Cover Story
- An alarming number of young BPO workers are sinking into a world of crime, drugs, and promiscuity. It's an unprecedented workplace phenomenon that's testing their employers. Here we take a look at what actually goes on in the lifes of those working in BPOs.
'Buy with conviction and stay invested'
Past positions: Part of the portfolio management services division of Kotak Mahindra. Investment mantra: Think big and back ambitious promoters.Best call over the past few months: Contract research and manufacturing services (CRAMS) and engineering sectors. The get-back strategy
The best thing to do after a vacation is to plot your strategy to get back on your workout regimen. Bharti, Hutch hike rates
The two operators have also increased local SMS rates to Rs 1.20 per message for all users, both prepaid and postpaid, from Re 1 earlier.The A-Z of fragrance etiquette
Yes, there are rules for wearing colognes and perfumes as well. But they’re simple and quite easy to follow. Serving a classy single-malt in a cheap glass completely ruins the effect. A good home bar should have enough types of glasses to cover every major type of drink. Here are the standard glasses and a few special ones that you should have at home. Guests have this bad habit of popping up at strange times and often have strange demands. So, at any given point in time, your bar should be stocked well-enough to cater to most tastes. We bring to lifestyle coverage the same painstaking research and due diligence that has made Business Today India’s No 1 business magazine. This can put you out of action - or, at least, keep you at sub-optimal levels of functionality - for a day or two after a long flight. Fortunately, though, you can take measures to prevent it or reduce its impact. Big-screen TVs, game consoles and home-theatre systems — home entertainment is a lot more than just staring at a television for hours on end. It is about having fun, but now fun is available in crystal-clear highdefinition with 7.1 surround sound and in massive screen sizes. Here's a selection of some new fragrances that are making heads turn this season. Six key members of the World Trade Organization-the US, EU, Brazil, India, Japan and Australia-have failed to take forward the Doha round of world trade talks. The trade ministers met in New Delhi in the second week of April. In a joint statement, the countries agreed to set a new timeline for completing the talks, which they said they aim to finish by the end of this year. Here's a review of trade talks, the hurdles, and what's ahead.Tourism's Experiential Entrepreneurs
A band of new age entrepreneurs is delivering on the Incredible India promise by offering 'experiential' tourism in exotic locales. And foreigners are lapping it up. Market watch
“Acquisition of the UK-based J.L. French will add Ford, Land Rover, and Peugeot to its client base. With 32% compounded EPS growth between 2005-6 and 2008-9E, the stock trades at a P/E of 10 times on 2007-8 and 8.6 times on 2008-9 E earnings. We maintain our ‘Buy’ recommendation.” The BT 50 Index
The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index The BT 50 Index Newsmaker: Rajinikanth
The highest paid actor in the country, his pay cheque per movie, at Rs 25 crore plus a share of the revenues, puts him well ahead of his peers in Bollywood. Letter from viewers
Big losses? Think market crash, companies going bankrupt, bank robbery…think financial mistakes. Yes. Investor mistakes stack up to cost much more than you think. And we aren’t even talking about the more complicated equity-related ones like mis-timing the markets. From the Editor
What you see in what you see can make all the difference. This is how Y.V. Deveshwar, chairman of ITC, once explained why his company started what became one of the most revolutionary ideas in Indian business— e-choupals. Choupals have existed for centuries as a place where village elders meet to deliberate on issues at hand. In 2000, ITC started linking some of these choupals via a computer and Internet (the e) to urban or even global markets. In one step it transformed several villages, turned the idea of digital divide on its head and proved that philanthropy can be profitable. ITC saw in choupals what others couldn’t. Jobs Long
The standard chunk of Lorem Ipsum used since the 1500s is reproduced below for those interested. Sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 from "de Finibus Bonorum et Malorum" by Cicero are also reproduced in their exact original form, accompanied by English versions from the 1914 translation by H. Rackham IT companies are offering job contracts that bar employees from joining rivals, vendors or partners. Here's how you can steer clear of the tangle. How to stand out in an oh-so-boring black suit
Does the classic formal look leave you bored? We'll tell you how to jazz up the orthodox look. Destination China
The prospect of parting company with his pets Bruno and Sheru is upsetting Chandramani Singh, 39, who's headed for Shenzhen, China. Celestial lucre
It's economics for most. For others, the future of commodities is written in the stars. An ode to consensus
Can democracy really reduce discord? Arun Maira's new book suggests a roadmap for reducing conflict. Buy or wait?
