Feed is a "personalized newspaper," so it hires the staff behind a storytelling platform to help people tell stories.

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Storylane.

Facebook has acquired the team behind storytelling platform Storylane, a blogging site akin to the likes of the slower-paced Medium.

Storylane founder Jonathan Gheller posted the news to the site today, assuring Storylane members that Facebook isn't buying any of the site's user-generated content:

This is an exciting opportunity. Facebook's mission of connecting the world has always been at the center of our work, and like our friends at Facebook, meaningful connections are what our team is most passionate about.

The beautiful stories you have decided to share with us are yours to keep and share in however way you want. We are building tools that will help you migrate the content to other services if you so desire. I will be in touch with you about those specific tools later, but I can confirm that Facebook is not acquiring any of your data; and we're working to make sure you can migrate your content in a manageable way.

News of this comes the day after Facebook unveiled its new News Feed, which Facebook says was redesigned to focus on the content to build the product into a "personalized newspaper" for each user.

It sounds like the Storylane team could help users build some of that content. The publishing platform showcases a lot of stream of consciousness-type entries -- a hodgepodge of questions, advice, reflections, and photos.

Storylane launched just last October. Both Yahoo and Facebook were interested in acquiring the company, according to GigaOm.

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Google nearing settlement on Street View case, reports say

The company could settle with 30 states as early as next week.

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Google could announce a settlement in the long-running Street View privacy case as early as next week, according to new reports.

Bloomberg said the search giant had agreed to pay about $7 million to settle allegations that it improperly collected personal data using Street View between 2007 and 2010. Attorneys general representing 30 states have sued over the program, which the Federal Communications Commission found to have improperly collected sensitive data including e-mail, text messages, passwords, and Web history.

The parties have reached an agreement in principle, according to Bloomberg. A spokesperson told AllThingsD: "We work hard to get privacy right at Google. But in this case we didn't, which is why we quickly tightened up our systems to address the issue."

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Sebi allows issuance of preference shares on stock exchanges

ET had reported that Sebi might allow listing of preference shares in its edition dated March 7.

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has allowed issuance and listing of non-convertible redeemable preference shares on stock exchanges, making it easier for companies and banks to raise funds through this route.

In a series of decisions announced on Friday evening,Sebi also extended the initial offer period for schemes under the newly-launched Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme to 30 days from 15 days, simplified registration rules for brokers and announced its intention to review KYC norms for investors, both foreign and domestic.

ET had reported that Sebi might allow listing of preference shares in its edition dated March 7. The decision to allow listing preference shares will also help companies to increase their net worth and improve their debt-equity ratio, investment bankers said.

Preference shares are securities issued by a company which typically have no voting rights. It is similar to a fixed deposit in that it comes with a fixed tenure and a fixed dividend. Sebi said the proposed regulations will provide a framework for public issuance of non-convertible redeemable preference shares and also listing of privately-placed redeemable preference shares.

"Considering the risks involved in the instrument, certain requirements like minimum tenure of the instruments (three years), minimum rating ("AA-" or equivalent) etc. have been specified in case of public issuances. For listing of privately-placed non-convertible redeemable preference shares, the minimum application size for each investor is fixed at 10 lakh," Sebi said in statement issued late evening on Friday.

The regulator said the proposed norms will also cover perpetual preference shares and debt instruments issued by Indian banks to raise long-term capital. According to Basel III norms, banks can issue non-equity instruments such as perpetual non-cumulative preference shares and innovative perpetual debt instruments, which are in compliance with specified criteria for inclusion in additional Tier-I capital.

However, unlike plain-vanilla debt and equity, there was no express regulation under the existing framework for public issues and listing of preference shares though these instruments are widely prevalent. Companies are allowed to issue redeemable preference shares with a maximum tenure of 20 years as per the Companies Act.

