Business Today

CEO's Strategic Planner for Business

2009-04-19T21:28:00.001-07:00

CEO's Strategic Planner is ILAR Systems' top of its product line and consists of 32 major models, three for each of ten industry formats. You receive a two-year monthly model; a five-year annual model; and a model with six years of history and a five-year projection. These models integrate the income statement, balance sheet, cash flow statements, and generate two ratio analysis statements, a business valuation analysis statement and an advanced business analysis statement.

The industries covered are: service; manufacturing; wholesale, distribution & retail; technology companies; construction/contractor; health care for profit; health care not-for-profit; real estate investment; government; and limited partnerships and not-for-profit organizations.

Suggested retail: $1,500; Discount price: $995; Special Promotion Price: $697.50. Order while there is still time and receive a FREE copy of Bottomline-V, our traditional technology. Call: 949-640-2985; FAX: 949-640-7233; or E-mail: jfrilar@yahoo.com. AMEX, MasterCard and VISA accepted. International customers can wire funds or pay by Western Union.

If you go to the following web site and register, you will be able to download a free demo, and we will also e-mail or fax you detailed information. Please register with your e-mail address, phone number and FAX number, so that we can follow-up and be sure that you received the demo and were able to run it. Also, once we understand your application area of interest, we will fax you a sample printout of a typical model in that industry sector.

BottomlineV Business Planning & Valuation Analysis Models

2009-04-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

BottomlineV Business Financial Planning and Valuation Analysis Modeling System sells for Suggested Retail of $695;Discounts to $499; and is on Special Promotion at only $299 plus shipping. Don't delay. Place your order today! Call 949-640-2985; Fax: 949-640-7233; or E-mail: jfrilar@yahoo.com. AMEX, MasterCard and VISA accepted.International customers can wire funds or pay by Western Union.

Business plan valuations for consultants and business managers. Corporate finance and venture capital the easy way, while saving time and money. Business finance and budgeting with business valuation analysis. Cash flow and budget development the 21st Century way! We offer Advanced technology! Knowledge is power! Join our championship team today and use our business financial planning, budget, cash flow forecasting, business valuation and appraisal analysis models for Excel spreadsheets.

Our two popular packages are Bottomline-V and CEO's Strategic Planner for: five-year, annual; two-year, monthly; two-year quarterly; and six years of historical with automatic five-year cash flow projections. Buy CEO's Strategic Planner and receive two free gifts. First, you get a two-hour audio-visual CD-ROM presentation on Corporate Finance and Business Valuations (a $149.00 value) by Dr. John F. Richardson, a former professor at Purdue University, USC and National University. Second, you receive a FREE copy of our traditional technology, Bottomline-V (a $499.00 value).

Don't delay. Order while there is still time. You will find our cash flow forecasting and business valuation models to save you time and money. Ask about our jump-start program whereby we put together your first model for the price of the software and have it to you fully functional in a day or two. This guarantees you instant productive use of your financial software system! This is a limited offer while consultant time lasts. Don't delay. Call us today!

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Our models save you time and money! They help you raise venture capital, increase lines of credit, manage and plan for success and much more. Don't delay. Order our "Starter Kit" at $299. today or get our full version of Bottomline-V Business Financial Planning & Valuation Analysis System for only $499., while our supply lasts. Call 1-800-357-3130 or (949)640-2985 or click below to order on our secured web site.

Role as manager in client relations

2009-04-19T21:22:00.000-07:00

We exceed their expectations and instead of creating a human drama focused on the poor pet care heretofore provided by the pet owner, we carefully explained the options available that would resolve the pet’s condition and provide it with comfort and yet meet the pet owner’s demand for a pleasing appearance as well. We then almost surely enrolled them in the convenient Option B appointment scheduling plan and we had a budding responsible pet owner in terms of pet grooming needs.

Your role as manager in client relations is to win the business favor of everyone by knowing that your target market is an entire cross section of your community. With 60% of the households in the U.S. owning a cat or dog, what type of person wouldn’t possibly come through your door. The common ground is the pet and pet ownership. How does your business serve the common ground of the pet owning community besides grooming their pets?

Walk yourself mentally through your operation. Imagine if you were being given the full board of the Madson Client Relations Program. In stages, every pet grooming business can if they will take the first step to hire and train receptionists.Go further than our Client Relations Program. Always look for ways you can improve and encourage and reward suggestions from your client relations staff.

As you develop them put them in writing so future staff can come up-to-date with your system quickly. If you can’t think of a solution, brainstorm it with your staff of one or twenty. Perhaps you can ask your better clients for their opinions or another pet care professional associate. Call us. Find A Groomer, Inc. offers telephone management consultation and there are few challenges we have not faced ourselves, or resolved working with our pet grooming business owner clients. We’re here to help.

Grooming business to add staff's

2009-04-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

The time comes for every new pet grooming business to add staff, and pet grooming staff is not always the most logical addition. It makes sense to add a pet bather, and then another master trimmer or better yet, first an assistant pet trimmer. It also makes sense to first add a client relations staff to create a growing demand for these pet groomers under your management.

Pet owners want to be served as well as their pet. We’ve covered that topic in From Problems to Profits in 1990 and again here. Since then the industry has shown that pet owner consumers do want convenience and a good percentage are being attracted to grooming departments a part of one-stop convenience stores, or even in the veterinarian clinics. We foresee no turnaround in that trend either, and that is why you should carefully read the material in this issue pertaining to how your priority for pet owner client services can overcome the competition today and tomorrow.

Many of our readers have done it, but there are thousands of operations still at risk today.Actually, we have made it easy for you to fulfill your role in client relations. The Madson Management System has been proven for 36 years now, and you have its Client Relations Program organized and ready to go. As stated earlier, even adding the Option B appointment scheduling feature within the Preferred Client Program is likely to alone start paying for a part or full time receptionist almost immediately.

Your role as manager of your client relations program is to ensure that you first even offer client services (as opposed to pet care services), and to develop a complete menu of client services equal to your complete menu of pet care services. Really. If not, are you saying that the pet is more important than the pet owner? Ironically there are pet groomers out there that unintentionally infer by their words, actions and client services that they are doing a favor for pet owners. Instead of educating pet owners as a in how to better care for their pets as a client service, they instead scold and gossip about these pet owners behind their back.

After 40 years in the industry we’ve surely know of pet owners that don’t take adequate care of their pets, but that was our opportunity to do what do best, see the potential to earn a loyal client who became such through our interest in helping them to better care for their pet. We never judged them for a moment, and instead judge the situation and let loose our superior client services through trained receptionist and manager staff.

Relations Program to clients

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The hired receptionist MAKES you money and easily pays their way when you have an organized system like Madson’s Client Relations Program. In fact, just one small feature of the Program alone will pay for a receptionist. Want proof? See page 12 of this issue [Fall Issue of The Madson Pet Reporter]. Madson’s Preferred Client Program will contribute to the expense of a receptionist. What you get in return is the time to groom better, and a growing professional reputation by having a receptionist deliver the fruit of your Client Relations Program to clients that want to be appreciated and served as well as their pets.

In fact, your opportunity to serve pet owner clients is the key to your strategy to stay in business in a world where more veterinarians, retail and super retail stores are adding pet grooming. Of course, your fine grooming bonds loyal clients but you can never take them for granted because you are simply serving their pets and not going the extra mile to make your business more friendly and convenient to the needs of the pet owner.

Today’s world is more harried than ever and pet owners not only want more customer services, they need them and at a point they start demanding them. Client relations staff is truly the foundation for the stability of your business as well as excellence in pet care services. People love to talk about their pets, and you can’t always do that and groom pets. Sure you can place your grooming table near the entry area, but you are losing productivity so there must be a limit.

Your trained receptionist is there for those pet owners that want to share stories, address concerns, buy more products because the receptionist knew how to sell your products, or enroll in profit boosting programs that increase the number of appointments. Your client relations staff makes you look good too. It’s one thing to be an award-winning pet groomer and a business owner, but the addition of staff says you are also the successful business person that grooms. Now we’re on the road to the small business "mind set" that knows there are many roles to being a groomer and a business person, and finds a way in stages to fulfill the duties and responsibilities to each role.

It not unusual for our office to be contacted by pet grooming business owners that regret they never created a business with staff. Why? Well they grew to a point where they were working full-time and long hours, and couldn’t make any more money without increasing prices or cutting back. They had no staff working for them to increase their net income from the business. They also suffered more stress by having to own, groom, manage and customer serve. For some their bodies simply wore out, if not there well-being.

Benchmark strategy

2009-04-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

We are most proud of the Madson Client Program presented in From Problems to Profits. It is truly a benchmark strategy to excel at customer service in the pet care industry. It is of course one of the most important elements of The Madson Management System for Pet Grooming Businesses, and as that attribute implies, client relations is a priority for management. Your role as owner-manager or hired manager is to consistently supervise the content and execution of your client relations program. In this issue, we are adding enhancements to the Client Relations Program as published in From Problems to Profits and as such it’s time to further review the role of management for client relations.

In the years since we first published the original edition of From Problems to Profits we have worked with hundreds of pet grooming business owners. The most troubled business owner in terms of fulfilling management duties are the one-person operations. There are thousands of these type of pet grooming operations in the United States. Quite often their client relations suffers far more than their pet grooming which is almost always very good to excellent.

However, if you are the owner -manager - groomer - receptionist all in one you probably know what it is like to be bathing a pet and have the phone ring. Fortunately many one-person operations use an answering machine to cover such instances. This remedy is only a patch. New customers are not as likely to wait for you to call back as your regular clients. To some degree, you are losing new business.

The one person operation has little time to deliver all of the potent client relations practices that we introduced in From Problems to Profits and that we adding to here. It can be difficult to find even 10 to 15 minutes to dedicate to the new customer, especially without the interruption of a telephone call or another pet owner coming in. It may not seem like you are losing money because thousands of businesses run just this way make the weekly earnings they need to survive.

But there’s the key, they are in survival. Getting out of survival is to add client relations staff. Perhaps you will add a part-time receptionist in the morning, or one in the afternoon. Some high school students with training and guidance in a business like appearance make excellent afternoon receptionists.When we suggest this first step the first response is "I can’t afford a receptionist." That may be true for a few of the thousands of one-person pet grooming operations in serious financial hardship, but that’s it.

Today’s new customers

2009-04-19T21:15:00.000-07:00

It doesn’t stop here either. Each of these 10 referrals also will eventually could bring you 5 to 10 more referrals, and those referrals more referrals, etc. Each of today’s new customers is conceivably the source for $25,000 to $50,000 worth of business in the next ten years. This is the essence of the Madson Client Relations Program now used in whole or part in hundreds of pet grooming salons.

When you value the long term worth of each new customer and regular client, you will serve them with a wide array of client services and dedicated attention (trained manager and receptionists). You place an equal importance on both client services and pet care services because you know for every service you have two clients, the pet and their owner. You do this to gain the maximum number of potential referrals from your area and to maximize your client base. This is the mind set of a business person that grooms.

Ensure that you, and your staff, look at every client as a source of dozens of appointments in the years to come, and as a potential GOLDMINE of referrals in the years ahead also. At your next staff meeting, explain how one customer can mean up to $25,000 or more in potential income. We’ve done it, and it made a difference in our staff’s performance.

In the same manner, you and your staff should understand that a poor client relations disposition and poor pet care services can result in unresolved customer service problems leading to a "lost client". The client that disappears is just as likely to spread their complaint as well as their compliments not resolved properly that leads to a lost client can turn into many lost clients.It is not as likely for one "lost client" to result in $25,000+ in lost grooming fees income, but $2,000+ or thereabouts is very likely within a long term valuation.

Legendary pet grooming business owners share the attitude that clients relations is a priority. If your goal is not for some reason to develop such a business, you certainly want stability in order to ensure a stable source of income. Now that you know how much client relations impacts the finances of your business, perhaps you can ensure your stable income by going the extra mile for the pet owner as their pet.

Where there is attention given to customer service, there is a more pleasant work environment. Pet grooming involves the potential for great amounts of stress, and there’s nothing better than the pleasure of listening to satisfied clients and new customers to make the work day more pleasing and rewarding.

Today's industry

2009-04-19T21:14:00.000-07:00

Today's industry has far more resources to assist you than ever before, but you must take the time to learn and strategize. Be realistic and grow in stages. You will find new inspiration each time you achieve a goal, and then you go after the next one. Be more than a pet groomer, be a business person that grooms, and you will have a more profitable and satisfying career in pet grooming whether you operate in the home, in a van or a commercial location.

Just how important are client relations services compared to quality pet care services? Is it possible that they are equally important?Yes, they are equally important. In fact, we believe it takes both superior pet care and superior client relations to earn the $25,000+ potential grooming fees income from each pet owner client. Did you say to yourself, "Wait a minute, what do they mean $25,000+ in grooming fees income from one pet owner?"

It is not the $25 or $35 service fee that you are earning today that is of prime importance (we are using very conservative figures here). A new customer turned into a loyal pet owner client is likely to use your services an average of 6 to 9 times a year. If your average service fee is $30, today’s new customer offers the potential for you to earn up to $270 in the next year. Multiply this by your average client service life expectancy (let’s assume it’s 8 years) and today’s new customer is now potentially worth $2,160. We’re not done yet.

The majority of pet owner consumers are strongly affected by pet groomer referrals from pet professionals such as veterinarians, and friends and relatives using pet grooming services. It is not unusual to earn at least 5 to 10 referrals from any one pet owner over their service life with your place of business. If the new customer lives up to the goal to bring you 10 new customer referrals, that’s possibly another $2,160 for each of them over their average client service life expectancy period, or up to $21,600.

Salons & Shops as Part of a Retirement Plan

2009-04-19T21:13:00.001-07:00

Unlike most people in the grooming industry we have substantial experience in selling medium to large grooming businesses whose selling price can make a substantial difference in the retirement of their owners. Salon and shop owners need to realize that unless they pay into self-employed "pension plans" or similar investments they will look to the sale of their grooming business to contribute to a more comfortable retirement (or career change). It's take years of planning before they sell to make the best returns.

If you plan to retire someday, you will want to do so comfortably. Pet grooming business owners can create a business that provides them with such a retirement. The stereotypical image of the average pet grooming business owner is unfortunately not adorned with the vision of selling a business that provides them with such a retirement. Today, more pet grooming business owners are at least participating in some of the few retirement programs offered by leading trade associations, or those of their individual choice.

The size of your client base is directly proportional to the value of your business. So, the more your business is worth, the more you will receive for your retirement. Use management information to build the net worth of your business. The leading source of information to grow the net worth of a pet grooming business today is From Problems to Profits. However, don't overlook other business management publications and higher education sources, and professional working relationships with a bookkeeper, business attorney, accountant and financial planner. Every home, mobile or commercial salon needs management and professional advisors. Be sure to check out the resources at your local SBA or SBDC.

What you plan NOW affects you many years from now. Just saying to yourself you will think about it later is not wise. Strategize your career in pet grooming with a map of sorts. Create a business plan, because to create one you must identify short-term objectives, and those five, ten and twenty years ahead. You are not locked in and prevented from making changes, but you will surely make less mistakes.

Business seeking loans or investors

2009-04-19T21:11:00.000-07:00

Remember if you need a loan or investor they are going to want to know exactly how much of an investment you need and how much you are personally putting up of your own money. Don't proceed without knowing the numbers, and have them well-documented. You are certain to be asked for that documentation. If you don't have it you will be perceived as being naive about the conduct required to start-up a business. It's okay to be naive now, but start learning more today.

There's another very common question someone is likely to ask you. Again, don't venture into business seeking loans or investors without knowing your projected "breakeven point." Below you will find the breakeven table for the groomer opening a salon business above.Do you understand the table information? It's not too hard to figure it out once you know your projected average service fee for grooming services you expect in your business, and what your fixed costs are. Fixed costs can include interest payments on your loans to start-up the business, supplies, rent and utilities, etc.

