jai's bin: 26/12/08

Friday 26 December 2008

Pakistan deploys fresh troops along LoC: Report

Amidst rising tensions with India, Pakistan has moved fresh Army troops to the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the international border with India to protect "vital points" along the frontier, a media report said on Friday.

The defence department declined to give details of fresh troop movements but did not deny reports that Pakistan was moving a number of new brigades to the frontier in the Lahore sector, the Daily Times newspaper reported quoting sources.

The forces were deployed along the LoC and the international border yesterday to protect vital points, the sources said.

The Pakistan Army's Brigade has been moved to forward areas in Lahore and army's 3rd Armoured Brigade, normally held in reserve, has been moved to Jhelum, the defence sources said claiming that there was a heavy concentration of Indian troops on the border.

The Pakistan Army's 10th and 11th Divisions have also been put on high alert and these forces have been stationed in areas facing Rajouri and Poonch sectors of Kashmir.

There have also been reports in the Pakistani media that the Pakistan Air Force is in a state of high alert and was conducting aerial surveillance of the Chashma power plant and other sensitive sites amidst fears of a possible surgical strike by India in the wake of the Mumbai terror attacks.

In recent public comments, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and his Indian counterpart Manmohan Singh have both ruled out a war between the two countries. India has been asking Pakistan to crack down on elements in the country which were linked to the Mumbai attacks that killed over 180 people.

Pakistan has said it is waiting for India to provide evidence to take forward its probe into the Mumbai incident.

Ghajini 2008 DVDrip online

How to tell a bossy peer to mind his business?

Ajay was seriously working on a project when his colleague Sandeep began reminding him about the deadline for it and even asked him to give a report on the status of the project. Ajay was surprised and even angry because he could not understand his colleague’s behaviour who was suddenly acting bossy with others in the team. The result was this behaviour was making everyone feel incompetent and controlled and was affecting the team relations.

Ajay’s is not an isolated case, there are people in the workplace who boss over their co-workers and feel it is necessary to tell them what to do and how. They effectively spoil the camaraderie in the workplace.

A boss can comment on your work and tell you what to do, but when a co-worker assumes the role of a boss and nitpicks on your work and orders you around, the situation is sticky.

Though you may be tempted to tell the person off or launch a counter attack, this will only spoil your relations with him and affect the work atmosphere and team productivity.

The wise thing would be to deal with your bossy co-worker in a professional and diplomatic way, so that the relationship is maintained and at the same time you can make him realise his mistake and also let your boss know about the colleague’s self-assumed importance.

Instead of answering back your colleague, you can make it difficult for him to play his role as self-appointed boss by enquiring if the boss asked him to give the instructions and if he says no then appreciate him for his managerial skills but at the same time remind him that your boss has to kept in the loop. Follow this up with a casual query or mail to your boss on whether the bossy co-worker was given supervisory responsibilities.

When the co-worker gets to know that his behaviour has been a subject of discussion with the boss, and then he will check himself. This will also give him enough hints that the team takes directions from the boss and are not willing to listen to him. This can effectively curtail his bossy behaviour.

However if your boss replies in the affirmative, you have no choice but to listen to your co-worker, but if it is a ‘no’ from your boss, then you can make a complaint to your boss.

This will also bring the co-worker’s behaviour to the notice of your boss who will probably take effective steps to stop it because of its negative effects on team relations.

In case your colleague has nothing to do with your work and each member in the team has his own independent set of roles and responsibilities, then you can tell him to mind his own work in front of other team members. This public display of your reaction can check his high-handedness with you and others in the team.

Some co-workers may have a genuine interest in the team and their behaviour may be motivated by the need to be helpful, proactive or supportive to other team members. They may not realise that this can alienate others. In such an instance, it is better that they are told the truth while appreciating the intent of their behaviour. A gentle reminder to the person that he is a peer and not your manager can end his bossy ways.

Perhaps the best way to deal with a bossy co-worker is to tell him that you are happy he has been promoted as the boss and you, your co-workers or even the boss does not seem to know about it. He is sure to get the message and will start minding his own business.

