Information and case studies

India needs "Leader" with Leadership qualities

2013-12-19T00:11:00.001-08:00

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Today India is going through turbulence in politics where every party wants to rule the nation but without any direction or plan. Its all about coming in power irrespective of thinking how to curb down inflation, rise in rate of basic commodities, provide jobs, and many more endless lists.

Political parties are themselves not sure what they will do after coming in power or the existing government which is so weak where they can see the real picture of their downfall still could not take any stand. This is the real picture of India where even after almost 60 years after independence we are struggling to get a strong party who can rule the country.

However do we really think that parties make change? I think its not about parties anymore its about the leader who drives the entire ship. Every party is lacking a strong leadership due to which our country has become so weak in nature. Lets go back in history and see if any political party has really made a change..The answer is NO, its all about a single leadership which has steered the entire nation and world. Speak of Lincoln, Gandhi, Martin Luther, Hitler, Mandela, General Mao, Che Guevara, Napoleon, Churchill, Washington you will only find the best leadership which has changed the world and created history today. They had a clear idea on making a change what they desired for the people. Their actions and thoughts were crystal clear and not driven by any parties ideologies. Today most of the leadership dies at very young age due to following the ideologies of parties and thinking as per the other thoughts. Everybody today are like trying to become followers of the parties and not trying to really identify a true leader. No efforts are being made by any party to give space for leadership to thrive.

India needs a strong leader who is above all parties ideologies and can take his own stand to bring economic stability as well as recognition among other nations.

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Processing times for federal skilled worker applications

2013-12-18T03:19:00.001-08:00

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Last quarterly update: October 30, 2013

Africa and Middle East
Visa Office	Processing Times IN MONTHS for applications received
Visa Office	BEFORE February 27, 2008	BETWEEN February 27, 2008 and June 25, 2010	On or after June 26, 2010
Accra – Ghana	–	37	30
Amman – Jordan	–	–	–
Ankara – Turkey	97	49	28
Beirut – Lebanon	–	–	–
Cairo – Egypt	–	43	20
Dakar – Senegal	73	45	32
Nairobi – Kenya	97	42	28
Pretoria – South Africa	–	41	19
Rabat – Morocco	62	–	3
Tel Aviv – Israel	–	–	20

Asia and Pacific
Visa Office	Processing Times IN MONTHS for applications received
Visa Office	BEFORE February 27, 2008	BETWEEN February 27, 2008 and June 25, 2010	On or after June 26, 2010
Beijing – China	73	39	20
Colombo – Sri Lanka	97	–	23
Hong Kong – China	79	42	16
Islamabad – Pakistan	97	56	–
Manila – Philippines	97	33	18
New Delhi – India	97	40	22
Singapore – Singapore	95	38	28
Sydney – Australia	–	35	25

Europe
Visa Office	Processing Times IN MONTHS for applications received
Visa Office	BEFORE February 27, 2008	BETWEEN February 27, 2008 and June 25, 2010	On or after June 26, 2010
Bucharest – Romania	–	–	19
Kyiv – Ukraine	–	–	24
London – United Kingdom	87	43	25
Moscow – Russia	–	37	28
Paris – France	74	40	16
Rome – Italy	–	–	21
Vienna – Austria	74	–	20
Warsaw – Poland	89	48	22

Americas
Visa Office	Processing Times IN MONTHS for applications received
Visa Office	BEFORE February 27, 2008	BETWEEN February 27, 2008 and June 25, 2010	On or after June 26, 2010
Bogota - Colombia	85	40	27
Buenos Aires - Argentina	–	–	–
Guatemala City – Guatemala	–	37	27
Havana – Cuba	–	–	–
Kingston – Jamaica	97	54	–
Lima – Peru	–	–	–
Los Angeles – United States	–	38	31
Mexico City – Mexico	–	43	19
New York – United States	–	39	29
Ottawa (Case Processing Pilot) - Canada	72	39	25
Port-au-Prince – Haiti	–	–	–
Port of Spain – Trinidad and Tobago	79	44	30
Santiago – Chile	–	–	–
Santo Domingo – Dominican Republic	–	–	–
Sao Paulo – Brazil	–	38	18

Notes

You can view your application status online.
If it has been longer than the time shown above since you applied and your visa office has not contacted you, you may wish to contact the visa office that is processing your application by e-mail, letter or fax. The Call Centre does not have information about applications processed outside Canada.
(-) indicates that not enough data are available. Processing times are shown only where an office has finalized 10 or more cases in the past 12 months.

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Changes in FSW Canada

2013-12-18T02:09:00.001-08:00

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Applications we will accept – Federal skilled workers

As of May 4, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will only consider federal skilled worker (FSW) applications from people who have:

at least one year of continuous and paid (full-time or an equal amount in part-time) work experience in a single occupation,
within the last 10 years,
at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 edition of the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC),and who are:
1. in one of the 24 eligible occupations, and whose application is received under the occupation’s sub-cap and overall FSW cap, or
2. with a valid offer of arranged employment, or
3. who are applying under the PhD stream (see below) until the PhD cap of 1,000 applications is reached.

All applicants must also:

meet the minimum language threshold (and submit approved language test results), and
submit a Canadian educational credential or foreign credential and an assessment of their foreign education from an approved agency, and
meet all requirements of the FSW Program.

Applications per eligible occupation:

Between May 4, 2013, and April 30, 2014, we will consider no more than 5,000 complete FSW applications for processing. Within the 5,000 cap, we will consider no more than 300 applications per eligible occupation for processing within this same time frame.

The cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014, unless otherwise stated by the Minister.

Note: Due to the large number of applications we get, we cannot check that each one is complete on the same day it gets to the office. The numbers on this page are updated at least once a week, but are only a guide. There is no guarantee that an application sent in now will fall within the cap by the time it gets to the Centralized Intake Office.

Total received toward the overall cap: 3,154 of 5,000

Eligible occupation (by National Occupational Classification [NOC] code)	Number of complete applications counted towards the 300 sub-cap Footnote1
0211 Engineering managers	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
1112 Financial and investment analysts	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers	49
2131 Civil engineers	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
2132 Mechanical engineers	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
2134 Chemical engineers	148
2143 Mining engineers	8
2145 Petroleum engineers	4
2144 Geological engineers	75
2146 Aerospace engineers	19
2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers)	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
2154 Land surveyors	19
2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics	70
2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety	188
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists	13
3142 Physiotherapists	300 (Cap reached) Footnote2
3143 Occupational Therapists	39
3211 Medical laboratory technologists	223
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists’ assistants	82
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists	18
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists	48
3216 Medical Sonographers	33
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists	24

Applications in the PhD stream:

CIC will accept 1,000 applications for processing per year under the PhD stream. To apply under this stream, you must have either

finished at least two years of study in Canada towards a PhD, or
graduated from a Canadian PhD program in the 12 months before we get your application.

Find out more about eligibility for this category.

The new PhD cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014, unless otherwise stated by the Minister.

Footnotes

Footnote 1: The number of complete federal skilled worker applications received as of May 4, 2013 is an estimate.
Return to footnote1referrer
Footnote 2: Once we reach the cap, we can only accept applications under this occupation from people with a valid job offer in place.
Return to footnote2referrer

Update on eligibility of FSW canada

2013-06-15T03:04:00.000-07:00

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Determine your eligibility – Federal skilled workers

Skilled workers are people who are chosen as permanent residents based on their ability to prosper in Canada.

We assess federal skilled worker (FSW) applications based on the factors set out below.

A) Basic eligibility

We will only process your FSW application if you have:

at least one year of continuous and paid (full-time or an equal amount in part-time) work experience
- in a single occupation,
- within the last 10 years,
- at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 edition of the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), and you:
  1. have this work experience in one of the eligible occupations, OR
  2. have a valid offer of arranged employment, OR
  3. are an international student who is enrolled in a PhD program in Canada (or who graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months) and meet these criteria.

AND

You meet all the minimum requirements below.

Note: If you meet all the conditions set out in sections A and B, we will process your application based on the six selection factors in section C. Even if your application is eligible to be processed, you must meet all of the other FSW program requirements, such as having enough money to support you and your family in Canada.

B) Minimum requirements

Work experience

If your application is eligible to be processed, we will then assess it to see if your work experience is valid.

Your work experience must be:

for at least one year in the same occupation,
continuous and paid (full-time or an equal amount in part-time),
within the last 10 years,

AND

skill type 0 (managerial occupations) or
skill level A (professional occupations) or
skill level B (technical occupations and skilled trades)

on the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC) list.

(The National Occupational Classification is a system used to classify jobs in Canada.)

Language ability

You must meet minimum language levels and include the results of a language test from an agency approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) when you apply that shows you meet the minimum language requirement ofCanadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7.

Education

You must have:

a Canadian diploma, certificate, or credential

AND/OR

a foreign educational credential, and an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) by an agency approved by CIC to show it is equal to a completed Canadian secondary or post-secondary educational credential.

About the application cap

Due to the large number of applications we get, we can only consider a limited number of applications per year. Between May 4, 2013, and April 30, 2014, we will consider no more than 5,000 complete FSW applications for processing. Within the 5,000 cap, we will consider no more than 300 applications per eligible occupation for processing within this same time frame.

This does not apply if you:

have a valid offer of arranged employment, or
are applying under the PhD stream (there is a cap of 1,000 applications in this stream, from May 4, 2013 to April 30, 2014).

C) Six selection factors

If you meet all the conditions set out in sections A and B above, we will process your application based on the six selection factors in the skilled worker points grid.Footnote1 They are:

your skills in English and/or French, Canada’s two official languages,
your education,
your work experience,
your age,
whether you have arranged employment in Canada, and
your adaptability (how well you are likely to settle here).

To see how many points you might get, read about the selection factors

If you are not sure if you should apply as a skilled worker, try the Come to Canada Wizard to get an idea if your application would be eligible to be processed.

D) Proof of funds

You must also show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you arrive in Canada.

E) Inadmissibility

Some people are inadmissible—they are not allowed to come to Canada. Several things can make you inadmissible, including being involved in:

crime, or
human rights violations.

You can also be inadmissible for:

security,
health,
financial reasons, or
other reasons.

Find out more about inadmissibility.

Footnotes

Footnote 1: These factors are part of a 100-point grid used to assess federal skilled workers. This means you earn points for how well you do in each of the six factors. The total points will show if you qualify. The current pass mark is 67 points.

Language Testing & Proof of funds for FSW Canada

2013-05-28T23:15:00.001-07:00

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Language testing – Federal skilled workers

You must prove your language skills by taking a language test from an agency approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). You can use your test results to see exactly how many points you will get for the language selection factor.

You must:

arrange to be tested by an agency approved by CIC and pay the costs,
include the results of your test when you apply to be a skilled worker. If you do not, we will not process your application and will send it back to you.

Do not ask for your language test result to be sent directly to CIC. Submit your original test result with your application.