In the example above the new business owner knows her business requires $4,222 a month to meet its fixed costs of operation. Because she knew her average grooming fee would be $32.55 it was easy to divide that number into the fixed costs of $4,222. The result is 130; the groomer must sell 130 grooming services a month to meet the required bills, and that doesn't include any personal income for her (unless she included a small base salary in the $4,222 amount).

You will impress others if you can share your break-even point, and think about this question. Isn't it easy to count the number of pets you groom or serve as you work through a month? Sure. Knowing that you must achieve 130 units to meet break-even is an easy way to track your progress at any time during the month. You will be better prepared should you not meet your goal, or to celebrate when you exceed your goal and start boosting your profit.

Project your business sales income

2009-04-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

You need to project your business sales income for 3 to 5 years in advance from the day you open for business (see graph above). Then you need to project the operating expenses and deduct them from your projected sales income thereby giving you an estimate of what personal income you can expect to earn from your business (see graph below). Going into business in the dark without knowing what you can expect to earn in sales and personal income is an unacceptable risks to banks or investors, and for good reason.

The graph below shows the start-up funding required for a commercial building requiring little renovation. The groomer starts small but plans to grow to employ several groomers. It also has a modest retail department. The owner projects requirements as $46,000 in "start-up assets" and $4,000 for start-up expenses. Every business owner learns basic financial terms and you definitely need to know the difference between an "asset" and "expense."

In accounting and tax reporting your assets and expenses are handled quite differently. Suffice to say that assets for a salon is major equipment like high-end grooming tables, tubs and dryers. In this example there is also inventory and furniture. If you use the services of plumbers, electricians and other contractors they might be considered leasehold asset improvements. You must get asset vs. expense determinations from a reliable certified public accountant to avoid problems with tax agencies. Certainly the start-up expenses are easier to understand. They have a short lifetime and include grooming supplies, small tools and equipment, advertising, stationery, licenses, fees to name just a few.

Refer to the chart below once more. We know that the groomer needed $50,000 to cover the purchases of assets and expenses, and some of that asset amount may be cash reserved because you run a new a business at a loss for several months until the clientele and demand increases. The chart tells us that the groomer plans to seek a loan (light yellow) of $32,000 and her investment of her own money (light blue) will be $18,000.

Business to provide for your retirement

2009-04-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

If you are looking to your business to provide for your retirement, you need to build the largest business possible with a clientele that comes in often, and site it in a commercial location with a good, long lease. Make sure you have a very professional sign, and that your operation is conducive to selling, meaning that the buyer knows they can come in and take over and run the business in the same way as you. The more "systematized" you are, with a well-documented business history, the more likely you can encourage a higher appraised value, and more buyer confidence.

It's never to early to extend your grooming excellence with pet grooming business management excellence. There are two important "business books" for salon owners. Read both of the two best grooming management books, From Problems to Profits and The Art and Business of Pet Grooming. They should be in every pet groomer's library. Both can be ordered securely on-line with or without a credit card at our Bookstore.

If you meet your objectives, and your objectives are very clear and appropriate, you enjoy success regardless of operating your business in a salon, shop, home or mobile van. Have you written down your personal and business objectives yet? Do you have a business plan? If not, there are resources to assist you in this site. Please use them. I am reminded of the saying, "If we fail to plan, we plan to fail." You must discover and record your clear objectives in order to properly choose between a home, van or commercial business, and not endure the limitations of lifestyle preferences or money limitations exsist.

Do your homework for your business! It's also important that you create a business plan for a new business. You can be sure one will be required if you seek a business loan or investor. It's no small task but perhaps the most important task to protect your investment in your business. How much do you need to invest? That's another question that must be answered with financial planning. Some salons and shops are simple to build out while others plan to be large and add a retail pet products department and perhaps other revenue services.

Market for Grooming Information

2009-04-19T21:03:00.000-07:00

Everyone wants to know, what can we earn as a salon or shop owner. Well, how much do you want to earn? Except for the tiniest shop of just 200 to 300 square feet, the saying "The sky is the limit" may apply. Often mobile groomers and home groomers face a daily limit of the number of pets they serve. You can build a salon or shop to do 20, 30, 50, 75 or even 100 grooming appointments a day. We have clients in all those ranges. We started out as a small shop we grew to a 7 day a week operation grooming around 100 pets a day. The only other significant restriction is the "market area." Are there enough people and pets in your area to provide you with the number of pets you want to groom? Please refer to the Market for Grooming Information Main Menu to help make that decision.

Please realize that there is no "right or wrong" or rules that say you have to grow a large grooming salon or shop. It's your choice, and it should be tied to your financial expectations and financial projections. If you want to earn a personal income (your income or "your paycheck" from the business after operating expenses) of $50,000 or more a year (prior taxes) you are going to have to grow a moderate to large salon.

We do have consultation clients that enjoy $100,000 to $250,000 annual personal incomes (prior taxes) from very large salons earning business income of $500,000 to $900,000 a year (what they ring up on the cash register). These figures are grooming services only and could be higher if you factor in additional sources of revenue such as retail goods.

Let us state here an important point. In 2003, 2004 and 2005 nearly every business plan we wrote for new grooming salons and shops included a specialty retail department (retail not generally found in corporate pet stores or event Mom and Pop pet stores) and sometimes a bakery, and about 20% of the time they also offered self-service pet wash tubs in addition to full-service grooming. Having multiple sources of revenue is very important to ensure that your business income is adequate to pay for leased space, bank loans and interest and other operating expenses.

Grooming business

2009-04-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

The cash demand required to open a grooming business is typically the greatest for commercial salons and shops. If you are interested in opening a salon or shop be sure to read our Startup Cost Information Main Menu and the Salon Design Information Main Menu. Keep in mind that even the largest pet grooming salon was once a small one. Most groomers have to borrow money through a business plan and bank loan to open a salon or shop, and today the absolute shoestring startup cost is $50,000, and more often and more comfortable would be $75,000 to $100,000.

The greatest cost factor is "leasehold improvements." The new location is certain to need some plumbing, electrical, flooring enhancement, carpentry and signage work to prepare for a grooming operation. These "leasehold improvements" typically require half of the money borrowed. PetGroomer.com staff have written over 100 business plans in the last few years, so we speak from substantial experience.

It is always a bit of joy when the new business owner has family and friends that are legally able to do some of the leasehold improvements at a reduced cost. Sometimes the landlords will absorb a portion of the improvements, or reduce the rent to acknowledge the investment in their property. Here's our number one rule, NEVER sign a rent or lease contract no matter how much pressure you are under unless you have clearly, absolutely have a guarantee of cash investment required as stated by your business plan, especially if it is coming from a bank or investor.

If you sign a lease or rent contract and don't get your financing, you are stuck paying the rent your contracted for and that is only one caution. As consultants specializing in the process of opening new, or expanding, pet care businesses, we suggest you consider our assistance described at Grooming Business in a Box. Even a short consultation can save you thousands, and we have a long history of doing just that as most pet groomers are first time business owners, and we learn by experience, don't we?

R.U Interested in Salon or Shop Grooming

2009-04-19T20:59:00.000-07:00

Let's start by saying that there is little difference in the term "shop" versus "salon." Most consumers sense the use of the term "salon" as being more upscale, and not necessarily a larger business than a shop. "Shop" is simply casual. So for the purpose of discussion here unless otherwise noted, we mean the same thing whether we use the term "shop" or "salon." If your interest is a pet spa this is your section too.

The term "pet spa" has been around for some time but its use is on the increase in upscale areas. These businesses promote specialty services from hydrotherapy to "blueberry facials." Salons and shops as we use the term are in "commercial locations." They do not qualify as a home-based business, and of course they are not a mobile operation although some may own a mobile and provide that extra service.

Salons and shops typically have 1 or more employees. Now that is perhaps the most common delineation between home and mobile groomers and owners of salons and shops. There are some home and mobile operations with employees, but the percentage of employers is dramatically higher among salon and shop owners. If you don't want employees, you won't have a typical salon or shop, but there are some exceptions of very small one person shops usually in 200 to 300 square foot "nooks."

Most commercial salons and shops are in a leased space. Some pet groomers acquire the funds enabling them to buy their business building which can be a terrific financial move when done correctly and eliminate the rent expense. Some commercial salons and shops are leased from a large kennel or pet store operation equipped with grooming departments.

Human Resources

2009-04-19T20:55:00.000-07:00

This category is for web sites related to safety and the environment.Note: The ODP only includes safety in this category and web sites related to the environment are referred to a scientific category. Since BusinessCenturion does not currently have any categories other than “business”, we do include businesses and informational web sites related to the environment in this “Environment and Safety” category.

Human Resources covers a range of topics, all dealing with the “People” aspect of running a business. HR has two major components: HRM (management of people) and HRD (learning and development of staff). Typically larger companies have their own HR department but may buy in specific services from a specialist firm. Smaller companies may opt to have all their HR managed by an external HR company.

This category contains web sites for companies specialising in Human Resource services. This may be an HR service provider to other companies or as provider of advice/resources/consultancy to HR departments. This category includes all aspects of information technology, including computer hardware, software (programs) and services as well as topics related to the Internet.

Computer tools used in other categories of business should not be included here but in their respective categories. For example: Web sites about music, including electronic music and software tools for music generation and use by musicians should be listed in the “Art and Entertainment” category.This category contains web sites related to the law and the practicing of law, including law firms, information about laws and legislation, primary law material, paralegal services, law publications, law technology, expert witnesses, litigation experts and other providers of service to the law profession.

This category is for businesses containing information about the general topic of management. This includes web sites with information broadly related to management theory and the application thereof and that are of importance to managers and related professionals and practices involved in some aspect of management (business, government or academic).

Business/management consultansts

2009-04-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

Business/management consultansts are individuals or organisations with expertise in the field of business procedures, practices and policy. All types of organisations use consultants and the consultants analyse the organisations from a wide operational persepctive while applying a variety of skills to obtain a specific outcome, solution or result.

By studying and analysing, consultants solve problems or provide solutions to prevent problems in the areas of running of the business, infrastructure and performance.Consultants fulfill many roles ranging from support within an existing team to temporary leadership in a specific problem area and other activities performed at the request of the organisation.Note: “Sales Consultants”, i.e. sales people or marketers will not be considered to be suppliers of consulting services.

This category contains web sites of organisations selling and repairing (maintaining) electronic equipment such as television sets (TVs), radios, HiFi, video cameras, video recorders and other audio visual equipment. Note: This category does not appear in the “business” category of the ODP but was taken from its “shopping” category

ODP directory

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These descriptions are loosely based on the descriptions provided as part of the ODP directory. SuproNet does not necessarity agree with all those descriptions and is of the opinion that:some descriptions have shortcomings the standard of the descriptions vary too much from one category to another. We trust that the ODP descriptions will be improved over time and are of the opinion that the use of standardised category types has more advantages than the disadvantages related to the less than perfect descriptions

This category contains web sites related to the business aspects of the art and entertainment industries. This include management, bookings, distribution, equipment and marketing. It has to do with suppliers to the art and entertainment industries.We include web sites focusing on the “retail” of art and entertainment and the category therefore includes web sites of artists, theatres, galleries and other suppliers of art and entertainment to the general public. Suppliers to arts and craft workers and dealers in arts and crafts are also included as are web sites providing information about these industries.

For retail in music products (such as CDs, sheet music and musical instruments), see Music. Note: The ODP excludes web sites focusing on “retail” of art and entertainmentThis category is for web sites of businesses selling or providing books, magazines/periodicals and other publications.For publication of books, see for printing, Note: This category was taken from the ODP’s “Publications”, a sub-category of “Shopping”.

This category contains resource web sites with information related to the broad topic of client services (including client satisfaction, technical support, etc). It contains a combination of informational web sites broadly related to the theory of client services and the practical application thereof and of interest to professionals involved with client satisfaction in all industries and occupations. It also contains resource lists of people (practices)(companies, government, academics) involved in some aspect of client services (consulting, facilitating, training, etc.).

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All the available information has not been processed and published yet. The table of content gives an indication of all the information that will eventually be published but only links to available information have been activated Use the drop-down menu below to go directly to the relevant page.These pages only contain a part of the complete economic atlas. For the complete index, see Economic Data.

These categories were deduced from the categories used in the “Business” category of the “Open Directory Project” (ODP). For the moment we will not use additional sub-categories but this may change if the number and variety of businesses within a category warrants it.Note that we do not use the complete structure of the ODP but only the “Business” sub-category with some categories added to this. Information about organisations in Centurion that may fall into other (non-business) categories, might be available on Centuriu Net.

The main differences between our classification and that used by the ODP are as follows:The sub-divisions within the “Business” category was used as basis but extended by including categories such as “health”. The ODP handles “shopping” as a category separate from “business” while we include web sites of retailers in the relevant “business” category.

Where necessary, categories have been added to provide sufficient coverage of the retail area. This category is for businesses specialising in advertising and promotion services. (We include businesses involved in Internet marketing/promotion (for their clients).)This category is not for businesses to advertise their own services.

Traditional defence focus

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Bharat Electronics Ltd branched away from its traditional defence focus earlier this decade and is an important volume producer of ICs. It signed on SGS Thomson Microelectronics to help boost its fabrication output from 15 million to 100 million units using the 15cm (6-inch) wafer and 1.5-micron technology, and has been graduating from strength to strength since then.

The private sector achievements read like a book of records in electronics. Texas Instruments India, like many multinational subsidiaries in the country, has invested heavily in VLSI facilities. Its centre for design is one of the largest in the world. It recently designed a completely Indian core chip called Ankoor.

It is the first US company to have designed a core processor (a chip loaded with software) completely in India. As far as memory chips are concerned, the first full-chip memory design for 4M DRAM in India was completed as early as 1993. An 8M flash memory chip has also been designed in India.

Interestingly, FFA has forged relationships with ITC in Medak district in Andhra Pradesh for sourcing vegetables on about 200-300 acres with over 700 growers and is in talks with Heritage Foods for supplying over one lakh bags of Sona Masoori rice. ''We are in the process of forming a society towards this,'' Reddy said. On the same lines, a co-operative movement is already in place for dairy products in association with National Dairy Development Board (NDDB), he added.

Multinational Companys

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What has made India the design hub, according to some in the industry, is the saving of 33 per cent to 50 per cent in engineering costs. However, there are others who believe that no matter now dramatic these savings may seem, such considerations do not percolate down to the street price of the chip. Finally, the net price of a chip designed in India will be no different from another coming out of a design shop in the Silicon Valley of USA. The question that remains then is, ‘What attracts the MNCs to India?’

The answer, according to experts, is that it is a lot easier to build a team in India, and when you give customers a product ahead of time, they are prepared to pay a premium for it. The other reasons are the potential market that is expected to come up in the next five years in India and the proximity to the high chip consuming industry in the Asia Pacific region.

Other players in the region are Arcus Technology, SAS, DCM and Usha Matra. The close relation of software with chip designing is what makes the situation ideal for India-situated design companies. The development of a semiconductor chip based VLSI (very large scale integrated circuit) requires an enormous development of software. This is where India has a marked edge over other developing countries.

Another factor that has aided designing has been the availability of electronic design software and design automation. This assistance is offered by companies like Apara Design Automation, Wipro Infotech, Digipro Design Automation, Future Techno Designs Pte Ltd, NIIT, Usha Matra etc.

Among the public sector undertakings, Indian Telephone Industries had, by the mid-1990s, set up a tiny 200 wafer-a-week, 10cm (4-inch), 3-micron fab for ASIC production, and has since made significant headway over the years.

Retailers turn to co-op movement for better supply chain management

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Far from the existing corporate or contract farming, co-operative movement is becoming a revolution. Thanks to the retail boom, retailers are giving a push to this momentum for better supply chain management. Even while the existing contract or corporate farming is being debated by many states as there are no clear-cut policies during violation by the corporates, co-operatives are much sought-after by the retailers. The buyers list includes ITC's e-choupal, Reliance Fresh, Heritage Foods and many more are the in the process to join the co-operative movement.