Both investors and companies may find an advantage in issuing preference shares. "Companies would prefer to pay lesser rate of dividend compared to the coupon on their non-convertible debentures (NCDs) because interest on NCD is tax-deductible while dividend on preference shares is not eligible expenditure for tax purpose," said an investment banker. Besides, investors may also prefer preference shares as dividend received is tax-free in the hands of investors unlike interest received in case of NCDs. "Listing of preference shares will also provide an exit route to retail investors," said a senior depository official. According to data compiled from depositories, in the past 3 years, more than 25,000 crore was raised through preference share issuance by 295 firms. In FY12, 147 issuers tapped the market to raise 10,000 crore.

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Sebi allows issuance of preference shares on stock exchanges

ET had reported that Sebi might allow listing of preference shares in its edition dated March 7.

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has allowed issuance and listing of non-convertible redeemable preference shares on stock exchanges, making it easier for companies and banks to raise funds through this route.

In a series of decisions announced on Friday evening,Sebi also extended the initial offer period for schemes under the newly-launched Rajiv Gandhi Equity Scheme to 30 days from 15 days, simplified registration rules for brokers and announced its intention to review KYC norms for investors, both foreign and domestic.

ET had reported that Sebi might allow listing of preference shares in its edition dated March 7. The decision to allow listing preference shares will also help companies to increase their net worth and improve their debt-equity ratio, investment bankers said.

Preference shares are securities issued by a company which typically have no voting rights. It is similar to a fixed deposit in that it comes with a fixed tenure and a fixed dividend. Sebi said the proposed regulations will provide a framework for public issuance of non-convertible redeemable preference shares and also listing of privately-placed redeemable preference shares.

"Considering the risks involved in the instrument, certain requirements like minimum tenure of the instruments (three years), minimum rating ("AA-" or equivalent) etc. have been specified in case of public issuances. For listing of privately-placed non-convertible redeemable preference shares, the minimum application size for each investor is fixed at 10 lakh," Sebi said in statement issued late evening on Friday.

The regulator said the proposed norms will also cover perpetual preference shares and debt instruments issued by Indian banks to raise long-term capital. According to Basel III norms, banks can issue non-equity instruments such as perpetual non-cumulative preference shares and innovative perpetual debt instruments, which are in compliance with specified criteria for inclusion in additional Tier-I capital.

However, unlike plain-vanilla debt and equity, there was no express regulation under the existing framework for public issues and listing of preference shares though these instruments are widely prevalent. Companies are allowed to issue redeemable preference shares with a maximum tenure of 20 years as per the Companies Act.

Both investors and companies may find an advantage in issuing preference shares. "Companies would prefer to pay lesser rate of dividend compared to the coupon on their non-convertible debentures (NCDs) because interest on NCD is tax-deductible while dividend on preference shares is not eligible expenditure for tax purpose," said an investment banker. Besides, investors may also prefer preference shares as dividend received is tax-free in the hands of investors unlike interest received in case of NCDs. "Listing of preference shares will also provide an exit route to retail investors," said a senior depository official. According to data compiled from depositories, in the past 3 years, more than 25,000 crore was raised through preference share issuance by 295 firms. In FY12, 147 issuers tapped the market to raise 10,000 crore.

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When ‘hallowed’ leaders fall, they fall very hard

There’s a limit, however, even at the very top, as former CEOs Bernie Ebbers of Worldcom, Dennis Kozlowski of Tyco International and Kenneth Lay of Enron discovered.

When it comes to infractions around the office,business leaders seem to get away with a great deal that underlings don't. A blind eye may be turned when a manager uses a company credit card to cover a $200 private lunch, but a worker caught stuffing a coffee tin from the break room into his backpack could lose his job over it.


There's a limit, however, even at the very top, as formerCEOs Bernie Ebbers of Worldcom, Dennis Kozlowskiof Tyco International and Kenneth Lay of Enron discovered. When top leaders fall, they fall hard. New research at business school Insead suggests that leaders generally receive greater leniency for perceived anti-social or inappropriate behaviour, but when a line is crossed — when their actions are perceived to be "most severe" — they face harsher punishment than an underling would face.