Layoffs not real answer to effective cost control

As businesses brace for a possible economic slowdown, they are expected to further slash unnecessary expenditure and bring down overheads to improve the bottom line. Trimmed down budgets and well-planned cost cutting initiatives can help create savings and optimise operating margins for companies that don’t have too many sources of revenue to look forward to, thanks to the global financial crunch.

Here are areas where businesses, big and small, can cut spending and create valuable cash reserves to tide over any impending crisis.

Realign goals: For example, the annual budget may need to be altered to cope with new circumstances, and expansion plans may be put on hold. Look for ways to release cash from capital. Unused/ high maintenance assets are usually the first to go in a bid to reduce operating costs and retain liquidity.

Cash requirements might also have to be carefully projected and closely monitored. Tighten conditions relating to cash and accounts receivables and negotiate for better deals with vendors and contractors.

Focus on work that counts. Fall back on your best, most dependable products and services, and aim to get more value for every penny you invest. Outsource non-essential processes if it will bring down costs and improve production and people practices to increase productivity levels and lower operating costs.

Go slow on hiring and layoffs. Going slow on hiring makes obvious sense, but layoffs are another matter altogether.

Although at first glance layoffs seem to offer a quick fix answer to cost control, the mid-term and long-term consequences of layoffs are disastrous. Look at your employees as assets, not overheads.

Train employees to improve their skills and utility ratio and acknowledge and reward deserving employees even if resources are scarce. This is the time for you to let your employees know that they make a difference.

Cut down on unnecessary costs and discretionary spending in areas like travel, entertainment, telephone calls and meetings. Tighten regulations and minimise cash advances. Institute stringent receipt requirements for all reimbursements. Offset expensive incidental benefits such as performance bonuses, high premium health benefits, stock options and legal assistance with other benefits that are easy on the pocket.

Conduct an energy audit. Even simple things like introducing energy efficient lighting, heating and cooling can make a big difference to running costs.

Ask employees for suggestions. Employees usually have a wealth of ideas, and tapping this powerful source can give the organisation some innovative and inspiring leads to keep costs under control.

Revaluate your strategy and decide on the how you are going tackle the situation. Revisit priorities and ensure that your team has a complete understanding of the contributions they are expected to deliver.

During a period of boom, companies often neglect to keep track of spiralling costs and wasteful expenditure. It may not have mattered then, but with economic challenges looming ahead, a little prudence will ensure that the organisation is able to sustain its effectiveness and profitability in the long run.

NASA instrument on Chandrayaan finds minerals on moon

The moon mineralogy mapper (M3), a scientific instrument of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) onboard India's first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1, found iron-bearing minerals on the lunar surface, the US space agency said on Thursday.

"The mapper spectrometer has beamed images of the Orientale Basin region of the moon, indicating abundance of iron-bearing minerals such as pyroxene. Using different wavelengths of light, the instrument has also revealed for the first time changes in rock and mineral composition," M3 principal investigator Carle Pieters said in a statement hosted on NASA Website.

Data from the 7-kg mapper provides space scientists first opportunity to examine lunar mineralogy at high spatial and spectral resolution.

The Orientale Basin is located on the moon's western limb. M3 captured the data last week when Chandrayaan was orbiting the moon at an altitude of 100 km.

"The imaging spectrometer provides us with compositional information across the moon that we have never had access to before. Our ability to identify and map the composition of the surface in geologic context provides a new level of detail needed to explore and understand the earth's nearest celestial neighbour," affirmed Pieters, who teaches at Brown University in Rhode Island.

The mapper was selected as a mission of opportunity through the NASA discovery programme. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory designed and built the instrument at Pasadena in California.

"M3 will also help in characterising and mapping lunar minerals for knowing the moon's early geological evolution. Its compositional maps will improve our understanding of the early evolution of a differentiated planetary body and provide a high-resolution assessment of lunar resources," Chandrayaan project director M. Annadurai averred.

M3 is one of the 10 instruments onboard the unmanned Chandrayaan, conducting experiments while the spacecraft orbits over the moon next two years.

Five instruments were indigenously built by the state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), while the remaining six payloads are of foreign origin, including three from the European Space Agency, two from NASA and one from Bulgaria.

