Thursday, September 8, 2016

APPLE 1 Phone 7

As per the CEO of APPLE Inc the company has created the best smartphone in the World. Looking at the features it seems to be without doubt. The mobile handset incorporates the latest features like advanced camera, stereo sound, and longer battery life. The phone is also water resistant.   

APPLE iPhone & plus is yet to arrive in the market the launch date being 16 September 2016. It is supposed to be better than this model and pricier too.  

Read to know more: 

Wednesday, September 7, 2016

Reliance JIO hazaaron saal

With much fanfare and pomp the JIO 4G network was commercially launched on 5th September 2016. The inaugural speech by Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani was broadcast on TV and was a subject of much discussions and speculations. During the forty five minute speech and after the shares of major players in India fell by a substantial margin. 

Loaded in the speech was announcement of ample freebies, low data rates and easy plans.  

A nation crazy after mobile telephony and handsets, this network seems to be promising the sky. But what has to be seen is the service reputation and cost benefits for long that remain in the picture. The services will be provided pan India that is across the whole nation. The facility also carries voice telephony services pan India using voice over LTE feature. 

The telephone subsidiary of RIL (Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited (RJIL))  has also tied up with Intex a handset manufacture that will enable the feature described above.  The smart phone LYF smartphones will also enable high speed Internet facility. The company also tied up with Reliance Communications for spectrum sharing. This company is owned by his younger brother Anil Ambani.  

The company has tied up with google play for apps that the users would be able to download and use with JIO Sim card. The brand ambassador is none other than the famous Indian actor Shah Rukh Khan.

JIO Company Website   

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

Tourism in Madhya Pradesh

The Central Indian State, of Madhya Pradesh, is all but known for its tourist destinations.  Khajuraho Temples top the list among a list of many popular destinations. The close next is Kanha National Park near Jabalpur followed by Bandhavgarh, Pench, Panna, and Satpura in that order. 

The State is also known for its vast forest cover though considerable denudation has taken place. The remaining tracts accord incredible beauty thanks to the diverse landscapes they help in giving rise.  Tourism is the primary source of revenue for the State and generates jobs in abundance.  

Revenue is generated from both local and foreign sources. With the improvement in infrastructure and connectivity, major income source generation for the industry as well as benefits to local communities is bound to take place. Participation is this industry has resulted in the empowerment of many local communities especially women in Central India.     

Madhya Pradesh is the second largest State in India next to Rajasthan. Situated right in the center the Tropic of Capricorn passes right through Jabalpur Town. The geographical location and climate are instrumental in creating a diversity at which one can but marvel. The topography and altitude are further fashioned by the Vindhya and Satpura ranges which are biodiversity hubs and densely forested.    

Tourism in the State had a belayed start some destinations is popular with the British rulers and the royals. Most of the destinations hitherto unknown became popular with the increasing infrastructure created by MPTDC in the post-colonial era.  The acronym stands for Madhya Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation a public concern that was instrumental in encouraging tourism. The propaganda arm made many destinations popular and continues to do so along with the private players. Joining the milieu a large number of major brands have entered the scene. 

Among the Hill stations, popular ones are Pachmarhi and Amarkantak both are biosphere reserves as well. The latter was more popular during the Raj and now with us. Amarkantak is the origin of the Holy Narmada along with the Son river. The destination is at the confluence (Maikal Hills) of the Vindhya and Satpura Ranges and is primarily a pilgrimage center for Hindus.    

Khajuraho is popular among the eighty temples that thrive in its womb the outer walls of the Hindu temples contain erotic carvings that have proved to be the star attractions.  A large number of foreign tourists arrive here to witness these 10th Century marvels created by the Culchuri Dynasty in Chatterpur District.  Other places of interest ascending the limelight are Orchha and Mandu. 

The tiger reserves are other sources of revenue generation besides being the leading conservation units in the country. National Parks such as Satpura, Bandhavgarh, popular Kanha near Jabalpur, Pench, and Panna are highly popular being known globally. 

