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 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 EST Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:01 EST http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/globals/images/katw_white.gif http://Knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/category.cfm?cid=14 125 45 Knowledge@Wharton Managing Technology Research Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4426 It certainly hasn't started a fire. Before last month's India launch of the Kindle, the e-book reader from Amazon, local media gave it top billing. But any hopes for a big splash quickly diminished, because the price and the services on offer indicated to many that -- like Apple with its ill-fated iPhone launch --&nbsp;Amazon doesn't have a clear strategy for the Indian market. Others suggest that Amazon is merely &quot;testing the waters&quot; without the expectation of widespread initial adoption. Still, limited broadband accessibility and price sensitivities regarding books and subscriptions mean that the Kindle has a long way to go in the Indian market. Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:27:06 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4401 This week, following a tumultuous 18-month courtship, Microsoft and Yahoo finally consummated a deal to meld their search services and online advertising technologies. According to Kosmix co-founder Venky Harinarayan, however, the only way to shake up the online search game and gain market share is to &quot;change the definition of search.&quot; Unlike Google, which ranks sites according to popularity, Mountain View, Calif.-based Kosmix drills deep into particular topics, or &quot;verticals,&quot; drawing on content across the web to create what Harinarayan refers to as a &quot;browsing experience&quot; for the user. Harinarayan spoke with India Knowledge@Wharton about where online search applications -- and Kosmix -- are headed. Thu, 30 Jul 2009 20:13:41 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4395 In December 2006, Cisco Systems, the $40 billion California-based networking giant, selected Bangalore, India, as a second global headquarters&nbsp;-- the Globalisation Centre East. Wim Elfrink, executive vice president, Cisco Services, was given additional responsibility as Cisco's first chief globalization officer. He relocated to India, becoming the first direct report to chairman and CEO John Chambers living outside of California. In a recent interview with India Knowledge@Wharton, Elfrink discussed why globalization is the biggest market transition of our time, and why Cisco is well-positioned for the shift. Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:43:25 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4383 The under-penetration of technology in India, especially in sectors such as financial services, education and health care, provides big opportunities for entrepreneurs and investors, according to panelists who spoke at the 2009 Wharton India Economic Forum. And while innovation in IT and related sectors is beginning to empower wider population segments, it's not new products but rather &quot;jugad technology&quot; -- or indigenous, creative uses of IT -- that will help businesses reach underserved small towns and rural markets. Thu, 04 Jun 2009 16:50:54 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4354 In early February, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) lowered its projections for export revenues in India's IT and business process outsourcing sector for the fiscal year ending March 2009 -- from US$50 billion to US$47 billion. Not surprisingly, those who attended this year's NASSCOM India Leadership Forum said they expected more fallout from the downturn. But any real turmoil would likely be limited to the near-term, many indicated, as Western IT budgets dry up, middle-tier firms consolidate and corporate governance is fine-tuned in the wake of the Satyam scandal. Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:59:53 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4349 A few years ago, notebook computers -- lightweight, portable PCs that can easily fit inside a bag or briefcase -- were the preserve of the elite in India, used only by corporate executives, the super rich and super geeks. But the picture has been changing rapidly, and in just a few years one out of every two PCs sold in India is expected to be a notebook. Unlike desktop PCs, which dominate mature markets, the surging popularity of notebooks in India &quot;is a great example of what can happen when there is the right technology that meets specific customer needs at the right price point,&quot; according to one industry executive. Thu, 12 Feb 2009 16:34:49 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4331 Marriages, it is said, are made in heaven. For many Indians, they are now increasingly being made on the Internet through matrimonial portals. Although still a fledgling industry, online matrimonial matchmaking, a uniquely Indian phenomenon, is seen by many to be brimming with potential. Still, the players involved face particular obstacles, including the country's relatively low Internet penetration, the need to &quot;convert&quot; new users from more traditional avenues for matchmaking, and -- if all goes as promised -- a lack of repeat business. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:00:38 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4308 Engineers in India are monitoring, upgrading, healing and rebooting systems across the world to ensure that it's business as usual for end users of the IT infrastructure. This relatively young business goes by the unromantic name of remote infrastructure management services (RIMS). Industries including telecom and banking, financial services and insurance have become early adopters. &quot;The RIM industry is at a watershed in its development,&quot; according to a study by McKinsey that was released in March by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM). Experts interviewed by India Knowledge@Wharton believe that, like business process outsourcing (BPO), India may be poised to gain a large share of this fast-growing global market. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 15:30:05 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4250 Last month, Sun Microsystems announced a $1 million grant for innovative open source projects at the Free and Open Source Software conference in Bangalore. The reason, according to Simon Phipps, chief open source officer at Sun, is that he expects &quot;the greatest open source community growth&quot; to come from India in the near future. The question that Sun's award raises is whether India can become the new vanguard of the open source movement and, if so, whether that is a desirable goal. Not everybody agrees that open source is the best step forward for India's software industry. Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:29:14 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4220 By most accounts, India is among the world's fastest-growing markets for mobile phones. The country has some 170 million subscribers and adds 6 million to 7 million more each month. Recognizing this potential, several global telecom giants jumped into the fray when the Indian government first opened up the country's telecom market to private enterprise in 1994. Among them, Finland-based Nokia forged ahead of rivals and today commands a 58% market share for mobile phones. How did Nokia take the lead? According to company executives and industry experts, its strategy combined focusing on the mobile phone market, establishing crucial distribution partnerships, making early investments in manufacturing and brand-building, and developing innovative product features. Thu, 23 Aug 2007 16:17:47 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4207 How do prices for third generation -- or 3G -- mobile spectrum in India compare with those in other parts of the world? How should prices for 3G mobile licenses be determined? In the second half of a two-part interview, India Knowledge@Wharton posed these questions and more to Ravi Bapna -- a professor of information systems at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and executive director of the school's Centre for Information Technology and the Networked Economy -- and Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business. Their response: While it is hard to provide specific numbers for pricing, the Indian mobile market is getting close to 250 million subscribers, and Indian mobile operators should have several opportunities to make money. Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:11:33 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4200 &quot;Network not available&quot;: Anyone who has tried to make a call over a mobile phone in Bangalore or Mumbai dreads those chilling words. As India's mobile market has exploded in recent years to more than 170 million users, and as seven mobile operators compete for that growing customer base, spectrum space has gotten tighter and the quality of service has diminished. As a possible solution, last year the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India began looking into offering third generation, or &quot;3G&quot;, mobile services in India. In part one of a two-part interview, India Knowledge@Wharton spoke with Ravi Bapna -- a professor of information systems at the Indian School of Business in Hyderabad and executive director of the school's Centre for Information Technology and the Networked Economy -- and Arun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, about the challenges involved in developing 3G mobile telephony for the Indian market. Wed, 13 Jun 2007 16:22:37 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4191 While a number of Indian IT companies are expanding globally, several major U.S. IT firms are increasing their presence in India. Among them is Adobe Systems, which views India as an important development center and a growing market for its products. In the second of a two-part interview with Knowledge@Wharton, Adobe president and chief operating officer Shantanu Narayen discusses the company's strategy regarding India and global expansion. In the first part of the interview, published in Knowledge@Wharton, he talks about Adobe's product strategy for the emerging trend of rich Internet applications. Wed, 16 May 2007 14:40:08 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4167 It sounds like something from a futuristic TV thriller: American spies thwarting a terrorist plot through a shared online community modeled after Wikipedia, the free user-created, web-based encyclopedia. But Anthony D. Williams, co-author of the new book, <em>Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything</em>, recently told a conference at Wharton's Mack Center for Technological Innovation that this online community of spies already exists -- along with a host of other activist-oriented web sites that are changing the rules of the global economy. Wed, 21 Feb 2007 14:55:13 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4159 Microsoft's Vista operating system should give the company a revenue stream that will run for years, but experts at Wharton say the January 30 launch of the consumer versions of Microsoft's flagship software may be among the last of its kind -- a product sold for a flat fee in a shrink-wrapped box. Indeed, many wonder if the software business model that has made Microsoft so dominant may begin to fade as new software business models -- from open source to advertising supported -- gain increasing traction. Wed, 07 Feb 2007 15:59:14 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4074 Twenty years ago, the personal computer began to revolutionize the way we work and play. In recent years, though, the Internet has been the primary source of technological innovation, offering us everything from online auctions to networked research libraries. As web-based applications encroach on the desktop's turf and a myriad of smart "devices" perform increasingly computer-like functions, will traditional desktop software begin to fade away? According to panelists at the recent Supernova 2006 conference in San Francisco, it's clear that these technological changes will introduce new challenges for programmers and users alike. Chief among these: balancing the requirement of making an individual's personal information available everywhere while remaining securely under his or her control. Thu, 20 Jul 2006 13:36:04 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4073 'Microformats' are simple extensions to standard HTML tags that can allow software to add website-listed events to a personal datebook, aggregate content from different web pages into a comprehensive calendar, or let people "mash up" the content in new ways such as adding events to online maps or other web pages. The microformats movement was officially launched with the unveiling of the Microformats.org website one year ago at Supernova 2005. Since then, tens of millions of website entities have incorporated microformatting. At Supernova 2006, Knowledge@Wharton spoke with two of the leading evangelists for microformats -- Tantek Çelik, chief technical officer of Technorati, and Rohit Khare, director of CommerceNet Labs -- on how microformats have progressed over the past year and the issues the movement faces going forward. Thu, 20 Jul 2006 13:36:01 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4076 Consumers these days swim in an alphabet soup of digital devices -- PCs and PDAs, DVRs and iPods, MP3 and DVD players. And each device delivers a host of programming that is not easily enjoyed on the others. This diversity means that market power will continue to reside with firms that can help consumers find and organize content for their preferred device -- in other words, search engines, according to panelists at the 2006 Wharton Technology Conference. Discussion centered on increasing advertising opportunities that will accompany improved search engines, the development of local and enterprise search, and the need for standard data-storage and transfer formats. Wed, 22 Mar 2006 15:54:43 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4075 According to experts at Wharton and George Group Consulting, service companies such as banks or airlines are closer to their customers than their counterparts in the manufacturing industry, which can be beneficial, but they may be too close for comfort. In fact, they could actually be smothering both themselves and their customers with dispensable or outdated offerings, made worse by overburdened internal processes that ultimately hurt the essential elements of survival -- customer service and satisfaction. Wed, 01 Mar 2006 17:04:44 EST Managing Technology http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/india/article.cfm?articleid=4041 According to Ron Garriques, executive vice president of Motorola's personal communications sector, markets in the developing world -- especially China and India -- are emerging as the battleground for mobile-device makers. Today, Illinois-based Motorola leads in North America and is investing heavily in China, Garriques said during a talk at the recent 2005 Wharton Technology Conference. He also discussed the competition (Nokia), new products (the Razr V3), the convergence of mobile phones with digital music players, and what he called the "mobility premium" and "location-based services." Wed, 04 May 2005 14:58:50 EST