Reason is obvious as the co-operatives are registered under the mutually-aided co-operative society Act. For instance, as pilot, the Federation of Farmers' Association (FFA) of Andhra Pradesh has initiated a move by setting up eight co-operatives in the state for mango which has helped in mitigating losses to an extent of Rs 2-3 crore. Says Chengal Reddy, chairman, FFA: ''About 4,000 farmers in over 1,40,000 acres are working across eight co-operatives in Chitoor for mango production. This is being sourced by Coca-Cola to an extent of 3,500 tonnes of mango. Owing to the increasing demand, we are planning to increase it to over 12 co-operatives by this year end.''

''More so, many states across the country do not have a policy for contract farming to assist the farmers during any kind of violation of the terms and agreement,'' says an commodity analyst. A strict code-of-conduct for contract farming arrangements have to be in place by the corporates, the analyst said adding that perhaps this is also one of the moves to boost cooperative movement. Moreover, the state Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act is yet to be amended in many states which is affecting direct market linkages.

BUSINESS - COAL POWER

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Germany, for example, is making it easier to build new coal plants by granting them free emissions permits, even though it aims to reduce emissions to 40% below the 1990 level by 2020. Enel hopes to persuade the governments of Bulgaria and Romania to do the same. In America, the most prominent proposals for regulations to reduce emissions all involve generous hand-outs to the coal industry. For a supposedly dying breed, advocates of coal-fired generation still seem to have plenty of clout with Europe’s and America’s politicians.

Crude oil futures on the national exchanges jumped up smartly on the week ended on Friday, as gasoline prices set the premium over heating oil, supported by Opec members eyeing more output cuts at the March meeting. Copper futures gained some ground last week on speculation that Chinese demand will come. Gold and silver futures remained subdued on some sell-offs.

MCX crude oil April 2009 contracts ended higher at Rs 2,384 per barrel on Friday over the previous week's close of Rs 2,091 per barrel, up by 14%. US government data on Wednesday showed gasoline stocks dropped 3.4 million barrels last week, as demand rose and imports fell. Crude stocks rose lower than expected, but hit their highest level since July 2007.

WTI Crude oil spot was quoted at $42.79 a barrel on Friday. "The market is surging on follow-through buying after Thursday's bullish gasoline data," said Tom Bentz, an analyst, said. MCX copper April 2009 contracts recovered sharply and traded higher by 8.6% at Rs 176.35 per kg for Rs 162.35.

India's imports of high-technology goods

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Despite the popular belief that Indian markets are flooded with Chinese goods, India has a trade surplus with China. Moreover, the value of manufactured goods exported to China from India ($2.5 billion) is only slightly less than the value of similar items imported into India ($2.9 billion).

However, when moving up the production line, India's imports of high-technology goods, such as photographic material, scientific apparatus, and so on is higher. While secondary goods dominate in what China exports to India, the latter's exports to China have a large share of primary goods. India's export profile towards China is like a typical developing country.

With Asean, however, India has a trade deficit. The total trade is worth nearly $10 billion. India's main exports to Asean are primary goods, while the chief imports are secondary goods such as electrical appliances and machinery. China and Asean trade mostly in secondary goods. However, while China exports about $520 million worth of cereal to Asean, it imports about $510 million worth of wood. Thus, some amount of primary goods is exchanged between the two. The total trade between China and Asean is about $12.6 billion.

Foreign exchange reserves in India ($127 billion) are half of Asean's ($236 billion) and a sixth of China's ($711 billion). Foreign Direct Investment into India is also much lower than that into Asean and China. Asean's FDI inflows amounted to $241.7 billion from 1990 to 2003. China got $475 billion in this period, while India received $28.5 billion. FDI has changed the way China engages its working population, altered its foreign trade outlook and accounts for why it has come to dominate world manufacturing. This is just as Asean did the decade before. India is still ideologically confused about FDI.

By these trends, India and China will grow faster than Asean and their economic engagement will also rise much more than India and Asean. However, Asean is more closely linked with China than India and will continue to be so. The FDI into India is mostly from developed country MNCs using the country as a manufacturing hub. India's FDI policy needs greater clarity.

Also India cannot compete for developed country markets for manufactured goods till the concept of Special Economic Zones takes off. As for economic development, India clearly lags behind China and Asean. India is not only a much poorer country, but fares quite dismally in all social indicators also. It remains to be seen if India can translate its potential for a relatively higher growth rate into better standards of living.

China is India's largest trading partner

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When comparing development between regions, it is important to look beyond income and analyse social indicators also. In most such indicators India lags Asean and China. Infant mortality is 65 per 1000 in India, while it is 30 and 38 in China and Asean. Life expectancy is lowest in India (65 years), while it is 71 in China and 68 in Asean. The knowledge quotient is also the lowest in India, with only 69 per cent literacy, whereas it is 90 per cent of China's and Asean's people are literate.

The performance of these three regions is also a function of the government expenditure in health and education. India and China spend only about 5 per cent of their GDP on health, while Asean spends 11 per cent. Asean's expenditure on education is also much higher, at 17.4 per cent of GDP. It is 4.1 per cent in India, and only 2.9 per cent for China.

Prosperity indicators also portray a similar picture. There are more TV sets, computers, telephones, etc., per 1,000 population in China and Asean compared to India. Electricity consumption in India (395 kWh per capita) is less than half of China's (893 kWh) and Asean's (712 kWh). In India, 35 per cent of the people live below the $1-a-day poverty line. China and Asean are better off at 17 per cent and 11 per cent respectively. In the external sector, China and Asean's performance is clearly superior to that of

India. India's exports and imports total about $125 billion. This is way behind China's total trade of $851 billion. Asean is also up there with $847 billion. Now, China is India's largest trading partner, having edged out the US last month. The total trade is worth over $13.5 billion. India's economic engagement with China is bound to expand.

China, India, Asean for favourable demographics

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However, where China comprehensively outshines both India and Asean is in industry. Over half of its income accrues from this sector, while only 22 per cent of the workforce is employed in industry. This indicates a highly productive industrial set-up in China.

India is clearly a nation of farmers. Is Asean a society of shopkeepers? One thing is clear. Industry does not and cannot employ the majority of the working population. The paradox of modern production technology making workers redundant is visible. But without a large industrial base is a large service sector possible?

Looking into the future, favourable demographics assure all three regions of good growth rates as the majority of the population is young, productive and still in a spending mode. About 55 per cent of this region is in the productive age group of 15-49 years. By contrast, Japan and Europe are aging societies. Only the US, among the developed countries, is demographically dynamic.

India's growth rate of 6.2 per cent is just beginning to surge past Asean's (also at 6.2 per cent) and hopefully will get closer to China's (9.1 per cent) in the next few years. However, in terms of productive age groups, Asean has an edge over both India and China. The former has nearly 61 per cent in the productive age-group, while the latter two have only about 55 per cent. India, however, has an advantage in that in the coming decades, the percentage of its people in the productive age group is going to be relatively higher.

India, China and Asean cooperating

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The economies of these regions also have some structural variations among them. Half of India and Asean's income accrues from the services sector. However, a significant share of India's services sector is in the unorganised segment. The heavy dependence on services in both these countries is in contrast to China, which owes half of its income to industry.

The last 10 years has also seen a shift in these shares, especially in India and China. In the first 10 years after economic reforms, in India the agriculture sector's share in GDP went down by about 10 per cent, while that of services moved up by roughly the same percentage. China also saw a similar shift away from agriculture during the same period. However, in China, this decline was made up by industry.

The strength of these sectoral shares can be judged by the productivity accruing to them. Thus while in both India and Asean, agriculture has about 22 per cent share in GDP, India's farm sector employs about 60.5 per cent of its total workforce and Asean's 46.5 per cent.

Clearly, farm productivity is higher in Asean. However, it is also interesting to note that while the services sector has a similar share of about 50 per cent of GDP in both countries, India employs only 22.7 per cent of its workforce in services and Asean employs 41.5 per cent. The trend in productivity is, apparently, reversed here.

As for China, in agriculture its share of GDP is only 15 per cent but the share in employment is 50 per cent, indicating a low productivity similar to India. In the services sector, it performs slightly better with an income share of 32 per cent and an employment share of about 28 per cent.

India, China and Asean — Competing, complementing, cooperating

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Accounting for half the world's population but less than a tenth of global income, China, Asean and India are the emerging economic powerhouses. But India has a lot of catching up to do, both in matters economic and social. Mohan Guruswamy mak es a statistical analysis of the three regions.

INDIA, China and South-East Asia together account for nearly half of the world's population (47 per cent). Yet, this region accounts for less than a tenth of the world's income (7.8 per cent). Countries of the South-East Asian region (or the Association of South East Asian Nations — Asean) and China are, however, twice as rich as India in per capita terms.

While India's per capita income is $530, for Asean and China it is $1264 and $1100 respectively. However, in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms, India outperforms Asean with a per capita income of $2880, while the latter's is $2014. This probably explains why we in India prefer to state our income in PPP terms. However, it is important not to generalise the economic situation in Asean. Like India and China, Asean masks a vast diversity of incomes. Cambodia and Laos are no better than Bihar or UP, or many parts of interior China. Delhi, Bombay and Shanghai have profiles nearer to that of Singapore and Hong Kong.

The disparity in incomes is glaring. While six out of 10 countries in Asean have a per capita income of less than $1000, four countries have over $2200. Singapore and Brunei are, in fact, at par with developed countries with per capita incomes of $21,500 and $13,500 respectively.

GVFL Exits Scicom Technologies

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GVFL has exited Scicom Technologies, a software services provider of oil and natural gas industry, a statement from the Ahmedabad-based fund said. This is GVFL's 46th exit of its 58 investments so far.GVFL, formerly known as Gujarat Venture Finance Ltd, had invested Rs 15 million ($333,000) in the Noida-based company in 2000. It has has made 20 per cent IRR from this divestment. According to sources, GVFL has sold its stake back to the management.

The company currently has 400 engineers, and has a turnover of $12 million.Scicom was founded in 1996, as a joint-venture between IIS Infotech Ltd. and XOX Corp, US, to provide services in the area of modeling and simulation application software development and consulting to companies operating in the niche market segment of scientific and engineering sector.

At the time of inception, it was known as IIS-XOX Pvt. Ltd. Scicom has executed projects for leading companies like Schlumberger Ltd, Haliburton, and Siemens.

The backers of the company include Saurabh Srivastava and Mohit Goel, the founders of IIS Infotech which was later sold to Xansa.Has GVFL exited Scicom at a wrong time? The IRR of 20 per cent is nothing to write home about since GVFL has entered the company at a very early stage.

Hutch Sets Floor Price Of $14 Billion For Its 67% Stake

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The latest from the race for the Hutch stake is that Hutchsion Telecom International (HTIL) has set a floor price for its stake. It has set a minimum price of $14 billion for its 67 per cent stake in Hutch Essar, according wire reports quoted by CNBC India. So any bid below $14 billion will not be considered.

This will value the 100 per cent of Hutch at $21 billion. According to reports, Hutchison Whampoa has already dismissed an indicative offer of $13.5 billion by Texas Pacific Group and Malaysian operator Maxis (it's not clear if the $13.5 billion is the enterprise value or the value of the 67 per cent stake.)

Meanwhile, Essar, the Indian partner of Hutchison Essar, has reportedly made an offer to buy the 67 per cent held by HTIL the Indian telco. According to a report in The Economic Times, the Essar group has made an offer of $11 billion, valuing the whole company at $17-18 billion. The offer was reportedly made through the Essar's advisors, Morgan Stanley and Bear Stearns.

The report further says that the Essar group may have received a line of credit of about $10 billion from Morgan Stanley and Citigroup. As of now, there hasn't been any move from the Reliance Communications-led consortium or Vodafone. The other contender is TPG and Maxis combine.

opportunities for inorganic growth

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The ET report quotes M&M president (farm equipment sector) Anjanikumar Choudhari as saying, “We are always happy to look at opportunities for inorganic growth. If the price is right, we would be interested in any acquisition.” Tafe has refused to comment.

Actis shares today rose 8 per cent to close at Rs 252 on the news that Actis was looking for suitors. The company has a market cap of over Rs 1400 crore ($310 million). The acquirer may have to give a premium for the stake, and that may give Actis almost $120 million for its 29 per cent stake (twice that of its original investment of $60 million). That's an IRR of 33.33 per cent. Actis chief Donald Peck (in the picture) can smile.

Currently, the Burmans and Actis jointly hold around 43 per cent stake, and they are acting in concert. Earlier this year, Actis and the Burmans were successful in ousting Yash Mahajan from the company's saddle as its chairman. The Burmans' nominee PD Narang was appointed as the chairman of the company in the place of Mahajan.PTL used to be the second largest tractor maker after M&M. But last year, TAFE emerged the number two. PTL is currently number four after M&M, TAFE and Escorts, in that order.

The new policy may allow a higher FDI in sectors that do not directly affect the smaller domestic retail companies. They may be sports goods, electronics and building equipment. These sectors may be allowed a higher FDI cap of 51 per cent.

Government Mulls Higher FDI In Retail Of Sports Goods, Electronics & Building Equipment

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If the government has its way, the foreign direct investment policy in retail may see some changes. The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) is preparing a detailed policy for further liberalisation of FDI in the country, reports The Economic Times. This is likely to be announced before the Union Budget in end February.

Currently the government permits 51 per cent FDI in single-brand retail through FIPB. For multi-brand, there is 100 per cent FDI in cash-and-carry through the automatic route.Private equity fund Actis wants to exit Punjab Tractors Ltd (PTL). According to a report in The Economic Times.

Indian tractor companies like Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) and Chennai-based TAFE may be interested in buying Actis’ 28.4 per cent stake in PTL. They are believed to be in talks with Actis. Citigroup is advising Actis on the sale.The report also says that the other major shareholder in PTL - the Burmans of Dabur who hold about 14 per cent stake in PTL - may also consider a sale if the situation demands.

PTL is a leading tractor manufacturer and was earlier owned by the state government of Punjab. It was in 2003, Actis acquired the Punjab government's 23.5 per cent stake in PTL through a tender. Prior to that Actis had acquired a 4.9 per cent stake through open market. This gave the private equity fund a total of 28.4 per cent stake in PTL. Actis has invested a total of $60 million in PTL.

Evolvence To Raise $105 Million From London's AIM For India-Focused Fund and ICICI Venture To Make Investments As Large As $125 Million

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The Middle East-based fund of funds Evolvence Capital is raising a close-ended fund from London's Alternative Investment Market. The Evolvence India fund, domiciled in Isle of Man, will initially invest in six Indian private equity funds.

ICICI Venture, India's largest homegrown buyout firm, plans to increase its ticket size. In an interview to Bloomberg, Renuka Ramnath, Managing Director of ICICI Venture, said that her fund would invest as much as $125 million at a time probably with the help of co-investors. Currently, ICICI Venture invests a sum not bigger than $25 million.

ICICI Venture currently faces competition from foreign funds like Blackstone Group, Carlyle Group, Texas Pacific Group and others while the deals are hard to come by. Ramnath told Bloomberg: "It has pushed up valuations, it has pushed up expectations. All my potential clients have five distinctive ways of solving the same problem; private equity is only one of them."

This provision allows the allottees an exit mechanism on the stock exchange without having to wait for a minimum period of one year, which would have been the lock–in period had they subscribed to such shares pursuant to a preferential allotment.

M&A Moves: UB Group, 3i Infotech, Reliance Communications, Bharti Airtel

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The UB group says it's earmarking anywhere upto $1 billion for foreign acquisition. A Business Standard report says that the UB group may complete a $500 million acquisition in Scotland next year. The idea is to become a significantly large player in the "premium whisky and scotch" segment in the world. The group was reportedly in talks with Scottish firm Whyte & Mackay for acquisition.

3i Infotech (formerly ICICI Infotech) is looking at acquiring companies with software products in life insurance or trade finance space. It may also look at acquiring domestic BPO firms that offer expertise in cheque trunkation, credit verification, soft recovery and soft collections. 3i Infotech already has 19 acquisitions under its belt.Indian telcos have decided to demerge their tower businesses. Reliance Communications will hold an extraordinary general meeting on January 27, 2007, to seek shareholders’ approval for the separation of its tower assets.