About test results

Use the tables below to see how many points you will get for your test results.
CIC will use the test results as proof of your language skills.
Language test results are valid if they are received by CIC within the two years from the time your test results were issued.

Approved language tests

You can take a language test from any of these approved agencies.

English

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

IELTS has two options for the reading and writing tests: “General Training” and “Academic.” You must take the “General Training” option.

First official language (Maximum 24 points)

CLB Level	IELTS test results for each ability				Points (per ability)
CLB Level	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing	Points (per ability)
7	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	4
8	6.5	7.5	6.5	6.5	5
9 and above	7.0 – 9.0	8.0 – 9.0	7.0 – 9.0	7.0 – 9.0	6

Second official language (4 points if you meet the minimum threshold in each of the four language abilities)

CLB Level	IELTS test results for each ability				Points (total)
CLB Level	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing	Points (total)
5 and above	5.0 – 9.0	5.0 – 9.0	4.0 – 9.0	5.0 – 9.0	4

CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program

CELPIP has three tests: “CELPIP-General (CELPIP-G),” “CELPIP-General LS (CELPIP-General LS),” and “CELPIP-Academic (CELPIP-A).” You must take the “CELPIP-G” test.

First official language (Maximum 24 points)

CLB Level	CELPIP test results for each ability				Points (per ability)
CLB Level	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing	Points (per ability)
7	4L	4L	4L	4L	4
8	4H	4H	4H	4H	5
9	5L	5L	5L	5L	6
10 and above	5H	5H	5H	5H	6

Note: CELPIP test results for tests written before May 3, 2013 will have these scores for CLB levels 9 and 10:

CLB Level	CELPIP test results for each ability				Points (per ability)
CLB Level	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing	Points (per ability)
9 and above	5	5	5	5	6

Second official language (4 points if you meet the minimum threshold in all four language abilities)

CLB Level	CELPIP test results for each ability				Points (total)
CLB Level	Speaking	Listening	Reading	Writing	Points (total)
5 and above	3L 3H 4L 4H 5L 5H	3L 3H 4L 4H 5L 5H	3L 3H 4L 4H 5L 5H	3L 3H 4L 4H 5L 5H	4

French

TEF: Test d’évaluation de français

You must submit results from the following TEF tests as proof of your French language proficiency:

compréhension écrite
compréhension orale
expression écrite
expression orale.

First official language (Maximum 24 points)

CLB Level	TEF test results for each ability				Points (per ability)
CLB Level	Speaking (expression orale)	Listening (compréhension orale)	Reading (compréhension écrite)	Writing (expression écrite)	Points (per ability)
7	309 – 348	248 – 279	206 – 232	309 – 348	4
8	349 – 371	280 – 297	233 – 247	349 – 371	5
9 and above	372+	298+	248+	372+	6

Second official language (4 points if you meet the minimum threshold in each of the four language abilities)

CLB Level	TEF test results for each ability				Points (total)
CLB Level	Speaking(expression orale)	Listening(compréhension orale)	Reading (compréhension écrite)	Writing (expression écrite)	Points (total)
5 and above	225 – 372+	180 – 298+	150 – 248+	225 – 372+	4

Add your points:

Proof of funds – Federal skilled workers

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your family after you get to Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You must be able to use this money to pay the costs of living for your family (even if they are not coming with you).

You will need to show proof to the Canadian visa office in your home country that you have enough money when you apply to immigrate.

The amount of money you need to support your family is set by the size of your family. We update these amounts every year.

Number of Family Members	Funds Required (in Canadian dollars)
1	$11,115
2	$13,837
3	$17,011
4	$20,654
5	$23,425
6	$26,419
7 or more	$29,414

You do not have to show that you have these funds if:

you have a valid offer of arranged employment in Canada AND
you are currently working or authorized to work in Canada.

How much money should you bring?

It is a good idea to research how much it costs to live in the place where you plan to settle in Canada.

Bring as much money as you can to make moving and finding a home in Canada easier. Note, however, that Canadian customs regulations require you to declare if you are bringing more than C$10,000 into Canada. If you do not tell them, you may be fined or put in prison. These funds could be in the form of:

cash
documents that show property or capital payable to you (such as stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills, etc.) or
documents that guarantee payment of a set amount of money, which are payable to you (such as bankers’ drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques or money orders).

Eligibility for FSW Canada and SIX selection factors

2013-05-28T23:14:00.000-07:00

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Specific eligibility criteria – Federal skilled workers

A. Basic eligibility– Federal skilled workers

We can only process your application if you:

have one year of continuous full-time (or an equal amount of continuous part-time) paid work experience
- in one of the eligible occupations within the last ten years, OR
have a valid offer of arranged employment, OR
are an international student who is enrolled in a PhD program in Canada (or who graduated from a Canadian PhD program within the past 12 months) and meet the factors below.

Also, no matter which of the three groups above you apply under, you must:

include the results of your official language test showing that you meet the minimum language threshold (Canadian Language Benchmark 7) in all four language skill areas (speaking, listening, reading and writing) when you apply, and
include either a completed Canadian educational credential or a completed foreign educational credential with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an approved organization, and
have at least one year of continuous full-time (or an equal amount in continuous part-time) paid work experience within the last ten years in the primary occupation you state in your application.

Remember that even if your application is eligible to be processed, you must meet all of the other FSW program requirements, such as meeting the pass mark on the selection grid and having enough money to support you and your family in Canada.

See basic eligibility criteria for each of the three groups below.

1. Eligible occupations

2. Arranged employment

3. PhD students

If you are eligible, we will tell you that we have sent your application to one of our offices for processing. They will assess the rest of your application. Once they have started this process, we cannot give you a refund on your fee.

Note: If you got an Educational Credential Assessment, it does not guarantee you a job in your field or that you will be able to get a license in Canada. If you plan to work in an occupation that is regulated in Canada, you should contact the regulatory authority in the province where you plan to live. They can give you important information about getting your license, including any steps you can take before you leave your home country.

There are many ways to immigrate to Canada. If you do not meet the criteria to apply under the FSWP, you may qualify under another category. Learn more about your options.

Six selection factors – Federal skilled workers

If you are eligible to apply as a federal skilled worker, we will assess you on a point system based on six selection factors.

Selection Factor	Maximum points
English and/or French skills	28
Education	25
Experience	15
Age	12
Arranged employment in Canada	10
Adaptability	10
Total	100
Pass mark: 67 out of 100 points

If your score is 67 points or higher, you may qualify to immigrate to Canada as a federal skilled worker.

If your score is lower than the pass mark of 67 points, you will not qualify to immigrate to Canada as a federal skilled worker. It is better not to apply at this time.

Principal applicant

If you are married or you live with a common-law partner, either you or your spouse can apply as the principal (main) applicant.

Look at each selection factor and see which one of you is most likely to meet the eligibility requirements and earn the most points. That person should apply as the principal applicant. The other person would apply as a dependant.

Federal skilled worker for Canada_2013

2013-05-28T23:12:00.000-07:00

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Applications we will accept – Federal skilled workers

As of May 4, 2013, Citizenship and Immigration Canada will only consider federal skilled worker (FSW) applications from people who have:

at least one year of continuous and paid (full-time or an equal amount in part-time) work experience in a single occupation,
within the last 10 years,
at skill type 0, or skill levels A or B of the 2011 edition of the Canadian National Occupational Classification (NOC), and who are:

1. in one of the 24 eligible occupations,

and whose application is received under the occupation’s sub-cap and overall FSW cap, or

2. with a valid offer of arranged employment, or

3. who are applying under the PhD stream (see below) until the PhD cap of 1,000 applications is reached.

All applicants must also:

meet the minimum language threshold (and submit approved language test results), and
submit a Canadian educational credential or foreign credential and an assessment of their foreign education from an approved agency, and
meet all requirements of the FSW Program.

Applications per eligible occupation:

The cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014, unless otherwise stated by the Minister.

Total received toward the overall cap:

Eligible occupation (by National Occupational Classification [NOC] code)	Number of complete applications counted^Footnote1
0211 Engineering managers
1112 Financial and investment analysts
2113 Geoscientists and oceanographers
2131 Civil engineers
2132 Mechanical engineers
2134 Chemical engineers
2143 Mining engineers
2145 Petroleum engineers
2144 Geological engineers
2146 Aerospace engineers
2147 Computer engineers (except software engineers/designers)
2154 Land surveyors
2174 Computer programmers and interactive media developers
2243 Industrial instrument technicians and mechanics
2263 Inspectors in public and environmental health and occupational health and safety
3141 Audiologists and speech-language pathologists
3142 Physiotherapists
3143 Occupational Therapists
3211 Medical laboratory technologists
3212 Medical laboratory technicians and pathologists' assistants
3214 Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists
3216 Medical Sonographers
3217 Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists

Note: Due to the large number of applications we get, we cannot check that each one is complete on the same day it gets to the office. The numbers on this page are updated at least once a week, but are only a guide. There is no guarantee that an application sent in now will fall within the cap by the time it gets to the Centralized Intake Office.

Applications in the PhD stream:

CIC will accept 1,000 applications for processing per year under the PhD stream. To apply under this stream, you must have either

finished at least two years of study in Canada towards a PhD, or
graduated from a Canadian PhD program in the 12 months before we get your application.

Find out more about eligibility for this category.

The new PhD cap year began on May 4, 2013, and will end on April 30, 2014, unless otherwise stated by the Minister.

Footnotes

Footnote 1: The number of complete federal skilled worker applications received as of XXX is an estimate.
Return to footnote1referrer
Footnote 1: Once we reach the cap, we can only accept applications under this occupation from people with a valid job offer in place.

How to save TAX for employees this year

2013-05-28T22:55:00.001-07:00

It's that time of the year again when one needs to begin calculating their tax liabilities. However, before you do so, remember to analyze the various sections of tax deductions under the Income Tax Act as tax planning does not end with Section 80C. (Calculate your tax liability here)

80D:
Tax deduction under section 80D qualifies for mediclaim policies. The premium, which is paid for medical insurance policy for self and family members to protect them from sudden medical expenses, comes under this section. The maximum amount allowed for exemption annually for self, spouse and dependent parents/children is Rs. 15,000. In case of a senior citizen, the maximum amount extends up to Rs. 20,000. If you are paying the premium for your parents (whether dependent or not), you can claim an additional maximum deduction of Rs. 15,000.

80DD:
According to the Income Tax Act, if you are paying a premium to LIC or any other insurance company (approved by the Income Tax board) for the medical treatment of a dependent physically disabled person, you can avail exemption under the section 80DD. Here, the dependent should be none other than your spouse, children, parents or sibling. If the person is suffering from 40 per cent of any disability, a fixed sum of Rs. 50,000 can be claimed in a year. Similarly, if the disability is 80 per cent, the fixed sum goes up to Rs. 1,00,000 per year. For initiating the process of deduction you need to submit the medical certificate issued by a medical authority along with the return of income.

