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<keyword id="3043" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hillary-Clinton">Hillary Clinton</keyword>’s shocking failure to break the proverbial glass ceiling to the top American presidential post once again turned the world’s collective attention towards the persisting gender skew when it comes to global political leadership. The corporate leadership scene is no different! The 2016 Fortune 500 list shows women holding a meager 4 % of the CEO positions in 500 of the world’s largest companies. In India this ratio is even lower. There are only eight women leaders at the helm of affairs among the BSE 500 firms. The representation of women in Indian corporate boardrooms has increased over the past five years, but it still remains below the global average of 14.7 %. 
 
The problem is not of non-availability of capable and well-qualified women; it is one of lack of conscious efforts on the part of corporate organizations to nurture and groom women for senior management roles. It is essential to highlight here that comparable number of men and women join the corporate workforce in India every year. So the gender imbalance is not prominent on the lower rungs of the corporate ladder. However, more and more women chose to (or are driven to) opt out as they head up the middle management level. In most cases it is family responsibilities that force them out of the corporate ranks, and also the absence of corporate cultural settings that take into account this factor. 
 We consulted <keyword id="1016048" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rajeev-Bhardwaj">Rajeev Bhardwaj</keyword>, Vice President, Human Resource at <keyword id="155168" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sun-Life-Financial">Sun Life Financial</keyword> on why organizations must work towards having more women in senior management. 
 
It's economic 
Women’s participation in business is not just a gender equality slogan, it makes much economic sense as well. Business acumen and leadership do not come exclusively to men. For every wasted female talent, there is a corresponding economic loss. 
In 2007 research organization Catalyst conducted a comprehensive study on the economic benefits of gender parity and concluded that the Fortune 500 companies which had more female board directors achieved significantly higher financial performance. On a macroeconomic scale, Catalyst also reported recently that countries can radically increase their GDP by augmenting the role of women in the economy. 
 A survey published in the <keyword id="86058" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harvard-Business-Review">Harvard Business Review</keyword> in 2011 found that managers and colleagues judged women leaders as being better on honesty and integrity scales, in building relationships as well as in taking initiatives. The same survey also concluded that women leaders were better communicators and built better collaborations as compared to male leaders. A series of other studies have pointed to multifarious other benefits including improved financial performance of the organization, greater tilt towards corporate social responsibility and better organizational climate. If you look at it deeply, the beneficial results accrue as a result of greater diversity of minds at play towards a particular objective. Unfortunately, while most of us talk about the need for improving female representation, we do not fully comprehend the benefits that will result from it. This is why most corporate leaderships in India have so far not been able to align long-term organizational goals to ensure gender parity and diversity. 
 <keyword id="3039" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bhardwaj">Bhardwaj</keyword> advocates four steps to make women lead the ladder. 
 
Have long-term diversity objectives 
The culture has to be consciously created, long-term goals prepared and a conscious effort made towards achieving them through multifarious initiatives. Organizations must evaluate the gender situation in their top management and assiduously think about where they want to be on this front in the next five years. 
 
Create a pipeline of women leadership 
Organizations today must make a conscious effort to nurture the talented women employees who show traits of leadership right from an early stage. This includes spotting them early and giving them ample opportunities to grow and learn, involving them in key strategic projects that can give them greater insights, and equip them with the capability to lead the organization. As they move up the corporate ladder, it is essential to institute re-tooling and re-skilling programs for them at each level to ensure they are abreast with all latest developments in the industry. 
 
Make organizations empathetic to women’s needs There are multiple reasons for this including an institutionalized bias and lack of support for women employees who decide to have children. The consequence is that despite being bright and talented, very few women are able to make the transition to top management positions. It is essential to institute greater flexibility and a more empathetic approach to make the workplace more amenable to women. At <keyword id="4348443" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sun-life-asia-service-centre-india">Sun Life Asia Service Centre India</keyword>, flexi-timings, work-from-home arrangement, and a more accommodating maternity leave have been institutionalized to allow women workforce the liberty to follow their professional pursuits without ignoring their family needs. 
 
Ensuring Equal Pay for Equal Work 
A series of discouraging reports and studies have in recent years highlighted systematic gender discrimination when it comes to paying women. A recent survey by Monster.com in India found that the median wage earned by women was 27% lower as against their male counterparts. This cannot continue if we want to draw more women in leadership positions. 
 