Bharti Airtel is also demerging its tower assets. The company has some 40,000 telecom towers. It's likely some private equity funds would pick up stake in the tower businesses of these telcos. Besides, American Towers, the US-based company, has also declared its intention to invest in the towers business in India.

The grapevine is that more and more diamond and jewellery companies will look at acquiring front-end stores in the US. Gitanjali Gems recently acquired Samuels for $40 million recently. There is buzz that Shrenuj and Co is looking at acquiring a retail jewellery chain in US. The deal size is likely to be around Rs 100-150 crore, says media reports. The board of the company has approved plans to raise upto Rs 130 crore ($29 million) via GDR/ADR/FCCB. The other name heard is Rajesh Exports.

Anil Ambani Talks About Hutch Bid; Says Funds Have Been Tied Up

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Anil Ambani has for the first time gone on record on the Hutch acquisition bid. Addressing a press conference in Mumbai on the group company FLAG Telecom's new initiatives, Ambani digressed for a while on his company's plans to acquire Hutchison Essar. I watched the press conference on CNBC TV18 live. Key points below:

Reliance Communications is contstantly looking at opportunities to grow which will include both organic and inorganic opportunities. The plans to bid for Hutch is one such opportunity.Reliance has received funding commitments and line of credit from global banks to fund any corporate moves from our side.

There is no certainty that the deal will go through.Hutch is only one of the ways to create sustainable value for the company.The private equity funds who are supporting the bid include the top ten funds in the world.On valuation - "We have absolute clarity on where value creation starts and value creation ends." (Translation: They know how much price to pay for Hutch, and the $21 billion reportedly demanded by Hutch could be higher.

On how do they plan to merge Hutch if they succeed in acquisition: "We will comply with all the department of telecom guidelines on the merger and acquisition".There are no plans currently to offload any stake in Reliance Communications.

QIP Scheme

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Pursuant to the QIP Scheme, the Securities may be issued by the issuer at a price that shall be no lower than the higher of the average of the weekly high and low of the closing prices of the related shares quoted on the stock exchange (i) during the preceding six months; or (ii) the preceding two weeks.

The issuing company may issue the Securities only on the basis of a placement document and a merchant banker needs to be appointed for such purpose. There are certain obligations which are to be undertaken by the merchant banker.

The minimum number of QIP allottees shall not be less than two when the aggregate issue size is less than or equal to Rs 250 crore; and not less than five, where the issue size is greater than Rs 250 crore. However, no single allottee shall be allotted more than 50 per cent of the aggregate issue size.

The aggregate of proposed placement under the QIP Scheme and all previous placements made in the same financial year by the company shall not exceed five times the net worth of the issuer as per the audited balance sheet of the previous financial year.The Securities allotted pursuant to the QIP Scheme shall not be sold by the allottees for a period of one year from the date of allotment, except on a recognized stock exchange.

QIPs In The US and QIPs In India

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US securities laws contain a number of exemptions from the requirement of registering securities with the US Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). Pursuant to Rule 144A of the Securities Act of 1933, issuers may target private placements of securities to QIBs. Although often referred to as Rule 144A offerings, as a technical matter, transactions must actually involve an initial sale from the issuer to the underwriter and then a resale from the underwriters to the QIBs. A QIB is defined under Rule 144A as having investment discretion of at least $100 million and includes institutions such as insurance agencies, investment companies, banks, etc.

Rule 144A was adopted by the SEC in 1990 in order to make the US private placement market more attractive to foreign issuers who may not wish to make more onerous direct US listings. Whereas the US regulators by enacting Rule 144A sought to make the domestic US capital markets more attractive to foreign issuers, the Indian regulators are seeking to make the domestic Indian capital markets more attractive to domestic Indian issuers.

Therefore, in order to encourage domestic securities placements (instead of foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) and global or American depository receipts (GDRs or ADRs)), the Securities Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has with effect from May 8, 2006 inserted Chapter XIIIA into the SEBI (Disclosure & Investor Protection) Guidelines, 2000 (the DIP Guidelines), to provide guidelines for Qualified Institutional Placements (the QIP Scheme).

The QIP Scheme is open to investments made by “Qualified Institutional Buyers” (which includes public financial institutions, mutual funds, foreign institutional investors, venture capital funds and foreign venture capital funds registered with the SEBI) in any issue of equity shares/ fully convertible debentures/ partly convertible debentures or any securities other than warrants, which are convertible into or exchangeable with equity shares at a later date (Securities).

Merrill Lynch, ChrysCapital, Cambridge Invest $42 Million In Shriram City Union

2009-04-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

The Chennai-based Shriram Group continues to win over private equity investors. Merrill Lynch, ChrysCapital and Cambridge Place Investment Management have picked up a total of 30 per cent stake in the group's retail finance company Shriram City Union. The three of them have invested Rs 192 crore ($42 million) in the company in return for 4 million shares each at a price of Rs 160 a share. Shriram City Finance is a listed company.

It plans to use the money to expand credit business in personal finance and small business segments in the coming year. City can leverage eight times the capital meaning a total capital power of Rs 1,500 crore. With the current deal, promoters' holding would come down to 54 per cent from 73.37 per cent. Merrill Lynch made its investment through its arm Indopark Holdings and Chrys Capital through Van Gogh. Spark Capital facilitated the deal.

Shriram group has roped in private equity investros to its other businesses too. For instance, ChrysCapital has stakes in the group companies Shriram Transport and Shriram EPC. UTI Venture recently invested $10 million in Shriram EPC where Bessemer Venture Partners has also invested, besides ChrysCap.

Editor's note: This guest column is written by Shantanu Surpure, partner at Economic Laws Practice, a Mumbai-based law firm specialised in venture capital, private equity and cross border transactions. Yashojit Mitra and Devyani Singh, associates at ELP, assisted in writing this article. The above guest column is meant for public discussion and informational purposes only and is not to be construed as legal advice.)

We previously discussed the importance of shareholder thresholds in Indian law. This is one area which differs dramatically in Indian law from the US law (such as in Delaware), where shareholder thresholds are not statutorily established. There are areas in Indian law, however, which are moving closer to US law. One such example are the recent SEBI guidelines issued with respect to Qualified Institutional Placements (QIPs) made to Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs).

Indian economy

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Indian economy has been predicted to grow at a level of 6.9 %. Growth in the Indian economy has steadily increased since 1979, averaging 5.7% per year in the 23-year growth record. Many factors are behind this robust performance of the Indian economy in 2004-05.

High growth rates in Industry & service sector and a benign world economic environment provided a backdrop conducive to the Indian economy. Another positive feature was that the growth was accompanied by continued maintenance of relative stability of prices. There is a paramount need to move Indian agriculture beyond its centuries old dependency on monsoon. This can be achieved by bringing more area under irrigation and by better water management.

In spite of measures taken to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), the inflow was below expectations in the last five years. A significant achievement of the economy in the external sector has been the steady and sustained improvement in the balance of payment position. Another notable development was the decline in the inflation rate during the five years.

Value-Added Tax (VAT), one of the most radical reforms to be proposed for the Indian economy, has been approved by 21 Indian States. Over 120 countries worldwide have introduced VAT over the past three decades and India is amongst the last few to introduce it

Economy

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Economics experts and various studies conducted across the globe envisage India and China to rule the world in the 21st century. For over a century the United States has been the largest economy in the world but major developments have taken place in the world economy since then, leading to the shift of focus from the US and the rich countries of Europe to the two Asian giants - India and China.

The rich countries of Europe have seen the greatest decline in global GDP share by 4.9 percentage points, followed by the US and Japan with a decline of about 1 percentage point each. Within Asia, the rising share of China and India has more than made up the declining global share of Japan since 1990. During the seventies and the eighties, ASEAN countries and during the eighties South Korea, along with China and India, contributed to the rising share of Asia in world GDP.

India is slated to become the third largest economy with a share of 14.3 per cent of global economy by 2015 and graduate to become the "third pole" and growth driver by 2035.As the share of USA in World GDP falls from 21 to 18 per cent and that of India rises from 6 to 11 per cent in 2025, the latter emerges as third pole in the global economy, according to ADB India Economic Bulletin.

India, which is now the fourth largest economy in terms of purchasing power parity, will overtake Japan and become third major economic power within 10 years.A growth rate of above 8% was achieved by the Indian economy during the year 2003-04 and in the advanced estimates for 2004-05,

Food Processing Industry

2009-04-17T13:21:00.000-07:00

The Government of India has stepped forward for strengthening the food processing industry in India. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved a proposal to raise allocation of plan fund from Rs.98.00 crore to Rs.295.00 crore for the Scheme of Technology Upgradation/ Modernization / Establishment of Food Processing Industry (FPI) units during the X Plan period. The enhancement will be met from within the existing X Plan allocation of the Ministry.

Through this initiative more funds will become available for expenditure under the scheme so as to promote technology up gradation /modernization/ establishment of food processing units in the country. The scheme will actively be engaged in activities covering all segments viz., fruits & vegetables, milk products, meat, poultry, fishery, oil seeds and such other agri-horticultural sectors leading to value addition and shelf life enhancement including food flavours and colours, oleoresins, spices coconut, mushroom, hops etc.

The major objective of the scheme is to have a cascading and demonstration effect among entrepreneurs for promotion of food processing industries in the country. The scheme also aims at increasing the level of processing, reduction of wastage and value addition.

Through this scheme, assistance is provided to the implementing agencies which include Central / State Government organizations / PSUs / NGOs / Cooperative Societies and private sector units and individuals.

Hotel Developement in India

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The opening up of the aviation industry in India has exciting opportunities for hotel industry as it relies on airlines to transport 80% of international arrivals. The government's decision to substantially upgrade 28 regional airports in smaller towns and privatization & expansion of Delhi and Mumbai airport will improve the business prospects of hotel industry in India.

Substantial investments in tourism infrastructure are essential for Indian hotel industry to achieve its potential. The upgrading of national highways connecting various parts of India has opened new avenues for the development of budget hotels in India. Taking advantage of this opportunity Tata group and another hotel chain called 'Homotel' have entered this business segment.

According to a report, Hotel Industry in India currently has supply of 110,000 rooms and there is a shortage of 150,000 rooms fueling hotel room rates across India. According to estimates demand is going to exceed supply by at least 100% over the next 2 years.

Five-star hotels in metro cities allot same room, more than once a day to different guests, receiving almost 24-hour rates from both guests against 6-8 hours usage. With demand-supply disparity, hotel rates in India are likely to rise by 25% annually and occupancy by 80%, over the next two years. This will affect the competitiveness of India as a cost-effective tourist destination.

Hotel Industry in India

2009-04-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Hotels are amongst the most visible and important aspects of a country's infrastructure. Hotel industry is a closely linked one to the tourism industry. A number of factors like promotion of tourism and rapid industrial progress have given a boost to hoteliering. The recent liberalisation of trade and opening up of economy will further lead to revolutionary growth in this sector.

It is a glamorous profession which has a bright future. With the growth of hotel industry propelled by foreign and domestic tourism and business travel, the demand for well trained quality personnel too has grown impressively.

The diversity of experience in hotel management is greater than in any other profession. Hotel industry involves combination of various skills like management, food and beverage service, housekeeping, front office operation, sales and marketing, accounting. Today, the rise in corporate activity (leading to greater number of business trips) as well as the wish to travel on holiday has made the hotel industry a very competitive one.

In recent years government has taken several steps to boost travel & tourism which have benefited hotel industry in India. These include the abolishment of the inland air travel tax of 15%; reduction in excise duty on aviation turbine fuel to 8%; and removal of a number of restrictions on outbound chartered flights, including those relating to frequency and size of aircraft.

Airline industry in India

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Private operators were allowed to provide air transport services. Foreign direct investment (FDI) of up to 49 percent equity stake and NRI (Non Resident Indian) investment of up to 100 percent equity stake were permitted through the automatic FDI route in the domestic air transport services sector. However, no foreign airline could directly or indirectly hold equity in a domestic airline company.

By 1995, several private airlines had ventured into the aviation business and accounted for more than 10 percent of the domestic air traffic. These included Jet Airways Sahara, NEPC Airlines, East West Airlines, ModiLuft Airlines, Jagsons Airlines, Continental Aviation, and Damania Airways.

But only Jet Airways and Sahara managed to survive the competition. Meanwhile, Indian Airlines, which had dominated the Indian air travel industry, began to lose market share to Jet Airways and Sahara. Today, Indian aviation industry is dominated by private airlines and these include low cost carriers such as Deccan Airlines, GoAir, SpiceJet etc, who have made air travel affordable.

Airline industry in India is plagued with several problems. These include high aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices, rising labor costs and shortage of skilled labor, rapid fleet expansion, and intense price competition among the players. But one of the major challenges facing Indian aviation industry is infrastructure constraint.

Aviation Industry in India

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Aviation Industry in India is one of the fastest growing aviation industries in the world. With the liberalization of the Indian aviation sector, aviation industry in India has undergone a rapid transformation. From being primarily a government-owned industry, the Indian aviation industry is now dominated by privately owned full service airlines and low cost carriers.

Private airlines account for around 75% share of the domestic aviation market. Earlier air travel was a privilege only a few could afford, but today air travel has become much cheaper and can be afforded by a large number of people. The origin of Indian civil aviation industry can be traced back to 1912, when the first air flight between Karachi and Delhi was started by the Indian State Air Services in collaboration with the UK based Imperial Airways. It was an extension of London-Karachi flight of the Imperial Airways.

In 1932, JRD Tata founded Tata Airline, the first Indian airline. At the time of independence, nine air transport companies were carrying both air cargo and passengers. These were Tata Airlines, Indian National Airways, Air service of India, Deccan Airways, Ambica Airways, Bharat Airways, Orient Airways and Mistry Airways. After partition Orient Airways shifted to Pakistan.

In early 1948, Government of India established a joint sector company, Air India International Ltd in collaboration with Air India (earlier Tata Airline) with a capital of Rs 2 crore and a fleet of three Lockheed constellation aircraft. The inaugural flight of Air India International Ltd took off on June 8, 1948 on the Mumbai-London air route.

Industry in India

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The year 2004-05 saw tourism emerging as one of the major sectors for growth of Indian economy, the foreign exchange earnings increased from Rs. 16,429 crore to 21,828 crore up to December. Similarly in the last year, tourism industry registered a growth rate of 17.3% in foreign tourist arrivals, which has been the highest in last 10 years. Foreign exchange earnings grew at an even higher rate 30.2%.

India's tourism industry is thriving due to an increase in foreign tourists arrivals and greater than before travel by Indians to domestic and abroad destinations. The visitors are pouring in from all over the world: Europe, Africa, Southeast Asia and Australia. At the same time, the number of Indians traveling has also increased. Some tourists come from Middle East countries to witness the drenching monsoon rains in India, a phenomenon never seen in desert climates.

Domestic tourists are also fueling the industry's revival. Many of them escape from the summer heat on the plains to resorts in the Himalayan Mountains. One of the major beneficiaries this year is Kashmir, where a cease-fire between India and Pakistan has reduced violence, if not completely, at least enough to help revive the state's sagging tourism industry.

Among the most favoured tourist destinations in India, Kerala for its scenic beauty, Agra for Taj Mahal, Khujraho for its sculptures and temples, Goa for its beaches and some pilgrimages are the most important.

Information Technology

2009-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

The vision of Information Technology(IT) policy is to use IT as a tool for raising the living standards of the common man and enriching their lives. Though, urban India has a high internet density, the government also wants PC and Internet penetration in the rural India.

In Information technology (IT), India has built up valuable brand equity in the global markets. In IT-enabled services (ITES), India has emerged as the most preferred destination for business process outsourcing (BPO), a key driver of growth for the software industry and the services sector. India's most prized resource in today's knowledge economy is its readily available technical work force. India has the second largest English-speaking scientific professionals in the world, second only to the U.S.