Chandrayaan was launched on October 22 onboard the 316-tonne polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C11) from ISRO's Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota spaceport, about 80 km north of Chennai.

After traversing 3,84,000 km through the deep space for 18 days, the spacecraft entered the lunar orbit on November 8 and its moon impact probe was lowered on the moon's surface on November 14.

Master these skills to get the winning edge

Wonder what makes some people highly successful than others in any given field? More often you attribute their unique way of connecting to others, better known as charisma, as responsible for the success they enjoy. You are right to an extent but charisma is not all, it is their ability to focus on the meaningful that gives them the winning edge.

Not many of us are lucky enough to possess such natural charm but we can still be as effective if we choose to hone certain skills that make a difference. Highly successful leaders understand that good communication is the key to success. They have an extraordinary talent of using the spoken word as well as body language to register the maximum impact on their audience.

Closely observe eminent people whom you consider success icons. Discover how skilfully they communicate. Their gift of the gab is awe inspiring but don’t simply stop at admiring them but try to learn a few techniques yourself. It is never too late to pick a few success tips. Great leaders connect instantly with their audience. They adjust their tone and approach to suit their audience’s emotional state. So it goes without saying that to be a good communicator you must first listen carefully to other’s concerns and empathise with them.

High impact leaders often use stories and anecdotes to make their viewpoint clear and emphatic. Communication doesn’t mean relaying lots of factual data. Punctuate it with emotion and symbols and you make it easy for your audience to interpret the information.

To sound effective and authentic always have forceful evidence on your fingertips to support your views. To convey confidence and command vary the pace and pitch of your talk. Be neither too slow nor too fast while you converse. A timely pause is essential to retain the attention of listeners. It helps them to understand and absorb what you said. It also helps you to stay focussed on the crux of the matter.

When in crisis great leaders seldom resort to the blame game; they honestly look for what went wrong and how to rectify things. Through their positive communication they bring forth favourable outcomes. While facing performance issues make it a point to go to the root of the problem. You may be tempted to chide your subordinates for the poor show but that will not help in improving things. Instead offer your support and encouragement to your team and better results will automatically follow.

Effective leaders communicate with a passion to get the best out of every opportunity that comes their way. They attract people with their crisp messages. You too can grab the attention of listeners if you are ready with your speech to suit the occasion. Be sure of your goals and practise conveying them in a nutshell. Highlight the promise of mutual benefit when you negotiate with others. People will listen to you when they see a benefit for themselves. Successful leaders acknowledge the importance of give and take in any relationship. So be ready to give the first concession to your opponents in order to secure much more in return.

Good leaders do not let anxiety overwhelm them; instead they adapt quickly to changes to move out of crisis. They owe their success mostly to asking the right questions.

Asking questions isn’t as simple as you believe it to be. First you must create a situation where people can speak without fear of reprisal. Challenging assumptions once in a while prevents you and your team from slipping into complacency. Encouragement to think on alternatives can lead to crucial breakthroughs.

Body language is equally important in garnering success. The way you conduct yourself signals to the world how energetic and confident you are. Stand straight, tuck your tummy in, hold your head high and smile radiantly at people around you. You already look like a winner and people are only too willing to rally behind a winner.

Don’t just communicate for communication’s sake. Verbal and non-verbal communication skills are powerful tools in your arsenal to create a positive impact on others. Make a conscious effort to master these skills that make a world of difference to your confidence and success levels.

Recession casts shadow on economy, says study

Notes that Kerala is more vulnerable to external shock

Recession may hit job opportunities
Further cut in oil prices may have negative impact

Reduction in oil price and sustained low-level reduced investments in Gulf countries can have a negative impact on the job opportunities as well as the income of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs).

According to a study conducted by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) on the impact of the economic recession in the State, Kerala is more vulnerable to any external shock, including the slowdown since it is integrated with the rest of the world.

In spite of the liquidity concerns about the banking sector of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, the economies of the seven Gulf countries, where majority of the NoRKs are located, continue to remain unaffected owing to the steps taken for improving the liquidity position.