Not just gender equity but a larger vision to have greater diversity in an organizational workforce can bring unprecedented and un-thought of benefits by having a greater variety of approaches and emotional quotients to find solutions. It is time corporate India takes tangible steps in this direction.

Having more women in senior management
helps an organization grow faster. Here’s how

We hate them when they delay our appointment letter! We hate them even more when our salaries are delayed or isn’t what we were expecting it to be! We hate them when our official leaves are cancelled! Basically, we love to hate them! 
 
The human resource department of any organisation is probably the most ‘misunderstood’ department in a firm. And it just takes a few cups of coffee and a bunch of grumpy employees to question the legitimacy of this crucial department in the company! 
 
“The role of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/These-5-tips-can-make-you-a-great-HR-manager-/articleshow/47586526.cms">HR</a> is often associated to hiring, firing, attrition and retention. It’s rare to see people understand the crucial role <keyword id="67723" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="HR">HR</keyword> professionals play in the functioning of any organization,” said Rajeev Bhardwaj, vice president, Human Resource at <keyword id="3044096" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sun-Life-Financial-Asia-Service-Centre">Sun Life Financial Asia Service Centre</keyword>. 
 
He further tells us that the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Heres-why-you-should-not-fish-for-afancy-job-title/articleshow/48111231.cms">job</a> ofthe HR has already evolved from that of an administrative function to being a strategic portfolio. But interestingly, that is not how the rest of the world perceives this function. In fact, while planning the story, we found out that most employees in general feel that HR is the most futile department in a company. 
 
“Apart from cost cutting and making our lives difficult with random HR policies, what else does the HR do?” questioned Abhijeet Rawal, who works with an American FMCG company in Gurgaon. 
 Thought leader and best-selling author <keyword id="3044097" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bernard-Marr">Bernard Marr</keyword>, who authored books such as ‘Key Performance Indicators’ and ‘<keyword id="774829" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Big-Data">Big Data</keyword>’, attributes the passionate dislike for the HR department to the fact that the human resource department is always caught in a Catch 22 situation. 
 
“Another issue is that HR departments are trying to serve two masters – which, in most cases, is not very successful. On the one hand, they are there to provide support for the employees and, on the other hand, they are there for the company and the senior management to help manage (and monitor, discipline, appraise, etc.) employees. This conflict of interest can cause friction and in many instances HR departments swing to the ‘support the company’ side, rather than the ‘support the employees’ side,” said Marr in his November 2013 post, Why We No Longer Need HR Departments. 
 
Pooja Mishra, a media professional recalls an instance when on the HR’s suggestion, the company decided against giving Diwali bonuses as a measure of cost-cutting. “These HR people get fat pay cheques for taking away what is rightfully ours,” ranted Mishra. 
 
Marr noted that in an organisation, the HR is only of value when they deliver value, else, they are just another expensive roadblock in a company. “I have recently seen a number of companies that shut their HR departments down completely; outsourced the function or reduced it to a minimum. The reason they have done it, and not suffered any significant throw-back, is because HR wasn’t delivering any real value. Most of their time was taken up with bureaucratic and administrative tasks or legal issues. If HR doesn’t deliver some unique benefits then outsourcing it makes a lot of business sense,” he writes. 
 
So what is it that the HR is supposed to do? And how can it deliver value in an <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Howto-write-the-perfect-resignation-letter-without-annoying-anyone-in-the-systemyoure-quitting/articleshow/48110835.cms">organisation</a>? 
 
Bhardwaj of Sun Life Financial Asia Service Centre, points out that apart from being an employee’s first interface with an organization, an HR manager is also “a thorough professional in people-handling, who helps the organization attract, nurture and retain good talent”. 
 
Additionally, he notes, “While all the other functions in an organization are overt, the HR department mostly functions subtly, in conjugation with the company’s top management. Owing to this, a critical role HR managers perform is that of balancing expectations of both the employer and employees, and advocate interests of both sides.” 
 
Taking a note of what he tells us, there is no doubt that HR is a critical function of an organisation. But until its importance is realized, the HR is doomed to be in catch-22! 
 
Image Credit: necrothic.deviantart.com

Hate your HR? We tell you
why we cannot eliminate HR from our lives!

