It is all relative. You get these jobs because nobody else wants them. Nobody else wants them because they are low paying. Remember , if they were not low paying in the first place they wouldnt come to India at all.
There may be additional choices. The choice to commit suicide as a farmer in AP. Or graduate out of IIT/IIM and become a venture capitalist in Si valley. Nobody is forced to take a call center job in India. They do so willingly and happily. It beats the living %^&* out of shovelling mud in a drought stricken area such as Telengana.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->A cheap handheld computer, designed by Indian scientists for use by the poor, went on sale Friday for $220 after a delay of nearly three years. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Peregrine, I am a big fan of handheld computers. I am into my second one (both are PDA phones, Siemens SX56 and Audiovox PC4100. Incidentally the later is manufactured in China (designed in Taiwan). These are really masterpieces of Engineeering and would put a motherboard to shame and they are very versatile, and extremely useful for the farmer. There are 2 problems, $220 is still out of reach for most farmers. But anyway I am glad India is in the game. Now the handheld computer industry is completely dominated by Taiwan and Korea. as are cellular phones.
Let us not try to find a fly in this ointment (dal mein kuch kala hain). This is the reason why employers prefer India (in addition to low wages). It all adds up to higher productivity on the part of the indian worker. IN case people think this is restricted to call centers, pl, be aware that HSBC has transferred all its back office operations to India (Visakhapatnam). So Indians are moving up the food chain and higher value add services.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->According to HSBC, one of the first banks to set up extensive back office operations in developing countries, those carrying out credit card, overdraft or other transactions make fewer mistakes than those who carry out the same functions in the UK. | Discuss: It's India's turn to dominate the world |
For every one million transactions processed overseas, eight mistakes are made, the bank said. In the UK, the ratio is 50 errors per one million transactions.
Rob O'Neill, a spokesperson for Unifi, said: "Our members will be furious that yet again, their skill, experience and dedication to customer service has been called into question by their employer."
HSBC stressed that mistakes were very rare in the UK and overseas, and pointed out that when looking at call centres, rather than transaction processing, the record was exactly the same, at one error in every 1,000 calls.
The bank said it had not released the data to show up its British workers but to demonstrate that the charge that overseas centres provided poor service was "empirically not true".
"It is utterly unfair to staff overseas to say that UK staff are correcting their mistakes," a spokesperson said.
The war of words is likely to escalate the hostility that already exists between HSBC and the unions. The bank has come in for heavy criticism over its policy to outsource jobs.
It announced the most far-reaching plans to date to transfer roles from the UK to Asia when it said last October that 4,000 jobs would go to India, China and Malaysia by the end of 2006.
HSBC, Britain's largest bank, which made almost seven-billion-pound profits last year, added two weeks ago that a further 3,500 jobs would be lost in Britain in back office functions, with 500 of those jobs being done overseas.
This will be partly counter-balanced by plans to add 1,000 employees in Britain in customer-facing positions in branches. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Listen to Looking for Work? Go East. Actually, Go to India.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Sure, the summer brings temperatures in the hundred degree range, but that's not what they mean when they say India is getting hot. U.S. corporations outsourcing business have made India a prime destination for jobs...and, as it turns out-- for many American students looking for a job.
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This multipart series titled, "Shifting fortunes: High technology
outsourcing in India " by Brier Dudley published in THE SEATTLE TIMES make
interesting reading:
1) From Redmond to India: high tech's global families
TIMES NEWS NETWORK[ SATURDAY, AUGUST 14, 2004 12:40:03 AM ]
The domestic software industry is slowly, but steadily picking up and holding its own. The mid to late â90s saw a gradual decline in its share, with the export software industry dominating the IT industry.
However, the domestic software industry has started to arrest its decline; if not entirely reverse the downward trend.
While its share rapidly declined to 38% in â01-02 from 70% in 1996-97, it has held steady since then, with a marginal decline in its share. One of the reasons is the slowing down of the juggernaut of software exports industry after the dotcom bust in â01, with growth rates dipping from 50% a year to barely making it to double-digit figures.
