IITians and IIM grads seek career in spiritualism

IITians have started a new trend by opting for spiritualism as they future career other than i-banking or technology. Many IIT students are said to be working with the Art of Living foundation, Ramakrishna and Sringeri Mutts, Chinmaya mission, Mata Amritanandmayi ashram, Shirdi Sai Baba ashram and Iskcon in Bangalore. 

According to most of the IITians, spiritualInc helps them enhance they personal life and social service activities as well. It is an ice breaker for them from their routine hectic life. They said that during their course of life they had lost the meaning of life and life turned out to be very mechanical. They needed the sense of completion. 

It is not only the IITians who are exploring spiritualism; a large contribution also comes from IIMs as well. It is a new mantra that the management institutions are introducing to the students. IIM Indore has incorporated the Bhagavad Gita in one of its courses as a means of providing spiritual guidance in the corporate battlefield. The sessions on the Bhagavad Gita are part of the course module on 'Ancient Oriental Philosophy and Spirituality' which is taught by Swami Samarpanananda of Sri Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda University (Belur Math), who imparted lessons on "how to develop and channelize their spiritual and mental energies to achieve excellence in the field of business management". Many of the IIM grads are taken as strategy analysts for spiritual foundations.

Prospective managers and entrepreneurs see an essential connect between spirituality and business today. The followers of management philosophy do not shun the parallels drawn between Mahabharata and business. IIM-C got some lessons on spirituality and ethics apart from honing their skills in business and finance. Dalai Lama addressed the students of IIM-C on virtues and principles from various walks of life. 
Institutes are roping in spiritual so as to ensure that students get an all-round development and they should get a complete view of the society. They should not develop a business-oriented mind which can generate constraints in future

Bangalore- Iskcon

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Operation 'Safe Homecoming'

http://twitter.com/#!/ForSecNRao 

@ForSecNRao to @ashmoily: Could you please give me a contact number for any of our people in Brega? We want to help.

Operation 'Safe Homecoming'

http://twitter.com/#!/ForSecNRao 

@ForSecNRao to @ashmoily: Could you please give me a contact number for any of our people in Brega? We want to help.

Top 10 Indian women leaving their mark in the corporate world

Although the Indian corporate world is ruled by men, there are a few powerful women leaders heading some of the major business houses in India as well as across the globe. Here is our take on the top 10 Indian women in the corporate world.

Chanda Kochhar

Beginning her career at ICICI as a management trainee in 1984, Chanda Kocchar has conquered the steps of ranks ladder and has reached the post of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank in May 2009. Under the leadership of Kochhar, ICICI Bank won the the 'Best Retail Bank in India' award from 2001 to 2005 and 'Excellence in Retail Banking Award' in 2002 by The Asian Banker. She was also awarded "Retail Banker of the Year 2004, "Business Woman of the Year 2005" and "Rising Star Award" for Global Awards 2006 by Retail Banker International. She has been consistently figured in Fortune's list of "Most Powerful Women in Business" since 2005. She was also ranked at number 20 in the Forbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Women list" in 2009. She was honored with Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India in 2010.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

A successful entrepreneur, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the Founder, Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon, the biotechnology company delivering bio-pharmaceutical solutions. She also holds the post of Chairperson of Syngene International Limited and Clinigene International Limited. She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded its growth to an internationally recognized bio-pharmaceutical company that focuses on diabetes, oncology and auto-immune diseases. She was awarded the Padmabhushan for her services and contributions to the biotechnology in 2005.

Naina Lal Kidwai

Being the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School, Naina Lal Kidwai began her career at ANZ Grindlays (1982-1994). During 1994-2002, she worked at Morgan Stanley as Vice Chairman of JM Morgan Stanley and Head of the Investment Bank in India. In 2009, she became the Group General Manager and Country Head, HSBC India. She was repeatedly ranked in the Fortune global list of Top Women in Business, 12th in the Wall Street Journal 2006 Global Listing of Women to Watch and listed by Time Magazine as one of their 15 Global Influentials 2002. She received the Padma Shri for her work in the promotion of Trade and Industry. 

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi

Named #1 on Fortune's list of the "50 Most Powerful Women" and #6 on Forbes' list of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" in 2010, Indra Nooyi was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She is the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. She is regarded as the primary architect of PepsiCo's growth strategy from the time she took over as it's President and CFO in 2001. She is a Successor Fellow of the Yale Corporation. She serves as a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, International Rescue Committee, Catalyst and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She was also considered as one of "The Top Gun CEOs" by Brendan Wood International in 2009.