According the data from ministry of communication and information technology, the ITES-BPO industry has grown by about 54 per cent with export earnings of US$ 3.6 billion during 2003-04. Output of the Indian electronics and IT industry is estimated to have grown by 18.2 per cent to Rs. 1,14,650 crore in 2003-04.

All the sub-sectors of the non-software component of electronic and IT industry grew at over 8 per cent in 2003-04, but this was far below the rate of growth of software services. Overall, after declining precipitously from 61.4 per cent in 1998-99 to 40.9 percent in 2001-02, the share of hardware in this important industry declined only marginally to 38.2 percent in the two subsequent years.

Indian retail Industry

2009-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Indian Retail Industry is standing at its point of inflexion, waiting for the boom to take place. The inception of the retail industry dates back to times where retail stores were found in the village fairs , Melas or in the weekly markets. These stores were highly unorganized. The maturity of the retail sector took place with the establishment of retail stores in the locality for convenience. With the government intervention the retail industry in India took a new shape. Outlets for Public Distribution System, Cooperative stores and Khadi stores were set up. These retail Stores demanded low investments for its establishmen.

The retail industry in India gathered a new dimension with the setting up of the different International Brand Outlets, Hyper or Super markets, shopping malls and departmental stores. The untapped scope of retailing has attracted superstores like Wal-Mart into India, leaving behind the kiranas that served us for years. Such companies are basically IT based. The other important participants in the Indian Retail sector are Bata, Big Bazaar, Pantaloons, Archies, Cafe Coffee Day, landmark, Khadims, Crossword, to name a few.

According to the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Kamal Nath, the organized retail sector is expected to grow to a value of Rs. 2,00,000 crore (US$45 billion) and may generate 10 to15 million jobs in next 5 years. future of organized retail in India looks bright. According to recent researches it is projected to grow at a rate of about 37% in 2007 and at a rate of 42% in 2008. It will capture a share of 10% of the total retailing by the end of 2010.

This can happen in two forms- 2.5 million of these people may be associated directly with retailing and the rest 10 million people may be gainfully employed in related sectors that will be pulled up through the strong forward and backward linkage effects. However to compete in this sector one needs to have up-to-date market information for planing and decision making. The second most important requirement is to manage costs widely in order to earn at least normal profits in face of stiff competition.

Indian Real Estate – A Booming Industry

2009-04-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Real estate market, which is about US$ 16 Billion at present, shall reach nearly US$ 60 Billion by the year 2010. And, approximately US$ 28 Billion of this will likely be provided by foreign investments in this sector. This information was revealed by a recent study namely "Future of Real Estate Investment in India " published by ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India).

The main reason behind this boom in Indian real estate industry is said to be government’s approval to allow 100% foreign direct investment (from March 2005) in this sector. Prior to this, only NRIs and people of Indian origin could invest in real estate and housing sectors in India.

Experts suggest that more companies will be attracted to India in the years to come, as a large number of Fortune 500 companies are present here. Therefore, more corporate space will be required by these companies and dividends will increase for investors in this sector. At present, about 70% of foreign investors in this business are making huge profits and the rest are breaking, even Shopping malls and controversial SEZs (Special Economic Zones) that detractors allege the government is misusing for selling prime-land at throwaway prices to large industrial houses will also attract foreign investment in this sector.

Property commentators are stunned by the manner real estate prices have almost doubled over the last three years in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, and Mumbai. Besides big cities, with growth of above 50%, smaller cities are also observing healthy growth in this sector.

RECEIVABLE MANAGEMENT

2009-04-17T13:02:00.000-07:00

In any business, there are always a section of customers who falter on payment after buying a product or using a service.Though that percentage is often very small for individual sellers, it becomes significant for companies who are into the business of providing credit, such as personal finance and credit card companies. In consumer businesses (such as these), while the overall amount is significant, it is spread over a large number of delinquent debtors. So collection often becomes a difficult task for large creditors, which prompts them to assign the task of collecting their delinquent debt to a third party.

Though in the US, the practice has been there for quite some time, it has been approached by creditors in more of an ad-hoc basis, giving rise to an industry, that is sizeable, yet unorganized, in many cases quite localized. Account Receivables Management services, as this service is known in the business jargon, or collections, as it is more popularly known, is one of the fastest growing business segments. According to the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals, creditors placed a total of close to $135 billion delinquent consumer debt for collections in 2000, almost double of $73 billion that was placed for such collections in 1990.

Yet, for Indian BPO vendors looking at tapping the opportunity, that is only part of the good news. What should make them more optimistic is the changing trend in how the collection is handled by the creditors. For understanding that, it is probably apt to have a look at the industry dynamics. According to the Kaulkin Report on the US collections industry, published by the Kaulkin Ginsberg Company, and considered one of the most comprehensive studies on the industry, in the year 2000, there were more than 6,500 collection agencies in the United States, trying to collect about $135 billion of delinquent debt placed for collections by the creditors, usually led by the banks and credit cared companies but including utilities, government and healthcare units as well, and making $13 billion of revenues for themselves in the process.

However, what is more important to understand is how the delinquent debt was and is handled by the debtors. According to the same report, 58 percent of the $13 billion of industry revenue came from contingency collections, debt placed for collections on a “contingency” basis, where the agencies are paid on a contingency (only as a percentage of collections) basis.

Rice exports to be robust even as output set to fall

2009-04-17T13:01:00.000-07:00

India’s rice exports during the current calender year (CY 2005) are expected to increase to 4.5 million tons even as production is set to decline and stocks plummet. According to official statistics, exports for the period January through May reached 2.5 million tons. Shipment data compiled from private sources show large exports in June and July, mostly to African countries and Saudi Arabia. Although rice exports to Bangladesh have declined sharply since May, a resumption in exports to Bangladesh over the coming months is likely. This follows the Bangladesh government’s plan to import rice to meet likely domestic shortages.

According to preliminary official trade data, rice exports remained strong in May at 425,000 tons (100,000 tons basmati and 325,000 tons non-basmati), despite a significant fall in exports to Bangladesh. Exports were mainly to Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Ivory Coast, and other African countries. January-May 2005 exports totaled a little over 2.5 million tons. Considering the high export volume during January-May, continuing heavy exports to Saudi Arabia and African countries, and likely resumption of exports to Bangladesh in coming months, CY 2005 exports are estimated to reach around 4.5 million tons.

According to industry sources, an Indian rice exporter made the lowest offer, at $258.75 per ton, to supply 20,000 tons of parboiled rice against the Bangladeshi tender for 50,000 tons, although a final decision is still pending. According to a report by GLobal Agriculture Information Network (GAIN), government rice procurement in marketing year (MY) that ended in June 2005 reached a record 24.2 million tons, compared with the previous record of 22.9 million tons in MY 2003/04. However, significant offtake through the public distribution system (and ostensibly some leakage into the export market) caused stocks to plummet to 7.8 million tons on August 1, 2005. Stocks are expected to further decline to around 4 million tons by October 1, 2005.

This would be the lowest level since 1990, 2.1 million tons below the October 1, 2004, stocks level; and 1.2 million tons below the government’s desired minimum buffer stock level. Gain, recently, revised its MY 2005 rice production forecast downward to 86 million tons in light of the present monsoon scenario and the progressive planting report. Despite a late start and slow initial progress, the monsoon advanced swiftly during the last week of June to cover the entire country by June 30, two weeks ahead of the normal date.

Obtaining and enforcing

2009-04-17T12:57:00.000-07:00

Typically, a work must meet minimal standards of originality in order to qualify for copyright, and the copyright expires after a set period of time (some jurisdictions may allow this to be extended). Different countries impose different tests, although generally the requirements are low; in the United Kingdom there has to be some 'skill, labour and judgment' that has gone into it.^[16] In Australia and the United Kingdom it has been held that a single word is insufficient to comprise a copyright work. However, single words or a short string of words can sometimes be registered instead.

Copyright law recognises the right of an author based on whether the work actually is an original creation, rather than based on whether it is unique; two authors may own copyright on two substantially identical works, if it is determined that the duplication was coincidental, and neither was copied from the other.

In all countries where the standards apply, copyright is automatic, and need not be obtained through official registration with any government office. Once an idea has been reduced to tangible form, for example by securing it in a fixed medium (such as a drawing, sheet music, photograph, a videotape, or a computer file), the copyright holder is entitled to enforce his or her exclusive rights. However, while registration isn't needed to exercise copyright, in jurisdictions where the laws provide for registration, it serves as evidence of a valid copyright and enables the copyright holder to seek and attorney's fees. (In the USA, registering after an infringement only enables one to receive actual damages and lost profits.)

The original holder of the copyright may be the employer of the author rather than the author himself, if the work. For example, in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 provides that if a copyrighted work is made by an employee in the course of that employment, the copyright is automatically owned by the employer as a "Work for Hire."

Community (ACTA)

2009-04-17T12:51:00.001-07:00

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is a proposed plurilateral trade agreement in response "to the increase in global trade of counterfeit goods and pirated copyright protected works."The scope of ACTA is broad, including physical goods, as well as "internet distribution and information technology".

In October 2007, the European Community, Switzerland announced that they would negotiate ACTA. Furthermore the following countries have joined the negotiations: Australia, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Jordan, Morocco, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and Canada.^[The ACTA negotiations have been conducted in secrecy until on 22 May 2008 a discussion paper about the proposed agreement was uploaded to Wikileaks, and newspaper reports about the secret negotiations quickly followed.

Negotiations were originally anticipated to conclude by the end of 2008, however in November 2008 the European Commission stated that negotiations are likely to continue in 2009.According to New Zealand ACTA would "establish a new international legal framework" and "the goal of ACTA is to set a new, higher benchmark for intellectual property rights enforcement that countries can join on a voluntary basis. ACTA is part of a broader "forum shifting" strategy employed by the trade representatives of the US, EC, Japan, and other supporters of rigid intellectual property enforcement: similar terms and provisions currently appear in the World Customs Organization draft SECURE treaty.

The British Statute of Anne, full title “An Act for the Encouragement of Learning, by Vesting the Copies of Printed Books in the Authors or Purchasers of such Copies, during the Times therein mentioned”, was the first act to directly protect the rights of authors. Since its inception, copyright is considered a property right and attempts to balance the rights of the producer with the rights of society at large. According to the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), intellectual property laws, which includes industrial property and copyright, exist for primarely two reasons:

2009-04-17T12:51:00.000-07:00

Other international conventions

2009-04-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

The United States and most Latin American countries instead entered into the Buenos Aires Convention in 1910, which required a copyright notice (such as "all rights reserved") on the work, and permitted signatory nations to limit the duration of copyrights to shorter and renewable terms. The Universal Copyright Convention was drafted in 1952 as another less demanding alternative to the Berne Convention, and ratified by nations such as the developing nations

Copyright laws have been standardized to some extent through international conventions such as the Berne Convention and Universal Copyright Convention. These multilateral treaties have been ratified by nearly all countries, and international organizations such as the European Union or World Trade Organization require their member states to comply with them. Although there are consistencies among nations' laws, each jurisdiction has separate and distinct laws and regulations about copyright. The World Intellectual Property Organization summarizes each of its member states' intellectual property laws on its website and National copyright laws in the See also section below.

The regulations of the are incorporated into the TRIPS agreement (1995), thus giving the Berne Convention effectively near-global application. The 2002 WIPO Copyright Treaty enacted greater restrictions on the use of technology to copy works in the nations ,

"One is to give statutory expression to the moral and economic rights of creators in their creations and to the rights of the public in accessing those creations. The second is to promote creativity, and the dissemination and application of its results, and to encourage fair trade, which would contribute to economic and social development." ratified it.

Business Association

2009-04-17T12:43:00.000-07:00

List of Venture Capital Firms In Wisconsin ,A statewide listing provided by the State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce. NorthStar Guide to Growth and Venture Capital .A statewide listing available from Madison's NorthStar Economics Inc. Information on angel investing and investors. Badger AgVest was formed to provide support and assistance to early-stage, high-growth potential companies that add value to Wisconsinâ€™s agriculture sector. Avolte Venture Partners Midwest .This firm looks for early-stage investments in life-sciences and information-technology companies. Early stage investors with the majority of companies in Madison and Wisconsin. Frazier Technology Ventures .Seeking to invest in Wisconsin information technology companies .

Thrive-Regional Economic Development Entity - The eight-county Madison Capital Region of Wisconsin is the ideal place for your business. Madison Area Business Consultants Associaton Madison Business Association Map - A map of business associations, including contact information South Metropolitan Business Association - A business organization covering City of Madison, Town of Madison and City of Fitchburg. Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce - A business organization for Madison and Dane County. A business organization for Downtown Madison.

Greater Williamson Area Business Association - A business organization for the area from the Capitol Square to the Yahara River between East Washington Avenue and Lake Monona. Far Eastside Business Association - A business organization for Madison. A business organization for Madison. Eastside Businessmen's Association - A business organization for Madison. Northside Businessmen's Association - A business organization for Madison. Small Business Advisory Council -

A voice for the needs and concerns of small businesses in Madison. A business association for Madison and Dane County tourism, hospitality, entertainment, recreation and lifestyle businesses. Madison Latino Chamber of Commerce - Cámara de Comercio Latina de la ciudad de Madison, Wisconsin. African American Black Business Association (AABBA Network)

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

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Madison Development Corp.A non-profit development corporation offering business loans and assistance. State of Wisconsin offers many financial assistance programs for businesses. Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority - Offers loan guarantees for small business. Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corp.

Offers financing for startup and existing business owners and business education on entrepreneurship, business planning and development. A lender and technical assistance firm handling SBA 504 loans and others. Small Business Administration Federal agency that guarantees business loans for startup and expanding businesses.

A collective economic opportunity for the Madison Metropolitan Area .Capital Ideas Technology Zone - An economic development initiative to promote the development 123and expansion of high-technology businesses across Dane, Jefferson and Rock County.magazine names Madison the best place in the nation for business and careers and a biotechnology hotbed.

OBR NEWS

2009-04-17T12:35:00.000-07:00

A recent Wall Street Journal article analyzes Madison's economy Madison is #1 for Job Seekers (PDF): Forbes Magazine ranks Madison the top city in the nation in which to find a job. The University of Wisconsin starts work on business incubator targeting start-up companies with entrepreneurial pursuits in information technology, computer sciences, engineering, business consulting and medical devices.

In September 2008, the global stem cell community will descend upon Madison and continue this trend for the Genetics Policy Institute’s World Stem Cell Summit. Madison is ranked No. 46 on FORTUNE Small Business' 2008 "Best Places to Live and Launch" list. Brownfield Remediation/Elimination and Workforce Development Loans (BREWD) are now available from the City of Madison

Dane County Regional Airport named as one of the top 20 airports in the world! Downtown Market Analysis - The City of Madison and Downtown Madison Incorporated and BID #1 co-sponsored this market study. Stoughton Road DOT website - Stoughton Road businesses can assist in refining roadway alternatives for this area.

Recent City of Madison Business Development Initiatives - A presentation to Madison realtors. 2007 Greater Madison Area Directory of High Tech Companies is now available. Downtown Madison Wireless Connection is here! La Follette Students Report - An analysis and evaluation of Madison's development review and permitting process.

Small Business Conference Materials - Madison held its first small business conference. Check out the information presented. The Madison Economic Development Commission [EDC] held a series of public forums in 2004 to listen to Madison businesses about their experiences with City government and learn what changes the City could make to be more friendly to business growth and development. Read their report here.

OFFICE OF BUSINESS RESOURCES

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The Office of Business Resources (OBR) is the central point of contact for business assistance in the City of Madison. OBR's mission is to assist businesses in developing and thriving in Madison. OBR staff works with businesses to provide business start-up, retention, expansion and attraction information and guidance.

Becoming an Mpower Business Champion (PDF) - A new program to help businesses tackle climate change challenges that impact their bottom line and our quality of life. Business Planning Assistance ,Economic/Demographic Information ,Financing Sources, Biotechnology in Madison PPN signs MoU with BPAmoco for DMEPPN Power Generation Co. Unit II Pvt. Ltd has signed an MoU with BPAmoco for using Di-.