80DDB:
If you have incurred expenses for the medical treatment of self or your dependents, you can claim a deduction of up to Rs. 40,000 or the actual amount paid, whichever is less, under the section 80DDB. For a senior citizen, the maximum exempted amount is Rs. 60,000, or the amount actually paid for medical expenses. To claim a deduction under this section, you need to submit a medical certificate from a doctor working in a government hospital.

80E:
The interest paid on loan taken for pursuing higher education of self or any dependent is exempted from tax under section 80E. An education loan can be taken for wife, children and minors for whom you are the legal guardian. This deduction is applicable for a period of eight years or till the interest is paid, whichever is earlier. The deduction is only approved for higher studies, which means full-time graduate or postgraduate courses in engineering, management or applied sciences, pure sciences including mathematics or statistics. However, from 2011 onwards, the scope of this exemption has been extended to cover all fields of studies including vocational studies pursued after completing the senior secondary examination or equivalent. No exemption is applicable for part-time courses.

80G:
One often donates on philanthropic grounds to help the destitute. Such an amount can be donated to trusts, charitable institutions and approved educational institutions, and qualifies for deduction under Section 80G. The exemptions can be up to 50 per cent or 100 per cent of the donations made. Funds in which the donations are eligible for tax exemptions include the National Defence Fund, Prime Minister Drought Relief Fund, National Foundation for Communal Harmony, National Children's Fund, Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, etc.

80GG:
If a salaried or self-employed person staying in a rented house does not receive any kind of HRA, they can claim a deduction under this section. However, you cannot avail any such benefit if you, your spouse and/or your child owns any residential accommodation in India or abroad. You can claim the least of the following under Section 80GG: 25 per cent of the total income, or Rs. 2000 per month, or excess of rent paid over 10 per cent of total income.

80GGC:
Any monetary contribution to any political party or electoral trust is eligible for tax exemption. Thus, your contribution, as a matter of appreciation for their work, will serve both the purposes.

80U:
A resident of India suffering from any kind of specified disability is eligible to claim tax deduction under this section. In order to enjoy this opportunity, one should be suffering from not less than 40 per cent of the following diseases: blindness, low vision, mental illness, mental retardation, hearing impairment. The deduction provided is flat Rs. 50,000, irrespective of the expense incurred. If the disability is severe, the deduction can be up to Rs. 1 lakh. One needs to provide a copy of all the certificates issued by a medical authority in order to avail this benefit.

80CCG:
The Finance Act 2012 introduced a new Section 80CCG to offer 50 per cent tax break to new investors who invest up to Rs. 50,000 and whose GTI is less than or equal to Rs. 10 lakh. It has been introduced for budding investors entering the equity markets for the first time and is a once-in-a-lifetime benefit.

Hence, there are several sections apart from 80C that can help an individual benefit from tax exemptions. It is time to start looking beyond 80C for tax savings.

Disclaimer: All information in this article has been provided by BankBazaar.com and NDTV Profit is not responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the same.

Curiosity Rover on MARS

2012-08-28T01:26:00.000-07:00

NASA Rover Returns Voice, Telephoto Views From Mars

08.27.12

A chapter of the layered geological history of Mars is laid bare in this postcard from NASA's Curiosity rover. The image shows the base of Mount Sharp, the rover's eventual science destination. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
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Charles Bolden, 12th Administrator of NASA. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
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PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars Curiosity has debuted the first recorded human voice that traveled from Earth to another planet and back.

In spoken words radioed to the rover on Mars and back to NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) on Earth, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden noted the difficulty of landing a rover on Mars, congratulated NASA employees and the agency's commercial and government partners on the successful landing of Curiosity earlier this month, and said curiosity is what drives humans to explore.

"The knowledge we hope to gain from our observation and analysis of Gale Crater will tell us much about the possibility of life on Mars as well as the past and future possibilities for our own planet. Curiosity will bring benefits to Earth and inspire a new generation of scientists and explorers, as it prepares the way for a human mission in the not too distant future," Bolden said in the recorded message.

The voice playback was released along with new telephoto camera views of the varied Martian landscape during a news conference today at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

"With this voice, another small step is taken in extending human presence beyond Earth, and the experience of exploring remote worlds is brought a little closer to us all," said Dave Lavery, NASA Curiosity program executive. "As Curiosity continues its mission, we hope these words will be an inspiration to someone alive today who will become the first to stand upon the surface of Mars. And like the great Neil Armstrong, they will speak aloud of that next giant leap in human exploration."

The telephoto images beamed back to Earth show a scene of eroded knobs and gulches on a mountainside, with geological layering clearly exposed. The new views were taken by the 100-millimeter telephoto lens and the 34-milllimeter wide angle lens of the Mast Camera (Mastcam) instrument. Mastcam has photographed the lower slope of the nearby mountain called Mount Sharp.

"This is an area on Mount Sharp where Curiosity will go," said Mastcam principal investigator Michael Malin, of Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. "Those layers are our ultimate objective. The dark dune field is between us and those layers. In front of the dark sand you see redder sand, with a different composition suggested by its different color. The rocks in the foreground show diversity -- some rounded, some angular, with different histories. This is a very rich geological site to look at and eventually to drive through."

A drive early Monday placed Curiosity directly over a patch where one of the spacecraft's landing engines scoured away a few inches of gravelly soil and exposed underlying rock. Researchers plan to use a neutron-shooting instrument on the rover to check for water molecules bound into minerals at this partially excavated target.

During the news conference, the rover team reported the results of a test on Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument, which can measure the composition of samples of atmosphere, powdered rock or soil. The amount of air from Earth's atmosphere remaining in the instrument after Curiosity's launch was more than expected, so a difference in pressure on either side of tiny pumps led SAM operators to stop pumping out the remaining Earth air as a precaution. The pumps subsequently worked, and a chemical analysis was completed on a sample of Earth air.

"As a test of the instrument, the results are beautiful confirmation of the sensitivities for identifying the gases present," said SAM principal investigator Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "We're happy with this test and we're looking forward to the next run in a few days when we can get Mars data."

Curiosity already is returning more data from the Martian surface than have all of NASA's earlier rovers combined.

"We have an international network of telecommunications relay orbiters bringing data back from Curiosity," said JPL's Chad Edwards, chief telecommunications engineer for NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "Curiosity is boosting its data return by using a new capability for adjusting its transmission rate."

Curiosity is 3 weeks into a two-year prime mission on Mars. It will use 10 science instruments to assess whether the selected study area ever has offered environmental conditions favorable for microbial life.

JPL manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The rover was designed, developed and assembled at JPL. NASA's DSN is an international network of antennas that supports interplanetary spacecraft missions and radio and radar astronomy observations for the exploration of the solar system and the universe. The network also supports selected Earth-orbiting missions.

The full text of the administrator's message, as well as a video clip and audio clip with his recorded voice, are available at:http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/bolden20120827.html .

To view the new images, and for more information about the Curiosity rover, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/msl andhttp://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

Guy Webster/D.C. Agle 818-354-6278/818-393-9011
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
Guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov / agle@jpl.nasa.gov
Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726
NASA Headquarters, Washington
Dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov

Apple Vs Samsung feud

2012-08-28T01:21:00.002-07:00

Shares of Apple Inc climbed to an all-time high on Monday morning, after the iPhone maker won a bitter patent war against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd that may change the dynamics of the booming mobile computing market.Analysts said the win strengthened Apple's position ahead of the iPhone 5 launch and could cement its dominance in the market as companies using Google Inc's Android operating system - two-thirds of the global market - may be forced to consider design changes.
Apple was awarded $1.05 billion in damages on Friday after a U.S. jury found the Korean company had copied critical features of the iPhone and iPad. The verdict could lead to an outright ban on sales of key Samsung products.
"While a ban would likely increase Apple's leading smartphone share in the U.S. market, we believe this verdict could lead to Samsung also delaying near-term product launches as it attempts to design around Apple's patents," Canaccord Genuity analysts said in a note.
Google shares were down 1.3 percent at $669.57, while Samsung's stock slumped 7.5 percent, wiping off more than $12 billion from the South Korean company's market valuation.
Shares of Apple were up 2 percent at $676.71 on the Nasdaq late on Monday morning, after hitting an all-time high of $680.87 earlier in the session.
The verdict comes as competition in the mobile device industry intensifies, with Google jumping into hardware for the first time with its Nexus 7 tablet, and Microsoft Corp's new touchscreen-friendly Windows 8 coming in October, led by its "Surface" tablet.
The jolt to Android could also mean good news in the near term for Research in Motion Ltd's upcoming BlackBerry 10 mobile operating system and for Nokia's phones.
Shares of the BlackBerry maker were up 3.1 percent at C$7.09 on the Toronto exchange, while Microsoft's stock was up 0.8 percent at $30.81 on the Nasdaq.
"The verdict does not come as a surprise," wrote William Blair & Co analysts. "From Apple's perspective, Samsung's market size position and its leadership in the handset world was something the company could no longer overlook, and viewing this as another 'imitation is a form of flattery' was not possible."
"Companies such as Samsung, who we categorize as fast followers, have been viewed by the industry for their ability to quickly adopt the latest handset trends ... rather than their ability to introduce fundamental innovation."
Samsung, which sold around 50 million phones between April and June - almost twice the number of iPhones - will have to pay less than half the compensation Apple sought. The damages are just 1.5 percent of annual revenue from Samsung's telecoms business.
While the victory does not cover new Samsung products including the Galaxy SIII, Apple will push its case on these products in the near-term, Evercore Partners analyst Mark McKechnie said.
He added that an all-out sales ban on Samsung products like the Galaxy S and SII, Nexus 4G and Galaxy Tab is unlikely.

CIC contact centre number and adress to send the FSW applications

2012-08-28T01:18:00.000-07:00

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CIC Call Centre Services

The Call Centre can answer questions, in English and French, about Citizenship and Immigration (CIC) services and programs, or applications in process inside Canada.
Call Centre telephone number: 1-888-242‑2100

Automated telephone service (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
If you have a touch-tone telephone, you can listen to prerecorded information about CIC programs, order application kits, and check the status of your application.
Call Centre agents - Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., your local time, except for statutory holidays.
You must choose one of the first five recorded options before you can speak to an agent.
Note that agents cannot:
- answer questions about application status once it is sent to a Canadian visa office outside Canada,
- make decisions on applications, or
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If you are deaf or hard of hearing, or you have a speech impediment and use a text telephone, you can access the TTY service from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. your local time by calling 1-888-576‑8502.

Case Processing Centre: Sydney, Nova Scotia – Mailing addresses

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How to Contact the Centralized Intake Office

Federal skilled workers who applied to the CIO and have a request for case information may contact the Client Service Unit (CSU). Note that if your application has already been sent to the visa office for processing, the CIO will not be able to help you.