Indu Jain

Indu Jain is the Chairperson of India's largest and most powerful media group, Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd., which owns the Times of India and other large newspapers. She is an entrepreneur, a spiritualist, an educationalist, a patron of art and culture and a humanist. She also holds the post of the Chairperson of The Times Group. She addressed the United Nations in 2000 at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. 

Swati Piramal

Dr.Swati Piramal who has a medical degree from the University of Bombay, a degree in industrial medicine and a master's degree in Public Health from Harvard University USA, is the Vice Chairperson of Piramal Life Sciences Limited and Director of Piramal Healthcare Limited. As Director of Nicholas Piramal, she is responsible for research and development, strategic alliances, communication, knowledge management, public policy, clinical research, planning and implementation of a new clinical research organization. She has been the Vice President of Assocham in 2008 and was elected as its President in 2009. 

Mallika Srinivasan

Mallika Srinivasan is the Director of Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE). Upon completing her MA in econometrics from Madras University, she went to the U.S. and did her MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Joining the family business in 1986, she gradually converted TAFE into a hi-technology company and within a span of 2 decades, she accelerating its revenue turnover from 85 crores to 2900 crores. 

Preetha Reddy

Preetha Reddy is the Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, one of the largest healthcare conglomerates of India. She is also one of pioneer businesswomen of India in the segment of healthcare industry. Under her leadership, the Apollo Specialty Hospital grown to a level of being known as a major oncology referral centre in Asia. Apollo is also considered to be one of the few places with facility to offer bone marrow transplantation. The hospital was first to perform cord blood transplantation in India. She was graduated in Chemistry from the University of Madras and has a post graduate degree in Public Administration. 

Priya Paul

Priya Paul is the Chairperson of Appeejay The Park Hotels chain of boutique hotels. She joined the company at the age of 22 after finishing her studies in Economics at the Wellesley College. With just two years of experience working under her father, she had to take charge of the hotel chain when her father Surrendra Paul was gunned down by the ULFA militants in Assam. She has been recognized by Forbes online as one of India's 100 most powerful businesswomen. She also got many other recognitions such as Young Entrepreneur of the Year award 1999-2000, Businessperson of the year 2002-2003 etc. 

Sulajja Firodia Motwani

Sulajja Motwani is the Managing Director of Kinetic Motor Company who looks after the company's overall business developmental activities. She also heads the Kinetic Marketing Services Limited and Kinetic Finance. She has been widely acknowledged for single-handedly designing and developing the marketing strategies to spearhead the company's growth forward. She completed B.Com from Pune University and MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg after which she joined Barra International, California, an investment consulting firm in the U.S. She was rewarded with the Young Achiever's Award for Business in the year 2002, Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2002 and was named the "Face of the Millennium" by 'India Today'. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Top_10_Indian_women_leaving_their_mark_in_the_corporate_world-nid-79929.html

Top 10 Indian women leaving their mark in the corporate world

Although the Indian corporate world is ruled by men, there are a few powerful women leaders heading some of the major business houses in India as well as across the globe. Here is our take on the top 10 Indian women in the corporate world.

Chanda Kochhar

Beginning her career at ICICI as a management trainee in 1984, Chanda Kocchar has conquered the steps of ranks ladder and has reached the post of the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of ICICI Bank in May 2009. Under the leadership of Kochhar, ICICI Bank won the the 'Best Retail Bank in India' award from 2001 to 2005 and 'Excellence in Retail Banking Award' in 2002 by The Asian Banker. She was also awarded "Retail Banker of the Year 2004, "Business Woman of the Year 2005" and "Rising Star Award" for Global Awards 2006 by Retail Banker International. She has been consistently figured in Fortune's list of "Most Powerful Women in Business" since 2005. She was also ranked at number 20 in the Forbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Women list" in 2009. She was honored with Padma Bhushan Award by the Government of India in 2010.

Kiran Mazumdar Shaw

A successful entrepreneur, Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw is the Founder, Chairman & Managing Director of Biocon, the biotechnology company delivering bio-pharmaceutical solutions. She also holds the post of Chairperson of Syngene International Limited and Clinigene International Limited. She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded its growth to an internationally recognized bio-pharmaceutical company that focuses on diabetes, oncology and auto-immune diseases. She was awarded the Padmabhushan for her services and contributions to the biotechnology in 2005.