"Research shows that, because of their power and status, leaders are perceived as deserving of certain privileges," says Natalia Karelaia, an assistant professor of decision sciences at Insead and coauthor of the paper When Deviant Leaders Are Punished More than Non-leaders: The Role of Deviance Severity. "But prototypical leaders are also expected to act in a responsible and just manner, so when severe deviances — those that inflict significant harm on others - are committed, they are likely to be seen as significant acts of betrayal of leadership expectations."

Power Corrupts 

Prior research has suggested that too much power can lead to unconstrained, socially inappropriate, less moral behaviour. In fact, there is some evidence that such behaviour abounds among high-status power-holders because rule-breaking, aggressive risk-taking and lack of self-restraint are perceived as traits of a successful leader, and therefore is accepted until it becomes too severe to ignore. Whether questionable behaviour is seen as severe or as within society's norms depends on the perceived harm done to others, Karelaia says.

It is therefore subjective and open to manipulation, which gives the media, with its ability to manage public sentiment, a great deal of power when it comes to how leaders are punished. Take Rupert Murdoch, CEO of News Corporation, the global media conglomerate.

The operating tactics adopted by his company ran virtually unchecked, resulting in reporters spying on the private lives of high-profile movie stars and politicians in search of scandal. Though the 'victims' in question were public figures and therefore legally subject to public scrutiny, a line was crossed. When the telephone-tapping allegations focused on the harm inflicted on the family of a murdered child, public condemnation resulted in an official probe into the tactics used.

That also explains why some banking chiefs survive trading scandals, as JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon did, while others such as Barclays' CEO Bob Diamond and president Marcus Agius were not so lucky. When it was revealed that Barclays and other major banks had attempted to manipulate Libor (London Interbank Offered Rate) interest rates, affecting millions of people and trillions of dollars' worth of student loans, home mortgages and credit cards, Diamond stepped down.

"If the media brings to the attention of the general public the impact certain acts have on employees, clients and their families," Karelaia says, "then the perception of the magnitude of harm can be affected. The findings from our research imply that, by changing the perceived magnitude of harm, we can change the extent to which wrongdoers are seen as more or less villains."

A Case of Four Studies 

Karelaia's paper was based on four studies. The first two involved surveys in which participants were asked to assume the role of HR consultants and evaluate the actions of two employees, a senior executive in a large company and a staff assistant.

One of them provided descriptions of four inappropriate acts, ranging from being late for meetings to sexually harassing co-workers, and asked participants to rate the severity of each act and how severely the hypothetical wrongdoers should be punished. The second survey kept the nature of the acts the same but changed the extent of the harm. 

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Women entrepreneurs still trail their male counterparts:Report

Even as Asia, including India, has a higher proportion of entrepreneurs compared to the rest of the world, the number of women business owners is much below the global average, according to a recent report.

MUMBAI: Even as Asia, including India, has a higher proportion of entrepreneurs compared to the rest of the world, the number of women business owners is much below the global average, according to a recent report.

"The number of female business owners in Asia is still trailing levels seen amongst their male counterparts and below the global average," says a new research report from Barclays Wealth and Investment Management.

This, it says, is despite Asia having a higher proportion of entrepreneurs (47 per cent) compared to the US (29 per cent) and Europe (30 per cent).

This new report finds that 39 per cent of high net worth (HNW) women in Asia classify themselves as business owners, which is far below the 50 per cent of high net worth men in Asia.

Globally, 44 per cent of HNW women and 49 per cent of HNW men classify themselves as business owners.

It also shows that the gender pay gap is wider for non-entrepreneurs compared to entrepreneurs.

Non-entrepreneur women earn significantly more than non-entrepreneur men, while male entrepreneurs make slightly more than their female counterparts, it shows.

However, this trend is reverse globally, where among the high net worth female entrepreneurs earn 14 per cent more than their male counterparts.

In contrast, the average income of a high net worth woman who does not own her own business is 21 per cent lower than the corresponding average male income, it adds.

For the research, more than 2,000 high net worth individuals were interviewed and in Asia 500 respondents were surveyed, of which over 200 respondents were entrepreneurs.