<b>hubby: Please check earlier correspondence regarding your username. Please change it ASAP else the forum software will start queuing your posts for admin approval.</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->An Indian state has launched wireless broadband to provide connectivity in rural areas unreachable by traditional telephone lines or cellular phone services. <!--emo&:cool--><img src='style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/specool.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='specool.gif' /><!--endemo-->
The community internet kiosks, named Akshaya, have been set up by the Kerala State IT Mission Department. More than 550 of the kiosks have been opened in the Mallapuram district, spread over 3,500 square kilometers. The local government plans to introduce kiosks in other districts later this year.
WHEN Sharan Patil left India and moved to Britain, he was following an older generation of Indians who had emigrated, seeing the West as a land of opportunity.
But unlike that generation, who stayed away, he recently returned to India â part of a growing reverse migration of highly qualified professionals coming home, drawn by the opportunities offered by Indiaâs booming economy.
What began as a trickle a decade ago is now substantial enough to be talked about as a âreverse brain drainâ. The lost talent is not only coming home, it is also doing so enhanced by skills and experience gained overseas that could have vast implications for this developing nation.
The centre of this new phenomenon is Bangalore, Indiaâs high-technology capital. By one estimate, more than 35,000 âreturned non- resident Indiansâ live there.
Sudip Nandy, an executive for the Bangalore technology firm Wipro, who recently returned after ten years in the United States and Britain, was surprised at a university reunion to discover how many fellow graduates had followed the same path as him.
âI thought Iâd be the only person of my age who had come back. After all, ten years is a long time and many people donât come back after that length of time away,â he said. âBut there were lots whoâd been away for up to 18 years and had returned, all in the past few years.â
When he left for the US in 1994, it was to catch the technology boom there. Now, after the Silicon Valley downturn and a stint in London, he is back to cash in on the Indian technology sectorâs astonishing growth of 50 per cent per annum.
âThe future of our industry is in India and China, so it made sense to come back,â he said. âI sense a tremendous energy in Bangalore now. In the UK, I would only have about one breakfast meeting a week. Now I have three or four.â
For Dr Patil, the chance of advancement far faster than that possible in the National Health Service played a big role in his decision. On his return to Bangalore from Manchester, he immediately got a post as a consultant, a position that would have been years off had he stayed in Britain.
India, still a developing country with millions of poor and no welfare system, also afforded him the chance to make a difference in a way that would not have been possible in Britain.
âThe system in Britain was so well-oiled that I didnât feel I was as useful there as I could be here,â he said. Since he returned, he and a colleague have looked into setting up their own private hospital and insurance scheme for poor farmers who could not afford treatment otherwise.
Manoj Anicatt, an ophthalmologist, opened his own clinic on his recent return to India after ten years away, something he could not have done so easily in Britain.
âThings are much less structured here, which breeds opportunity,â he said. âWith more and more people earning more, the health industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors there is.â
While the opportunities may be many, adjusting to everyday life back in India is not always easy.
âWhen I got back, I couldnât believe I had grown up here,â Dr Patil laughed. âThe chaos, the traffic, the dirt. It took me a long time to stop abusing people in the street for honking their horns at me.â
Families are often the most reluctant to move back to India, especially children who have grown up used to all the mod cons of Western society.
âItâs been hardest on my wife and kids,â Dr Anicatt said. âThey miss the cleanliness and convenience. My wife canât get used to having to trudge around all the different shops for all the items rather than just nipping into Asda.â
Still, the rapid changes in India have made the transition less jarring than it would have been for an earlier generation.
âItâs a different country from the one I left,â Dr Anicatt said. âIt used to be that someone wearing jeans would stand out like a sore thumb. Thatâs not the case any more.â
Mr Nandy said: âThere have been some pleasant surprises, like finding out the wine here isnât too bad. And even the customs people have got a lot politer.â
Bangaloreâs main attraction for returning emigrants is that it is perhaps Indiaâs most Westernised city.
âComing here was a key factor in our decision to return,â Dr Anicatt said. âIf weâd moved back to Kerala, we wouldnât have survived. Just being able to take the kids to KFC makes a real difference.â
Returning emigrants often find that they come home permanently changed by their experience, and their changing needs are starting to change the face of the city. Though Mr Nandy is confident his stomach upsets and frequent bugs will subside in a few months, he can no longer contemplate living amid the chaos of an Indian city street.