Naina Lal Kidwai

Being the first Indian woman to graduate from Harvard Business School, Naina Lal Kidwai began her career at ANZ Grindlays (1982-1994). During 1994-2002, she worked at Morgan Stanley as Vice Chairman of JM Morgan Stanley and Head of the Investment Bank in India. In 2009, she became the Group General Manager and Country Head, HSBC India. She was repeatedly ranked in the Fortune global list of Top Women in Business, 12th in the Wall Street Journal 2006 Global Listing of Women to Watch and listed by Time Magazine as one of their 15 Global Influentials 2002. She received the Padma Shri for her work in the promotion of Trade and Industry. 

Indra Krishnamurthy Nooyi

Named #1 on Fortune's list of the "50 Most Powerful Women" and #6 on Forbes' list of the "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" in 2010, Indra Nooyi was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She is the Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. She is regarded as the primary architect of PepsiCo's growth strategy from the time she took over as it's President and CFO in 2001. She is a Successor Fellow of the Yale Corporation. She serves as a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, International Rescue Committee, Catalyst and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. She was also considered as one of "The Top Gun CEOs" by Brendan Wood International in 2009.

Indu Jain

Indu Jain is the Chairperson of India's largest and most powerful media group, Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd., which owns the Times of India and other large newspapers. She is an entrepreneur, a spiritualist, an educationalist, a patron of art and culture and a humanist. She also holds the post of the Chairperson of The Times Group. She addressed the United Nations in 2000 at the Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders. 

Swati Piramal

Dr.Swati Piramal who has a medical degree from the University of Bombay, a degree in industrial medicine and a master's degree in Public Health from Harvard University USA, is the Vice Chairperson of Piramal Life Sciences Limited and Director of Piramal Healthcare Limited. As Director of Nicholas Piramal, she is responsible for research and development, strategic alliances, communication, knowledge management, public policy, clinical research, planning and implementation of a new clinical research organization. She has been the Vice President of Assocham in 2008 and was elected as its President in 2009. 

Mallika Srinivasan

Mallika Srinivasan is the Director of Tractors and Farm Equipment Ltd (TAFE). Upon completing her MA in econometrics from Madras University, she went to the U.S. and did her MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Joining the family business in 1986, she gradually converted TAFE into a hi-technology company and within a span of 2 decades, she accelerating its revenue turnover from 85 crores to 2900 crores. 

Preetha Reddy

Preetha Reddy is the Managing Director of Apollo Hospitals, one of the largest healthcare conglomerates of India. She is also one of pioneer businesswomen of India in the segment of healthcare industry. Under her leadership, the Apollo Specialty Hospital grown to a level of being known as a major oncology referral centre in Asia. Apollo is also considered to be one of the few places with facility to offer bone marrow transplantation. The hospital was first to perform cord blood transplantation in India. She was graduated in Chemistry from the University of Madras and has a post graduate degree in Public Administration. 

Priya Paul

Priya Paul is the Chairperson of Appeejay The Park Hotels chain of boutique hotels. She joined the company at the age of 22 after finishing her studies in Economics at the Wellesley College. With just two years of experience working under her father, she had to take charge of the hotel chain when her father Surrendra Paul was gunned down by the ULFA militants in Assam. She has been recognized by Forbes online as one of India's 100 most powerful businesswomen. She also got many other recognitions such as Young Entrepreneur of the Year award 1999-2000, Businessperson of the year 2002-2003 etc. 

Sulajja Firodia Motwani

Sulajja Motwani is the Managing Director of Kinetic Motor Company who looks after the company's overall business developmental activities. She also heads the Kinetic Marketing Services Limited and Kinetic Finance. She has been widely acknowledged for single-handedly designing and developing the marketing strategies to spearhead the company's growth forward. She completed B.Com from Pune University and MBA from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburg after which she joined Barra International, California, an investment consulting firm in the U.S. She was rewarded with the Young Achiever's Award for Business in the year 2002, Global Leader of Tomorrow by the World Economic Forum in 2002 and was named the "Face of the Millennium" by 'India Today'. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Top_10_Indian_women_leaving_their_mark_in_the_corporate_world-nid-79929.html

Continuous Social Business need of the hour: Mukesh Ambani

Amid the debate over making it mandatory for companies to spend at least 2 percent of profits on CSR activities, RIL Chairman and India's wealthiest person Mukesh Ambani suggested improving corporate social responsibility to Continuous Social Business.

"The purpose of any business cannot be only profit. Profit for the shareholders is important. But unless entrepreneurs have a larger purpose and businesses that change lives of millions of people, a sustainable business cannot be created," he said at FICCI's Annual General Meeting here.

"We will have to move from a model of Corporate Social Responsibility to a model of Continuous Social Business through enterprise and entrepreneurship," he said. "For that, we will have to create world class institutions with a soul."