You will not receive a reply to your email if:

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Courier address
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Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 5Z2
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Citizenship and Immigration
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Assignment on Creative and Innovative Management

2012-08-28T01:11:00.001-07:00

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CREATIVE AND INNOVATIVE MANAGEMENT

Table of Contents

Introduction

Page No.

1. Importance of creative and innovative management

1.1 Current innovative and creative management processes.............................4

1.2 Leading others to positively embrace the innovation and change................5

2. Support creative and innovative management processes for an organization

2.1 Influence of Vision and Mission statement on generation of creative

and innovative management processes.......................................................6

2.2 Analytical tools to identify potential creative and innovative

management ideas.......................................................................................7

2.3 Risk and benefits of creative and innovative management ideas.................8

2.4 Change models to support the implementation of creative and

innovative management ideas......................................................................9

3. Influence others to effect change in an organisation

3.1 Produce an appropriate rationale to persuade stakeholders of an

organisation of the benefits of a creative and innovative

management idea.........................................................................................10

3.2 Communicate a creative and innovative management idea to

stakeholders of an organisation....................................................................11

3.3 Establish key goals and priorities for implementation of a creative and innovative management idea using feedback from stakeholders..................................12

4. Plan to overcome the barriers to implementation of creative and innovative management ideas in an organisation

4.1 Assess the barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in an organisation............................................................13

4.2 Plan a strategy to overcome identified barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in an organisation....................................14

4.3 Explain how a strategy plan for overcoming barriers will ensure

innovative change is achieved......................................................................15

4.4 Communicate a strategy plan for overcoming barriers to relevant

stakeholders in an organisation.....................................................................16

Conclusion..............................................................................................................17

Reference................................................................................................................20

INTRODUCTION

Creativity and innovation has changed the world since ages now. Any creativity or innovation in organisations leads to growth and achieve new heights of success. Today employees are more empowered to think freely and implement new ideas and thoughts that benefit the organisation.

Here we will see the innovation and creative techniques adapted by Google and steps taken to support the same.

1.1 Current innovative and creative management processes

Innovative management: “Innovation is not just about releasing new product. It also encompasses implementing new business process, fresh ways of doing things, radical, alliances, and brilliant new routes to market and business strategies.” (Sloane, 2003, pg.8)

Organisation takes the support of innovative management in terms of running their business and serves their customers in a better and innovative ways. Portfolio management is the tool through which understanding of innovative management can be understood in better manner.

Portfolio Management Processes: It consist of three components through which innovative management can be handled and represented in a structured framework. These components are described below.

1. Incremental: A very depth and meaningful analysis can be taken in this process through which organisation brings more developed and evaluated ideas on the current projects.

2. Radical: The way to use the basic and core methods with the same technology but more advanced implementation in the organisation.

3. Fundamental: The process to use totally different technology.

Google current creative and innovative processes

Google is very well established organisation which has too many products with great innovation such as search engine websites, video sharing website like YouTube, advertising market on ‘double click’, Google TV and mobile, personal data collecting, Google+ etc. To maintain these products sustainability, initially Google was working on very structured process of innovation called Incremental process where BCG framework was the main to work with creative ideas. This practice brought a massive poor results where CEO of the Google found the higher CREATIVITY as productivity with less and poor INNOVATION.

Incremental process was becoming a hurdle to launch the new products, to rectify the issues this process got abandoned and replaced by 70-20-10 principal which made Google highest profitable organisation in its products.

70-20-10 Principal: A recent observation comes with the results ,where the core business of the Google found in to Search engine and Ads. By looking to this result, Google decided to spend more 70% time after search and ads and bring more ideas about it.

Where the 20% went to deal with technical people and to set them free in to search of more creativity through which most of the new and interesting products can emerge.

The rest 10% represent where the odd and crazy ideas which might not give desired output but still worth of trying it out.

The Google products strategy is now closely to threaten Microsoft dominance in technology. Google believes in the systematic approach and to have matured employees who understand the needs and requirement of the organisation.

1.2 Leading others to positively embrace the innovation and change

Leadership: “Leadership is the systematic procedure through which once can influence the group of people or an individual to achieve the common goals.” (Northouse, 2007)

Leadership quality: these are the qualities which leaders carry with them to archive the organisation’s goals by leading people of the organisation. It consist many of the qualities from which employees learn and follow the same such as integration contributes internal valuesand external actions, management which passes success in to organisation, humility and openness to contribute the innovative ideas and fairly deal with the employees etc.

Google leadership

A quality leader brings motivation, problem solving skills, bonding between the employees and so on changes through which he justifies to be a leader. Google is the organisation which has created the powerful history over 10 years by its successful brands with permanent innovation and strategies. It controls around 20,000 employees with different segments and consist of different leadership styles to get the goals achieved.

Leadership styles can be many more like consultative, entrepreneurship, directive, autocratic, lassiez faire, Mc gergor’s X and Y theories, concern for people and concern for tasks style, transformational and transactional theories etc. The organisation such as Google which is in to many products has also the different management styles depending on the management level.

By the reference of the article “Leadership that gets results”, written by Daniel Goleman has differentiated six style of leadership which are coercive, authoritative, affliative, democratic, pacesetting and coaching leadership.

Affiliative style: this is the style where employees comes in to contact and make relationship bonding with each other by open communication and discussion which bring new ideas to the organisation. Google deals with the employees who tend to speak and communicate which gives comfort level to the employees to be flexible with the management. It supports employees to be happier and not to work under pressure. This style brings lot of productivity and freeness in to the environment.

Another main style of the leadership which Google follows is “Authoritative style” where leaders provide more freedom to the employees to bring with new ideas. Leaders take responsibilities to make clear vision and under the decided vision employees do their takes with complete sense of responsibilities. This style gives satisfaction to the employees of their importance in to the organisation. All kind of feedbacks are inevitable through all the employees.

The “Democratic style” is one of the other styles which Google use to make their employees to be more communicative and collaborated where they can discuss about new ideas for new products and technology.

By different product section in Google use different leadership style towards one goal for the organisation.

Influence of CEO:

The CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt run his organisation in a way where employees can be free and lives happily. He has always believed in freedom which gives more innovative ideas rather than very structured implementation. CEO of Google believes that if organisation comes under crises employees gets more attentive towards it, so if crises are not there, ‘let’s create it’. He puts in to practice that 20% of the staff will only work on innovative ideas. He leads people to give them chance to talk and communicate. Regular meetings are being set with those people who have not contributed and afraid to talk, this activity of the CEO has brought a feather to the employees to give new innovative ideas and suggestion to the organisation. Eric does not even believe in working under pressure. He sets his employees free to come in to any dress and the way they want to be in organisation.

2 Support CIM processes for an organization

2.1 Influence of Vision and Mission statement on generation of CIM processes

Vision: “Vision is the desired futuristic view of the company.” (Kotler et al, 1996)

The vision consist of several long term goals and aims for which it sets the mission in terms of processes which also helps to achieve the long term goals.

Mission: It can be explained as the current situation and stage of the company and the current and future plan towards its vision.

Google’s Vision: The vision is to “organise the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.”

Google has set this vision statement by seeing the view of people’s needs for the internet. Google wants to make its facility more useful to the people on one click, however by creating several web option to them to access from anywhere with their personal devices and which can be also a useful tool with useful information.

Google has sets many long term strategies in terms of their mission but there is no specific statement set for its mission. The mission of Google can also be to create the “open” web benefits for all users and publishers.

According to the vice president Alfred Spector from research and special initiatives, Google is focusing on the new technologies which are more epic and consist of fluidity in the organisation. It can be advertisement, images, maps, videos, text etc.

Google is now working on the principal of the 70:20:10 where it utilizes the 20% people to bring the more innovative ideas in a way they want with complete freedom. By taking the example in the year of 2008 Google entered in to the world of mobile and TV where people can access Google online which is now turned in to more advanced facility to use along with Android application in the most of the handsets.

Google tried to make the changes in phone users, it create contest for the developers to create more application in android, collaboration with the 34 mobile organisations who allows to include android application in their handsets. However Google has insisted to include Google application as a default option. This activity can bring easy access for the users by one click on their handsets and devices which also make benefits for Google by fulfilling the objectives of mission and vision.

2.2 Analytical tools to identify potential CIM ideas

There are many factors which are involved in to the organisation and which makes its innovative, before going in to the understanding of analytical tools, it is very important to know about such factors like Training and development, Team working, shared vision and leadership, organisation culture, creative climate etc.

Shared vision & Leadership: According to Senge (1990, p 206), shared vision and leadership creates the future images of the organisation. People have the focus to learn about future goals and being committed to the organisation. Organisation also makes sure to create an environment in search of new innovations.

Organisational Structure: Organisation structure based on the hierarchical structure where all the employees are being allotted with their work and responsibilities to achieve the organisation goals. (Duncan, 1981)

Training & Development:Training and Development both are different activities but attached together. Through training, employees can learn and work effectively where development is the opportunity for the employees to make themselves prepared for the next task. It helps to know the right skills in right people to work in more innovative ways and being more creative. (Michael Moskowitz, A practical guide to training and development, p 2)

Employee Involvement:Each factors are inter connected with each other, where to fulfil the requirement of training and development it is very important to have employee involvement which also bring the enthusiasm to the employees. The outcome of the practices brings more new ideas for new innovation and quality products and development to face the challenges with better performance.

The below mentioned analytical tool will explain the current stage of the Google and its future requirements.

Strengths · Reputed brand with user-friendly including speed · Multi functionality · Development of new technology and innovations · Ranked with different citations · A strong and free working culture · Employee priorities with excellent customer services · New ideas in new products with current use of the products	Weaknesses · Information can be manipulated as difficulty to find the creditability on search engine · Difficult to make sure about good and poor web content · Many of the products of Google are not that known to people for example recently launched Google+
Threats · Not accurate for the sight indexing policy · Often user get confused · Collection of print will disappear · Less library user will be available · Information skills can get manipulated	Opportunity · Easy accessibility of the content · More content with the more products · New opportunities and ideas for the new business people · Full information about higher usage and valuable content and open URL · Searchable information at one click

2.3 Risk and benefits of creative and innovative management ideas

Risk and benefits are two outcome of the creative and innovative process through which any organisation makes its plan for new products and technology with new goals. Moreover, organisation has to make sure to convert any risk in to benefits and its pros and cons as well.

Risk in the organisation happens due to:

1. Information unavailability and irrelevant details

2. Lack of ownership

3. Deviation of goals followed by its objectives

According to recent interview with the Google CEO, It is more inevitable to know the risk of new technology and the ideas. Where Google is contributing the 20% efforts after new innovative products and ideas could be a big risk. Google works on search engine and advertisement and also it has collaborated with many other organisations like YouTube where people see numerous numbers of video content. Now according to country culture such video content may be not appropriate but as the search engine and software cannot track good content and poor content so it may bring the one regime to all that to follow the net rules and laws. However in certain situation Google has to prepare with the political and legal issues which can cause damage to the organisation. The more access of the internet may bring the massive issue of video piracy or copy right issues and inappropriate content.

