More News K E R A L A M O N I T OR N E W S AREAS FOR ENHANCING COOPERATION IN OIL SECTOR DISCUSSED WITH BANGLADESH AND SRI LANKA Mani Shankar Aiyar, Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Panchayati Raj discussed areas of mutual cooperation with the visiting Foreign Minister of Bangladesh here today. In a meeting with Mr. Morshed Khan, Foreign Minister of Bangladesh, Shri Aiyar referred to the proposed natural gas pipeline from Myanmar to India for evacuating gas discovered in A-1 block in Myanmar where ONGC and GAIL have stakes. He also said that enhanced exports of diesel from India to Bangladesh could be considered under a term contract. Shri Aiyar reiterated India’s continued interest for importing gas from Bangladesh, subject to availability of exportable surplus of this energy resource at their end. The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh shared the view that greater cooperation in oil and gas sector between the two countries is in mutual interest and pointed out that India is a natural choice for sale of surplus gas. He also expressed the willingness of Bangladesh to consider the request of India for providing transit right for the gas pipeline from Myanmar to India through Bangladesh subject to mutually acceptable terms. At a separate meeting with the Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka, Mr. Lakshaman Kadirgamar, areas for greater mutual cooperation were explored to be pursued in future. Sri Lanka expressed desire to import more quantities of petroleum products from India, subject to appropriate terms of contract. Shri Aiyar responded stating that details of the package will be finalized in consultation with the concerned Ministries and the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas would revert shortly. Indian Oil Corporation has already a sizeable presence in the Sri Lankan oil market. BPCL and HPCL have also bid for entry into Sri Lankan retail market. Emirates Environmental Group calls for defining guidelines on "Green Buildings" in the UAE DUBAI - June 1, 2004 Emirates Environmental Group (EEG), the leading non-governmental organisation working in the field of environmental protection in the UAE, has long issued a call for defining Green Building parameters in the context of growing property development activities in the UAE. At its 5th General Meeting for 2004, held yesterday (May 31), at Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers, Green Architecture expert Mario Seneviratne, Director of Green Technologies Company and member of Programme Committee, United States Green Building Council (USGBC) - Green Built 2004, articulated the parameters defined in the Leadership Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standard. Developed by USGBC, the standard lists and defines the basic requirements of a Green Building design. Opening the deliberations on Green Building design, Habiba Al Marashi, Chairperson, EEG said, "Architecture can make a major contribution to the pressing quest to devise ways of life that are less taxing on the earth's resources and capacities for regeneration. Buildings account for nearly half the energy consumption of developed countries, and therefore are the major cause of global warming, the most tangibly urgent of environmental problems. Buildings are just one of many entities of the architectural product - their relation with their environment; their location vis-à-vis public amenities; the burden their occupants will place on road networks; all these and more are issues that will determine a building's green thumbprint." "It is not that the modern architectural idiom evolving in the UAE's vibrant property sector does not reflect the desire of our community for architecture that promises improved quality of life. The first steps have already been taken. At this stage of development of our architectural consciousness, it is important to articulate the parameters of sustainable and environmentally friendly architecture," added Al Marashi. The meeting, 5th in EEG's series of community lectures on Green Design and Architecture, put forth 10 "shades of green", key requirements in setting parameters for Green Building design. These include design concepts that provide for low energy use, yet ensure high performance; use of replenishable resources; recycling; embodied energy of the building; a long life, loose fit identity; total life cycle costing; the embedded in place nature of the building; access and urban context; health and happiness; and community and connection. Mario Seneviratne elaborated the LEED standard developed by USGBC and presented it as a case study for developing a UAE specific standard for Green Building design. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard in The United States of America for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings. Members of the U.S. Green Building Council representing all segments of the building industry developed LEED. LEED was created to define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement; promote integrated, whole-building design practices; recognize environmental leadership in the building industry; stimulate green competition; raise consumer awareness of green building benefits; and transform the building market; and is currently implemented in its second version, with new research continually redefining the standard. "LEED provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. Based on well-founded scientific standards, LEED emphasizes state of the art strategies for sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality. LEED recognizes achievements and promotes expertise in