"It is important to get the business of businesses right," he said, adding that the primary responsibility of business is social improvement.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Finance has proposed that companies should spend at least 2 percent of their annual profits on CSR activities, but the industry has opposed the proposal.

Calling for increased spends from the government in healthcare and education, Ambani said that outlays in healthcare formed only 1 percent of India's GDP, which he said needs to grow at least five-folds.

"Our demographic dividend, the youth and the young, are largely unprotected and uncared for. We will need to radically transform healthcare delivery to all our people," he said.

"Current food prices justify heavy investment and job creation has to be through agriculture and rural economic growth," Ambani said. He foresees an additional $ 500 billion opportunity for India in agriculture output.

The opportunity in Indian agriculture is as big as it is in energy, he said, adding that the country needs more policies like the liberalisation policy of 1991.

Stating that a large untapped opportunity existed for India to boost its under-leveraged consumer class, Ambani said the country's per capita income is less than $ 1000, one-third of China, while its per capita energy consumption is minuscule.

"Less than 1 per cent of our population uses credit cards for transactions and consumer loans are about 10 percent of the total loan disbursals, representing an under-leveraged consumer class," Ambani said.

He said that India has grossly under-performed both in expanding access and improving the quality of education.

"In a fast moving world, we have not managed to make our education system contemporary," he said. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Continuous_Social_Business_need_of_the_hour_Mukesh_Ambani-nid-79818.html

A brilliant interview...

Don't miss last 2 Questions...

Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ˜job hopper™ (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the ˜company loyal™ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys " the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH:

Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.

Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?

A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.

Q: Which number of job was that?
A: That was my third job.

Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ˜employer loyalty™. But I was an idiot.

Q: Why do you say so?

A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ˜permanent™ job, so I need not worry about ˜what will I do if I lose my job™. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.

Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.

A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ˜company loyal™ and not ˜money earning and saving loyal™. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving " I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.

Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?

A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me " can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.

Q: What have you gained by doing such things?

A: That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.

Q: So you decided on your own hike?

A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ˜debt-free™ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.

Q: So are you debt-free now?

A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq.. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.

Q: Who is complaining?

A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me " why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.

Q: What is your advice to professionals?

A: Like Narayan Murthy had said " love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.

Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?

A: When a company does well, its CEO will address the entire company saying, ˜well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you. But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO will say, It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go. So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.

A brilliant interview...

Don't miss last 2 Questions...

Some, rather most organizations reject his CV today because he has changed jobs frequently (10 in 14 years). My friend, the ˜job hopper™ (referred here as Mr. JH), does not mind it. well he does not need to mind it at all. Having worked full-time with 10 employer companies in just 14 years gives Mr. JH the relaxing edge that most of the ˜company loyal™ employees are struggling for today. Today, Mr. JH too is laid off like some other 14-15 year experienced guys " the difference being the latter have just worked in 2-3 organizations in the same number of years. Here are the excerpts of an interview with Mr. JH:

Q: Why have you changed 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: To get financially sound and stable before getting laid off the second time.

Q: So you knew you would be laid off in the year 2009?

A: Well I was laid off first in the year 2002 due to the first global economic slowdown. I had not got a full-time job before January 2003 when the economy started looking up; so I had struggled for almost a year without job and with compromises.

Q: Which number of job was that?
A: That was my third job.

Q: So from Jan 2003 to Jan 2009, in 6 years, you have changed 8 jobs to make the count as 10 jobs in 14 years?

A: I had no other option. In my first 8 years of professional life, I had worked only for 2 organizations thinking that jobs are deserved after lot of hard work and one should stay with an employer company to justify the saying ˜employer loyalty™. But I was an idiot.

Q: Why do you say so?

A: My salary in the first 8 years went up only marginally. I could not save enough and also, I had thought that I had a ˜permanent™ job, so I need not worry about ˜what will I do if I lose my job™. I could never imagine losing a job because of economic slowdown and not because of my performance. That was January 2002.

Q: Can you brief on what happened between January 2003 and 2009.

A: Well, I had learnt my lessons of being ˜company loyal™ and not ˜money earning and saving loyal™. But then you can save enough only when you earn enough. So I shifted my loyalty towards money making and saving " I changed 8 jobs in 6 years assuring all my interviewers about my stability.

Q: So you lied to your interviewers; you had already planned to change the job for which you were being interviewed on a particular day?

A: Yes, you can change jobs only when the market is up and companies are hiring. You tell me " can I get a job now because of the slowdown? No. So one should change jobs for higher salaries only when the market is up because that is the only time when companies hire and can afford the expected salaries.

