Leadership

Indian firms are tying up with emerging   ventures   possessing niche skills or buying stakes in startups, thereby gaining access to what could even be blockbuster ideas.    Infosys   said   it  has set up a $100 million (Rs 540 crore) fund to invest in startups, besides spotting and funding internal innovation. Similarly,  Mahindra Satyam ,  which has a stated goal of growing faster than the industry, has a $50-million fund exclusively for  investments in  global technology startups.   Wipro   too, is actively looking to partner innovative young companies or buy minority stakes in them. Indian IT companies have become serious and methodical about identifying suitable startup ventures with the intent of investing and have tasked senior executives with such mandate.

From July 1, credit card users will have the option of punching in the  personal identification number (PIN) as an additional security measure while making payments at merchant outlets. This is in addition to signing the charge slip on completion of a purchase. This is part of a move by the RBI to secure card payment transactions in the face of rising cyber fraud.  In recent times, top banks in the country have seen unauthorised transactions to the tune of nearly Rs 30 crore.    While punching in the PIN will be an option for card users as of now (they can choose not to use the feature), the banks which set up swiping machines will have to ensure that the devices are PIN-number compliant . Converting all the existing magstripe cards to chip-based ones  is another task that banks are taking up to prevent the fraud. So banks says this would be a second layer of security measure to prevent the cyber crime and let    us how will...

                                                                                                  - Rajesh Thambala   Transforming education for future is an excellent introduction to how digital culture is influencing visions of education.  The argument is that the current educational system exists to prepare people for a 19th and 20th century, and that must be recreated in order to prepare students for future.  This goes beyond reading, writing, math, and science.  It explores the ...

1.   Introduction The real estate sector in India has come a long way from being dominated by a handful of players in the 90s to an expanding base of developers, investors and global stakeholders buoyed by the growing construction industry in the country. Not only does it generate a high level of direct employment, but it also stimulates the demand in over 250 ancillary industries such as cement, steel, paint, brick, building materials, consumer durables and so on. Emerging technological trends like BIM models are redefining the real estate space of India and taking it to the next level, for both now and in the future. Technology is rising as a catalyst of change for the real estate companies of India – be it construction, project management, marketing, business management or customer service. 2.   Real Estate Market Size & Opportunity Real Estate is the second-largest employment-generating sector after agriculture in India. The Indian real estate market is ...