Such new technology and facility to people to easy access of internet can cause major risk to the organisation whereas due to different laws in the countries, Google has to be ready with legal person in respective countries who knows the policies and laws of those countries. Such activities can create a major problem to divert the focus on the vision and its objectives.

However not every risk comes with issues but if new product and organisation seeks for the growth then risks are inevitable in the terms of future results. After passing many potential risks Google has reached on the success point where 70% of the people use Google as a search engine and take the benefits for the advertisement of their own products and business.

2.3 Change models to support the implementation of creative and innovative management ideas

Google is such a big organisation which implements many models to get their goals achieved. However IDEAL model is one of the models which can be connected to Google to bring CIM ideas.

Initiation: The initiative was taken to create Google earth / Google Maps which gives the location through maps in whole world. However, the application was created in the year of 2004 by CIA which is a funded company acquired by Google. One more addition has been added by Google in to this application is to see the internal floor plans of airports, shopping centres of US and Japan. Also initiation was taken to see the current location from anywhere through its Android application on handsets.

Diagnosis: Google had spent 20% of time after innovation where CEO himself attends meetings with staffs and hold the office for interviews about innovative ideas and give chance to speak to employees to bring more innovative and creative ideas. This diagnostic practice brings new products and innovation for Google.

http://www.monitorinstitute.com/downloads/IntentionalInnovation-FullReport.pdf

Establishing: From last 3 years Google has established its 30 R&D centres across the major countries like US, Canada, India, Japan, Russia, Europe etc. The responsibilities of the R&D department have been equally distributed to take care of any new projects and work according to given components.

Acting: The major development of the Google about its product and its action towards innovation. For an example to compete Facebook, Google started its Google+ by 2011 as a social site where people can share their personal and social life and views. However, Google also contributed the development of Android application and collaboration with many mobile organisation to make it more useful to people.

Learning: Google has created the Google learning academy by the year of 2006 through which Google employees can learn about new technology and its values. Also Google later started certifying teachers as Google certified teachers. When Google observed its strength to be on 70% for searching and adds, it launched the concept by having tagline “Google wants to pay you”, through which people can make surveys of many companies and for the same Google pays to the people.

3 Influence others to effect change in an organisation

3.1 Produce an appropriate rationale to persuade stakeholders of an organisation of the benefits of a CIM idea

Stakeholders: Stakeholders are the people who takes interest in to the organisation and gets affected by its decision which could be directly or indirectly. It can be group of people or individual or any organisation or employees of own company. Vary from stakeholder’s power and interest, Stakeholders plays major role in the organisations in terms of innovation process and decisions as well.

Below are the four components where innovation management connect with the stakeholders

Phase	Outcome	Methods
Stakeholder overview	Evaluation of Stakeholders	Set process of issues and presentation of the same
Analysis of stakeholders	Outcome of their interest and power	Preparation of stakeholder matrix
Plan of stakeholders	Communication strategy with stakeholders	Structure of communication and their engagement plan
Management of stakeholders	Relationship management with important stakeholders	Awareness plan to stakeholders of each activities

With the immense strength of new innovative ideas Google is in to process to have new products for which people are waiting such as Google+ 1, Google tablets, Chrome OS, Google voice etc.

Google and its influence on Stakeholders

Initially Google used to put the huge pressure while launching on the new products. Once the CEO took control of entire organisation he sets free to his employees and made the flat structure for them. Also he set the plans where no differentiation was being done between shareholders and stakeholders. The relaxation for the employees was set in such way where perks were giving to employees from the earning of the shareholders. Stakeholders such as Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, Facebook and some own employees got influenced by Google as Google its self is the biggest rivals of its stakeholders.

Google has targeted to launch new products before its stakeholders pursue and if they launch such product which Google does not has, Google rapidly try to penetrate products with advanced technology and in sophisticated way then its stakeholders. Google has diversified its own company in many ways where it does not take collaboration and involvement of its stakeholders but only monitor them for their strategies.

Every stakeholder has its own opportunity and threats due to tough competition internally. When Apple launched its smart phone in the market, Google rapidly invented the Android application and collaborated with many mobile company to run the software in their handset on the cheaper prices then the smartphone, Microsoft got influenced when Google started search engine on one click and web browser services. Similarly to compete the social sites Google came with buzz services compare to beat the Facebook and gmail to compete Yahoo mail.

All these new innovation made huge impacts and influence on stakeholders and vice versa which made innovation team of Google to come in to touch with its stakeholders.

3.2 Communicate a CIM idea to stakeholders of an organisation

Communication: It’s an act through which meaningful information or conversation getting passed under many resources.

Communication to the stakeholder is very important which gives regular updates and accurate information to the stakeholders. However, there are many ways to communicate in terms of corporate communication or Public Relation is one of the accurate and famous communication ways with the stakeholders. Google is vast company where many departments are involved and run their regular communication with their stakeholders. As we have already stated that Google generally works on the open discussion with their stakeholders but still they work on common strategies in regular operation which is mentioned below.

Stakeholder	Communication Activities	Issues
Customers	Customer feedback through online forms and surveys or online blogs	Product safety and security of personal data
Employees	Satisfaction surveys from employees and one on one meeting to rectify the issue	Internal grievances with other employees and rational pricing
Business Partners	Regular collaboration meeting	Outcome on risk management
Shareholders	Face to face meeting	Risk of new product launching and competition
Government	Combine of workshops and councils	Environmental issues and marinating the rules and laws

Google is working on its current objectives in many ways to achieve their vision to have access and easy technology for the people to have more useful information. Google is focusing to give best user services to the people, Better policies to solve the internet issues, extra ordinary new technologies with high speed, more innovation in mobile technology, to have democracy on web works through its office in 60 countries, 180 internet domains and with facility of 130 languages options. Google believes to work on their motto “Don’t be evil” which gives more satisfaction to the customers and give priority to its employees.

3.3 Establish key goals and priorities for implementation of a CIM idea using feedback from stakeholders

According to the criteria and the information in 3.2, there are issues which can be connected with the Google stakeholders which should be taken care from Google. In the techno world the main focus where Google gives priorities to its employees and maintain the sustainability in to the market and in internet world. The competition with the Apple, Yahoo, Microsoft were being left already as the main focus and the priorities will be for high technology on the reasonable cost for which Google will see to invent the private internet.

With more than 60 centres in the world Google is seeing to locate the centres at low cost location where electricity can be low such as use of hydro power energy for its stat centres. The priority is to set these centres with low cost components such as low cost cheap hard drives and to generate the electricity from the reasonable sources such as coal generated electric power.

The main priorities and goals are to maintain the large data on the huge points of server as the immense competition is to gather the data and use the high computer technology to serve the internet users. As per the agreement with the Google’s peers it is being necessary to look for cost even though it can be buying on reasonable prices. This is key to have own software which can manage the huge data with the accessibility of the many servers and role on to the same time in the situation of power failure and risk management.

The priorities are always been on top for the employees and to be democratic organisation on web works. By taking in to account these two points, Google use to have great combination of work and innovation.Such example is to use large Telco’s and ISPs where internet traffic can be managed with extra servers like YouTube bandwidth bill is zero for any videos.

Lastly the focus on not be evil is still a main example of its goals and priorities. Stakeholders gives there feedback on such issues where Google believes to work more by taking these objectives in to account.

4 Plan to overcome the barriers to implementation of CIM ideas in an organisation

4.1 Assess the barriers to the implementation of a CIM idea in an organisation

There are some factors or the elements which always take part to stop the innovation or create problems to make the innovative products such elements are called Barriers. It is very necessary for the every organisation to have control on strategy to reduce barriers if they want to be in market.

Barriers can be understood in two different categories like internal barriers and external barriers.

Internal barriers: These barriers are the result of internal miss management where it creates the number of problems, where creative and innovative ideas stop working together for the organisation. Some internal barriers would be the common in many organisations like No willingness to take risk, longer process to make decisions, very strong bonded and high bureaucratic culture and structure, improper management to manage the e employees and overcome the retention ratios, no transparency in the organisation etc.

External Barriers:These barriers occur due to no control on them and which are being invented by external forces such as government laws and policies, fast life style and changes customer needs, environmental changes and issue etc. These kinds of barriers can create the many issues in to the process of innovation which make delays in many decisions of the organisations.

Google Barriers and strategy to overcome of Barriers

After giving resignation as a Google president of China, Dr.Kai-fu lee has established another organisation to bring strong waves in China with new technology and innovations. This organisation founded in 2009 named Innovation works and plan of investing 150$ million by several investors such as Steve YouTubefounder, Foxconn chairman terry Gou etc. This proves the competition towards Google as well being organised by its own former employee and part of barrier to have innovation ideas and products in the market.

Second barrier can be the high speed life style and changes in customer demands which has also created fast life of internet and fast technology. This hurdle helps to decrease the life cycle of the products, fast information cycle as it gives the opportunities to people connect together at anytime and anywhere.

Management of leadership, use of technology with R&D , and employee satisfaction are some of the component which are being used by Google to avoid some other barriers like internet violation, data management, personal privacy and more to take business revenue.

4.2 Plan a strategy to overcome identified barriers to the implementation of a creative and innovative management idea in an organisation

To overcome the barrier where competition takes part organisation has to implement the good leadership strategy which gives motivation to the employees to be more innovative and creative which Google is following from many years in different way with free organisation culture and flat structure.

After working on search engine Google found not enough for the vision so that Google got transmitted on 70-20-10 rules and set its employees to work on their own convenient ways.

The barrier such as high technology life style can only be overcome when Google sets its objectives to have more good and creative employees. Google does work on the several business models with the set process where employees are free to speak and give views which helps Google to create innovative ideas.

To have more set plans to overcome barriers Google can implement the below mentioned change curve theory model.

Change curve theory

When some barrier comes internally or externally it impacts the current procedure and innovation vision but organisation has to find the way towards such barriers.

(http://meja-tulis.blogspot.com/2011_01_01_archive.html)

Stage 1: When changes occur or come in to picture, employees try to not accept or come in to position of shock

Stage 2: This stage could be very important and need to be taken care where employees are still shock of sudden change and they try to protest it. In this kind of stages employees tends to be unwilling and become negative towards organisation.

Stage 3: Slowly when leadership take place employees start accepting this change and find out the positive points about it which can give those benefits.

Stage 4: This is the final stage where implementation of the new process and objectives are accepted by the employees. Business leaders make everyone ready to achieve the goals which have been desired by the organisation.

4.3 Explain how a strategy plan for overcoming barriers will ensure innovative change is achieved

According to Pierre Loewe and Jennifer Dominiquini, 2006, Organisation can make sure about its success if they give focus on below mentioned four key areas.

Google is a very well established company with more than 20,000 employees so it is very obvious to know the strategies are also different according to their different operational sections. Below are four common keys which Google also make sure while having barrier in to the innovation.