New Delhi, Mar 28 () Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) on Saturday said it is committed to work with the Indian government to ensure there is no disruption in global supply chain in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic.As India gears up to battle the coronavirus pandemic, the global medical technology industry is on the front line, mobilizing at never-before-seen levels, to help win this fight, AdvMed said in a statement."Our global network of experts is committed to support and work constructively with the government to ensure that there is no disruption in the global supply chain considering the dire need for technology to win this fight against Covid-19," AdvaMed Vice President Abby Pratt said.As an association, AdvaMed will continue to work with the Indian government to help improve the status quo in light of the pandemic that will not only ensure quality healthcare of Indian patients but also encourage robust innovation landscape for companies that promote life-saving and life-improving treatments and cures in times of such a crisis situation, he added."Rapid scaling up of the availability of screening and diagnostic tests in more centres across India is key to manage the reported increase in the number of Covid-19 cases across India," Roche Diagnostics India Pvt Ltd MD Shravan Subramanyam said.Addition of state government-run labs to the existing network could be an effective first step in the direction, he added."The government can establish scale for the Covid-19 screening and diagnostic network through existing private lab infrastructure, while diagnostic service providers can provide the technology for such testing," Subramanyam said.Private labs partnership in the scaling up process allows for their existing countrywide infrastructure to be leveraged to address a potentially mass testing requirement, he added.Emphasising the need for clear communication, BD-India/South Asia MD Pavan Mocherla said: "At a time like this, it is imperative to have a clear and consistent communication between the central authorities and the local bodies to ensure seamless and effective implementation of lockdown while preserving the supply chain for essential services in battling the COVID-19 crisis". AKT BALBAL

Committed to work with Indian govt to fight COVID-19 pandemic: AdvaMed

Ride-hailing major Uber on Monday said it has set up its second centre of excellence (CoE) in <keyword id="60510" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Visakhapatnam">Visakhapatnam</keyword> and will hire about 500 people for the facility by the end of next year. The US-based company which is locked in an intense battle with Bengaluru-headquartered Ola for market leadership in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> already operates a CoE in Hyderabad. "The Visakhapatnam CoE is an extension of our Hyderabad centre to ensure business continuity...it will provide specialised customer support for critical incidents that require immediate attention for both riders and our driver partners," Uber Senior Director, Community Operations for Asia Pacific, Wen-Szu Lin told .
 He added that the centre will support customers in India as well as APAC (Asia-Pacific) region.
 Set up at a cost of USD 800,000 (about Rs 5.73 crore), the new centre will create about 500 new jobs. The trained teams will respond to any urgent issue or incident that is reported to the company and will operate 24/7.
 "We have already hired 70 people and this number will go up to 120 by early next year. We expect to have about 500 people by the end of next year," he said.
 Lin added that the launch of the second centre in India is a reiteration of the company's commitment to the Indian market.
 "Through the new CoE, we plan to expand our global customer support footprint as well as aim to create new economic opportunities for the high caliber talent in this country," he said.
 Uber had launched its first India centre in Hyderabad in 2015, and now has a little over 1,000 employees providing critical regional and global customer support services to Uber riders, drivers, Eats customers, couriers, and restaurant partners.
 The Visakhapatnam facility is the 12th such centre globally for the company. Uber has two CoEs in the US in Chicago and Phoenix, and four in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region in Limerick (Ireland), Lisbon (Portugal), Cairo (Egypt), and Krakow (Poland).
 It has two CoEs each in Latin America (Costa Rica and Sao Paulo), and Philippines (Manila and Pampanga). SR SHW
SHW