Three to Five Year Strategic Economic Development Implementation PlanThe City of Madison is in the process of developing an Economic Development Strategic Implementation Plan to guide our efforts over the next 3-5 years. Methyl Ether (DME) for its proposed 300 MW power plant at Pillaiperumalnallur in Tamil Nadu

If running the e-Commerce module all items details bring the web to life. Descriptions, Keywords, Key item features, Color, Style, Size define the detailed web pages which can be managed with ease from within the inventory module.Drag and drop text editing help making multiple descriptions easy for sales, invoicing, web and detailed web pages.

Business Opinion

2009-04-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

THE REDUCTION in the interest rate by the Government on public provident fund (PPF) and other small-savings instruments, such as National Savings Certificates and post-office monthly income accounts, by one percentage point has triggered an interesting debate on whether it signals a lower interest rate regime.

FACED WITH A worsening fiscal situation that is threatening to get out of control, the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, recently warned of `hard options' and the Government having to `bite the bullet'. IT HAD to happen some day, and already there are enough signs that electronic extortion is all set to become the scourge of the 21st century. No wonder. The very fact of exponential growth of some of the mightiest companies engaged in e-commerce and cont ent sites on the World Wide Web has put an idea or two in the minds of blackmailers prowling the Net looking to start protection money rackets in cyberland.

THE day of the Union Budget is fast approaching, and the Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, will present his third successive edition on February 29. That, by itself, is a remarkable feat. Mr. Sinha, in presenting the first Budget of the new century, is under pressure to present a milestone version that would mark the beginning of a new economic epoch.

PUBLIC sector banks are often pilloried for their low level of IT deployment when compared to the tech-savvy private sector banks. Their fleeting efforts in this direction may have given the impression of being reluctant converts - of organis ations which are being forcefully computerised, kicking and screaming.

Markets

2009-04-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

THE index opened with a marginal bull gap of about three points on Tuesday. With this as the high for the day the bears started hammering the index down. The index lost a substantial amount of about 50 points from the day's open/high. In that sense, the value delivered by one's brand must not only compete with that of another in the same category, but the attractiveness of other options _ all of which come from the same family budget.

THE Calcutta Stock Exchange on Tuesday saw a fixed price trend in pivotals. However, as operators substantially shifted positions from NSE to CSE through arbitrage deals, the local prices were higher than on NSE. THE valuation of the DSQ Software stock may perk up on the back of the firm tying up new sources of revenue.

THE stock market closed on a weak note after having touched an all-time high of 6150 points on Monday. It appears to be in the midst of a technical correction. The near-term trend of the Sensex would be largely influenced by the price movement in the key heavyweight stocks such as Infosys Technologies, ITC and Hindustan Lever.

THE stock of Shri MM Softek may be on firm territory following the likelihood of Transtream Inc of the US picking up a majority stake in the company. Any acquisition by Transtream, a stronger partner, would help Shri MM Softek access the client base of t he former for providing services translating into better growth prospects.

Marketing

2009-04-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

THE Pune-based design house, Design Directions, has hit the market with its newly-developed designs of CNC machines. The new machines being offered are CNC milling machines, external grinding machines and form-fill seal packaging machines. The company ha s been set up by two alumni of the National Institute of Design, Satish and Falguni Gokhale.

A fundamental premise as old as the science of economics is that all options for a share of the customer's mind or wallet are in some sense mutually competitive. The choice for a middle class family with two college-going children is not just between an expensive holiday and a less expensive one, INERTIA Industries Ltd (IIL), which kicked off operations in 1989, has named Sandpiper Premium Strong as its key brand for the year 2000. This depends, therefore, on the relative importance accorded to the purchase in the family at any given point in time.

`OPPORTUNITIES and Challenges in Tobacco', a comprehensive study sponsored by the Tobacco Institute of India (TII), was today released by Mr. S. M. Acharya, acting Chairman, Tobacco Board and Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce. r no holiday at all this year. It is also the savings needed to finance the daughter's overseas travel for her advanced degree next year.

VOLVO India Pvt Ltd today announced its entry into the Rs. 300-crore construction equipment industry by launching a range of powerful excavators. It has unique benefits like the advanced microchip-control system and ergonomically designed cabin to provid e absolute comfort to the operator.

Macro Economy

2009-04-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

THE annual rate of inflation measured in terms of the wholesale price index (WPI) on a point-to-point basis declined to 2.88 per cent for the latest recorded week ended January 29 from 3.31 per cent in the previous week. It had remained above the three p er cent mark in the preceding three weeks.

Organisation (ILO), Mr. Juan Somavia, today asserted that it was not true that the globalisation process was ``unshakeable and untouchable'' and warned that it would not last long because ``it is not delivering benefits'' to the majority of people, parti cularly the poor and even to the middle-class across the world.

INDIA should be a signatory to TRIPs Agreement as most of the benefits of TRIPs agreement will flow into the country, the former Deputy Director General, World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Mr. Shahid Alikhan, said.

``THE Government is worried about the valuation of infotech stocks, which is zooming with lighting speed,'' the Union Minister for Information Technology (MIT), Mr. Pramod Mahajan, said here on Tuesday. BANGALORE: Compex Systems Pte Ltd has launched its latest network products GR3008, an ultra-fast gigabit hub for the data intensive environment and modem routers NETPassage 11 and 12 for office connections and Internet sharing, creating a complete soluti on for home and small office users.

Info-Tech

2009-04-17T12:23:00.000-07:00

THE Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), through its Industrial Liaison Programme (ILP), has entered into a collaborative arrangement with Satyam Computer Services Ltd to address the area of emerging technologies, with specific focus on mobile In ternet computing. The institute expects mobile computing will be the next wave, providing tremendous business opportunities.

INTEL is realigning its business by focusing on the Internet economy. The company has divided its business into four focus areas - client platform, server platform, networking and communication, and solution and services. NETWORK Solutions Inc (NSI), global leader in Web address registration, is evaluating the possibilities of having a direct presence in India to cash in on the fast spreading Internet fever.

LASTECH Systems (P) Ltd has launched its Web facility by which surfers may send and receive e-mail in Tamil without having to download separate fonts. According to Mr. M. Thulukkanam, Director, Lastech: ``Users will need to log on to www.tamilanjal.com, and use the instruction panel to key in e-mails in Tamil.''

THE Illinois-based Advanced Information Services (AIS) will be setting up the Watts Humphrey Software Quality Institute (SQI) in Chennai. Dr. Watts Humphrey is an expert on software quality, and the designer of the Software Engineering Institute's (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM). PUBLIC sector banks are often pilloried for their low level of IT deployment when compared to the tech-savvy private sector banks. Their fleeting efforts in this direction may have given the impression of being reluctant converts - of organis ations which are being forcefully computerised, kicking and screaming.

Banking and Finance

2009-04-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

AT a seminar on Trade and Cash Management, Standard Chartered Bank has announced the re-launch of its refurbished branch here. OMO to check `excess enthusiasm'THE open market operations (OMO) started by the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday will address the problem of liquidity and curb the ``excess enthusiasm'' of some players in the money market, the RBI Deputy Governor, Mr. Y. V. Reddy, said today.

UNION Bank of India is working on a two-phase computerisation programme to link its branches and administrative offices. In the first phase, the bank has set up local area networks at 53 administrative offices. The Department of Telecom Services has appr oved the bank's linking of its administrative offices and 200 branches using 64 Kbps fibre optic lease lines in the second phase. Another 400 branches are to be covered by the wide area network by June 2000.

THE Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction (BIFR) has turned down the request of the Government of Orissa for closing down the unit of Idcol Piping and Engg. Works Ltd by paying off the workers. BLUE Chip Solutions Pvt. Ltd, a software company, acting in concert with Mr. D. Krishna Srinu, a management consultant, has acquired 22.72 lakh fully paid-up equity shares of Rs. 10 of Victory Films Ltd (VFL) which is struggling to set up facilities for the production of television software and pre-recorded audio cassettes.

THE employees of Asian Bearing Ltd (ABL) have declared a strike since Tuesday morning demanding a hike in wages, according to company officials, TATA Cellular, the cellular operator in Andhra Pradesh, has launched a new facility called email@tatacell.net, which enables a Tata Cellular user to send and receive messages on their cell phones to and from any Internet site.

Agri-Business

2009-04-17T12:19:00.000-07:00

THE Ministry of Agriculture will be shortly conducting a `Millennium Study' on the state of Indian farmers and has allocated a fund of Rs 1.5 crores for this purpose.DESULTORY trading continued in the shrimp market following low arrivals of raw materials and absence of any buying/selling pressure.

THE United Nations Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (UN-APCTT) and Exhibitions India is organising a three-day international technical exhibition and conference, Biotechnology India 2000, here beginning February 16.

INDIA might lose its predominant position in the world spices trade if concerted efforts were not taken to increase the productivity per hectare of many of the spices, especially pepper. A as spectacular as the stockmarket boom is the rally in bond prices. Ten-year gilt yields are now well below 10.5 per cent and 15-year Government securities are trading in the region of 10.75 per cent.

CHENNAI: Excessive enthusiasm and speculative position-building in the bond markets. That is what the Reserve Bank of India seems to have acted against with Monday/Tuesday move to sell long-dated securities ( below prevailing marke t prices. While the 12.25 per cent 2008 was offered at Rs. 111.20, another long maturity issue, the 12.32 2011, was offered at Rs. 112.75 against its market price around Rs. 113.10/15.

Advertise on Business Owners Idea Cafe

2009-04-17T12:15:00.000-07:00

Small Business Administration - Helping small business succeed! Small Business Madison - The Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce's website of business resources. Office of Corporate Relations - " Putting the Resources of a World Class University to work for your business". Economic Development Resources in Dane County - Dane County's economic development Resource guide. Wisconsin Entrepreneurs' Network - Access to a statewide network of entrepreneurial resources and expertise to create new ventures; help grow existing business, and move forward high potential entrepreneurs to enable Wisconsin to be competitive in a global economic environment.

With 95% of our audience small business owners, Business Owners Idea Cafe reaches the huge, elusive business demographic of firms with 1-20 employees. This market segment represents 90% of all businesses. Online since 1995, Business Owners Idea Cafe (aka Idea Cafe) has repeatedly been top-rated by The Wall Street Journal and Cahners In-Stat/MDR as an Online Business Center that helps small business owners and start-ups learn, network and thrive.

Idea Cafe's "distinctive fun and friendly home page, spirited CyberSchmooz Community" and "candid and helpful expert discussions successfully attract the big diverse market of the smallest businesses.""Idea Cafe... the most-visited forums for small business on the web Amalthea raised Zeus on the milk of a goat and in turn Zeus gave her the goat’s horn, the horn of plenty, which had the power to give to the person in possession of it whatever he or she desired. This is the legend of cornucopia.

Despite what contemporary mindsets might be, for us at Or-phe-us real wealth is still linked with milk, food, corn and maize. To just give you a reality check. Did you know that from 1995 till 2005, corn gave an average minus 3 per cent return annually? And six out of the last ten years were negative. But 2006 just inverted the scale, as the decade average moved up from minus 3 per cent to plus 3 per cent. Corn was up 57 per cent in 2006.

MADISON BUSINESS ASSOCIATION

2009-04-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

African American Black Business Association (AABBA) - The African American/Black Assoication places a priority on educating Black business owners in the operation of their business. Madison Business Association Map - A map of business associations, including contact information South Metropolitan Business Association - A business organization covering City of Madison, Town of Madison and City of Fitchburg.

Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce - A business organization for Madison and Dane County. Downtown Madison Inc (DMI) - A business organization for Downtown Madison. Greater Williamson Area Business Association - A business organization for the area from the Capitol Square to the Yahara River between East Washington Avenue and Lake Monona.

Far Eastside Business Association - A business organization for Madison. Madison Area Small Business Council - A business organization for Madison. Eastside Businessmen's Association - A business organization for Madison. Northside Businessmen's Association - A business organization for Madison. Small Business Advisory Council - A voice for the needs and concerns of small businesses in Madison.

Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau, Inc. - A business association for Madison and Dane County tourism, hospitality, entertainment, recreation and lifestyle businesses. Madison Latino Chamber of Commerce - Cámara de Comercio Latina de la ciudad de Madison, Wisconsin. City of Madison, Wisconsin-Wet Laboratory Space.

TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION

2009-04-17T12:07:00.000-07:00

Dane County Regional Airport - Find out about the air service offered at the second largest airport in Wisconsin. My Metro Bus - The City of Madison's Metro system - includes bus schedules, system maps, and fare information. Employers can offer their employees buss passes as a benefit. Consumer protection- State of Wisconsin consumer protection information for business related issues. Better Business Bureau - A state-wide business organization based in Milwaukee promoting fairness in the marketplace.

The Economic Development Commission hosted a thought-provoking presentation and discussion on site selection and Madison through the eyes of a seasoned site selector, Darin Buelow, a senior Manager with Deloitte Fantus Corporate Real Estate. To view his Powerpoint presentation... The Healthy City: Model for a Healthy Economy , and the Biomedical Collaborative: A collective economic opportunity for the Madison Metropolitan Area .Capital Ideas Technology Zone - An economic development initiative to promote the development and expansion of high-technology businesses across Dane, Jefferson and Rock County. Magazine names Madison the best place in the nation for business and careers and a biotechnology hotbed.

Workforce Development Board - Businesses can receive assistance in recruitment and training of employees. The University of Wisconsin,Madison is recognized as one of the nation's top research universities. The region is also home to Cardinal Stritch University, and Madison Area Technical College. Office of Corporate Relations - Access UW Madison resources such as continuing education, recruitment of grads and interns, technology licensing and more.

City of Madison - Bidding and vending information for businesses wishing to sell goods and services to the city. Business Procurement Assistance Center - Free technical and marketing assistance to Wisconsin businesses selling to federal, state and local government. VendorNet Systems - Information on how to do business with the State of Wisconsin. Dane County - Information on doing business with the Dane County government.

BUSINESS PLANNING ASSISTANCE

2009-04-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

EIN (Employer Identification Number) - The Internal Revenue Department's online application for this federal business requirement. Register a business name as a sole proprietor or general partnership or association. The Dane County Register of Deeds has the information for this type of registration. Register a business name as a LLC, LLP, Corporation or Limited Partnership AND to check if a name is already in use - This has the information and contacts,The City of Madison does not have a general business license however certain types of businesses are required to be licensed. See this chart for an alphabetical listing of licenses.

City of Madison Liquor License - Questions and answers relating to Alcohol Beverage Licenses in the City of Madison. Small Business Development Center - Run by the acclaimed School of Business at the University of Wisconsin, the Center offers free business counseling and many short courses on owning and operating a business.

Build Your Business - State of Wisconsin website on starting or expanding your business. Includes information on incorporations, taxes, workers compensation and unemploym ent insurance. Business Wizard - State of Wisconsin website using a question and answer online program to identify permit, license, tax and employment requirements specific to your business. Downtown Madison-Taking Care of Business - Everything you always wanted to know about starting and operating a business in central Madison.

Downtown Madison Market Analysis - A summary of downtown Madison market data, trade areas, demographics and psychographics, visitor data and consumer spending potential. Agencia Federal Para el Desarrollo de la Pequena Empresa -Provides quality business education on entrepreneurship, business planning and development and financing for startup and existing business owners.

NET Connection, Inc. AKA NET Connection

2009-04-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

Our USA copyright protection and H.R. 2265 protection includes all of our content and all material in whole or in part. This includes (but is not limited to) all logo's, photos, graphics, images, GIF's and JPEG's, web design, web layout, forms created, and all written text creations and documents. Our Company NET Connection, Inc., takes the matter of Intellectual Property Rights seriously, and we will pursue litigation when appropriate.