He is searching for a house in one of Bangaloreâs many spanking new gated communities, residential islands of calm with wide streets, green lawns, swimming pools and no power cuts, built for returning emigrants and for the growing tastes for Western luxury among the cityâs smart set. Such luxuries are not within the reach of all returning emigrants, some having taken a considerable salary cut to come back. But even those who have say that they do not regret their decision.
âEverybody thought I was mad to come back, and tried to talk me out of it,â Dr Patil said. âBut I feel India is the most exciting place in the world right now because we are still climbing and progressing. Itâs much more exciting than when youâve already climbed. There is so much scope to do things.â
For any young Indian thinking of leaving for Western shores, he has this message: âBy all means go, but come back. Bring what you have learnt back with you.â
<b>Low-Cost Versions of Windows XP Unveiled</b>
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->The Starter Edition will be available only with the purchase of new computers, which Microsoft expects will cost about $300. The company is expected to charge manufacturers about $36 a copy, less than half the $85 cost of the Home Edition in India.
In India, the Starter Edition will be in Hindi, India's national language. If it works well, the U.S. software giant plans to offer it in 14 other Indian languages later
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DALLAS (AP) -- Electronic Data Systems Corp., which manages computer systems for other companies, will close 21 call centers in the United States and Europe by the end of 2006 and shift some of the work to India to cut costs, executives said Tuesday.
Chief financial officer Robert H. Swan said that EDS would close 17 of 42 U.S. data centers and four of 12 in Europe that manage software applications for clients. The company operates three centers in India, where salaries for software engineers are much lower.
Swan did not say how many U.S. and European jobs would be affected.
Company spokesman Terry Balluck said any losses would be by attrition and would be part of the 15,000 to 20,000 job eliminations that chairman and chief executive Michael H. Jordan suggested last fall.
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<b>India Poaches U.S. Executives For Tech Jobs</b>
By JAY SOLOMON
Staff Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
February 22, 2005; Page B1
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->NEW DELHI -- For 12 years, Doug Bettinger was a senior finance executive at Intel Corp., working at the U.S. computer-chip maker's offices in Silicon Valley, Arizona and Malaysia. In November, the 37-year-old jumped ship, becoming chief financial officer of Bangalore-based call center operator 24/7 Customer.
"The growth India is experiencing is crazy," says Mr. Bettinger, who now splits his time between 24/7 Customer's offices in Los Gatos, Calif., and Bangalore. "There are lots of opportunities there that you couldn't get at Intel."
Mr. Bettinger is among a growing number of U.S. and Western executives being poached -- not to mention well-paid -- by Indian technology companies trying to globalize their software and outsourcing businesses. In recent months, Indian businesses have hired dozens of executives from companies including Electronic Data Systems Corp., Deloitte Consulting LLP, McKinsey & Co., Accenture Ltd. and Ernst & Young LLP.
Indian software giants and other Indian outsourcing companies are becoming more profitable as demand for their low-cost services increases. Tata Group's Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Technologies Ltd. and Wipro Technologies Ltd. all have had annual revenue growth of around 50% in recent quarters and are hiring thousands of new workers each quarter.
Such growing financial clout is allowing Indian companies to woo Western executives -- especially with higher salaries. "Six or seven figures are often involved, and equity is also in play," says Rohit Ambekar, an Asia-based partner with Morgan Howard Worldwide, a Stamford, Conn., executive search company.
Headhunters working for Indian companies say their clients have to pay a premium to attract U.S. talent due to their companies' lower profiles and limited track records. In one recent case, an Indian company offered an American executive a base salary of $350,000 plus a potential bonus of $2 million over two years to join its U.S. operations, according to an executive with knowledge of the deal. The executive's salary at his U.S. company was $300,000 annually plus stock options equal to around $1.2 million over four years.
U.S. companies, meanwhile, say they are competing aggressively with Indian companies for both talent and market share. EDS has nearly 3,000 workers in India focusing on software development and back-office duties, and expects to add 2,000 more this year. Intel says it is growing its research and development facilities in India and has been investing in Indian companies through its Intel Capital unit in a bid to boost its business in Asia.