Uber sets up new centre in Visakhapatnam, to hire 500 people

Yet another <keyword id="608402" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="data-breach">data breach</keyword> has hit Indian businesses, <keyword id="5299326" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="seqrite-cyber-intelligence-labs">Seqrite Cyber Intelligence Labs</keyword> and seQtree InfoServices has tracked an advertisement on DarkNet announcing secret access to the servers and database dump of over 6000 Indian businesses, according to an ET report. These businesses include both government and private organisations. It has identified the affected organisation as India's National <keyword id="6357247" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Internet">Internet</keyword> Registry: IRINN (Indian Registry for Internet Names and Numbers) which comes under <keyword id="670685" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="national-internet-exchange-of-india">National Internet Exchange of India</keyword> (NIXI). As a precautionary measure, <keyword id="3701415" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="seqrite">Seqrite</keyword> Intelligence Labs has reached out to government authorities and Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC) with a strong recommendation to alert all potentially affected organisations and urge them to change passwords and get their servers and systems patched with latest updates. The hacker has priced the information at 15 Bitcoins and is offering network takedown of affected organizations for an unspecified amount. Along with the access, the hacker is also selling credentials, PII and various contractual business documents and claims to have access to a large database of Asia Pacific Network Information Centre (APNIC). Seqrite said that an ongoing trend is seen with other recent data breaches. They then contacted the actor for further details, posing as an interested buyer, and were finally able to get a sample of the email list. The sample shared included the email address of a prominent Indian technology firm and another from the Indian government; eventually, a list of about 6000 emails was shared which led them to believe that the compromised database was from IRINN. Seqrite said that if the database was sold, then an attack on the system could disrupt Internet IP allocation and in-turn affect Internet services in India.

Major data breach puts 6000 Indian businesses at risk, could affect internet services in India

New Delhi, <keyword id="10387" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> on Thursday launched its new <keyword id="724264" type="DOMAIN" weightage="20" keywordseo="India-Development">India Development</keyword> Centre (IDC) facility at <keyword id="18858" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Noida">Noida</keyword> the architecture of which is inspired by the Taj Mahal. The new facility will serve as a premier hub for driving engineering and innovation, Microsoft said, adding that the new facility is Microsoft's third Development Centre in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> after Bengaluru and Hyderabad. "Recognising the strategic importance of establishing Microsoft engineering presence in Noida, my team went over and beyond in ensuring that our first engineering hub in Noida truly represents Microsoft Design Language infused with local culture and inheritance," Riku Pentikainen, Regional Director, Asia Real Estates <keyword id="6363823" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="operations">Operations</keyword>, Microsoft, said in a statement. "In this respect, I feel the team overdid themselves, and the newly opened Noida office is one of the most beautiful Microsoft workspaces, we have designed, to date." The centre will provide opportunities for engineering talent in the areas of business and productivity tools, <keyword id="107950" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="artificial-intelligence">Artificial Intelligence</keyword>, cloud and enterprise, core services, and the new gaming division. It will collaborate with Microsoft teams globally to build products and services for driving digital innovation. "The Microsoft NCR workplace represents a critical expansion of our world-class technology talent and exceptional engineering presence in India," said Rajiv Kumar, Managing Director, Microsoft India Research &amp; Development Pvt. Ltd. Microsoft India Development Center (IDC) is one of Microsoft's largest R&amp;D centres outside the Redmond headquarters in the US. Set up in Hyderabad in 1998, IDC drives Microsoft's strategy of globally shared development to build products and services. With a presence in Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and now NCR, IDC houses three technology groups and core engineering services. IDC also recently opened an additional office space at Sohini Tech Park in Hyderabad. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/hindustan-unilever-third-quarter-profit-revenue-and-share-price/articleshow/80480554.cms?upcache=2">A timely deal with GSK closed during the lockdown has helped Unilever three quarters in a row in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/a-playbook-for-budget-2021-to-boost-electronics-manufacturing-in-india/articleshow/80476759.cms">A playbook for Budget 2021 to boost electronics manufacturing in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/bytedance-lays-off-employees-in-india-months-after-tiktok-ban-in-the-country/articleshow/80476721.cms">ByteDance lays off employees in India, months after TikTok’s ban in the country</a>

Microsoft launches new India Development Centre facility in Noida

It’s not an unknown fact that centralisation of the best companies in a few cities of India has forced several young working professionals to move out of their hometowns and work tirelessly in stranger cities, which later become their homes. 
 However, the constant guilt of leaving their parents back home, and worrying about their health takes a toll on their own health as well as productivity, which is why a few reputed companies of India, like <keyword id="10875" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IBM">IBM</keyword>, <keyword id="6358918" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deloitte">Deloitte</keyword> and <keyword id="91294" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="American-Express">American Express</keyword>, have recently started giving their employees benefits for aged parents and parents-in-law. 
 
Last month, a special programme called the “Senior Care programme” was launched by IBM India. It helps employees balance work responsibilities with caring for ageing parents and parents-in-law who require their support. Through the programmer, the company offers its employees subsidised rates for non-critical but essential care services, and employees can request for these services online. 
 