The report further says, a higher proportion of entrepreneurs in Asia value the role of failure in contributing to future success more than their global counterparts.

Only 60 per cent of male entrepreneurs and 51 per cent of female entrepreneurs agree that past failure in entrepreneurial endeavours increases their chances of success in a new business, it points out.

However, the Barclays research shows that globally female business owners tend to value past failures less than their male counterparts.

While 70 per cent of male business owners agree that past failure in entrepreneurial endeavours increases the chances that a new business will succeed, this figure falls to 65 per cent for female business owners.

"Today women are at a threshold where they are moving from being a back door decision maker to board room decision maker. The present generation is supportive of women actively being engaged in family business, starting their own entrepreneurial ventures and acquiring professional education," Barclays, Wealth and Investment Management Chief Executive (India) Satya Bansal said.

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Lady Finger for Diabetes

Lady Finger for Diabetes ( OKRA ).........!

Take two pieces of Lady Finger and remove/cut both ends of each Piece. Also put a small cut in the middle and put these two pieces in glass of water. Cover the glass and keep it at room temperature during night. Early morning, before breakfast simply remove two pieces of lady Finger from the glass and drink that water.
Keep doing it on daily basis. Within two weeks, you will see remarkable results in reduction of your SUGAR.

Please. try it as it will not do you any harm even if it does not do much good to you, but U have to keep taking it for a few months before U see results, as most cases might be chronic.

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Sehwag dropped for remaining Tests

The two remaining Tests of the current series, which India lead 2-0, are the last ones they are scheduled to play before they go on four continuous overseas tours beginning with South Africa later this year.

Virender Sehwag has been dropped from India's Test side for the first time since he made an emphatic comeback to the long format with a century in Adelaide in 2007-08. That, incidentally, remains his last century outside Asia. No replacement has been named for Sehwag for the remaining two Tests of the series against Australia, which makes Shikhar Dhawan a favourite to open in the Mohali Test starting on March 14.

In his first reaction, Sehwag - who had been dropped from the ODI side for the series against England in January - tweeted: "Will continue to work hard for my place in the team. I trust my game and am confident that, 'I'll be back.' Best wishes to the team."

Since his comeback, Sehwag's performance outside Asia might have been questionable, but he kept his place in the side with typically dazzling match-winning knocks on the lower and slower tracks. Outside Asia, since Adelaide, Sehwag has scored just 523 runs in 12 Tests, at an average of 22.73 with a highest of 67. In Asia, though, over the same period he has amassed 3622 runs at 57.49, at a game-changing strike rate of 94.1.

However, over the last two years, the big innings began to dry up even in Asia. After his 173 against New Zealand in Ahmedabad in November 2010, he had to wait more than two years for another Test century. In November 2012, Sehwag earned another lease of life with a typical century against England again in Ahmedabad but, between then and being dropped, he has had scores of 25, 30, 9, 23, 49, 0, 2, 19 and 6.

This is a big fall for India's most prolific opening combination in Tests: Gautam Gambhir was dropped before the start of the Australia after three years without a Test century. Now India are possibly looking at a raw opening combination going into South Africa.

Not even naming a replacement opener is a big statement made by selectors who don't seem to have other options available but have still gone ahead and omitted him. Dhawan, his Delhi team-mate, is now a front-runner for Mohali, but Ajinkya Rahane can't be ruled out either. Sandeep Patil, the chairman of selectors, did say before the start of the England series that Rahane was picked as a middle-order batsman, but the Indian team management has been flexible and doesn't always stick to statements made in the press.

India squad: MS Dhoni (capt. & wk), M Vijay, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ajinkya Rahane, Ashok Dinda, Cheteshwar Pujara.

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Growth beyond 7 % will fuel inflation: Moody’s

  

Policymakers should end any pretence that the economy can grow at 10 per cent without fanning inflation — it simply cannot, said Moody’s Analytics. 

In a policy reiteration of what Indian policymakers and monetary authorities are well aware of, Moody’s has warned the government that pitching for GDP (gross domestic product) growth beyond 7 per cent to double digits in the absence of ‘significant’ structural reforms would fuel inflation and lead to ‘more painful’ adjustments in future.