Under no circumstances shall any content or any material (in whole, or in part) that is on-line, hosted, contained, posted, displayed, and/or viewed on any of our domains and/or any of our web sites/pages be used without having prior written permission to do so, in your possession, that has been clearly given in a written document, that has been previously provided solely by the owners of NET Connection, Inc. AKA NET Connection. Any such document provided by us giving any such specific written permission will also bear an imbedded impression of our unique NET Connection, Inc. Corporate Seal imbedded in the document. Any permission document not containing our NET Connection, Inc. Corporate Seal impression is to be clearly considered fraudulent, a fake, invalid, and a deliberate forgery. Any such document forgery will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

In the event that any of our clients/customers web sites created by our company and/or our representatives, is later transferred (by any means) to any others administrative (design and/or hosting) control, the new web site designer and/or administrator is required to clearly state NET Connection as the Web Site Creator as in these parenthesis [Web Site Creation by NET Connection] on

all of such web pages, and also list us in all Source Code as Author as in these parenthesis [Author = NET Connection] in all such web pages source code. In addition, any such web site (transferred by any means) created by our company and/or our representatives, that has not had very clear and very substantial modifications performed.

For fully change the overall and complete look of a web site that was originally designed by our company and/or our representatives, shall also have each such web pages Copyright Notation to be clearly visible to each viewer/visitor, and the new web site designer and/or administrator shall setup a direct hyperlink to our NET Connection, Inc. Copyright web page so that each viewer/visitor is enabled to review our NET Connection Copyright Statement directly from our site.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

2009-04-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

Section 442A of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 ("section 442A") (inserted by paragraph 34 of Schedule 8 to the Finance Act 1995) provides for the taxation of the investment return on an insurance policy or annuity contract which is the subject of a reinsurance arrangement by the insurance company concerned. These Regulations make provision in relation to the calculation of the investment return, and also exclude certain reinsurance arrangements and policies from the operation of section 442A. Finally the Regulations exclude certain reinsurance business from specified provisions of the Income and Corporation Taxes Act 1988 concerned with reinsurance business.

Regulation 1 provides for citation, commencement and effect and regulation 2 contains definitions.Regulations 3 to 6 provide for the methods of calculation of the amount of the investment return for each accounting period during which the reinsurance arrangement is in force, and regulation 7 prescribes the percentage rate of return for the purposes of calculating that amount for consecutive accounting periods other than the final accounting period.

Regulation 8 prescribes, for the purpose of ascertaining the investment return in each accounting period, the dates on which payments of premium, commission or other amounts under the reinsurance arrangement are to be treated as made.Regulation 9 excludes specified reinsurance arrangements, and regulation 10 excludes specified policies and contracts, from the operation of section 442A.

Regulation 11 excludes certain reinsurance business from section 431C of the 1988 Act (meaning of "life reinsurance business") and regulation 12 excludes certain reinsurance business from section 439A of that Act (taxation of pure reinsurance business). (Sections 431C and 439A were inserted by paragraphs 2 and 26 respectively of Schedule 8 to the Finance Act 1995).By virtue of Schedule 8 to the Finance Act 1995, these Regulations have effect in relation to accounting periods beginning on or after 1st January 1995.

How Hyderabad Emerged as a BPO Hub

2009-04-16T22:02:00.000-07:00

Conventional business wisdom regards most government officials and bureaucrats as obstacles who get in the way of market forces. But a politician and his lieutenant get much of the credit for making the Indian city of Hyderabad a major global center of business process outsourcing (BPO) -- the booming practice whereby companies farm out tasks such as call-center operations, billing and claims processing.

As the chief minister of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, N. Chandrababu Naidu has pushed hard to modernize the largely rural region of 76 million people through information technology and business-style government practices. About a year and a half ago, Naidu -- the equivalent of a U.S. governor -- established an agency specifically charged with nurturing the BPO industry. He named one of his special secretaries, Randeep Sudan, as its "CEO."

Their efforts have resulted in a curious blend of socialism and capitalism in Andhra Pradesh (AP). Even as state officials continue a significant rice subsidy for the poor and invest public land in office park developments, they have pared back labor regulations to lure businesses. But the blend of free market reforms and government interventions is paying off in the form of a fast-growing BPO industry. Revenue for BPO firms in the state soared more than 300% in the nine months ended December 2002, to $247 million. The industry employs about 15,000 workers in Andhra Pradesh, mostly in Hyderabad.

Hyderabad and its public leaders are not perfect. Nasscom said the city’s BPO operations do not span all industries and suggested Hyderabad’s public transportation system be improved. Other problems include the local accent, lack of an international airport and environmental challenges despite beautification efforts. "The pollution in AP is not as bad as other major (Indian) cities, but is still extremely bad," says Anne Rockey, country manager in India for professional services company Deloitte Consulting.

policy initiatives

2009-04-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Naidu’s leadership has earned him a high media profile. He was named "South Asian of the Year" by Time Asia and one of 50 Asian leaders at the forefront of change by Business Week magazine. What’s more, the performance of both Naidu and Sudan was praised in a study last August by Nasscom, an Indian trade group representing information technology companies and BPO providers which are also known as IT-enabled services (ITES) companies. Nasscom ranked Hyderabad as the top destination among nine Indian cities for ITES companies, with the city taking first place in the sub-category of "policy initiatives."

Nonetheless, Hyderabad and its public leaders are not perfect. Nasscom said the city’s BPO operations do not span all industries and suggested Hyderabad’s public transportation system be improved. Other problems include the local accent, lack of an international airport and environmental challenges despite beautification efforts. "The pollution in AP is not as bad as other major (Indian) cities, but is still extremely bad," says Anne Rockey, country manager in India for professional services company Deloitte Consulting. "Everybody litters. There is no concern whatsoever for the environment."

New business consultancy for establishing and maintaining business-to-business relationships. Based in Surrey but functions nationally and internationally. Marketing services ranging from strategic market analysis for venture capitalists, through business planning to communications programmes including PR, customer publishing and the web. Teams with clients to build profitable share growth through innovation and vision in the development and implementation of market-driven strategies

Strategic Marketing and Advertising

2009-04-16T21:54:00.000-07:00

Marketing With Care - Specializing in assisted living. Develops, increases and protects a referral base through consulting, trainings and services that are based on "strategic care". Consulting services include strategic planning, and campaign development. Red Arrow Communications - Provides information on strategic consulting and communications services, designed to deliver ideas with clarity and precision. Marketing consulting for rapidly growing management and technology consulting firms. Partners Marketing Group - Offers planning and execution of marketing projects by "changing the thinking" of executives.

Hartnick Consulting, Inc. - Provides marketing strategy, branding, creative development, PR, and event management olutions. Bracco HPF - Brand management and advertising strategies, complete integrated marketing communication solutions. Markitecture, Inc. - Assists in building and implementing strategic marketing plans. Tony Palm & Associates - Full service leadership and management consulting agency Mercatus Communications - A public relations company specializing in healthcare, not-for-profit businesses, hospitality and retail, sports and association marketing.

Partners in Loyalty Marketing, Inc. - Strategic consulting and research firm focused on helping retailers and manufacturers grow same-store sales and customer loyalty. mercadex - Develops and implments business strategies. Brack Group - Public relations and communications strategy firm that solves problems. Also provides government relations, Internet strategy, and crisis management. Glow Marketing Limited - Innovative and results driven strategic marketing solutions, including marketing and PR strategies, market research, web design, multi-media and conference management.

HH&S - A below the line marketing consultancy which integrates direct marketing and sales promotion to offer business solutions. Firestarters - Develops high-odds ideas for driving revenue gains. Serving executives of large companies who must drive profitable growth. AAS Associates - Specializes in sales, marketing and strategic planning for companies in the business-to-business sector Alexis Marketing - Provides research, consulting, a weekly newsletter, a quarterly online marketing report, and e-business speakers. Drummond Consulting, Ltd - Marketing Strategy firm with affiliates in the U.S. and EU. Drummond Consulting specializes in strategic initiatives and Customer Relationship Management

IT Outsourcing

2009-04-16T21:52:00.000-07:00

India has undergone tremendous change brought on by the outsourcing phenomenon and as a result clients are faced with numerous decision criteria in evaluating, and ultimately selecting, the right location for services globalization. In its latest white paper, titled India: City Competitiveness, neoIT evaluated twenty-seven cities in India based on four primary criteria: People -- including population numbers, quality and education system; Infrastructure -- electrical power, telecommunications, roads, airports; Financial -- cost of living, real estate prices; and Catalysts – government support, supporting industries, social and political stability, competing companies and weather. From this data, neoIT developed the 'Offshore Competitiveness Index' in order to rank the relative competitiveness of each city as a destination for BPO or ITO.

"As the offshoring industry matures, location selection takes precedence over supplier selection," stated Atul Vashistha, CEO of neoIT. "In the early days, the competition was between countries. Today, a more likely scenario is to see Bangalore competing with Manila, instead of India competing with the Philippines. To respond to this change in location selection criteria, neoIT is providing clients with more market data about the specific strengths and shortcomings of individual cities within the top BPO and ITO markets."

As the competition between Indian cities heats up, a few strong contenders have emerged as the best destinations for outsourcing. Of the twenty-seven cities evaluated by neoIT throughout 2004, Gurgaon topped the rankings with Bangalore, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai following closely behind. Delhi, a top IT destination in the early 1990's, fared poorly in the study, coming in at number twenty. Other cities that received high rankings include Mumbai and Noida.

Challenger cities that are rapidly emerging as viable BPO and ITO offshore destinations include Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Chandigarh and Indore."Competition among cities, as well as between countries, is good for the industry as it raises the bar on standards for services globalization," added Vashistha. "The emergence of 'Centers of Excellence' across India creates a benchmark for other cities across the globe to aim for in order to become leading BPO or ITO destinations.A free copy of the complete report is available at neoIT's Offshore Knowledge Center at:

neoIT solutions deliver results in the form of cost savings, improved governance, reductions in sourcing process time and decreased risks with offshore supplier partnerships or own operations. neoIT's clients for offshore advisory and management include leading Global 5000 firms in financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, utilities, oil and gas, consumer goods, logistics, retail, entertainment, manufacturing and other industry sectors

viable BPO and ITO

2009-04-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

neoIT's clients for offshore advisory and management include leading Global 5000 firms in financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, utilities, oil and gas, consumer goods, logistics, retail, entertainment, manufacturing and other industry sectors.

Infosys looks for new ways to increase revenue productivity

2009-04-16T21:46:00.000-07:00

While negative sentiments in the market keep customers from increasing IT spends, Infosys Technologies Ltd is using newer business models to enhance revenue productivity.Rather than just Fixed Price and Time and Material contracts, India’s second largest IT services provider is looking at creating more industry-specific solutions where it can sell the Intellectual Property Rights based on transaction or use.

In this type of contract, the company charges the client based on transaction, said Mr V. Balakrishnan, Chief Financial Officer, Infosys. He said the revenue productivity would be higher in these kinds of deals.Infosys has developed solutions for different verticals like retail and financial services. In each vertical, the company is trying to develop solutions that are domain specific, Mr Balakrishnan, said.

He said the company has already won a couple of such deals. The aim is to increase the proportion so that Infosys can boost the overall revenue productivity, he added. These contracts are transaction based, rather than effort based, Mr Balakrishnan added.In the BPO business, Infosys has introduced the Platform BPO concept that allows customers to follow the pay-as-you-go pricing model.

In April, Mr Radhakrishnan A., Head (Strategic Platforms, Solutions and Alliances) had told Business Line the adoption of the new model would be higher during the recession because of its flexible cost structure.The company is also trying other means to increase revenue productivity. “We are looking at enhancing services like consulting and enterprise solutions, which has better revenue productivity,” said Mr Balakrishnan.

Aquatic Pesticides

2009-04-16T21:43:00.000-07:00

All "Aquatic Pesticides" are considered restricted use in New Jersey.An "aquatic site means those areas meeting the definition of waters of the state or wetland." "Water or waters of the State means the ocean and its estuaries, all springs, streams, and bodies of surface or ground water, whether natural or artificial, within the boundaries of the State or subject to its jurisdiction." A "Wetland means a freshwater wetland pursuant to N.J.S.A. 13:9B-3, a coastal wetland pursuant to N.J.S.A. 13:9A-2 or any wetlands located within the jurisdiction of the Hackensack Meadowlands Commission pursuant to N.J.S.A. 13:17-1 et seq., or the Pinelands Commission pursuant to N.J.S.A. 13:18A-1 et seq."

If you need an Aquatic Pesticide Permit, complete the application form and required sketch entirely, using the instructions below. It is important to determine whether or not the body of water you intend to treat is within the Pinelands Commission's jurisdiction prior to submission of the Aquatic Pesticide Permit application. See Appendix A for a map of the NJ Pinelands and a list of Municipalities within the Pinelands Area.If the body of water you intend to treat is not within the Pinelands Commission's jurisdiction, skip a, b, and c below. If it is within their jurisdiction you must follow steps a, b and c.

Determine if the body of water you intend to treat is defined as a "lake", "pond", or an "aquatic site" according to the Memorandum of Agreement Between the New Jersey Pinelands Commission and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Pesticide Control Program. In the Pinelands Area, these sites are defined as follows:

"Lakes" and "ponds" will refer to seasonal or permanent standing bodies of water. "Aquatic sites" will refer to all areas, other than lakes and ponds, which are inundated or saturated by water at a magnitude, duration and frequency sufficient to support the growth of hydrophytes. However, specific areas where hydrophytes are being grown as an agricultural crop shall not be considered to be aquatic sites.

Tourisms in Jaipur [Pink City of India]

2009-04-16T13:07:00.000-07:00

Jaipur, the pink city was founded in 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, a Kachwaha Rajput, who ruled from 1699-1744. Initially his capital was Amber (city), which lies at a distance of 11 km from Jaipur. He felt the need of shifting his capital city with the increase in population and growing scarcity of water. Jaipur is the first planned city of India and the King took great interest while designing this city of victory. He consulted several books on architecture and architects before making the layout of Jaipur.

After several battles with Marathas, Jai Singh was keen on the security aspect of the city. Due to this reason, he focused on his scientific and cultural interests to make a brilliant city. Being, a lover of mathematics and science, Jai Singh sought advice from Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, a Brahmin scholar of Bengal, to aid him design the city architecture. Vidyadhar referred the ancient Indian literature on astronomy, books of Ptolemy and Euclid, and discussed the plan with the King.

With a strategic plan, the construction of the city started in 1727. It took around 4 years to complete the major palaces, roads and square. The city was built following the principles of Shilpa Shastra, the Indian Architecture. The city was divided into nine blocks, out of which two consist the state buildings and palaces, whereas the remaining seven blocks were allotted to the public. In order to ensure the security, huge fortification walls were made along with seven strong gates.According to that time, architecture of the town was very advanced and certainly the best in Indian subcontinent. In 1853, when the Prince of Wales visited Jaipur, the whole city was painted pink to welcome him. Today, the neat and broadly laid-out avenues, painted in pink provide a magical charm to the city. Jaipur is rich in its cultural and architectural beauty, which can be traced in the various historical and aesthetic places that reside in the city. This city of victory really wins the hearts of the people with its splendid charisma.

In the 19th century the city grew rapidly and became prosperous; by 1900 it had a population of 160,000. The city's wide boulevards were paved and lit with gas. The city had several hospitals. Its chief industries were in metals and marble, fostered by a school of art founded in 1868. The city also had three colleges, including a Sanskrit college (1865) and a girls' school (1867) initiated under the reign of the enigmatic Maharaja Sawai Ram Singh II. There was also a wealthy and enterprising community of native bankers, particularly the Jains and the Marwaris.

Jobs in Aquatic Pesticides

2009-04-16T13:06:00.000-07:00

All pesticides labeled for aquatic use are restricted use in New Jersey. This includes the copper products. The purchase and application of a restricted use pesticide requires certification and licensing as a pesticide applicator. An application of ANY pesticide to an aquatic site requires an Aquatic Pesticide Permit.

An Aquatic Pesticide Permit shall not be required if;. The application is made to waters of the State which are not used as a source of potable water, and: The application is made to waters of the State which have no outlet, and; The application is made to waters of the State which are bounded by land wholly owned or rented, and controlled, by one person; or. The application is made to control mosquitoes or flies which then fall under the Pesticide Control Program's Mosquito/Fly Control Permit Program; or the application is made to drainage ditches with no water flow, which are not used for any other purpose besides drainage.