green building through a comprehensive system offering project certification, professional accreditation, training and practical resources," said Seneviratne. "In the present context of UAE, where number of buildings is multiplying by the day, there is an urgent need to adopt Green Building standards. This would not only ensure cost effective buildings but also healthier and more productive living environments for its occupants." Numerous representatives of the UAE property sector, as well as decision-makers attended the meeting from the country's public and private sectors as members of EEG's Corporate Social Responsibility Network. EMARAT SUPERVISOR WINS AED 20,000 LOADED CREDIT CARD IN ENOC/EPPCO CHAINSAW PROMOTION FINAL DRAW TO HAVE EXTRA MYSTERY CRATE Dubai May 2004 Twenty-five-year old Indian, Amir Raj, a site supervisor with Emarat for over five years, became the sixth and penultimate winner of the ENOC/EPPCO Chainsaw promotion when he picked a crate containing a AED 20,000 loaded credit card from First Gulf Bank (FGB). The mega promotion, currently running at 115 service stations throughout Dubai and the Northern Emirates, has so far seen six winners take home a series of prizes ranging from electronics to vouchers for gold and jewellery. For Raj the win was his second in a month. "May has really been lucky for me. Only last week I won an airline ticket in another promotion and now I have won this FGB credit card. "Everything is falling into place for my summer vacation," he said. "What I like with ENOC/EPPCO promotions is the low spending ceiling that allows a larger number of customers to participate." Raj believes a phone card and snacks he bought at the ENOC service station near Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Dubai, brought him luck by giving him an entry into the draw. In order to bring more excitement to the finale of the promotion, a mystery crate has been added to the final Mega Chainsaw Promotion due to be drawn in the first week of June. "The additional crate means the winner will take home a mystery prize or the AED 20,000 travel package from ENOC Travel which is contained in the remaining crate," said Hussain Sultan, Group Chief Executive and Board Member, ENOC. Customers can enter the promotion simply by spending AED15 on non-fuel products and services at any of the 115 participating stations. They receive a triple-edged coupon with one part devoted to the weekly raffle, a second to Global Link and a third to the Wonderland theme park. The Global Link portion entitles customers to a 10% discount on Radio Shack products, 5% on Telefonika and the Wonderland portion entitles holders to Dhs15 off its entry fee. To increase the chances of winning, customers can also enter the draw with every AED50 spent on the Group's pre-paid E-Cash card or recently launched Cash Plus re-loadable payment card. India Iran Friendship - Iranian Ambassador Mr. F.Z. Yaghoubi calls on the Union Home Minister Shri Shivraj Patil in New Delhi on June 1, 2004 (Tuesday). Sudanese delegation visits Dubai eGovernment to get first-hand knowledge of IT systems and eServices Visiting officials tour key government departments integrated with eGovernment portal for delivering online services June 1, 2004 An official delegation from Sudan recently visited Dubai eGovernment to get first-hand knowledge of the IT systems and integrated portal, in an effort to learn from the Dubai experience and apply the model to the e-government initiative in Sudan. The Sudanese delegation was headed by Tag Elsir Karam Allah, Assistant Manager, Decrees Centre, and Salah Hassan Mohamed, General Manager of Decrees Department, Sudan. The visit was facilitated by the Consulate General of Sudan in Dubai. Briefing the delegation, Mahmood Al Bastaki, Business Process Re-engineering Consultant, Dubai eGovernment, said: "We are delighted to share our experiences with other countries because we believe that a strong e-government is a pillar of modern development. For Dubai eGovernment, it has been a challenging experience as we were the first in the region to adopt best of breed technology to drive this initiative of delivering the bulk of public services through online channels. Today, more than 1,100 services are being provided online by Dubai eGovernment. We are sure Sudan will be able to draw valuable benefits from our experience." Al Bastaki briefed the delegation on the various stages Dubai eGovernment passed through and also explained major initiatives like epay, e4all, eEmployee, eLearn, mDubai and AskDubai, that have accelerated Dubai eGovernment's progress towards the final stage of e-governance. Dubai eGovernment arranged for the delegation to visit the offices of Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Port Customs and Free Zone Corporation and Dubai Naturalisation and Residency Department, four key departments that are integrated with the Dubai eGovernment portal for delivery of online services. The Sudanese officials hailed the high standards attained by Dubai eGovernment and showed keen interest in Dubai eGovernment portal and the state-of-the-art systems adopted by Dubai eGovernment to emerge as the region's premier e-government initiative. They expressed confidence that the learning experience will enable them to enrich the evolving e-government project in Sudan. EPSON's lead in digital imaging innovation recognised with two international technical awards June 1, 2004 EPSON received a double accolade at this year's Technical Image Press Association (TIPA) Awards, winning both the best photo printer and best flatbed scanner categories. The EPSON Stylus Photo R800 and the EPSON