In its report on India, the global rating agency’s arm, Moody’s Analytics, said: “Some government policymakers, most notably RBI Governor D. Subbarao, have begun pushing for a return to double-digit growth. This is wildly optimistic and, without significant structural reform, a dangerous view to take.”

Evidently, Moody’s caution call stems from the fact that earlier this week, the RBI Governor had stated that a growth rate of 5-6 per cent is not sufficient for the country’s economy, especially when it has the potential to grow by double digits, provided some issues are addressed. “If we do the right things, we can get back on the track of the double digit growth,” Dr. Subbarao had said.

Ostensibly, by saying “if we do the right things”, Dr. Subbarao had given enough indications on the need for structural reforms to take the economy on a higher growth trajectory.

Moody’s sought to remind the country’s policymakers that the government in pursuit of double-digit growth three years ago had “kept policy settings too loose for too long, causing the economy to overheat’’ which, in turn, led to the current problems of high inflation and a widening current account deficit. The obvious reference is to the fiscal and monetary stimulus measures that were put in place by the authorities to combat the impact of the global meltdown.

“Policymakers should end any pretence that the economy can grow at 10 per cent without fanning inflation — it simply cannot… Anything above 7 per cent [GDP growth] will lift inflation and result in a more painful future adjustment,” Moody’s Analytics said.

While the Indian economy is officially estimated to grow by 5 per cent this fiscal and the Finance Ministry has projected a growth rate of about 6.1-6.7 per cent in 2013-14, Moody’s ‘India outlook’ report has pegged the GDP growth at 6.2 per cent in 2013, up from 5.1 per cent in 2012.

The report pointed out that while the global environment has stabilised in recent months with Europe muddling through and most of the U.S. data looking better, the biggest change in India is that the government is now on a steady path of fiscal and regulatory reform and better governance. With economic reforms announced since August helping to lift corporate confidence and which should translate into better spending and capital expenditures from mid-2013, risks around the economy, particularly the fiscal and current account deficits, have begun to recede, it said.

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RBI to issue clarifications on new bank licence norms 

The guidelines have allowed any entity—be it a private or government owned— , to apply for banking licence. 

To address the concerns of intending applicants, the Reserve Bank on Thursday said it will issue clarifications on the final guidelines for new bank licences.

The regulator said many entities and groups interested in joining the banking fray have been posting queries ever since the guidelines were made public on February 22.

Assuring that the identity of those seeking clarifications will be protected, the regulator invited them to write in by April 10. However, RBI has not mentioned when it would come out with the clarifications.

“Considering that the clarifications sought would be of wider interest and use for all intending applicants, the Reserve Bank has decided to post the clarifications on its website,” it said.

The RBI had posted the final guidelines after almost three years of the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee making an announcement in the Budget to allow new private banks. RBI last gave bank licences around a decade back.

Many business houses, including the Tatas, Birlas, Mahindras, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Capital, asset financier Shriram Capital, LIC and India Post among others have shown interest or are tipped to contemplate an entry into the banking fray.

The interested parties have been given time till July 1 to apply.

Among other things, the guidelines have allowed any entity—be it a private or government owned— having its roots in any sector, including brokerages and realty, to apply for banking licence.

The RBI, however, said it will go by ‘fit and proper’ criteria, which will include having a past record of sound credentials, integrity and financial soundness with a successful track record of 10 years, while giving licences.

Other requirements include an initial capital of Rs 500 crore to be brought in by the promoter.

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Today`s quotes

“For every minute you are angry

 you lose sixty seconds of

 happiness.”

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1,000 vacancies in Salem rly division to be filled shortly:GM

1,000 vacancies in Salem rly division to be filled shortly:GM

SALEM: Spiking rumours that the Salem Railway Division would be merged with Palghat, Southern Railway General Manager Rakesh Mizra today said 1,000 vacancies of various posts in the division would be filled in a short period. 

Speaking to reporters here, Misra said the division would have its office buildings in six months. 