Q: What have you gained by doing such things?

A: That's the question I was waiting for. In Jan 2003, I had a fixed salary (without variables) of say Rs. X p.a. In January 2009, my salary was 8X. So assuming my salary was Rs.3 lakh p.a. in Jan 2003, my last drawn salary in Jan 2009 was Rs.24 lakh p.a. (without variable). I never bothered about variable as I had no intention to stay for 1 year and go through the appraisal process to wait for the company to give me a hike.

Q: So you decided on your own hike?

A: Yes, in 2003, I could see the slowdown coming again in future like it had happened in 2001-02. Though I was not sure by when the next slowdown would come, I was pretty sure I wanted a ˜debt-free™ life before being laid off again. So I planned my hike targets on a yearly basis without waiting for the year to complete.

Q: So are you debt-free now?

A: Yes, I earned so much by virtue of job changes for money and spent so little that today I have a loan free 2 BR flat (1200 sq.. feet) plus a loan free big car without bothering about any EMIs. I am laid off too but I do not complain at all. If I have laid off companies for money, it is OK if a company lays me off because of lack of money.

Q: Who is complaining?

A: All those guys who are not getting a job to pay their EMIs off are complaining. They had made fun of me saying I am a job hopper and do not have any company loyalty. Now I ask them what they gained by their company loyalty; they too are laid off like me and pass comments to me " why will you bother about us, you are already debt-free. They were still in the bracket of 12-14 lakh p.a. when they were laid off.

Q: What is your advice to professionals?

A: Like Narayan Murthy had said " love your job and not your company because you never know when your company will stop loving you. In the same lines, love yourself and your family needs more than the company's needs. Companies can keep coming and going; family will always remain the same. Make money for yourself first and simultaneously make money for the company, not the other way around.

Q: What is your biggest pain point with companies?

A: When a company does well, its CEO will address the entire company saying, ˜well done guys, it is YOUR company, keep up the hard work, I am with you. But when the slowdown happens and the company does not do so well, the same CEO will say, It is MY company and to save the company, I have to take tough decisions including asking people to go. So think about your financial stability first; when you get laid off, your kids will complain to you and not your boss.

Android apps to run on other phones

If you purchase a new smartphone there are a couple of choices you need to make beforehand. The first is what make and model of phone you desire, the second is the operating system you would prefer to use. Unfortunately, picking the phone inherently means you don’t have a choice in the OS it uses as they come pre-loaded.

Myriad is set to change that if you want access to Android on a smartphone that doesn’t offer it as an OS. The solution is the Myriad Alien Dalvik virtual machine, which allows Android apps to be run on alternative operating systems seamlessly.

This is actually more straightforward than it first seems. While Android is a full-blown operating system, Android apps run in a virtual machine due to the security that offers. So if you can recreate that emulation environment on another OS, the apps should run as normal and without any kind of performance hit to the app’s operation.

Myriad will be demonstrating Alien Dalvik at the Mobile World Congress next week, but the video above gives you a preview of it running on MeeGo using Nokia N900 hardware.

While users may find this useful if they have Android apps they like, but a non-Android phone, Myriad is actually aiming this at developers rather than consumers. Instead of developing an app for multiple platforms, Alien Dalvik allows an Android app to be developed and deployed everywhere. The user will not know an Android app is running on their other OS, as the virtual machine being used is completely transparent and the app just runs as if it is native.

For the moment Alien Dalvik is slated to get a commercial release for MeeGo later this year. Other operating systems are going to be supported and Myraid say they will be announced in the next few months and hopefully in time for the initial launch.

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/myriad-to-allow-android-apps-to-run-on-other-phones-virtually-2011028/

Android apps to run on other phones

If you purchase a new smartphone there are a couple of choices you need to make beforehand. The first is what make and model of phone you desire, the second is the operating system you would prefer to use. Unfortunately, picking the phone inherently means you don't have a choice in the OS it uses as they come pre-loaded.

Myriad is set to change that if you want access to Android on a smartphone that doesn't offer it as an OS. The solution is the Myriad Alien Dalvik virtual machine, which allows Android apps to be run on alternative operating systems seamlessly.

This is actually more straightforward than it first seems. While Android is a full-blown operating system, Android apps run in a virtual machine due to the security that offers. So if you can recreate that emulation environment on another OS, the apps should run as normal and without any kind of performance hit to the app's operation.

Myriad will be demonstrating Alien Dalvik at the Mobile World Congress next week, but the video above gives you a preview of it running on MeeGo using Nokia N900 hardware.