Management skills and qualities:According to CEO of Google, they have such strategies which push people to be innovative and offer employees to be free in the organisation as Google knows that employees are there backbones. Also Google believes to acquire small group of organisation as small organisation does have plenty of innovative ideas which could not be worked out by their own individual.

Organisational culture:Rather working ‘under the gun’ CEO of Google believes to set the people in their own ways. However there is a flat structure with no big divisions in the organisation which can create internal conflicts. The culture is much open with indeed collaboration with each other which gives employees to be more creative and brings new ideas to the company.

Organisational Innovation: Google has achieved enough through its search engine but it has been also understood by Google that it’s not only enough product to be in market. The great strategy to spend 20% time after innovation, where the small team of innovation work under no direction and create more ideas. Google does not know in which month the new ideas could be worked out but they have enough bunches of people who makes creative innovations.

Strategic Leadership:Definitely, Google is one of the creative organisation which gives tough competitions to its rivals but this competition being carried out through their leadership and the way they drives their people. Working in to many sub section of the organisation like operation, innovation, IT and R&D, Google use to have different leadership style according to requirement but with more flexibility and perks to the employees. It also knows the portfolio theory which helps them to be more innovative and create something out of the box.

These were the four ways where Google can deal with the barriers such as competition, internet violation, high speed technology etc. and also it can implement the change curve as mentioned in the above criteria.

4.4 Communicate a strategy plan for overcoming barriers to relevant stakeholders in an organisation

Before the launch of strategy for overcoming barriers, plans for communication should be prepared. It should include Who, when and by whom the events would be communicated. Google has to face barriers like new competition every day in terms of new technology (example yahoo mail, facebook, chat applications, catch up with Apple etc), time constraints, growth in different countries (like China where its not being accepted at rapid pace as in other countries), news media, image in public and society and finally legal aspects raised in several parts of world. Power and Interest matrix can be utilized by Google for communicating a strategy plan for overcoming above mentioned barriers.

Google’s proposed communication strategy

Stakeholders	Message	Source	Schedule
Business Partners & Stockholders	Business development plan, creating new technology	Meetings, reviews and reports	Quarterly
Shareholders/ Investors	Research and Development budget needs	Meetings, reviews and reports	Quarterly
Employees	Innovation techniques, ownership and execution of idea	Meetings, training and email	Weekly
Government	Regulatory requirements and policies	Councils and press meetings	As per need
Customers	new technology and suggestion on the same	Surveys and feedback from external bodies	During launch and initial stage of development

Conclusion

To survive immense competition Google has adapted policy of creativity and innovation as a management process. The results are evident from the success of Gmail, search engine popularity, Google application on Android OS in mobile, Adsense, Google Earth etc. These was only possible through the innovative team of Google

Google Leadership/management has integrated Innovation as its integral part in all the functions.

References

Books

Oswald Mascarenhas, [2011], ‘Business Transformation Strategies’, Sage Publication, ISBN: 978-81-321-0501—5

Markus Sattler [2011], ‘Excellence in Innovation Management’, ISBN: 978-3-8349-2621-0

World Wide Web page

EUCAP, Innovation, [2006], [Online] Available: http://blog.eucap.com/funky-business/how_Google_runs_its_innovation_1.html, [Dec 17, 2011]

Laetitia Chaynes, [2009], [Online], Available: http://laetitia-chaynes.com/doc/Google%20case%20.pdf, [Dec 16, 2011]

Whonderjohn, [2009], Corporate Leadership, [Online] Available: http://community.businessballs.com/blogs/printblog?index_php?view=article&id=197&tmpl=component&print=1, [Dec 20, 2011]

James manyika, [2008], ‘Google’s view on the future of business: An interview with CEO Eric Schmidt’, [Online], Available: http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Googles_view_on_the_future_of_business_An_interview_with_CEO_Eric_Schmidt_2229, [Dec 18, 2011]

Wikipedia, [Online] Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strategic_management, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_TV, [Dec 18, 2011]

Ben Morrow, [2008], [Online] Available: http://www.scribd.com/doc/16062744/Googles-Success, [Dec 18, 2011]

Dean Takahashi, [2011] [Online] ‘Ten challenges facing Google's new CEO Larry Page’, Available:http://venturebeat.com/2011/04/04/ten-challenges-facing-Googles-new-ceo-larry-page/,

[Dec 20, 2011]

Slideshare, [Online] Availablehttp://www.slideshare.net/misteroo/all-about-Google-presentation, [Dec 20, 2011]

Answers.com, [Online] Available: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Swot_model_of_analysis_of_Google

http://www.marketing91.com/Google-swot-analysis/, [Dec 20, 2011]

Google, ‘Our Philosophy’, Available: http://www.Google.com/about/corporate/company/tenthings.html, [Dec 20, 2011]

Tom Foremski, [2010], [Online] Available: http://www.zdnet.com/blog/foremski/Google-is-building-a-private-internet-thats-far-better-and-greener-than-the-internet/1266, [Dec 20, 2011]

[Online], Available: http://www.chuangxin.com/about/news/dr-kai-fu-lee-leaves-Google-starts-innovation-works/, [Dec 20, 2011]

Journals and Media:

Emerald, [Online], Available: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=1532866, [Dec 20, 2011]

Business Today, [2008], [Online], Available: http://businesstoday.intoday.in/story/indias-most-innovative-companies/1/1875.html, [Dec 20, 2011]

SME News, [2011], [Online], Available: http://news.indiamart.com/story/Google-maps-initiates-detailed-indoor-floorplan-airports-transit-centres-malls-150892.html, [D 20, 2011]

Revised Federal Skilled Worker Program-17th August 2012

2012-08-28T01:00:00.003-07:00

Ottawa, August 17, 2012 — Proposed regulatory changes announced today to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) will allow Canada to better select skilled workers who can “hit the ground running” upon arrival.

“The Federal Skilled Worker Program is Canada’s largest economic immigration program,” said Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney. “The changes we are making to update the selection criteria are based on a large body of data and evidence we've accumulated over the years showing what skills and qualifications are most likely to lead to success for skilled immigrants.”

Following an extensive program evaluation, stakeholder and public consultations, as well as other research, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is proposing the following changes to the FSWP:

Making language the most important selection factor by establishing new minimum official language thresholds and increasing points for language;
Increasing the emphasis on younger immigrants, who are more likely to acquire valuable Canadian experience and remain in the workforce longer;
Increasing points for Canadian work experience and reducing points for foreign work experience;
Simplifying the arranged employment process to prevent fraud and abuse yet enable employers to staff positions quickly; and
Awarding points for spousal language ability and Canadian experience.

Another proposed change is the introduction of the Educational Credential Assessment – a mandatory requirement that FSWP applicants have their education abroad assessed against Canadian education standards by designated organizations. CIC will then award points according to how an applicant’s foreign educational credential compares to a completed educational credential in Canada. It does not necessarily guarantee that they would become licensed to practice in a regulated occupation.

“This is an important step we are taking to address the problem of immigrants arriving and not being able to work in their field,” stated Minister Kenney. “This new requirement will help potential newcomers make informed choices about immigration and Canadian career paths.”

CIC will be issuing a Call for Service Proposals on August 20, 2012, inviting submissions from organizations with expertise in foreign credential assessment to conduct the reviews. The deadline for submissions is September 21, 2012. For more information, please visit CIC’s International Qualifications Network website.

The full text of the proposed FSWP regulatory changes is now available online in theCanada Gazette. They also include improvements to the Canadian Experience Class and the creation of a new Federal Skilled Trades Program. The Department welcomes input from stakeholders and interested parties.

Final publication is scheduled for late 2012 and the new FSWP points grid will likely take effect in January 2013. While there is currently a pause on new applications (except forFSWP candidates with a qualifying offer of arranged employment or those applying under the PhD stream), CIC expects to begin accepting applications again early next year.

These changes have been announced by Minister Kenney in the past year.

twitter.com/CitImmCanada

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alexis Pavlich
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-954-1064

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

Short occupation list comes in effect in UK

2011-11-18T02:59:00.001-08:00

Changes to the shortage occupation list come into effect

14 November 2011

On 18 October 2011 the government announced that it was accepting recommendations from the Independent Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) on changes to the shortage occupation list. Specialist jobs that are no longer required in the UK have been removed from a government-approved list that helps to ensure the UK only accepts migrant workers that the country needs.

The shortage occupation is part of the Tier 2 immigration route via the points based system. Highly skilled migrants from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) seeking to work in the UK must apply for visas via this route. Employers can only bring someone into the UK under Tier 2 if the job is on the shortage occupation list or if they pass a resident labour market test (no suitable resident workers apply after advertising the job in the UK first for 4 weeks).

Occupations that the MAC recommended be removed from the list include:

secondary education biology teachers;
speech and language therapists;
pharmacists;
orthoptists;
veterinary surgeons; and,
rank and file orchestral musicians.

Added to the list will be:

actuaries;
high integrity pipe welders;
environmental scientists; and,
geochemists

The government has accepted the MAC's recommended list in full however, rank and file orchestral musicians will not be removed from the list immediately, until further discussions take place with the industry to discuss the resident labour market test.

Steve Jobs stole the show from chief designer Jonathan Ive

2011-10-24T23:28:00.001-07:00

Steve Jobs considered Apple's chief designer Jonathan 'Jony' Ive as his "spiritual partner" but Ive thought his boss took his ideas and stole the limelight from him, excerpts from an authorised biography of the technology icon reveal.

Jobs, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer on October 5, told biographer Walter Isaacson that he gave the "wickedly intelligent" Ive, 44, more operational power than even chief executive Tim Cook, his successor for the top job. "He is a wickedly intelligent person in all ways. He understands concepts, marketing concepts. He picks stuff up just like that, click."

Excerpts from the biography, due for release on Monday, have been published by a number of US media outlets, including the Associated Press, Washington Post, The New York Times and Huffington Post.

While Jobs was effusive in his praise of Ive, a rare thing for him to do, the British-born senior vice-president of industrial design at Apple was less so.

"He (Jobs) will go through a process of looking at my ideas and say, 'That's no good. That's not very good. I like that one," Isascson wrote quoting Ive.

"And later I will be sitting in the audience and he will be talking about it as if it was his idea. I pay maniacal attention to where an idea comes from. a¦ So it hurts when he takes credit for one of my designs."

For one endowed with such finely-tuned sensibilities that gave the world products such as the Macintosh, the iPhone and the iPad, Jobs appears to rude and hypocritical. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is an "unimaginative" person who" shamelessly ripped off other people's ideas," he said, even while he borrowed the idea for a graphic user interface from Xerox or hogged the limelight from Ive.

Jobs revealed that a television capable of syncing with other devices and the cloud is the big product that Apple is creating.

"It will have the simplest user interface you could imagine. I finally cracked it," he told Isaacson. Jobs predicted a one-time presidency for Barack Obama if he did not adopt more business-friendly policies and even offered to create television advertisements for the US president's reelection campaign.