Under the programme, the company will be providing escorted pick-up and drop service to elders from hospital/medical centre visits, home health aides or attendant services for 4-12 hour periods as back-up care, home visits by nurses for shots, as well as sample collection for medical tests from residence and delivery of the hard copy of the report. 
 
"There was a growing trend of IBMers having elder care responsibilities along with childcare. We have tie-ups with quality childcare centres across major locations but realised there was nothing towards the needs of the elderly," DP Singh, head-HR, IBM India/South Asia, told ET. 
In a short time, the service has picked up, as the authorities have received multiple enquiries and has had a few employees availing the benefits in the first week of the launch itself. 
 
Talking of Deloitte, it was in November last year when the company unveiled its Well Being Programme (WBP). As per the programme, parents and parents-in-law of the employees are provided an avenue to reach out and seek support on financial issues and anxiety-related issues. 
 
"Many among the senior population struggle with a sense of relevance and isolation, besides requiring assistance with medical issues. Some may be diagnosed with a life-threatening disease and have no idea how to deal with it," SV Nathan, senior director and chief talent officer at Deloitte in India, told ET. 
 
"The helpline is akin to a counselling service, but it's also more than that it's an outlet for our employees' parents and parents-in-law to talk about issues they're grappling with and thereby be able to reach out and ask for help," he added. 
 
American Express India, on the other hand, offers a 'Dil-Se' parental care programme for its employees, providing a 24/7 health helpline via an exclusive toll-free number for employees and their parents. This would assist them in the solving emergency and primary medical queries, booking doctors' appointments pan India, and getting health advice from qualified medical practitioners. 
 
"The programme also offers customised preventive and curative healthcare packages, consultation by senior doctors and diagnostics at discounted rates to ensure that wellness remains affordable and easily accessible to employees' parents," Vishpala Reddy, HR head, told ET. 
 
<a href="http://www.seniorcaresafe.com/images/Hands40prcnt.jpg">Image source</a>

IBM, Deloitte, AmEx roll out benefits for aged parents and parents-in-law of young employees

As e-mobility aims to take big steps in India, <keyword id="6354973" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="electric-vehicles" source="Orion">electric vehicles</keyword> solutions firm <keyword id="4410318" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="sun-mobility" source="Orion">SUN Mobility</keyword> on Wednesday announced it has raised $50 million by <keyword id="122714" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="vitol" source="Orion">Vitol</keyword>, one of the world's largest independent traders of energy and a significant investor in <keyword id="12350523" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zero-emission-technology-" source="Orion">zero-emission technology.</keyword> With this new funding, SUN Mobility plans to expand its footprint to major cities both by increasing the number of swap points, partnering with various OEMs (<keyword id="451306" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="original-equipment-manufacturers" source="Orion">original equipment manufacturers</keyword>), collaborating with various fleet operators and distributors to introduce newer business models, and adding more vehicles to its ever-expanding mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) offering. "Vitol will bolster our vision of onboarding 1 million EVs on SUN Mobility's platform by 2025 and help take make-in-India EV technology solutions to other emerging countries," Uday Khemka, Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, said in a statement. The company aims to set up 500 swap points in India by the end of 2022 and plans to roll out new products to enhance the swap experience and to further strengthen and expand its leadership in battery swapping across the country. "With over 160 million two and three-wheeler vehicles in India, SUN Mobility's model has significant potential. Electrifying the largest portion of India's vehicle fleet through a flexible and cost-effective offering has the potential to reduce urban pollution," added R Andrew de Pass, Head of Renewables, Vitol. SUN Mobility currently has a network of 50 battery-swapping stations spread across 14 cities, with plans to ramp it up to 150 stations in 20 cities by March 2021. It has already partnered with Indian Oil Company to deploy battery swap modules at their gas stations. According to an independent study by the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF), the EV market in India will be a $206 billion opportunity by 2030 if India maintains steady progress to meet its ambitious 2030 target. This would require a cumulative investment of over $180 billion in vehicle production and charging infrastructure. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/reliance-jio-cements-its-lead-over-airtel-in-both-total-as-well-as-active-subscribers/articleshow/87156675.cms">Reliance Jio cements its lead over Airtel in both total as well as active subscribers</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/titan-kalyan-jewellers-and-other-jewellery-stocks-rally-in-last-one-month-on-high-bullion-prices/articleshow/87156003.cms">Titan, Kalyan Jewellers and other jewellery stocks rally in last one month on high bullion prices</a>