While users may find this useful if they have Android apps they like, but a non-Android phone, Myriad is actually aiming this at developers rather than consumers. Instead of developing an app for multiple platforms, Alien Dalvik allows an Android app to be developed and deployed everywhere. The user will not know an Android app is running on their other OS, as the virtual machine being used is completely transparent and the app just runs as if it is native.

For the moment Alien Dalvik is slated to get a commercial release for MeeGo later this year. Other operating systems are going to be supported and Myraid say they will be announced in the next few months and hopefully in time for the initial launch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXWEyKjwk2g

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/myriad-to-allow-android-apps-to-run-on-other-phones-virtually-2011028/

Android apps to run on other phones

If you purchase a new smartphone there are a couple of choices you need to make beforehand. The first is what make and model of phone you desire, the second is the operating system you would prefer to use. Unfortunately, picking the phone inherently means you don't have a choice in the OS it uses as they come pre-loaded.

Myriad is set to change that if you want access to Android on a smartphone that doesn't offer it as an OS. The solution is the Myriad Alien Dalvik virtual machine, which allows Android apps to be run on alternative operating systems seamlessly.

This is actually more straightforward than it first seems. While Android is a full-blown operating system, Android apps run in a virtual machine due to the security that offers. So if you can recreate that emulation environment on another OS, the apps should run as normal and without any kind of performance hit to the app's operation.

Myriad will be demonstrating Alien Dalvik at the Mobile World Congress next week, but the video above gives you a preview of it running on MeeGo using Nokia N900 hardware.

While users may find this useful if they have Android apps they like, but a non-Android phone, Myriad is actually aiming this at developers rather than consumers. Instead of developing an app for multiple platforms, Alien Dalvik allows an Android app to be developed and deployed everywhere. The user will not know an Android app is running on their other OS, as the virtual machine being used is completely transparent and the app just runs as if it is native.

For the moment Alien Dalvik is slated to get a commercial release for MeeGo later this year. Other operating systems are going to be supported and Myraid say they will be announced in the next few months and hopefully in time for the initial launch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXWEyKjwk2g

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/myriad-to-allow-android-apps-to-run-on-other-phones-virtually-2011028/

Top five destinations for tech lovers

Are you a Geek? Do you want to go for a holiday? Which place you would love to visit? Well, you must be thinking, the places where you want to go should have all the elements that fulfills your intellectual needs as well as your holiday purpose. IT professionals usually prefer to visit places where they may find something related to technology, places that are epitome of technological research and inventions and that have captured and preserved the remains of tech innovations and history. They will find these places interesting and would love to visit such places. 

Kennedy Space Center (KSC): The NASA's John F Kennedy space center is located on Merritt Island, Florida. The space center manages and operates America's astronaut launch facilities. It can be the best attraction for the IT professionals. There is option for one day trip to Kennedy Space center from Orlando. There are options while get into the center, there will be "Dine with an astronaut" option and also the shows of IMAX films. People can visit the NASA's launch headquarters as well.

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): CERN is founded in 1954, located astride the Franco ,Swiss border near Geneva. This center is one of the most respected centers for scientific research. World's largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter at CERN. World Wide Web (WWW) was created in the same place. 

So IT professionals have lots to see and learn from this place where all the things are related to technology.

International Spy Museum: This museum is located in Washington DC. It is one of the few museums in Washington that charges admission fees. Here visitors can learn about Microdots and invisible ink, buttonhole cameras and submarine recording. Technical people will be very much benefited from this visit to the museum.

The Computer History Museum: The Computer History Museum was built in 1996, it's located in California. This Museum has three key exhibits, "Mastering the Game", "history of computer chess", and "Innovation in the valley."The place also has some rare objects like Cray-1 supercomputer, Cray-2, Cray-3. There is lot of things to explore in this place. People will get to know much technical information here. 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): JPL is located in the outside of Los Angeles. The key function of the JPL is to construction and operation of robotic planetary spacecraft. The lab also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. JPL also operates the NASA's Deep Space Network. It offers free tour that includes a multimedia presentation on JPL, visits to the Spacecraft Assembly Facility and live demonstrations of JPL science and technology.

You just got a glimpse of the five places that we presented to you.If you want to explore more here are some of the similar places, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, German Museum of Technology, Bletchley Park, England. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Top_five_destinations_for_tech_lovers-nid-79771.html

Top five destinations for tech lovers

Are you a Geek? Do you want to go for a holiday? Which place you would love to visit? Well, you must be thinking, the places where you want to go should have all the elements that fulfills your intellectual needs as well as your holiday purpose. IT professionals usually prefer to visit places where they may find something related to technology, places that are epitome of technological research and inventions and that have captured and preserved the remains of tech innovations and history. They will find these places interesting and would love to visit such places. 