"I'm disappointed in Obama. He's having trouble leading because he's reluctant to offend people or piss them off. ... Yes, that's not a problem I ever had." Jobs also said teachers' unions" crippled" the education system in the United States. Among his requests to Obama were an 11-month school schedule, school days that last until 6 p.m. and a merit-based system for employing and firing teachers.

Former President Bill Clinton, too, was offered counsel on the phone by Jobs. Jobs and his wife, Laurene Powell Jobs, used to let the Clintons stay at their home in California when they visited their daughter, Chelsea, at Stanford University. Once, Laurene noticed that one of the paintings in the home had been removed ahead of a visit.

When she asked the Secret Service about the missing painting, she was told that the art had been removed because it showed a dress on a hanger. "Given the issue of the blue dress in the (Monica) Lewinsky matter, they had decided to hide it," Isaacson wrote.

In a late-night phone call with Clinton, the president reportedly asked Jobs how he should deal with the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal.

"I don't know if you did it, but if so, you've got to tell the country," Jobs said.

Gold fund assets soars

2011-10-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

It took more than four years for gold exchange traded funds (ETFs) to get past the Rs 4,000-crore mark in assets under management (AUM). But gold funds, its much younger sibling, which invests in gold ETFs, have grown at frenetic pace and have accumulated net assets of over Rs 1,800 crore in just six months. The category itself came into existence only in the early part of 2011.

Gold funds have emerged as a favoured investment choice for those taking exposure to the yellow metal largely due to the convenience it offers . While investors must have a demat account to invest in gold ETFs, there is no such requirement for gold funds. Moreover, investors can do a SIP (systematic investment plan) with gold funds.

"It has become a huge hit with retail investors. Gold funds are acting as a catalyst for gold ETFs," says Lakshmi Iyer, head, fixed income and products, Kotak Mahindra MF. "The trend shows that investors have warmed up to gold funds," says Dhruva Raj Chatterji, senior research analyst , Morningstar India, an investment research firm.

Canada Immigration status

2011-10-24T23:20:00.000-07:00

Total complete applications received since July 1, 2011

On July 1, 2011, the eligibility criteria for Federal Skilled Worker applicants changed.

Between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, a maximum of 10,000 complete Federal Skilled Worker applications will be considered for processing. Within the 10,000 cap, a maximum of 500 Federal Skilled Worker applications per eligible occupation will be considered for processing within this same time frame.

These limits do not apply to applications with an offer of arranged employment (job offer).

Applications received toward the overall cap: 2,983 of 10,000 as of October 18, 2011

Applications received per eligible occupation:

Eligible Occupation (by National Occupational Classification [NOC] code)	Number of Complete Applications Received*
0631 Restaurant and Food Service Managers	288
0811 Primary Production Managers (except Agriculture)	24
1122 Professional Occupations in Business Services to Management	(Cap reached)**
1233 Insurance Adjusters and Claims Examiners	49
2121 Biologists and Related Scientists	178
2151 Architects	89
3111 Specialist Physicians	143
3112 General Practitioners and Family Physicians	149
3113 Dentists	185
3131 Pharmacists	320
3142 Physiotherapists	40
3152 Registered Nurses	(Cap reached)**
3215 Medical Radiation Technologists	16
3222 Dental Hygienists and Dental Therapists	12
3233 Licensed Practical Nurses	69
4151 Psychologists	19
4152 Social Workers	102
6241 Chefs	23
6242 Cooks	56
7215 Contractors and Supervisors, Carpentry Trades	30
7216 Contractors and Supervisors, Mechanic Trades	55
7241 Electricians (except Industrial and Power System)	32
7242 Industrial Electricians	24
7251 Plumbers	5
7265 Welders and Related Machine Operators	13
7312 Heavy-Duty Equipment Mechanics	11
7371 Crane Operators	2
7372 Drillers and Blasters – Surface Mining, Quarrying and Construction	2
8222 Supervisors, Oil and Gas Drilling and Service	30

*The number of complete Federal Skilled Worker applications received as of October 18, 2011 is approximate.

**Once the cap has been reached, we can only accept applications for this occupation from people with an existing offer of arranged employment.

NOTE: Because application intake fluctuates, these figures are meant as a guide only. There is no guarantee that an application sent in now will fall within the cap.

Aakash: India's low cost Tablet

2011-10-10T02:03:00.000-07:00

NEW DELHI: A dream project of the government, the 'world's cheapest tablet PC', Aakash, is being produced at less than USD 35 (approximately Rs 1,750) per unit, but the replacement warranty attached to it has led to an increase in its price by about USD 14 to USD 49.98 per piece.

"The government has asked for a special replacement warranty. Government has asked us not to to repair it (Aakash Tablet)... You will have to replace it... which is a big cost," Suneet Singh Tuli, the CEO of Datawind, the company manufacturing the tablet, told PTI.

Tuli further explained that the ratio of defects in any device sold in India is higher when compared to America because of the harsh climatic conditions here.

"Those kind of costs add to it. This (Aakash) is Rs 2,200... it can be Rs 1,700. Actual manufacturing cost still is less than Rs 1,750. But there are all these other conditions which take it above Rs 1,750," he said.

On July 22, 2010, HRD Minister Kapil Sibal had unveiled a prototype of the device and announced that it would be developed for use at around USD 35 per unit.

To ensure complete transparency and a level playing-field, the National Mission on Education throughInformation and Communication Technology ( NME-ICT) decided to task IIT Rajasthan, Jodhpur, with the job of procuring and testing these devices, based on the design and specifications that the mission's team had finalised.

IIT Jodhpur had floated tenders and the lowest bidder quoted an ex-factory price of USD 37.98, which was close to the cost mentioned by the minister.

This cost comprised components and material, as well as manufacturing expenses. The final landed price of USD 49.98 (Rs 2,276) per unit included taxes, levies, and charges like freight and insurance, servicing and documentation, etc.

Tuli said people have been challenging the development of such a low cost device, but by selling this device to the government, Datawind is making enough profits, which even allows him to donate 10 per cent of the total profit to charity.

Tuli said that over-and-above the production cost, Datawind pays almost 20 per cent as taxes, which add to the cost of the device.

"If we bring it after making in China, then there would have been no issues, because it's exempted from duties. I would have not been required to pay 4 per cent VAT (value added tax). Getting it from China and selling in India would have not make it exciting. Therefore, we made it at Hyderabad," Tuli said.

He said that company will sell the commercial version of Aakash in the market for Rs 2,999, which - unlike the government's Aakash tablet with a 1-year replacement warranty - will carry only a 30-day replacement warranty.

Tuli has said that he will sell the government Aakash tablets for Rs 1,750 if the government orders 10 lakh units. At present, Datawind has an order for supplying 1 lakh units to the government.

The government is buying the tablets for Rs 2,276 per unit and giving them to education institutes at a 50 per cent subsidy.

DataWind has been able to get to a price of $38 for the tablet which has a 7-inch display with 800-by-480 pixel resolution, 256MB of RAM, 2GB flash storage, and a 366MHz processor from Connexant. The tablet runs the Android 2.2 operating system.

Local sales taxes, performance guarantees, and an exacting replacement warranty have taken the price to the government up to $50, said Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of DataWind in an interview.

The target is to get to $35 per unit, inclusive of warranty, once volumes pick up.

The Indian government is expected to buy 8 million to 10 million units of the device by March 31, 2012, the end of the Indian fiscal year, Tuli said. The first order of 100,000 units will be executed from a factory in Hyderabad over the next six weeks, he added.

Tuli said that Sibal's vision and the commitment of business from the government had driven the company to accept the challenge to come up with a device at about $35.

The Aakash tablet has been designed, developed and manufactured by DataWind, in partnership with an educational institution, IIT Rajasthan, DataWind said in a statement.

The design of the product was done by DataWind between its centers in Montreal and India, Tuli said. IIT Rajasthan is coordinating the project, including firming up the specifications, and doing the field testing.

DataWind plans to market the product in a number of emerging markets, and also commercially in India in November where the price will be about $60 with added GPRS (general packet radio service) capability, which will allow it to double as a phone. Higher-end versions of the product will also be launched in less price-sensitive markets like the U.K. and the U.S.

India's low-cost computer had a number of false starts and experimentation with the government at one point talking about a $10 laptop. Officials in the Department of Higher Education, however, clarified that the device would not be a laptop.

In July last year, the country's Ministry of Human Resource Development announced a $35 computing and access device for students of colleges and universities. The price of the device, which was to be designed by Indian academic research and education institutions, was eventually dropped to $10, according to a statement from the ministry.

India did not sign up for the One Laptop Per Child program after officials in the education ministry decided that giving a computer to every child is "pedagogically suspect" and may actually be detrimental to the growth of the creative and analytical abilities of the child.

The configuration of the DataWind tablet is adequate for most applications including HD quality video, reading books, and basic office applications, according to Tuli. The company makes up for the lower speed of the processor by using compression acceleration technologies that shift a part of the processing during Web browsing from the device to the cloud, Tuli said.

DataWind was able to achieve a low price for the device by its vertical integration model which includes designing its boards, integrating some components in-house, developing the middleware, and making the touch panels, he added.

Gujarat Samachar : World's Leading Gujarati Newspaper

2011-10-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

Gujarat Samachar : World's Leading Gujarati Newspaper

Steve Jobs passes away

2011-10-07T00:44:00.000-07:00

One more Genius passes away early. Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs, born February 24, 1955 has passed on October 5, 2011. A person who lived a real heroic life which we only see on Films. Several ups and down in the life never stopped the genius to achieve what he wanted.

Steve was born in San Francisco and and was adopted by Paul and Clara. His childhood went in poverty and never showed interest in Studies. He caught interest in making electronic gadgets from his fathers shop. Later he attended Reed college which he dropped out after one semester but continued auditing classes (Calligraphy) at Reeds. He used to sleep on floor of his friends room, and earn 5 cents by returning the bottles of coke also used to walk 8 miles just to eat free meal at Hare Krishna Temple. In 1974 he attended meeting at Homebrew computer club with Wozniak and also took a job as technician at Atari (A leading video game manufacturer).

Even Jobs travelled India in search of peace and meditation with Daniel his college friend. he even indulged in drug addiction, however it did not made him stop there. He returned back to Atari and was boosted by Atari owner (Nolan) to start his own company. Wozniak and Jobs started assembling the computers and selling it and there the company Apple was born. In 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne, with later funding from a then-semi-retired Intel product-marketing manager and engineer A.C. "Mike" Markkula Jr., founded Apple.