Stylus Perfection 4870 Photo were recognised by the 31 publications that belong to TIPA for their outstanding innovation and technical excellence. EPSON was the first to introduce a six-colour, true photographic inkjet printer, and it continues to raise the bar in this sector. The Stylus Photo R800, won recognition in the Best Inkjet Photo Printer category. The versatile photo printer incorporates a new eight cartridge UltraChrome Hi-Gloss pigment ink set and features the new EPSON Gloss Optimizer that has established new benchmarks for photo-quality printing, durability and flexibility. Designed to suit the needs of both the professional and amateur photographer, the EPSON Stylus Photo R800 offers the widest colour gamut available from an inkjet photo printer, unbeatable precision thanks to the smallest ink droplet (1.5pl) in the world and borderless printing and resolution up to 5760 x 1440 optimized dpi for outstanding photos, reprints and enlargements. As one of the judges commented: "The EPSON Stylus Photo R800 stands out on its own because it is the first and only printer that combines long-lasting pigment ink with high gloss paper printing." The EPSON Stylus Perfection 4870, which won in the best Flatbed Scanner category, was described by the judges as 'setting a new standard in professional flatbed scanners', offering the power and quality of a film scanner with the flexibility of a flatbed, without sacrificing the scan quality. Incorporating an unrivalled optical resolution of 4800x9600dpi, new DIGITAL ICE Technology and a moving TPU (transparency unit) lamp, this scanner challenges the traditional film scanner manufacturers on both quality and price. Khalil El-Dalu, General Manager, EPSON Middle East, remarked, "For a long time, EPSON has been offering consumers high quality, reliable, easy to use digital imaging products and as a result we have won several international awards. This recognition has an extra appeal because it comes from an independent and well-respected organisation, endorsing EPSON's spirit of innovation and technological advances in digital imaging". INDIA’S DOMINANCE IN OUTSOURCING E.C. Thomas* India has made a strong niche for itself in the Information Technology – Enabled Services and Business Process Outsourcing (ITES – BPO). The outsourcing industry in India has emerged as the single biggest employment generator in recent years. India’s $ 3.6 billion outsourcing industry, backed by its army of cheap, English – speaking skilled personnel is expected to reach an annual turnover of $ 13.8 billion or nearly half of the global offshoring market by 2007. India is the most preferred choice for global companies when it comes to outsourcing. India got 60 per cent preference amongst the global companies, while its closest competitor was China with 32 per cent preference, according to a study by the Hewitt Associates of US on global sourcing trends and outcomes. Outsourcing Outsourcing is a long-term growth and survival strategy for multinational corporations by which an organization contracts routine functions to service providers who specialize in such functions. The business proposition of BPOs is to take over the non-core processes of companies and bring in the best practices. From outside companies are using BPO to reach a wide range of goals. What was once viewed primarily as a way of reducing expenses has now emerged as a means of achieving productivity gains, short-term innovation cycles, enhance customer intimacy and enter new markets. According to National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) estimates, over 50 per cent of the Fortune 500 companies have incorporated offshore outsourcing into their strategies and around 80 per cent of these now use India as their development base. BPO offerings are becoming more comprehensive. From managing repetitive, transactional chores like Payroll and Accounts Receivable, BPOs have enhanced their service portfolios by also handling knowledge-based activities like Budgeting or Resource Planning, giving customers access to a complete menu of end-to-end processes in functional areas such as HR, Finance and Customer Care. Growth The BPO sector in India has been growing at almost 60 to 70 per cent per annum. According to NASSCOM, the projected revenue of the BPO industry in India is expected to touch US $ 12 billion in 2006. This is a nearly four-fold growth from the 2003-04 revenue estimates of around US $ 3.6 billion. The number of jobs increased from 140,000 at the end of March 2003 to a projected 245,000 in March 2004, according to Nasscom’s ‘Strategic Review 2004’. This could rise almost five times in the next five years. Each day nearly 200 people join the Indian ITES – BPO industry. BPO is a specialized form of international trade in services, based on the doctrine of comparative advantage in international trade. Today, companies outsource to destinations like India because they see value in their investments in terms of quality service and financial spending. By outsourcing to quality and lower cost operations, these companies are able to lower overhead costs, compress time-to-completion with efficient time difference management and focus on core competencies. There are many clear instances of such advantages to companies over a short time-frame. Likewise, banks and financial institutions will not send their data to these countries, unless they are sure of the credentials. As pointed out in the McKinsey Institute study, the US economy benefits in outsourcing in more ways than one. One estimate says that the General Electric (GE) which employs 18,000 workers in India, saves $ 350 million per year through outsourcing. In all, $ 8 billion has been saved in the USA through outsourcing. A NASSCOM report estimated 60 per cent savings in costs for companies outsourcing to India. There exist 185 Fortune 500 companies which outsource work to India. Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) provides opportunities for MNCs to reap the surplus in the service sector that did not exist earlier. The companies engaged in production of value-added services, from medical transcriptions to software programming, require skilled labour which countries like India have in abundance. In fact, Indian call centres have a higher productivity as compared to those in the USA or UK. According to NASSCOM, an Indian call centre agent makes on an average 98 correct transactions, as compared to 95 by an agent in the UK. Besides, the Indian makes 120 transactions an hour, while his British counterpart makes only 100. However, efficiency does not always mean higher pay. A worker’s basic salary in the USA is $ 63,000 per annum, while it is $ 5,850 in India and $ 4,750 in China for the same job. Controversy The recent controversy that outsourcing had resulted in job losses in the USA is more political than economic. Ever since the US Senate passed the Bill on banning government outsourcing to foreign countries in January 2004, there has been a lot of resentment in the Indian IT industry. Although the US Senate Bill will not affect the Indian outsourcing industry much, as it accounts for a mere 2 per cent of the total volume, the regular efforts to create emotional cries about job loss for Americans are disturbing. The American search for foreign scapegoats for the unemployment problem is not new. In the 1980s, Japan’s trade surplus and acquisition of major entertainment companies such as CNS Records and Columbia Pictures fanned irrational fears of an economic and cultural occupation. The anti-Japan hysteria waned once the US economy revived. In a similar vein, subsequent waves of panic about job losses, first to Mexico and then to China, have ebbed and flowed without making a material difference to employment levels. By no stretch of imagination can the estimated 245,000 employees now working in business process outsourcing in India pose a threat to the 100 million workers in the US services sector. American business houses themselves do not want to be restrained in any way from tapping cheaper sources outside the United States. From a macroeconomic perspective too, the US cannot afford to ignore the increase in productivity that outsourcing ensures. Competition Outsourcing is the considered response of companies in the wake of the enormous pressure that businesses worldwide are faced with and this trend will continue, as there are tangible benefits in terms of productivity, quality benefits and cost savings. This means lower costs and better service for consumers, even as it increases the market share and profitability for the corporates. Gaining efficiencies, leveraging existing investments and hence enabling companies to be more flexible and adaptable to changing business and market conditions are some additional benefits of outsourcing. *Senior Freelance Writer UAE University to Host Higher Education Conference SunGard SCT Middle East User Group to Meet in Al Ain on 1st –2nd June 2004 Dubai, 1st June :Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan, minister of Higher Education & Scientific Research / Chancellor of the UAE University, SunGard SCT Inc., a leading global provider of e-Education solutions for higher education, and the United Arab Emirates University, the premier national university, announce the third-annual Middle East User Group Conference (MEUG). Hosted by the UAE University (UAEU) in Al Ain, the conference will take place on June 1st and 2nd . Delegates representing universities from around the region, the GCC and the Levant, are expected to attend the two-day conference. The goals of the gathering are to promote discussion and interaction between users of SunGard SCT solutions, such as SCT Banner and SCT Luminis, and to keep institutions at the forefront of new developments in higher education technology. "The UAE University is proud to be the official host for this conference," said Dr. Hadef Bin Jouaan Al Dhahery, UAEU Vice Chancellor. He added: "As a member of the SCT user group community, and the oldest higher education institution established in the UAE, we’re committed to ensuring the highest standards of education to our students and faculty. We are looking forward to welcoming representatives from universities around the region, and through this event, we will continue to contribute to the building of solid regional higher education communities." The conference will feature client presentations focusing on various aspects of higher education technology, as well as consulting sessions led by SunGard SCT experts. Presentations will focus on administrative, academic, financial, human resource, student lifecycle, portal, integration, and content management issues in higher education. "Institutions in the Emirates are seeing more and more that the appropriate investments in higher education technology solutions can help improve services and streamline operational efficiencies," said Mathew Boice, general manager marketing and channel sales EMEA at SunGard SCT. "This conference will help our users share their experiences and best practices and highlight the tremendous progress of the regional higher education sector. We are honoured that UAE University is our host this year and that His Highness Sheikh Nahyan Mubarak Al Nahyan plans to open the conference."