Kennedy Space Center (KSC): The NASA's John F Kennedy space center is located on Merritt Island, Florida. The space center manages and operates America's astronaut launch facilities. It can be the best attraction for the IT professionals. There is option for one day trip to Kennedy Space center from Orlando. There are options while get into the center, there will be "Dine with an astronaut" option and also the shows of IMAX films. People can visit the NASA's launch headquarters as well.

European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): CERN is founded in 1954, located astride the Franco ,Swiss border near Geneva. This center is one of the most respected centers for scientific research. World's largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter at CERN. World Wide Web (WWW) was created in the same place. 

So IT professionals have lots to see and learn from this place where all the things are related to technology.

International Spy Museum: This museum is located in Washington DC. It is one of the few museums in Washington that charges admission fees. Here visitors can learn about Microdots and invisible ink, buttonhole cameras and submarine recording. Technical people will be very much benefited from this visit to the museum.

The Computer History Museum: The Computer History Museum was built in 1996, it's located in California. This Museum has three key exhibits, "Mastering the Game", "history of computer chess", and "Innovation in the valley."The place also has some rare objects like Cray-1 supercomputer, Cray-2, Cray-3. There is lot of things to explore in this place. People will get to know much technical information here. 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): JPL is located in the outside of Los Angeles. The key function of the JPL is to construction and operation of robotic planetary spacecraft. The lab also conducts Earth-orbit and astronomy missions. JPL also operates the NASA's Deep Space Network. It offers free tour that includes a multimedia presentation on JPL, visits to the Spacecraft Assembly Facility and live demonstrations of JPL science and technology.

You just got a glimpse of the five places that we presented to you.If you want to explore more here are some of the similar places, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, German Museum of Technology, Bletchley Park, England. 

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Top_five_destinations_for_tech_lovers-nid-79771.html

Top 10 reasons why start-ups fail

Have you ever wondered what makes entrepreneurs a rare breed? It's because very few start-ups actually triumph in their endeavor. According to a research done by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly six in ten businesses shut down within the first four years of operation. This is surely abstemious for anyone tempted to invest their time and personal savings into launching a new business. So what are the factors that turn out to be the obstacles in keeping a new business afloat in the perilous waters of the entrepreneurial sea? Mentioning below are the top ten reasons that, if not avoided, can sink a start-up. 

1. Ignoring customer feedback

For most start-ups, tunnel vision and not gathering user feedback are fatal flaws. If you ignore your users, it will be a tried and true way to fail. Listening to your customers, and more important, acting on the feedback they give is one of the best ways to transform a struggling business into a successful one. Customers are ultimately the ones responsible for the company's paycheck. By listening to their needs and desires, you can tailor your product and service to better meet their demands.

2. Poor management

In most cases, new business owners don't have relevant business and management expertise in key areas like finance, purchasing, selling, production, and hiring and managing employees. It can soon lead them to a disaster. Poor management also results in poor strategic thinking. To avoid that there should be a regular study, planning and controlling of all the operations of a start-up. A successful manager is the key element in a successful company, because he or she is responsible for creating a work climate that encourages productivity.

3. Poor Execution

It's the fine execution rather than a clever idea that matters the most in avoiding the downfall of most start-ups. In order to make a crisp execution, a start-up needs to evaluate skills and should pursue opportunities that are aligned with its strengths. Not only start-ups, even established companies can also stumble badly when they outgrow the capabilities of the founding team. 

4. Lack of funding

Entrepreneurs mostly underestimate the amount of time and capital necessary to reach cash flow breakeven, which is the reason why many promising ventures shut down prematurely. It's very important to be conservative with financial projections and then plan for enough funds when you launch to cover all sunk costs, including startup losses, until your company becomes cash flow positive. 

5. Failure to manage operating cost efficiently

Many failed start-ups have cited that the question of how to spend money was a frequent challenge and reason for their failure. It's a really tough act to decide whether to spend significantly upfront to get the product the off the group or to develop gradually over time. If a proper decision is not taken, it's possible that the start-up will run out of cash to keep going. 

6. Going after too small market

You may have the best products and services. But, will it make any huge difference if the market is too small or non-existent? Of course not. You should develop product after having researched the market and determining the existing opportunities. Developing a technology looking for a problem can make a start-up hankering after a small market, which is not helpful for it at any cost. 