SUN Mobility raises $50 million from energy giant Vitol

<div class="image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image">REUTERS/Pichi Chuang <keyword id="6355629" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Google">Google</keyword> Chairman Eric Schmidt waves after giving a speech during a business conference in Taipei November 9, 2011. </div></div></div>CHANGHUA, Taiwan (Reuters) - Google Inc opened its first two data centers in Asia on Wednesday to cater to the world's fastest growing consumer technology markets, but the company has no plans to open one in China or India.
Choosing Taiwan and Singapore instead illustrates the problem that tech companies face in trying to feed data demand in the world's two most populous countries: With regulations in flux in India and cyberspace censorship in China, Google had to look next door.
Mobile data traffic in emerging Asia-Pacific countries will likely rise 68 percent in 2014, well ahead of the global growth rate of 48 percent and the fastest growing region in the world, according to Analysys Mason, a research consultancy. Tech companies normally try to keep data centers as close to the customer base as possible because distance hurts speed.
"While we've been busy building, the growth in Asia's Internet has been amazing. The number of Internet users inIndia doubled, from 100 million to 200 million. It took six years to achieve that milestone in the U.S.," Google's vice president of data centers, Joe Kava, said in a statement.
"And this growth probably won't slow for some time, since the majority of people that have yet to come online also happen to live in Asia," he said.
Kava said the cost of building the centers was one consideration for locating in Taiwan, but things like data privacy policies, a highly trained workforce and network infrastructure were equally important.
"It's no secret that the Taiwanese ecosystem for technology companies is outstanding," he told reporters. "Being close to the technology companies will give us opportunity to further some of our partnerships" in Taiwan.
The importance of a country's data policies was highlighted by the way Google opened its centers in Taiwan and Singapore and its decision to double spending in Taiwan to $600 million compared to $120 million in Singapore.
While Google brought out executives and media to celebrate its Taiwan opening on Wednesday, the Singapore launch received no such fanfare.
The company has expressed concern over a Singapore regulation announced in May that requires certain websites that regularly report on Singapore to be licensed, put up a S$50,000 ($40,000) performance bond and take down within 24 hours any content that authorities deemed objectionable.
Singaporean opinion news site Breakfast Network effectively shut down this week as a result, saying the "demand to register has created a wrinkle in our barely formed plans to become a sustainable and professional outfit".
Google also announced it abandoned plans to build a third data centre in Hong Kong, citing primarily a lack of land.
<h3>SERVING 2.5 BILLION</h3>
Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore are all popular with global tech companies because they boast well-established privacy laws, reliable power and fiber broadband infrastructure, and skilled workforces, all essential to operating data centers.
Apple Inc, Amazon.com Inc and Microsoft Corp are also building data centers in Asia in Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. But the real appeal is the giant number of Internet users in China and India.
Google left mainland China in 2010 after a cyber attack and Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt told the Wall Street Journal last month that the company is in no hurry to return.
"China's censorship regime has gotten significantly worse since we left so something would have to change before we come back," he said.
That left an opening for China's Baidu Inc to further dominate the search engine market with a 66 percent share this year, according to web analytical tool StatCounter, and another local rival, 360 Search, to emerge, grabbing 21 percent. Google's share dropped to 9 percent from 41 percent in 2009 before its exit China.
"The regulatory environment in China is designed in a way to nurture local service providers such as Alibaba, so it makes it harder for foreign companies to enter the market," tech researcher IDC analyst Leon Kao, who is based in Taipei, said.
"But adding service support in Asia such as Hong Kong still increases a company's flexibility. For example, Amazon is able to deliver goods in a much shorter time now if there's a sudden surge in orders."
In India, Google dominates 97 percent share of the search engine market, data from StatCounter showed.
"In India, the challenge is mostly the cost of infrastructure and the ability of building infrastructure", said Radha Krishna Hiremane, Intel Corp's Asia-Pacific regional product marketing manager of data centre business, based in Singapore.
He said putting an India-focused data centre in Singapore may not cost more, but it could affect speed.
"What matters is latency. At the end of the day, if a service provider is able to provide acceptable latency for the end customers by serving from outside the region and there's no conflicting regulation such as data sovereignty, then there's not anything in the APEC countries we know would be an issue right now."
($1 = 1.2495 Singapore dollars)
(Additional reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff in SINGAPORE; Editing by Matt Driskill)