But further reduction in oil price and investments can have a negative impact on the job opportunities and their income., the study says.

About 32,000 people employed in the coir industry are likely to lose jobs owing to 20 per cent decline in coir exports. The job loss in the cashew sector has been estimated at around 18,000 due to 15 per cent fall in exports and imports becoming costlier. Marine exports may go down by 25 to 30 per cent to all major destinations except South East Asia. In the short run, a one-third fall in exports can lead to a loss of 20,000 jobs in the sector.

Handloom units have reported 20 per cent dip in sales. A short-term reduction in export by 15 to 20 per cent is expected in handloom goods and that may further increase if the recession prolongs. The value and quantity of pepper export have come down by 50 per cent between September 2008 and the same month last year. The price of rubber has registered a 40 per decline due to the fall in demand from the tyre industry.

The major software export companies are yet to feel the pinch of the crisis but IT and ITES companies at the national level expect 50 per cent reduction in growth rate. The companies in the State have not yet got a full exposure to the crisis due to their relatively lesser engagement with financial services.

Being a consumer State, Kerala can benefit from the reduction in prices of oil, steel, cement and such others as it will also reflect in the cost of manufactured goods too. The growth rate of the State’s economy may decrease by 2 to 3 per cent and it can also lead to an increase in revenue deficit, the study says.

Cricket 2008: When India won on and off the field

Harbhajan Singh started 2008 by escaping a ban in an acrimonious racism row in Australia and finished it as one of the leading wicket-takers, helping India to back-to-back Test series wins over the Australians and English.

The feisty offspinner's Teflon-like ride mirrored India's season inside and outside the arena as cricket's commercial powerbroker flexed its considerable clout.

Just as the lucrative Indian Premier League and the numerous Twenty20 competitions that sprouted around it threatened to elevate the shortest form of the game to the highest standing in cricket, some tight Tests involving India, England, South Africa and Australia revived the five-day game.

Interest heightened when India's late successes over Australia and England, cricket's oldest powers, were sandwiched around terror attacks in Mumbai that killed 164 people and threatened to derail the game on the subcontinent.

The November attacks, in which a luxury hotel that frequently hosts international cricket teams was among the prime targets, sent the English squad packing for a week, caused the cancellation of the inaugural Champions League that was supposed to feature eight provincial teams from five countries and, inevitably, caused India's refusal to tour Pakistan next month.

The Indian government blamed Pakistan-based militants for the attacks.

So while India was able to lure England back this month for the Test series — after the English abandoned a limited-overs series they were losing 5-0 — with security assurances, it was not willing to reciprocate for neighboring Pakistan.

England was widely commended for returning to India, although former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif was outspoken in his criticism of both international and national administrators for what he thought were the double standards of encouraging tours to India while turning their backs on Pakistan due to safety fears.

But International Cricket Council president David Morgan said England's return, and it's subsequent six-wicket loss in the first Test in Chennai, continued "the feel-good factor around the longest form of the game".

Cricket "has probably never been stronger than it is right now with three viable and vibrant forms at international level, including the positive effect of Twenty20," Morgan said. "The Perth Test between Australia and South Africa has also produced some great cricket and (recent matches) have been a real reminder that Test cricket is the pinnacle of our sport with its unique ability to produce twists and turns and sustained drama."

Latif said India's status as the game's key market gave it the pulling power Pakistan lacked. The eight-nation Champions Trophy in Pakistan was postponed in September after five teams refused to tour.

"It's all about money and nothing else," Latif said. "If India didn't have the financial clout no team would bother to go there so soon after the Mumbai attacks."

Latif wasn't the only critic of India's cashed-up backers.

Sections of the media openly questioned who was running the sport when Harbhajan was let off a two-match ban on appeal in January after allegedly making a racist taunt against allrounder Andrew Symonds, the only black player on the Australian team.

That decision came amid Indian threats to boycott the remainder of the tour. The ICC also acquiesced to India's demands for veteran West Indies umpire Steve Bucknor to be removed from the series after making some incorrect decisions.

Harbhajan pleaded guilty to a lesser charge and was fined 50 percent of his match fee — he later served a five-match ODI ban for slapping a teammate in a domestic Twenty20 match.