Property prices have eased in some pockets and chances are it could dip further. Should you buy your house now? There is no straight answer to this question. With interest rates rising, some debt funds will fare better and others will lag. Know how to invest in them. Tax planning can be a breeze if you take the right steps early enough. Operation Singur
Work on Tata Motors' Rs 1-lakh car plant is progressing fast at Singur. And contrary to popular perception, the agitation against it is slowly petering out. Ritwik Mukherjee reports from the spot. Ambani vs Ambani: Fight for gas
The squabbling siblings are facing off once again, and this time the younger brother seems to have got the government to ask probing questions. But there's more to it. Does Mukesh legally have a right over the gas he is pumping out?"BT is moving from networks to services"
Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive, BT Group, speaks to BT about the evolution of the global telecommunications market and India's role in it. The Apollo Group has a big plan to provide holistic solutions. In the name of the father
Maverick entrepreneur Subhash Chandra has tossed his son, Punit Goenka, into the deepest end of the Zee broadcasting empire. The 33-year-old is beginning to deliver, in his own way. M&M, HDFC, Aditya Birla Nuvo and others all have subsidiaries and associate companies that promise to outshine them in the near future.Omaxe to raise over Rs 600 crore from IPO
Real estate major Omaxe is tapping the capital market on Tuesday to mop up more than Rs 600 crore to acquire land, repay loan and meet construction cost. The traditional suitcase-style lobbyist is alive and kicking, but the deregulated economy has spawned a new variety that believes in using 'case law-style' advocacy to effect policy changes. Too hot to handle
The government and industry aren't doing enough to tackle climate change. The fortnight's burning question. Enterprise data management, gives you a more predictive sense of a market.Forex reserves: A problem of plenty
How to utilise the forex reserves. Dream destination: Markets down south. Video Resume, a facility launched by Monster India allows jobseekers to upload their video clips on the Monster India website. The upswing of the IIP is a good sign for the economy. It will not only generate employment but will also increase the GDP. A bird's eye view of what's hot and what's not on the government's policy radar. The why, what and how-to of policy making. $1.5 billion (Rs 6,150 crore): The amount Citigroup Venture Capital International will invest in India. L.N. Mittal's bid to acquire a 49 per cent stake in the Bhatinda refinery of HPCL for $785 million cleared. The Mercer Global Cost of Living Survey 2007, Mumbai has climbed from #68 position to #52.Attrition the bane of India Inc.
Attrition levels in Indian industry as a whole are higher than 20 per cent at present. Steaming On
Ignore the doomsayers, the Indian economy is on song. The Tatas are revisiting financial services. China and India are two problem areas for Danone globally. Asia is at the centre of a public issue boom. Tata Motors launches two transport vehicles for rural markets. SEBI ticks off brokers for high-jinks in the F&O segment. FM stations are divided on how to measure radio listenership. Dharavi's revamp attracts more mega-corps. Cardiff's set in India, but China could steal the show. Daicel spots a niche in Indian drug discovery and development. Bata India is on the mend, but has it left it too late? CBDT's clarification on taxing shares held is still ambiguous. SEBI is poised to bring back short sales in the cash market. Is a software patent an oxymoron? Its flagship looks beyond Tulsi and the saas-bahu formula. The telecom paradox
Mobile phone population is clipping, but revenue isn't growing at the same pace. Until value-added services become more popular, operators will have to bank on cost cuts to grow profitably. With revenue from 'voice' falling, operators need more value-added services such as streaming video and mobile commerce to keep surging. But first they must wait for additional spectrum. There are several global players keen to enter India. Their entry will make the market even more competitive. Consumers, rejoice. Indian hospitality groups have been making desultory acquisitions abroad. That may not be enough to produce an Indian Four Seasons. 