Google Opens Its First Two Asia Data Centers

On the evening of November 8, as the <keyword id="6359982" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="earth" source="Orion">Earth</keyword>'s shadow envelopes its sole satellite for nearly one-and-half hours, the world will witness a thrilling and chilling spectacle of a '<keyword id="2198098" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="blood-moon" source="Orion">Blood Moon</keyword>' <keyword id="90051" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="lunar-eclipse" source="Orion">lunar eclipse</keyword>, a prominent astronomer said here on Monday. Coming exactly 14 days (two Tuesdays) after the October 25 partial solar eclipse -- the lunar eclipse will be seen in totality in the northeastern states, but shall be only partially visible in the rest of <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> in the evening as the <keyword id="24879" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="sun" source="Orion">sun</keyword> sets, said Prof. Bharat Adur, Director, Akash Ganga Centre for Astronomy (AGCA) here. "Tomorrow, the Earth's looming shadow will cover the <keyword id="42440" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="moon" source="Orion">Moon</keyword> and during this period it will appear a dark reddish colour, almost like a large drop of blood balanced in the sky... This phenomenon is called a 'Blood Moon' and it's an exciting spectacle," said Prof. Adur. He urged the people to view it wherever possible, as this will be the last total lunar eclipse, and the next one (total lunar eclipse) due only after three years on September 7, 2025. The Earth will come between the Sun and Moon and the blue planet's monstrous shadow -- from a staggering distance of 3.93 lakh kms -- will shroud its small natural satellite, partially or fully, depending on the angle of alignment from where it is viewed, Prof. Adur explained. The Sun is around 109 times bigger than Earth and over 148-million kms away, while the Earth is nearly four times larger than the Moon, with an average distance of 3,85 lakh kms separating them. "In a total lunar eclipse, the Moon is entirely blanketed by the Earth's darkest shadow, called the 'umbra', and at this time, the Moon appears a dark-reddish colour, or what is called the 'Blood Moon' phenomenon," Prof. Adur said. In scientific terms, it's called the 'Rayleigh Scattering' as during a lunar eclipse the only sunlight that reaches the Moon passes through the Earth's atmosphere, thus turning the Moon an apparent reddish colour. This is the second celestial event since the last partial Solar Eclipse (October 25), and can be witnessed by people in India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, parts of Asia, Russia, North and South Americas, Australia, North Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean regions. Despite the scary myths or deep religious aspects associated with any eclipse (solar/lunar), Prof. Adur assured that there is absolutely no harm in viewing the unusual 'Blood Moon' on Tuesday with naked eyes or with binoculars which will enhance the reddish colour. The northeastern parts of India like Kohima, Agartala, Guwahati and other regions in the world will witness it in totality on Tuesday, the final eclipse of 2022. As the Moon will be below the horizon during the eclipse hours, most other parts of India will miss the exciting starting phases of both the partial and total eclipse, he said. Kolkata, New Delhi, Chennai along with Mumbai, can witness only the partial phase, and in the country's commercial capital barely 14 per cent of the Moon's obscuration can be viewed at 18.03 hours in the setting sun. However, the Moon will be seen 60 per cent covered in Nagpur, 66 per cent in Srinagar and in varying degrees in other cities, said Prof. Adur. In case people miss the 'Blood Moon' on Tuesday, they can wait for October 28, 2023, when there will be another partial lunar eclipse that will be visible in some parts of the country, Prof. Adur smiled. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/meta-expected-to-announce-massive-layoffs-this-week-that-could-impact-thousand-as-tech-bloodbath-continues-wsj/articleshow/95343558.cms">Meta expected to announce massive layoffs this week that could impact thousand as tech bloodbath continues: WSJ</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-backtracks-elon-musks-platform-will-delay-its-paid-blue-check-verification-plan-until-after-midterms-nyt/articleshow/95343175.cms">Twitter backtracks: Elon Musk's platform will delay its paid blue check verification plan until after midterms: NYT</a>