There were 1,000 vacancies of various posts in the division and these would be filled shortly, Misra, who recently assumed charge of Southern Railway, said. 

He also said safety clearance had been given for operation of trains on the newly laid Salem-Karur line

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With new design, Facebook takes a bite out of Twitter

Putting added emphasis on news, the refreshed Facebook goes after a core feature of its biggest competitors.

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The tweaked News Feed features larger images and other changes.

Today, Facebook promised to put the news back in its News Feed.

At a press event at headquarters, Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly used the phrase "personalized newspaper" to describe the direction of the site's core feature. And the Feed's new features arguably make Facebook a better way to stay on top of current events than ever before.

With a dedicated tab for everyone you're following and a renewed focus on photos, Facebook is aiming to create the kind of real-time information network that has made Twitter the top destination for news junkies.

That hasn't been possible before, not least because of Facebook's opaque, algorithmic way of showing you stories. As Nick Bilton detailed this week in The New York Times, reaching followers has become more difficult in recent months as Facebook has started encouraging publishers to pay to "promote" their posts. The result is that anyone who follows a publisher  might not see the majority of its posts, even though they've asked to.

Contrast that with Twitter, which displays every tweet from everyone a user follows. That can make the stream difficult to keep up with, particularly if you follow more than a couple hundred people. But at least a user can trust that tweets will appear in the stream as they are written -- and not after an algorithm decides they are worthy of being delivered.

And so the biggest change Facebook announced today, from the perspective of publishers and the people who want to read them on Facebook, is the "following" tab. According to executives at the event, the tab will show "every single post" from the people and publishers you subscribe to. If true, that will go a long way toward building trust in Facebook as a home for breaking news.

Facebook intros bigger, unified look for News Feed (screenshots)

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Meanwhile, news should look better on Facebook than it ever has, thanks to larger photos, expanded snippets of text from the articles that are shared, and their more prominent presentation on the page. Publishers have suffered through Facebook's algorithmic changes because the site can still drive significant traffic to their pages -- far more than the average post on Twitter or other social networks. If Facebook's changes make it easier for them to reach their fans, they may develop a new appreciation for what the network can offer.

But competitors are gunning for their attention, too. Facebook's changes come as Twitter has moved to make its own stream more visual. Tweets have transformed from a simple string of 140 characters to "envelopes" for all sorts of things, including photos, music, and article snippets.

And while it far lags both of them in mind share, Google+ continues to polish its design in a way that puts photos at the forefront. Yesterday, the company rolled out a new look that includes larger cover photos, enhanced profiles, and a new tab of its own (for place reviews). During the CNET live blog today, many readers remarked on the updated News Feed's resemblance to Google+, which also features a narrow left rail with big icons and huge photos in the central feed.

So yes, Facebook is trying to become "the best personalized newspaper." But it's not the only one. News is a major pillar of all the main social networks, and its role on each of them is only expanding. Facebook, Twitter, and Google started their social networks for very different reasons. But as the months go on, they're looking more and more alike.

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Corporate sentiment cautiously positive; employees can expect 12% hike this year: Mercer

Among the surveyed industries, the pharmaceutical sector, at 12%, expects the highest salary increments this year while the high-tech sector is expected to give the lowest increments at 11.5%.

NEW DELHI: India Inc will dole out an average salaryincrement of 12% this year, similar to last year's levels, according to HR consulting firm Mercer's Total Remuneration Survey 2013. The projections come just days after HR consulting firm Aon Hewitt predicted an average salary hike of just 10.3% for employees this February. "Corporate sentiment is cautiously positive, though companies are adopting a wait-and-see policy," said MuninderAnand, director for Mercer India's information solutions business, in a statement. "Performance-based pay and rewards will gain prominence in the appraisal cycle. Hiring will continue to be on the agenda for most companies in 2013," he added.