Trend in Terrorism and Bomb Attacks

2009-04-16T13:05:00.000-07:00

The following is a list of terrorist attacks attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).The LTTE is a separatist rebel group fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east of Sri Lanka since 1976. It has been banned as a terrorist organization by a number of countries including the United States, Canada and India, as well as by the 27 member European Union. The following is a timeline of attacks and failed attempts carried out by the LTTE that can be considered terrorism.

These acts include massacres, suicide bombings, executions of prisoners of war and ethnic cleansing. Born to Die: The Black Tigers of the LTTE Suba Chandran points out why the Black Tigers? The suicide squad of the LTTE? Form the backbone of the terrorist organization Suicide Bombers: A New Front Opens in Iraq Jabin T Jacob comments on the growing incidence of suicide attacks in Iraq

Female Suicide Bombers: A Political Perspective Jabin T Jacob examines the motivations of female suicide bombers Outfits of Suicide Terror: A Ready Reckoner N Manoharan provides a comprehensive reference on suicide terrorists. Suicide Terrorism: An Historical Account .N Manoharan traces the history of suicide attacks and links it to contemporary suicide terrorism ,An Inquiry into Suicide Terrorism – I: Sociological Perspectives Suba Chandran looks into the sociological aspects of suicide terrorism

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Emerging neoIT’s

2009-04-16T13:04:00.000-07:00

neoIT is the leading offshore advisory and management firm. neoIT focuses exclusively on assisting companies in maximizing their returns from the offshoring of both information technology and business processes on either a project or enterprise wide basis. neoIT solutions deliver results in the form of cost savings, improved governance, reductions in sourcing process time and decreased risks with offshore supplier partnerships or own operations. neoIT's clients for offshore advisory and management include leading Global 5000 firms in financial services, insurance, healthcare, telecommunications, utilities, oil and gas, consumer goods, logistics, retail, entertainment, manufacturing and other industry sectors.

Kilinochchi Town liberated

2009-04-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

The 57 Division and the Task Force 1 of Sri Lanka Army today (Jan 2) scored the greatest victory in their noble battle against terrorism by liberating the Kilinochchi town, the so-called administrative hub of the LTTE terrorists. Troops of 57 Division lead by Major General Jagath Dias have entered into the highly defended terrorists stronghold from the South and Southwestern boundaries while the Task Force 1 troops lead by Brigadier Shavendra Silva have marched in from the North and Northwest.

Kilinochchi, though not very strategically located in terms of military maneuvers, has been given a great symbolic importance by the LTTE terrorists as their administrative `capital`. In fact, the LTTE propaganda elements used to call the town as their de facto capital of the utopian state of `Eelam`. However , Sri Lanka government has been running all civil administrative affairs in the area, including bank and finance, education, health, trade and welfare.

The terrorist first took hold of the town in 1990 when the Army withdrew its garrisons from Kilinochchi. Then the area was liberated by the Army during operations Sathjaya I, II, and III in September 1996. The town again fell into the terrorists` hand in September 1998 and had their administrative hub there ever since.

The LTTE is a ruthless terrorist’s outfit that has been engaged in a bloody terrorist campaign against the citizens of Sri Lanka since 1983. Lead by a psychopathic chief , the outfit has been trying to establish an ethnically pure Tamil state on the Sri Lankan soil. The LTTE is also the first terrorist outfit to use suicide bombers, and to develop naval and aerial fighting capability. The outfit is listed in the UN list of shame for using child soldiers and banned in many countries in the world.

neoIT Rates Top Indian Cities for Business Process and IT Outsourcing

2009-04-16T13:02:00.000-07:00

'Centers of Excellence' Emerging as Competition Heats Up Between Indian Cities SAN RAMON, Calif., Nov. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- The latest in neoIT's popular white paper series examines cities within India that are the leaders and laggards for conducting BPO and IT services outsourcing. neoIT, the leading offshore advisory and management firm, evaluated the leading cities inIndia for services globalization in order to help clients select the best destinations in India for BPO (business process outsourcing) and ITO(information technology offshoring).

Infosys looks for new ways to increase revenue productivity

2009-04-16T13:01:00.000-07:00

While negative sentiments in the market keep customers from increasing IT spends, is using newer business models to enhance revenue productivity. Rather than just Fixed Price and Time and Material contracts, India’s second largest IT services provider is looking at creating more industry-specific solutions where it can sell the Intellectual Property Rights based on transaction or use.

In this type of contract, the company charges the client based on transaction, said Mr V. Balakrishnan, Chief Financial Officer, Infosys. He said the revenue productivity would be higher in these kinds of deals. Infosys has developed solutions for different verticals like retail and financial services. In each vertical, the company is trying to develop solutions that are domain specific, Mr Balakrishnan, said.

Jobs in Indian retail Industry:

2009-04-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

Indian Retail Industry is standing at its point of inflexion, waiting for the boom to take place. The inception of the retail industry dates back to times where retail stores were found in the village fairs, Meals or in the weekly markets. These stores were highly unorganized. The maturity of the retail sector took place with the establishment of retail stores in the locality for convenience. With the government intervention the retail industry in India took a new shape. Outlets for Public Distribution System, Cooperative stores and Khadi stores were set up. These retail Stores demanded low investments for its establishment

According to the Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Shri Kamal Nath, the organized retail sector is expected to grow to a value of Rs. 2,00,000 crore (US$45 billion) and may generate 10 to15 million jobs in next 5 years. Future of organized retail in India looks bright. According to recent researches it is projected to grow at a rate of about 37% in 2007 and at a rate of 42% in 2008. It will capture a share of 10% of the total retailing by the end of 2010.

This can happen in two forms- 2.5 million of these people may be associated directly with retailing and the rest 10 million people may be gainfully employed in related sectors that will be pulled up through the strong forward and backward linkage effects. However to compete in this sector one needs to have up-to-date market information for planning and decision making. The second most important requirement is to manage costs widely in order to earn at least normal profits in face of stiff competition.

Rice exports to be robust even as output set to fall:

2009-04-16T12:59:00.000-07:00

India’s rice exports during the current calendar year (CY 2005) are expected to increase to 4.5 million tons even as production is set to decline and stocks plummet. According to official statistics, exports for the period January through May reached 2.5 million tons. Shipment data compiled from private sources show large exports in June and July, mostly to African countries and Saudi Arabia. Although rice exports to Bangladesh have declined sharply since May, resumption in exports to Bangladesh over the coming months is likely. This follows the Bangladesh government’s plan to import rice to meet likely domestic shortages.

According to industry sources, an Indian rice exporter made the lowest offer, at $258.75 per ton, to supply 20,000 tons of parboiled rice against the Bangladeshi tender for 50,000 tons, although a final decision is still pending. According to a report by Global Agriculture Information Network (GAIN), government rice procurement in marketing year (MY) that ended in June 2005 reached a record 24.2 million tons, compared with the previous record of 22.9 million tons in MY 2003/04. However, significant off take through the public distribution system (and ostensibly some leakage into the export market) caused stocks to plummet to 7.8 million tons on August 1, 2005. Stocks are expected to further decline to around 4 million tons by October 1, 2005.

Jobs Out Of Computer Aided Design Software, And Standards:

2009-04-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

Software written to work on Personal Computers should allow data to be transferable for uses on other computer systems, including CNC work environments. To achieve a lower deployment cost - work environments should employ PC based technology in the office while using CNC based machines in joinery shops. Both software environments provide 'bridges' to import or export data (generally in ISO/UFT-8 ASCII TEXT format).

Much Kitchen Cabinet Design software’s come with an option of exporting data for CNC processors, data for quotations, and data for stock or material reports. Some providers supply software in separate parts to suit a work environment and encorperate the design data for creating a overall business management solution based on the target environment uses.

Methods of various 3D software - what is inside 2D or 3D 99% of today’s software’s use the Matrix Method for rendering 3d previews of kitchen layout work spaces for shop drawings to client reviews. 4 examples below; GUI or coordinate system, Math’s, Line, Matrix.

Hardware translates the various input data - and displays the result onscreen. Speed is measured in Triangles pre-second, etc. A math’s based render is slower because a computer processor must calculate cursor position for software drivers. Only 2 directions may be rotated on screen sides. The Matrix method has points in space defined for software drivers and simply seeks or sets a cooler state. Rotation is in 3D because scrolling is on 6 faces.

Databases play an important part in many software applications because of the Tabled data (a grid) can be used to generate results automatically - increasing speed. A table can be described as a page within a database. Some software examples of Database packages are MSACCESS, FILEMAKER, and ORICLE that can access various data format and transfer methods like ODBC, DB, SQL, and many more... This method of automatic calculation is sometimes referred to as nested when data is contained in more than one table, most achieve this simply in creating a map to 3D interface while others use tables to store data in separated text or binary formats to render changes instantly in 'real-time' to users.

Business in Professional services:

2009-04-16T12:53:00.000-07:00

Accountants, lawyers, insurers, architects, designers and marketing agencies all provide invaluable professional help. Many professionals are very happy to talk over ideas and problems, for free, at an initial short interview. They will be steering you towards their solutions but can be very useful as a starting point. When engaging professional help, try to get recommendations from other businesses in your area, or ask organisations to provide you with a client list or references. See for professional services and other businesses selected by One Northeast Tourism because they offer specific services to tourism businesses. These businesses cannot pay to advertise in the pack - they must be invited.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER WHEN BUYING GROCERIES

Why buy PRIVATE LABEL food when you can buy name brand products that your customer knows and trust? With private label brands you are essentially buying blind you never really know how good the product is and how reliable was the factory that made the product.

Most food manufactures recommend that out of date food be used only for animal feed or disposed of. They do not approve their food products be sold to consumers for human consumption after the expiration of the "use by date" posted on their products... Please ask yourself...How your customers would feel... if they knew that they were buying rancid or stale food and out of date groceries meant for animal feed

Why lose money buying banana boxes and get stuck with ripped bags of flour or salt, dog & cat food and other grocery products that you did not expect to receive? Buy from us with complete confidence. Our grocery products are 100% in date and are available on a regular basis with no damages or problems.

Please send us your specific order by copying the items that you want from the spreadsheet below and pasting it into a new excel spreadsheet and sending it to us .You will receive exactly the products that YOU ordered.

Some customers have told us, after doing comparison shopping research that our prices are even lower than COSTC* and SAM* CLUB WHOLESALE PRICES!!
This is a result of our grocery wholesale network having massive buying power. We ship fast from coast to coast and are able to increase your profits. Get more, pay less!!

Manufacture with software - what is CNC?

2009-04-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

CNC formats are generally ASCII US TEXT files - The values within the files are TEXT, with numeric values for Metric or Imperial measurements, along with cutting information, etc. Values are separated by Spaces, and Symbols. Items are separated by carrage returns, or end of line markers, etc. The files are converted from PC format to CNC format with the use of 3rd party software. The machine operator then selects the required item programmed and runs the plant equipment/s.

Some CNC converters include batching programs that support tabbed or symbol separated files, as described for CNC. Other kinds of CNC software require a mixture of Binary Image and Text content for larger machine controllers which contain very large amounts of data. Combined files of text and binary also have the ability to select tools for performing multiple operations (saw, routers, blades, edging, etc). Text only files are generally used to export date from a database or program for use with a CNC batching software program which is pre-configured to machine with a single tool (saw only, etc).

Computer design software is used by commercial businesses through to end users on various Personal Computers. The primary reason is to show or demonstrate a desired result based on the computer software operators abilities, time restraints, and equipments. Other use for computers in workplaces allows for the integration of systems from Design, to billing or accounts.

The initial cost of commercial design software is higher and in many cases requires less user training. Free software is cheap but in most cases requires a end user that is trained in the systems operation. In both cases - the expression of end product is quicker and cheaper using Design Software compared when creating hand drawings, and letters.

Business support in Local authorities and the National Park:

2009-04-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

Local authorities in North East England are set to Contact your local authority to discuss local rules and regulations, licences, planning, environmental health, health and safety, rates and a wide range of other business information.

The National Park Authority looks after the landscape, heritage and culture of Northumberland National Park, helping to make it a special place for people to live in and enjoy. They do this by making sure that communities and businesses in and around the National Park are supported with good advice, guidance and funding. They are happy to talk to anyone with an existing business or who is planning a business in the Park. They say, "It is our aim to empower local people to generate and run new ventures of all kinds that will enrich the economy and life of the community.

Since small and medium business is a huge source of revenue for banks, they go to considerable efforts to provide business managers who will offer a wide range of help and advice, not just on financial topics. Your bank should have a vested interest in helping you; if you don't get the help you need, consider changing banks.

There are a range of organisations that can help you like Business Link and the North East Chamber of Commerce Your local authority for advice on planning, signage, licences and health and safety, who will often provide business support as well as financial information Professional services such as accountants, insurance advisors and solicitors Tourism-specific organisations like the Area Tourism Partnerships, skills advisors and tourism associations.

Tourism Contribution in Indian Economy:

2009-04-16T12:45:00.000-07:00

Running or setting up your own business can be daunting and sometimes isolating. But you shouldn't do it all on your own. The Toolkit provides you with a huge amount of information and resources, but sometimes there's no substitute for a voice over the phone or a face-to-face meeting. See below for key contacts.

Organisations who can help you There are a range of organisations that can help you like Business Link and the North East Chamber of Commerce for advice on planning, signage, licences and health and safety, who will often provide business support as well as financial information such as accountants, insurance advisors and solicitors like the Area Tourism Partnerships, skills advisors and tourism associations.

Business Link, the North East Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) are the three key business support organisations in the North East. There are also some online private sector websites worth using. Business Link are a fantastic resource for all things to do with setting up and running a business. Their website is full of information and tools and they have advisors across the North East.

The North East Chamber of Commerce is a large and active chamber of commerce representing more than 5,000 businesses across the North East region. The Federation of Small Businesses is a non-profit making and non-political membership organisation, with over 210,000 members across the UK. They offer 24 hour support and a legal helpline.

Reasons for this Tourism Industry Boom in India:

2009-04-16T12:44:00.000-07:00

Even the disastrous tsunami didn't affect India's tourism industry, as tourist arrivals in India rose 23.5 percent in Dec 2004 and tourist arrivals crossed 3 million mark for the first time in 2004.. The disaster was expected to have a negative impact on India's tourism in terms of large-scale cancellations of tourists to India but nothing of that sort was seen.

There could be several reasons for the buoyancy in the Indian tourism industry. First, the upward trend observed in the growth rate of Indian economy has raised middle class incomes, prompting more people to spend money on vacations abroad or at home. Also, India is booming in the information technology industry and has become the IT center. Aggressive advertising campaign " Incredible India" by the government has also had contribution in changing India's image from that of a land of snake charmers, and sparking new interest among overseas travellers.

It is not hidden that tourism is among India's important export industries. Even with comparatively low levels of international tourist traffic, tourism has already emerged as an important segment of the Indian economy.

Tourism also contributed to the economy indirectly through its linkages with other sectors like horticulture, agriculture, poultry, handicrafts and construction. Foreign exchange earnings from tourism during 2003-04 were US $ 3,533 million ( Rs 16,429 crore).

Besides being an important foreign exchange earner, tourism industry also provides employment to millions of people in India both directly and indirectly ( through its linkage with other sectors of the economy.) It is estimated that total direct employment in the tourism sector is around 20 million.

Tourism as a Business Industry in India:

2009-04-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

At the same time, the number of Indians traveling has also increased. Some tourists come from Middle East countries to witness the drenching monsoon rains in India, a phenomenon never seen in desert climates.Domestic tourists are also fueling the industry's revival. Many of them escape from the summer heat on the plains to resorts in the Himalayan Mountains. One of the major beneficiaries this year is Kashmir, where a cease-fire between India and Pakistan has reduced violence, if not completely, at least enough to help revive the state's sagging tourism industry.

Interesting feature of this growth is that it has come even as global tourism has dropped, due to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome in East Asia, and the Iraq war.