Australia had won the disputed Sydney match to equal its world record of 16 consecutive Test wins and take a 2-0 lead in the four-match series, but lost the subsequent match in Perth and only narrowly held on to the series.

Symonds went to India in April as one of the highest-paid players in the inaugural IPL Twenty20 but was later dropped from the Australian lineup for going fishing instead of attending a team meeting in Darwin ahead of a limited-overs series against Bangladesh.

He said he felt let down by Cricket Australia's handling of the racism row and he missed the four-Test October tour to India which the home team won 2-0.

Harbhajan, who took 15 wickets in the series, ended with 63 Test wickets for the year, one behind South Africa paceman Dale Steyn as the most prolific wicket-taker to Christmas.

Over the course of India's last two series wins, Sachin Tendulkar became the leading runscorer of all time and Anil Kumble retired at No. 3 on the all-time Test wicket-takers list.

"We are working well as a unit... and we all enjoy the success of each other," said paceman Zaheer Khan, voted player of the series in the 1-0 win over England this week. "It's been a great year for Indian cricket."

Australia's position at No. 1 came under the most pressure in a decade with South Africa and India closing in.

The search for able replacements for legspinner Shane Warne and paceman Glenn McGrath — two of the leading wicket-takers of all time — has been slower than Australian selectors had hoped.

As it neared the end of a tumultuous year, a stuttering Australia bowling attack was unable to prevent resurgent South Africa chasing 414 to win last week's series-opening Test in Perth — the second-highest successful fourth-innings run chase in Test history.

It was South Africa's first Test victory in 14 years on Australian soil and put the hosts under enormous pressure in the series, having never won a three-Test series after losing the first match.

South Africa even had the chance to move to No. 1 in the rankings with a 3-0 series win in Australia, but it would need more history to achieve it. The Proteas have never won a series in Australia.

Satyam hits back at World Bank, demands apology

Three days after the World Bank decided to ban it for eight years, Satyam Computer Services [Get Quote] today hit back and demanded an apology from the bank for "certain inappropriate statements" made by its representatives.

In a statement issued on Thursday, India's fourth largest software services firm said the World Bank has been requested to immediately "withdraw those statements" for the harm done to the company. The company has demanded that the bank should provide it with a full explanation of the circumstances related to the inappropriate statements.

Satyam also said that it would evaluate all possible options in view of both the bank's inappropriate public statements and its response to the company's requests.

Satyam usually does not comment publicly on matters involving its customer relationships. "However, the inaccuracy and inappropriateness of the World Bank's public statements regarding Satyam has forced us to issue this brief statement in order to set the record straight," the company said.

The World Bank had barred Satyam from doing business with it for eight years, in one of the most severe penalties by a client against a large Indian outsourcing company. The bank said this is because Satyam had provided "improper benefits to bank staff" in exchange for contracts and a "lack of documentation" on invoices.

Since the World Bank decision on December 22, the company's scrip has slumped 16.90 per cent from Rs 162.40 to Rs 134.95.

The industry's reputation for maintaining high standards of corporate governance and data security is critical to ensure that it continues to attract the business of Fortune 500 clients, governments and multilateral agencies such as the World Bank.

The sanctions came at a bad time for Satyam, which is under fire over a failed attempt by its board to pay $1.6 billion for companies controlled by the family of B. Ramalinga Raju, its chairman, without seeking wider shareholder approval.

Since the World Bank decision on December 22, the company's scrip has slumped 16.90 per cent from Rs 162.40 to Rs 134.95. The company has lost 40 per cent of its market value since December 16 when it announced its decision to buy two Maytas companies.

We stand by our statement: World Bank

The World Bank on Thursday rejected Satyam Computers' demand to withdraw a statement by which an eight-year ban was imposed on any business with the IT major.

"The bank stands by its statement issued on its Indian website on December 23," the India spokesperson of the World Bank, Sudip Mazumder, told PTI.

Asked if the bank would apologise as demanded by Satyam, he said any comment if at all had to come from the headquarters in Washington, but the bank stood by its statement.