Marble Rocks and Dhuandhar Falls are the prime attraction in Jabalpur Towns, besides, Gwalior, Bhopal, and Indore have much to offer in terms of ancient and contemporary monuments. Madhya Pradesh is undiscovered, more has to be experienced.   

An APPLE A Day - EU & Ireland (Tax)

 A huge tax recovery to the tune of 13 billion Euros is what the EU official says that  Ireland must recover. Not taken warmly the US cries "Wolf". Unfair it says the retroactive tax against the global giant APPLE Inc.

The fallout is just not tax alone it is also looked at the way the EU treats American businesses. The anomaly is a result of illegal aid granted to Apple for a period of twenty years. This helped the company lower its tax assessment and hence save.

According to the EU members cannot accord benefits to selected companies. The US says that this will undermine the business environment as far as Europe is concerned. The massive retroactive tax could result in the growth potential of the company as well as reduce employment.  

The drastically lower tax rate applicable to Apple subsidiaries in Ireland was to increase jobs in that country. About 1 percent tax is far lower than US's 35% and Ireland's 12.5%. This is an unfair cry the lawmakers in Europe and US as well.

Logically Apple is going to appeal the decision as have Starbucks and Fiat Chrysler. There are many US companies under the tax authorities' scanner hence more are yet to come.

This ruling may be technically right but then the retroactive enforcement would be a big discouragement for investment due to uncertainty whence the country's taxation arrangements could be undermined by the European Commission.  

Shivraj Chouhan Highlighting Madhya Pradesh for Business in US Visit

On a five day visit to USA, Shivraj Chouhan the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh highlighted the State for business opportunities. The Minister met with eminent business personalities in order to promote economic opportunities prevailing in the State also known as MP. 

The State although has vast tracts of forest cover is offering growth opportunities in urban surroundings. Indore with accessibility to major industrial towns like Mumbai and New Delhi is flourishing as far as trade and manufacturing is concerned. My major agglomerations like Bhopal (Capital), Jabalpur and Gwalior lag behind.

On major platforms he highlighted MP as investor friendly State bereft of  terrorism, labor problems and red tape. Stable power, friendly policies and strong agriculture all that are conducive to business exist here. The State is rich in mineral wealth and labor resources.  Though skilled man power is limited whence compared to major economic hubs in India, nevertheless it is not a problem with rising number of technical and management institutes.

Shivraj Singh stressed upon certain sectors like IT, manufacturing, tourism, food processing and pharma which is prepared for growth. In spite of all the positive aspects at many places the State lacks proper road infrastructure and resources that are exigent for manufacture. Nevertheless excellent connectivity vis a vis railways, transportation and flights have now come into picture.    

He invited American Businessmen to Global Investors Summit being organised on 22 and 23 of October 2016 at Indore the commercial hub of this heartland region.

It should be noted that major public sector manufacturing units concerned with defense, power, electronics, agrofood processing and engineering are based since many years. Hence Madhya Pradesh is no stranger to  commercialization only the full potential has to be explored.     

Monday, July 25, 2016

Scotch Whiskey in India...Hic!

In spite of more and more states joining the dry bandwagon the consumption of liquor in India is on the rise. The rich and no so rich are all game for whisky more often as a social trend rather than a habit. One of the most expensive and desired types of alcohol in India is scotch whisky. Apart from being heavenly smooth, some types contain a smoky flavor thanks to the use of peat mass for firing in the distilleries. 

The malted barley mash is distilled, brewed, and matured using the water and peaty in the peat bogs of Scotland (Islay) this liquor is one of the most pricey in the World.  In India scotch is a prized catch. A status symbol unparalleled. The most popular brands in the country are as follows:

Johnnie Walker Red/Black/Blue Label Scotch - Diageo
Chival Regal - Pernod Ricard
Glenlivet Single Malt
Ballantine 

Many more brands are popular besides those mentioned above. But presumably, the above brands have a higher market consumption than the rest. 

The battle-hardened brands are Diageo and Pernod Ricard and the stiff competition amidst them is the talk of the industry. Though the figures are highly contentious Chival is definitely tightening the noose over its rival the famous Johnnie Walker stuff.    

