http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/ Knowledge@Wharton is an online resource that offers the latest business insights, information, and research from a variety of sources. Content includes analysis of current business trends, interviews with industry leaders and faculty, articles based on the most recent business research, book reviews, conference and seminar reports, and links to other websites. en-us Copyright (c) 2007 The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania Thu, 16 May 2013 00:00:00 EST Thu, 16 May 2013 11:49:09 EST http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/globals/images/katw_white.gif http://Knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/category.cfm?cid=10 125 45 Knowledge@Wharton Human Resources Research Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4733 A new chapter is unfolding in Indian schools. As administrators and parents realize the importance of sports in academia, entrepreneurs are pitching in to offer professionally managed sports and physical education programs. Experts tell India Knowledge@Wharton that this trend is in keeping with India's economic growth, but caution that schools need to sharply monitor outsourced sporting activities. Thu, 02 May 2013 08:00:50 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4717 India is getting younger as the rest of the world is graying. By 2020, the average Indian will be only 29 years of age, compared with 37 in China and the U.S., 45 in Western Europe, and 48 in Japan. This means an increase in the working-age ratio and a &quot;demographic dividend.&quot; But, as a recent panel discussion held at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for the Advanced Study of India pointed out, the big challenge is getting these young people ready for the modern job market. Wed, 09 Jan 2013 12:30:17 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4716 Today more than ever before, organizations are facing learning and development challenges among their staffs. For emerging economies like India, the role of the chief learning officer (CLO) is becoming more critical as organizations struggle to keep pace with change in their new global environments. At the same time, annual CLO events are becoming richer in their diversity. India Knowledge@Wharton reports on the latest meeting, held in Mumbai recently. Thu, 20 Dec 2012 11:46:44 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4660 Sudhir Agarwal, president of global M&amp;A and business transformation at Aegis, an outsourcing services firm, says acquisitions typically fail because not enough attention is paid to the &quot;softer&quot; aspects of integration. In a conversation with India Knowledge@Wharton, Agarwal discusses current trends in the outsourcing industry, what his company has learned from past acquisitions and why integration after a merger is, above all, about dealing with the emotions of the employees. Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:42:37 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4654 On a superficial level, Mumbai's taxi drivers and its <em>dabbawalas</em> -- organized porters who carry cooked lunches to office workers -- seem to have a lot in common. Both come from marginalized socio-economic groups. Their average education is up to the eighth grade. They belong to a low-skill, working class category and service the city&rsquo;s middle class. Why, then, are their reputations so radically distinct? While taxi drivers are constantly in the news for reports of bad behavior, the <em>dabbawalas</em> have been cited as a case study of efficiency. Can best practices from the latter help change the taxi drivers' working conditions -- and their image? &nbsp; Wed, 12 Oct 2011 16:19:42 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4593 Can campuses be cloned? The Indian higher education community is grappling with that question as the government opens up additional locations of the Indian Institutes of Technology and Indian Institutes of Management. Critics say that the move will dilute the colleges' brand equity, noting that the institutes are only as good as their faculty. Meanwhile, a new study shows that Indians living in the U.S. are increasingly interested in careers in academia in their home country. But matching these men and women with available faculty positions in India could be tricky, the study's authors say. Thu, 05 May 2011 14:48:27 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4585 Salaries in India are expected to rise more than anywhere else in the world, according to several recent surveys. One reason is that globalization has helped to level the playing field. Other influences include increased domestic demand and a shortage of the right talent. These factors are causing a reassessment of compensation practices and are exerting some pressure on bottom lines, experts tell India Knowledge@Wharton. Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:02:34 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4575 Competition for places at the Indian Institutes of Technology long ago spawned an industry of coaching classes, some of which have attracted private equity investments. Super 30, a hard-driving class in Bihar, has won acclaim for its success in preparing the underprivileged for acceptance to the institutes that typically admit one in 60 applicants. India Knowledge@Wharton looks at what Super 30 and others have accomplished, and why some critics say coaching classes inadequately prepare students for the real work ahead of them. Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:22:21 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4562 Manish Sabharwal, co-founder and chairman of India's largest temporary staffing company, TeamLease Services of Bangalore, recently entered into an agreement with the Gujarat state government to set up India's first vocational education university. The TeamLease University will set up 22 community colleges across the state. In a discussion with India Knowledge@Wharton, Sabharwal talks about the rationale behind this venture, the business model and how it creates incentives for all participants. Thu, 27 Jan 2011 14:47:11 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4543 More than half of India's population is younger than 25, and the entry of this group into the working population over the next few decades is expected to spur&nbsp;the country's&nbsp;economic growth. But this will be possible only if the youth are employable; if not, the situation will lead to wide social unrest, according to Kartik Hosanagar, professor of operations and information management at Wharton. In this opinion piece, Hosanagar discusses the dangers of India's demographic dividend. Thu, 18 Nov 2010 15:59:22 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4505 Multinational companies (MNCs) operating in India were drawn to the country by a cheap and educated pool of workers. But some of these firms view the Indian workforce as argumentative and unwilling to accept the regime ushered in by the MNCs. Facing a spate of strikes, agitations -- and, at times, violent uprisings -- what can MNCs do to get labor relations back on track? Thu, 29 Jul 2010 14:39:02 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4497 HCL Technologies CEO Vineet Nayar responded to the recent global recession by placing employee satisfaction ahead of customer satisfaction. The result was a bounty of winning ideas that translated into more business at the expense of competitors. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Nayar shares his insights into how companies can innovate as buyers' preferences are changing, among other topics. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:25:59 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4496 During the high-growth phase of the Indian information technology (IT) industry, human resources management was all about hiring in large numbers and lowering attrition. The recent slowdown, however, has made organizations more demanding of their employees. The focus has shifted to building competencies and increasing productivity, and employees are now being evaluated more stringently on the value they bring to the table. But experts warn that with the economic recovery gathering pace, the lessons of the downturn could soon be forgotten. Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:25:59 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4487 The aging population profile in developed countries will place huge demands on India's relatively younger workforce in the coming decades, experts predict. A recent Washington, D.C., conference attempted to size up the task of creating the necessary educational and training infrastructure in India to meet global employment needs, and ways in which the United States could help in that effort. Thu, 17 Jun 2010 16:16:04 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4464 Since Bangalore-based TeamLease Services was launched in 2002 to be a pioneer in temporary staffing in India, it has located jobs for more than half a million Indians. But according to Manish Sabharwal, a co-founder and chairman of TeamLease, the company could be finding work for many more unemployed by addressing a key constraint: the skills deficiencies of its candidates. In an interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Sabharwal discusses India's job environment, the problem of &quot;unemployability&quot; and the company's strategy to prepare people for work. Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:52:29 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4466 While employment remains a grim topic in many Western markets, there is much reason for optimism in India. According to a report by the Associated Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (Assocham), the Indian economy will create 87.37 million new jobs by 2015. Meanwhile, wages and hiring are increasing in several key sectors -- although at rates that many say will not meet Assocham's predictions. What's ahead for India's employment market? And which sectors will pull ahead while others remain behind? Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:52:29 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4412 Job portals, which have largely replaced employment ads in newspapers and magazines, have become an urban phenomenon. They are now going to the grassroots. As new portals come online, how much will they help ease rural unemployment? Thu, 24 Sep 2009 14:56:03 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4408 Rural recruits account for 70% of the employees at McDonald's restaurants in southern India today. Other big rural recruiters range from international firms such as IBM, Adidas and Vodafone to home-grown ones like telecom giant Bharti Airtel, private-sector bank HDFC, and retailers Pantaloon and Aditya Birla Group. These companies are increasingly relying on rural India to staff their front and back offices in urban and semi-urban towns, but what's unusual about this rural regiment is that they are trained and placed in their jobs by a public-private partnership called the Employment Generation &amp; Marketing Mission (EGMM). Is this a formula for success that others can follow? Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:46:29 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4333 As the world financial crisis wreaks havoc on emerging economies, Indian firms -- like their counterparts around the world -- are looking at ways to scale back their operations. Some companies -- such as Jet Airways -- have announced layoffs, only to backtrack and offer other options, including salary cuts, to their employees. Experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton believe that the management culture in India makes layoffs one of the last options rather than the first. Still, companies will have to find ways to bring their staffing and costs in line with reality, at least for the next two years. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:00:38 EST Human Resources http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4319 India's economy is growing at a torrid pace, with business process outsourcing leading the way. But a shortage of one crucial resource -- a well-educated workforce- - threatens to derail the country's growth and its drive to create 80 million jobs by 2016. Corporations are now stepping in to try to fill the training gap, but will it be enough? &quot;If we don't take steps to improve the quality of our engineering graduates, we will soon lose out on our ability to compete globally,&quot; says N.R. Narayana Murthy, chairman and chief mentor at Infosys. Thu, 18 Sep 2008 17:50:01 EST