Atotal of 734 organisations participated in Mercer's All Industries Total Remuneration Survey, which included representation from seven industries — pharmaceutical and medical equipment, automobiles, chemicals, consumer goods, manufacturing, hi-tech (telecom, IT) and oil and gas. While Aon Hewitt had reduced the projected hike for this year to 10.3% from 10.7% for 2012, and called it the lowest hike in a decade barring 2009, Mercer has remained consistent in its salary projections, with projected average salary hike staying at 12% for 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Among the surveyed industries, the pharmaceutical sector, at 12%, expects the highest salary increments this year while the high-tech sector is expected to give the lowest increments at 11.5%. Other industries, including chemicals, consumer, oil and gas and manufacturing and engineering, project a 12% salary hike. The auto sector has projected a decrease in salary increments from actual increments of 12.5% in 2012 to projected increments of 12% in 2013.

About 72% of the respondents indicate recruiting for new positions and attrition backfill over the next year, though there is a 12% decline from hiring intentions in 2012. Companies are not looking at holding back increments in 2012, but are likely to be more selective, says Anand. "Companies are increasingly moving employee compensation away from a fixed-pay approach to one that relies more on variable compensation," he added.

There is an increase in variable bonus pay across industries from actual payout of 19.2% in fiscal 2011 to a projection of 19.30% in fiscal year 2012. Actual variable bonus percentage (of annual guaranteed cash salary) was highest for the hi-tech sector in 2011 at 25.50% followed by the oil and gas sector at 20.6% and consumer at 20.3%. High-tech and pharmaceutical sectors continue to lead projected variable payouts in 2012 at 25.70% and 23.50%, respectively

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Wipro-Microsoft launch AssureHealth platform

Wipro-Microsoft launch AssureHealth platform

BANGALORE: Wipro Technologies, the global IT and outsourcing business of Wipro Limited, today announced the launch of the Wipro AssureHealthplatform in partnership with Microsoft.

"This is primarily targeted at healthcare providers to deliver innovative solutions for remote fetal monitoring and cardiac care that will ensure high quality treatment at reduced costs, especially for chronic diseases", the Bangalore-headquartered company said in a statement.

The platform leverages Microsoft's cloud, mobility and analytics offerings to allow care providers to monitor patients regularly and precisely, it said.

This is done through hosted services and mobile apps that integrate medical devices, IT Infrastructure and 24/7 customer support, to deliver highly scalable solutions.

"The fetal monitoring service delivers accurate recordings of maternal, fetal heart rate and uterine activity from the expectant mother to the physician over his/her mobile device thereby enhancing the doctors ability to provide enhanced care to patients", Wipro said.

The fetal monitor is a small wearable wireless device that provides beltless monitoring of the mother and the baby in the womb. It accurately records maternal and fetal heart rate, and uterine activity, thereby providing information on fetal and maternal well-being, it was stated.

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Apple, Intel in talks for chip deal -- report

The companies have reportedly been in discussions for the past year, but so far, haven't come to an agreement.

Apple's A6X processor.

Intel might be trying to line up Apple's chip production, according to a new report.

The companies over the past year have been in talks for Apple to move its mobile chip production from Samsung to Intel, Reuters is reporting today, citing people who have knowledge of their discussions. So far, however, Intel and Apple have been unable to reach an accord.

CNET previously reported that Apple and Intel have been talking about a foundry relationship.

That Apple and Intel have talked boosts a claim made last week to Reuters by Intel custom foundry vice president and general manager Sunit Rikhi that his company is ramping up to take on a major mobile customer. Rikhi declined, however, to say that the customer could be Apple.

Apple has relied on Samsung for years to build its mobile processors. However, as that company's mobile efforts continue to pressure Apple's, the iPhone maker is looking for alternatives. In addition to Intel, Taiwan Semiconductor, among other chip makers, have reportedly been considered by Apple.Reuters' report comes a couple of months after RBC Capital Markets analyst Doug Freedman said that Apple and Intel might be imagining a new partnership in which Intel would build the iPhone maker's ARM-based smartphone chips in exchange for it using Intel's X86 processors in its next-generationiPad.

CNET has contacted both Intel and Apple for comment on the Reuters report. We will update this story when we have more information.

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