Many Indian businessmen say these Western executives can help their companies penetrate overseas markets and help put in place systems to manage their growth. "Doug comes from a company ... where he's seen scale," says P.V. Kannan, chief executive officer of 24/7 Customer, who hired Mr. Bettinger. "Only a limited number of Indian executives have this type of experience."
Mr. Kannan says his company is close to making an acquisition of a call-center operator in the U.S., which could more than double his company's revenue to around $100 million. 24/7 Customer is also adding 2,500 workers in the coming months and expanding into Europe and Asia.
Bombay-based Patni Computer Systems Ltd. is another Indian company aggressively hiring Western executives as it tries to expand in the U.S. and Europe. Patni, like many Indian software companies, started posting strong growth in the mid-1990s by supplying low-end software products and services to multinationals such as General Electric Co
But little attention was paid at that time to developing Patni's name outside India. Today, Patni has offices in 26 countries and a U.S. headquarters in Cambridge, Mass. Early last year, the company hired business consultant Bill Budde from EDS in an attempt to compete with the Plano, Texas, company and others that provide software and services to the global insurance industry. Patni also recently hired former Motorola Corp. executive Tony Viola to head its North American marketing operations as it seeks to become a $1 billion company in sales. Last year, Patni had net profit of $58 million on sales of $327 million.
Mr. Budde and Mr. Viola today lead peripatetic lives. The 44-year-old Mr. Budde describes his office as "wherever my laptop sits" as he shuffles between the Indian cities of Bombay, Noida and Madras, and Patni's U.S. offices, trying to increase the company's U.S. presence. The majority of Patni's nearly 10,000-strong work force remains in India, with only 250 employees in the U.S.
Mr. Budde says Patni is more nimble than large American consulting and software companies in responding to client's needs. He says much of his six years at EDS was spent dealing with bureaucratic issues and colleagues, rather than clients. "Now I can focus on what we do well," he says.
Greg Young, formerly of Australia's telecommunications giant, Telstra Corp., is among those businessmen Mr. Ambekar recently placed. In December, Tata Group, India's second-largest conglomerate, named him the chief technology officer of its telecommunications arm. The 42-year-old says he received a "very complete package" -- including housing and transportation -- and the opportunity to oversee the attempts by Tata Teleservices Ltd. to win a sizable share of the cellphone industry.
Indian companies are recruiting at a time when Western workers are worried about losing their jobs at U.S. companies as their positions are outsourced overseas. In recent months, companies such as Accenture and International Business Machines Corp. have hired locals in developing countries including India as they seek to reduce costs to compete with the likes of Infosys and Wipro.
Indian companies are now offering a degree of job security that's harder to come by in job-short Silicon Valley. "There's never been a better time to be hiring," says Stephen Pratt, a San Francisco-based executive who left Deloitte Consulting last April to head Infosys's new global consulting arm in Fremont, Calif. Mr. Pratt has helped Bangalore-based Infosys recruit more than 70 executives. "We're hungrier than other firms."
Pioneer.com
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Intel to invest $1b in India </b>
PTI/ New Delhi
World's largest chip maker Intel Corporation will invest over one billion dollars (over Rs 4,400 crore) in India, of which 800 million dollars would be for expanding its research and development activities.
"Intel's one billion dollar-plus investment roadmap includes plans to invest 800 million dollars for the next five years to expand research and development centre in Bangalore in addition to marketing, education and community programmes," Intel Chairman Craig Barrett said at a press conference here.
The company will also set up an India-specific venture fund with a corpus of 250 million dollars.
The fund will invest in companies engaged in cellular and broadband applications, wireless technologies, software and hardware design and e-commerce, he said.
"We will grow our local operations, boost venture capital investment and work closely with the government, industry and educators to increase the impact of the country's Information and Communication Technology," he added.
IT minister Dayanidhi Maran welcomed the one billion dollar investment by Intel in India, saying it would boost the IT sector of the country and sought future cooperation of Intel in promoting IT. He also hailed the company's decision to set up a venture fund for India.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the VC fund would give a headstart to entrpreneurs engaged in frontline R&D and with Intel backing, this would be a win-win situation for both.
<b>Intel has, since 1998, invested 100 million dollars in 40 Indian companies, including NIIT, Rediff, Sasken, Futuresoft and Tejas Networks. </b>
Stating that the returns from India on its VC investments have been good, Barret said the new VC fund would focus on Indian hardware and software companies toÂ
nurture technology development for local use.