Sunday, July 10, 2016

Steel No More Steel

After a lull in steel prices, the market seems to be picking up and a brighter forecast spells a steady rise in the segment. This is also the same with iron ore partly due to the rise in demand from the Chinese market. The demand from China seems to be improving steadily as demands arise from its infrastructure development projects. 

There has been an improvement in steel demands in US and Europe as well. The imposition of anti-dumping duty has also benefited concerns like Arcelor Mittal.  

But the biggest concern in news is the Tata's Steel concerns in the UK. Due to hurdles regarding the pension fund which has created a liability of seven hundred million pounds, it seems a sell-off is unlikely. A potential strategic partnership seems to be a better bet for the ailing business.  But this is a tardy process and is at a preliminary stage.  Another recourse is to cut costs as much as possible. How this will be brought is not clear.     

The problem has arisen due to low prices in the steel market. This was in making as the World was oversupplied with steel. The China-driven demand faced a standoff due to slack in its industries. To make matters worse the local production of Chinese arose significantly. Excess production was dumped outside the country triggering stiff competition from global manufacturers. 

The rising prices have raised some hopes till the Chinese concerns raise their output to offset the gain in prices. 

Wednesday, July 6, 2016

Ringing Phone - Cell Phone for $4

Ringing Bells is a company based in New Delhi that promises to sell Android phones for Rs.251. The Indian startup is selling the phones at a loss and hopes for a Government subsidy to aid the project. The aim of Ringing Bells is to spread mobile phones all over the country especially covering those who can ill afford these devices. Aiming at creating a communication revolution in India it plans to sell a number of products many of which will be sold at a profit.     

As per the company, almost 200000 cell phones are ready to be shipped all across the Nation. This is despite that many players find the price of the smartphone incredible. Is there a catch somewhere that the owner of the company  Mr. Goel strongly denies it? 

With a market scaling more than one billion subscribers success is a cheese and a big one at that. The gadget feature almost all that big brands promise despite the price. It is tied up with some companies for pre-installed apps which are supposed to bring the cost down since the company does not have any manufacturing setup.    

In absence of manufacturing set up Ringing Bells is importing knocked-down kits from Taiwan. But the critics are still in disbelief at the incredible pricing is this a publicity gimmick or what?

Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Post Brexit Outcome & Adjustments Next

What happens next is a major question that the Brits face post-exit from the European Union. Instability and adjustment are the imperative that the economy may face. The pound sterling has already seen a downfall and banks easing regulations for lending subsequently.  This is after the Bank of England has infused about 150 pounds into the National economy.

After many years within the EU Britain decided to leave. This decision was due to immigration policies that the people of the UK did not favor. This was evident post-voting. Apart from economic uncertainty, there was significant political turmoil especially within the Conservative Party amidst those who favored separation. The major opposition, Labor Party experienced some trouble as well.    

Twenty-eight countries in Europe are tied to Article fifty after the departure procedure is confirmed there will be twenty-seven left. The UK will join Norway at the independent window. But only after the formality is commenced i.e letter to the European Council of intent to leave will the uncertainty evaporate. The effect so far has been catastrophic to some extent.            

In wake of Scotland's desire to remain within the EU things fell into the quagmire of total uncertainty since affirmative would be required from the Scottish Parliament albeit blocking cannot prevent the separation.     

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Microsoft's LinkedIn Acquisition

Finding going tough in the search market and its products challenged by Google Microsoft is diversifying into being a service provider of shorts. In spite of the expansion of its core businesses quite successfully the growth graph was much to be desired as per the company's liking.    

This has propelled the company into introducing new business models. Greater emphasis is being given to serving business customers hence the acquisition.    

LinkedIn justifies the purchaser's shifting strategy with a large base of corporate professionals and an equally large base of seekers for jobs and contacts. The online service provider has an overlap with Microsoft's customer base making the purchase a sensible act.     

The giant is certain it will integrate with many offerings of LinkedIn and propel the company forward. After Steve Balmer's desperate effort to boost the revenue, Satya  Nadella is seeking new openings.