In 1978, Apple recruited Mike Scott from National Semiconductor to serve as CEO for what turned out to be several turbulent years. In 1983, Steve Jobs lured John Sculley away from Pepsi-Cola to serve as Apple's CEO, asking, "Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world? At Apple's annual shareholders meeting on January 24, 1984, an emotional Jobs introduced the Macintosh to a wildly enthusiastic audience. Due to certain working relationship issues with Sculley, Jobs was forced to leave his own company, which later he said that was the best thing that happened to him. Again he has to start from scratch and started NeXt Computer in 1985 and bought The Graphics Group (later renamed as Pixar) in 1986. In 1996 Apple announced that it would buy NeXt for $429 million. The deal was finalized and Jobs was again back in Apple as CEO.

With the purchase of NeXT, much of the company's technology found its way into Apple products, most notably NeXTSTEP, which evolved into Mac OS X. Under Jobs' guidance the company increased sales significantly with the introduction of the iMac and other new products; since then, appealing designs and powerful branding have worked well for Apple. At the 2000 Macworld Expo, Jobs officially dropped the "interim" modifier from his title at Apple and became permanent CEO. Jobs quipped at the time that he would be using the title 'iCEO.

The company subsequently branched out, introducing and improving upon other digital appliances. With the introduction of the iPod portable music player, iTunes digital music software, and the iTunes Store, the company made forays into consumer electronics and music distribution. On June 29, 2007, Apple entered the cellular phone business with the introduction of the iPhone, a multi-touch display cell phone, which also included the features of an iPod and, with its own mobile browser, revolutionized the mobile browsing scene. While stimulating innovation, Jobs also reminded his employees that "real artists ship", by which he meant that delivering working products on time is as important as innovation and attractive design.

In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, but remained at the company as chairman of the company's board. Hours after the announcement, Apple Inc. (AAPL) shares dropped 5% in after-hour trading.

Much was made of Jobs' aggressive and demanding personality. Fortune wrote that he was "considered one of Silicon Valley's leading egomaniacs". Commentaries on his temperamental style can be found in Mike Moritz's The Little Kingdom, one of the few authorized biographies of Jobs; The Second Coming of Steve Jobs, by Alan Deutschman; and iCon: Steve Jobs, by Jeffrey S. Young & William L. Simon. In 1993, Jobs made Fortune's list of America's Toughest Bosses in regard to his leadership of NeXT. Cofounder Dan'l Lewin was quoted in Fortune as saying of that period, "The highs were unbelievable ... But the lows were unimaginable", to which Jobs' office replied that his personality had changed since then.

On October 5, 2011, Jobs' family made a statement that he "died peacefully today".

Apple released a separate statement saying that Jobs had died. The statement read: "We are deeply saddened to announce that Steve Jobs passed away today. Steve's brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. The world is immeasurably better because of Steve. His greatest love was for his wife, Laurene, and his family. Our hearts go out to them and to all who were touched by his extraordinary gifts."

7 Steps to Successful Team Building

2011-10-05T01:55:00.001-07:00

"We are going to build a team". Replace the word "team" with the word "house" - or any other noun that can be built and will take more than just a few minutes - and most sensible people will want to adopt a structured approach. The same goes for successful team building.

Planning

Plans will be drawn up and approved. People will receive copies of the plan and efforts will be made to ensure everyone understands it. Progress will be monitored against the plan. Lessons will be learned along the way that will be used to improve the next phase. Anything less will lead at best to mediocrity and underachievement.

Team Building Shouldn't Be Ad Hoc

Why is it that team building is so often treated in an ad hoc manner? You wouldn't take bricks and mortar out, show them a good time and expect them to rearrange themselves into something better just because they had a nice break. So why expect a group of people to do any better?

The only answer to that question with any merit is that bricks can't think and people can. Which sounds like management by abdication. Or perhaps management by trusting to luck. It certainly doesn't sound like a structured approach.

More Than Just Fun

So if taking people off for some fun is not team building - what is it? Traditional away day options are team bonding exercises - and that is different. Take a group quad-biking, paint-balling etc and it will help bond the participants through a shared experience. You can even justify its use of some of the training budget if you like by claiming it has helped them develop as a team. Just don't believe it - or you'll be disappointed to discover that while the group is closer it is no more effective.

A Structured Process

No - if you want to build a team rather than just bond the individuals closer, you need a structured process. You need to decide before you start what improvements you want and can realistically expect the team to achieve. Next you can decide how long it will take to achieve those results. Often, fun remains a key objective for such a session. If it is the only one - or is only combined with a desire to get the team to become closer - organising a team bonding session is an ideal solution. If, however, your expectations are set higher than that - then you need something more structured.

Key Characteristics of Team Building

So what are the key characteristics of a genuine team building session? I suggest the following 7 steps will lead to team building success:

1. Have definite session and longer-term goals and know how the session goals lead to the longer term ones.

2. Use an engaging and varied base activity that involves each participant in something that he or she enjoys doing.

3. Use an activity that achieves that engagement while having genuine parallels to the workplace and has relevance with the session goals.

4. Select an activity that requires the same kind of skill sets and team approaches that are needed at work - albeit one that is removed from the work itself.

5. Consider using an independent (internal or external) facilitator - to allow all levels to join in as equals and to avoid it feeling like a "sermon from above".

6. Debrief using a predefined process that highlights the workplace parallels and allows the participants to extract their own learning rather than be preached to.

7. Use a proven mechanism to transfer the learning back to the workplace, ideally integrated within the debriefing process itself.

If none of these seem important, you are probably looking at a pure fun bonding session. Whether that is a trip to the nearest (or furthest!) bar or something that offers the group an experience that all of its members will enjoy doesn't matter too much.

But if any of them do seem important, then I'd suggest that they all are. If one or more are missing then your team building session will be compromised. And that's a word that sits well alongside mediocrity and under achievement.

Deal & Kennedy Model

2011-10-05T01:50:00.000-07:00

Models of organization culture: In the year 1982 Deal and Kennedy introduced the model of the cultures which are mentioned below. This model is seen by feedback and risk frequencies, in addition they also proposed the six elements which were interlocking each others and help to improve the organisation’s objectives. 1. History 2. Values and Beliefs 3. Rituals and Ceremonies 4. Stories 5. Heroic Figures 6. The Culture Network

a. TOUGH GUY MACHO CULTURE: - Where big risks are involved and individual performance are more focused over the team work like sports and advertising. However this culture is not for people who give result slowly, it is more connected with excitement rather then dullness. b. WORK HARD PLAY HARD CULTURE: - Least risk involved and quick feedback where people can focus on quantity of work like sales and restaurants. Also they use to work like a team to achieve the targets and keep the high level of energy. c. BET YOUR COMPANY CULTURE: - It includes slow feedback and high risk such as oil and gas and pharmaceutical company. Employees take few years to make the right decision and which should be the best one and values and beliefs are most important for this culture. d. PROCESS STRUCTURE: - In this type of culture people more focus on process rather on outcome, they take many year to analysis that the decision was wrong or correct. Due to weak feedback employees can not measure what way they are doing their work like banks and insurance company.

Steve Jobs' 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

2011-10-04T03:31:00.000-07:00

Belbin Team Role Theory

2011-10-03T23:36:00.001-07:00

Ever wondered why some teams just seem to work and others hit the rocks? When things don’t work, it is obvious to all and it often has a profound effect on the people involved, as well as the project or objective to be achieved. In the 1970s, Dr Meredith Belbin and his research team at Henley Management College set about observing teams, with a view to finding out where and how these differences come about. They wanted to control the dynamics of teams to discover if – and how – problems could be pre-empted and avoided. As the research progressed, the research revealed that the difference between success and failure for a team was not dependent on factors such as intellect, but more on behaviour. The research team began to identify separate clusters of behaviour, each of which formed distinct team contributions or “Team Roles”. A Team Role came to be defined as: “A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way.” It was found that different individuals displayed different Team Roles to varying degrees. The nine Team Roles The first Team Role to be identified was the “Plant”. The role was so-called because one such individual was “planted” in each team. They tended to be highly creative and good at solving problems in unconventional ways. One by one, the other Team Roles began to emerge. The Monitor Evaluator was needed to provide a logical eye, make impartial judgements where required and to weigh up the team’s options in a dispassionate way. Co-ordinators were needed to focus on the team’s objectives, draw out team members and delegate work appropriately. When the team was at risk of becoming isolated and inwardly-focused, Resource Investigators provided inside knowledge on the opposition and made sure that the team’s idea would carry to the world outside the team. Implementers were needed to plan a practical, workable strategy and carry it out as efficiently as possible. Completer Finishers were most effectively used at the end of a task, to “polish” and scrutinise the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest standards of quality control. Teamworkers helped the team to gel, using their versatility to identify the work required and complete it on behalf of the team. Challenging individuals, known as Shapers, provided the necessary drive to ensure that the team kept moving and did not lose focus or momentum. It was only after the initial research had been completed that the ninth Team Role, “Specialist” emerged. The simulated management exercises had been deliberately set up to require no previous knowledge. In the real world, however, the value of an individual with in-depth knowledge of a key area came to be recognised as yet another essential team contribution or Team Role. Just like the other Team Roles, the Specialist also had a weakness: a tendency to focus narrowly on their own subject of choice, and to prioritise this over the team’s progress. Balance is key Whilst some Team Roles were more “high profile” and some team members shouted more loudly than others, each of the behaviours was essential in getting the team successfully from start to finish. The key was balance. For example, Meredith Belbin found that a team with no Plant struggled to come up with the initial spark of an idea with which to push forward. However, once too many Plants were in the team, bad ideas concealed good ones and non-starters were given too much airtime. Similarly, with no Shaper, the team ambled along without drive and direction, missing deadlines. With too many Shapers, in-fighting began and morale was lowered. Strengths and allowable weaknesses As well as the strength or contribution they provided, each Team Role was also found to have an “allowable weakness”: a flipside of the behavioural characteristics, which is allowable in the team because of the strength which goes with it. For example, the unorthodox Plant could be forgetful or scatty; or the Resource Investigator might forget to follow up on a lead. Co-ordinators might get over-enthusiastic on the delegation front and Implementers might be slow to relinquish their plans in favour of positive changes. Completer Finishers, often driven by anxiety to get things right, were found to take their perfectionism to extremes. Teamworkers, concerned with the welfare and morale of the team, found it difficult to make decisions where this morale might be compromised or team politics, involved. Shapers risked becoming aggressive and bad-humoured in their attempts to get things done.

Reliance Market in Ahmedabad

2011-10-03T02:17:00.000-07:00

The opening of Reliance market in Ahmedabad gives a feeling of Walmart/ASDA/COSCO concept slowly rolling in India. Looking to consumers and there demands, the concept has been a huge success where only the Reliance market card holders are allowed. Reliance will compete with global biggies such as Bharti Walmart, Metro and Booker in this segment domestically. Cash and carry is a form of trade in which goods are sold from a wholesale warehouse operated on a self-service basis. It primarily serves business customers like shop owners (kiranas), traders, caterers, institutional buyers like hotels, restaurants, schools and offices who settle the invoice on the spot in cash, and carry the goods away themselves. Such developments will surely open up new horizons of job and development. Also competition would help the common man to survive in adverse conditions of increase in prices.