The fund will also selectively invest in technology service companies that target overseas markets, he said.
<b>Intel will increase its development activites and staffing at the Intel India Development Centre in Bangalore over the next five years, he said.</b>
<b>IIDC focuses on hardware and software engineering for Intel products sold globally and has grown to 2,800 employees now.</b>
Barret did not disclose any specific increase in the headcount there.
The company also announced a programme to support local communities. The Volunteer Matching Grant programme encourages Intel employees to volunteer in local schools and for every 20 hours they volunteer 50 dollars will be donated to the institution by Intel Foundation.
<b>Intel will train 500,000 teachers over the next three years through Intel Teach to the Future Programme</b>, doubling the number of teachers that have completed the programme over the last five years.Â
<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+Dec 6 2005, 07:24 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ Dec 6 2005, 07:24 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Pioneer.com
<!--QuoteBegin--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Intel to invest $1b in India </b>
PTI/ New Delhi
World's largest chip maker Intel Corporation will invest over one billion dollars (over Rs 4,400 crore) in India, of which 800 million dollars would be for expanding its research and development activities.
"Intel's one billion dollar-plus investment roadmap includes plans to invest 800 million dollars for the next five years to expand research and development centre in Bangalore in addition to marketing, education and community programmes," Intel Chairman Craig Barrett said at a press conference here.
The company will also set up an India-specific venture fund with a corpus of 250 million dollars.
The fund will invest in companies engaged in cellular and broadband applications, wireless technologies, software and hardware design and e-commerce, he said.
"We will grow our local operations, boost venture capital investment and work closely with the government, industry and educators to increase the impact of the country's Information and Communication Technology," he added.
IT minister Dayanidhi Maran welcomed the one billion dollar investment by Intel in India, saying it would boost the IT sector of the country and sought future cooperation of Intel in promoting IT. He also hailed the company's decision to set up a venture fund for India.
Finance Minister P Chidambaram said the VC fund would give a headstart to entrpreneurs engaged in frontline R&D and with Intel backing, this would be a win-win situation for both.
<b>Intel has, since 1998, invested 100 million dollars in 40 Indian companies, including NIIT, Rediff, Sasken, Futuresoft and Tejas Networks. </b>
Stating that the returns from India on its VC investments have been good, Barret said the new VC fund would focus on Indian hardware and software companies toÂ
nurture technology development for local use.
The fund will also selectively invest in technology service companies that target overseas markets, he said.
<b>Intel will increase its development activites and staffing at the Intel India Development Centre in Bangalore over the next five years, he said.</b>
<b>IIDC focuses on hardware and software engineering for Intel products sold globally and has grown to 2,800 employees now.</b>
Barret did not disclose any specific increase in the headcount there.
The company also announced a programme to support local communities. The Volunteer Matching Grant programme encourages Intel employees to volunteer in local schools and for every 20 hours they volunteer 50 dollars will be donated to the institution by Intel Foundation.
<b>Intel will train 500,000 teachers over the next three years through Intel Teach to the Future Programme</b>, doubling the number of teachers that have completed the programme over the last five years.Â
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[right][snapback]42562[/snapback][/right]
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Probably a face saving announcement after didn't agree to set up chip manufactruing unit in India. Just to counter the AMD-SEM India's $ 3 billion proposal.
<b>Sem India plans $3bn semiconductor plant, to use AMD technology</b>
01/12/2005 by Varun Singh
Though India has successfully become a hub for software services and business process outsourcing, It has not yet been able to achieve much in terms of hardware manufacturing, save a few factories by Taiwanese and Korean electronics majors.
All that is about to change, as Sem India, an Indian company, has partnered with AMD to build India's first semiconductor fab. Headed by Dr. Vinod Agarwal, Sem India plans to create a Fab City and its first anchor fab in India by 2007 with a reported <b>$3bn investment. </b>Dr. Agarwal estimates that Indian demand for chips would grow to $160bn a year by 2016.
Hector Ruiz, CEO of Advanced Micro Devices, said his company would monitor the progress of the plant, leaving its options open to invest in the fab at a later stage. http://www.digitalmediaasia.com/default....leID=11727