7. Disharmony between founders

Generally, a start-up is a high-stress environment. Hence, disagreements among the owners about its directions or even division of profits can result into a crack within the tam. And if a key executive leaves in such a situation, it can bring a doomsday for a fledgling organization. 

8. Lack of vision

Lack of proper vision or focus is another vital reason for failure. Get one thing out on the market and focus on the product is very important. Otherwise you risk ending up with too many almost finished products that are not valuable to customers or you. 

9. Poor marketing

For a start-up to become successful, it's very important to know its target audience and the trick to get their attention and convert them to ultimate customers. In almost 30 percent of start-up failures, ineffective marketing was a primary cause of failure. Every start-up should ensure that it has someone who can find distribution channels and develops business relationships for the company. 

10. Product that never comes out of development

Developing the right product in accordance with the market need and releasing it in the market in time is very crucial for any company to survive. If the product never comes out of the development phase, it can easily lead the start-up to the verge of its end.  

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Top_10_reasons_why_startups_fail-nid-79809.html

Top 10 reasons why start-ups fail

Have you ever wondered what makes entrepreneurs a rare breed? It's because very few start-ups actually triumph in their endeavor. According to a research done by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly six in ten businesses shut down within the first four years of operation. This is surely abstemious for anyone tempted to invest their time and personal savings into launching a new business. So what are the factors that turn out to be the obstacles in keeping a new business afloat in the perilous waters of the entrepreneurial sea? Mentioning below are the top ten reasons that, if not avoided, can sink a start-up. 

1. Ignoring customer feedback

For most start-ups, tunnel vision and not gathering user feedback are fatal flaws. If you ignore your users, it will be a tried and true way to fail. Listening to your customers, and more important, acting on the feedback they give is one of the best ways to transform a struggling business into a successful one. Customers are ultimately the ones responsible for the company's paycheck. By listening to their needs and desires, you can tailor your product and service to better meet their demands.

2. Poor management

In most cases, new business owners don't have relevant business and management expertise in key areas like finance, purchasing, selling, production, and hiring and managing employees. It can soon lead them to a disaster. Poor management also results in poor strategic thinking. To avoid that there should be a regular study, planning and controlling of all the operations of a start-up. A successful manager is the key element in a successful company, because he or she is responsible for creating a work climate that encourages productivity.

3. Poor Execution

It's the fine execution rather than a clever idea that matters the most in avoiding the downfall of most start-ups. In order to make a crisp execution, a start-up needs to evaluate skills and should pursue opportunities that are aligned with its strengths. Not only start-ups, even established companies can also stumble badly when they outgrow the capabilities of the founding team. 

4. Lack of funding

Entrepreneurs mostly underestimate the amount of time and capital necessary to reach cash flow breakeven, which is the reason why many promising ventures shut down prematurely. It's very important to be conservative with financial projections and then plan for enough funds when you launch to cover all sunk costs, including startup losses, until your company becomes cash flow positive. 

5. Failure to manage operating cost efficiently

Many failed start-ups have cited that the question of how to spend money was a frequent challenge and reason for their failure. It's a really tough act to decide whether to spend significantly upfront to get the product the off the group or to develop gradually over time. If a proper decision is not taken, it's possible that the start-up will run out of cash to keep going. 

6. Going after too small market

You may have the best products and services. But, will it make any huge difference if the market is too small or non-existent? Of course not. You should develop product after having researched the market and determining the existing opportunities. Developing a technology looking for a problem can make a start-up hankering after a small market, which is not helpful for it at any cost. 

7. Disharmony between founders

Generally, a start-up is a high-stress environment. Hence, disagreements among the owners about its directions or even division of profits can result into a crack within the tam. And if a key executive leaves in such a situation, it can bring a doomsday for a fledgling organization. 

8. Lack of vision

Lack of proper vision or focus is another vital reason for failure. Get one thing out on the market and focus on the product is very important. Otherwise you risk ending up with too many almost finished products that are not valuable to customers or you. 

9. Poor marketing

For a start-up to become successful, it's very important to know its target audience and the trick to get their attention and convert them to ultimate customers. In almost 30 percent of start-up failures, ineffective marketing was a primary cause of failure. Every start-up should ensure that it has someone who can find distribution channels and develops business relationships for the company. 

10. Product that never comes out of development

Developing the right product in accordance with the market need and releasing it in the market in time is very crucial for any company to survive. If the product never comes out of the development phase, it can easily lead the start-up to the verge of its end.  

http://www.siliconindia.com/shownews/Top_10_reasons_why_startups_fail-nid-79809.html