World to witness 'Blood Moon' spectacle in the sky on November 8

<ul><li>IndiGo, Spicejet, and GoAir are making the most out of the grounding of Jet Airways.</li><li>Reduced competition allows the airlines to charge high fares despite fewer passengers.</li><li>Stock market investors lapping up shares of IndiGo and SpiceJet.</li></ul>The Indian airline sector is controlled by three 'low-cost' airlines-- IndiGo, SpiceJet, and GoAir. The three companies are expected to post record profits in the year ending March 2020, according to a latest report, despite falling passenger traffic. The irony has been brought to life by the scorching airfares. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) has estimated an annual profit of $400 million-500 million for IndiGo alone-- that is more than the profits last year for all three airlines put together. Within 12 months, SpiceJet's domestic market share could approach 25%, CAPA reportedly said. SpiceJet currently has 13% market share as much as the state-owned Air India, while IndiGo already controls half the market, leaving the rest for GoAir, Vistara, and Air Asia. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 For instance, in the case of IndiGo, the average fare person grew 12% in the fourth quarter of 2019 whereas the number of seats occupied per flight fell 3%, compared to the same period a year earlier. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 These low-cost airlines have benefited from the disappearance of Jet Airways flights from the skies. Once the full-service carrier got grounded, the likes of IndiGo, SpiceJet, and GoAir were quick to raise airfares so high that the number of passengers opting for flights came down. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 This has also led to spectacular rise in the stock prices of the listed airlines as investors look for a share in the quick buck made by other airlines after Jet spiralled to the ground. Today, India's low-cost airlines are more valuable than all their global peers. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 The mad buying rush in airline stocks has led a global investment bank to issue a warning. HSBC has said that the consensus earnings forecast have risen too much ignoring some of the other industry risks. Everyone, except the government and the competition regulator, seems to have taken note of the market distortion. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/boeing-and-jet-airways-crisis-has-helped-indigo-lufthansa-and-singapore-airlines-but-hurt-indian-airline-traffic/articleshow/69001574.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">The crises at Boeing and Jet Airways has brought India's air traffic growth to a grinding halt</a>

Indian airlines have more empty seats these days but their profits are soaring like never before-- and no one seems to care

An iconic visit has to be celebrated with a stay at an equally iconic place. No wonder then that Team Apple chose one of Mumbai’s most iconic hotels and heritage buildings for Tim Cook’s stay at India’s financial capital, The Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. 
 
 
<a href="http://media.weddingz.in/venues/7-jpg.jpg">Source </a> 
Cook is expected to touchdown in Mumbai around 11.45pm in a private jet and is expected to head straight to the hotel, where the Grand Luxury Suite in the Heritage Wing of the iconic hotel has already been reserved for him. The stay at the suite, with room sizes ranging between 700-1,300sq.ft will cost Cook a whopping Rs 87,000 per night, not that he can’t pay it! This will the first visit for any top Apple executive. Cook’s predecessor and Apple’s famous founder, Steve Jobs, never considered India a primary investment destination. 
 
In Mumbai, the Apple team is expected to meet Vodafone India CEO Sunil Sood, members of the startup community to discuss and understand the potential for developing iOS applications in India and also top executives of India's largest conglomerate Reliance Industries Ltd. A meeting with Reliance’s owner and India’s second richest person, Mukesh Ambani, has still not been confirmed. 
 
 
<a href="http://newznew.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Sunil-Sood-1.jpg">Source</a> 
 
Cook will also be visiting Hyderabad on May 19 and New Delhi on May 20 and 21, to meet Indian PM Narendra Modi. 
 
In Hyderabad, Cook would be meeting Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, while also visiting the location of Apple’s new technology development centre. In Hyderabad, Cook would be meeting Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu, while also visiting the location of Apple’s new technology development centre. The centre, touted as Apple’s key research and development hub in Asia is located at a business complex called the WaveRock, built by real estate developers, Tishman Speyer. The centre that will house a building spread across 1mn sq ft is expected to be completed by the end of 2016 and the entire 2.5 lakh sq. Ft centre is expected to become functional by early 2017. 
 
While in Delhi, Cook and his team will be staying at The Leela Palace hotel in Chanakyapuri. 
 
 
<a href="https://images.trvl-media.com/hotels/4000000/3860000/3851700/3851663/3851663_47_z.jpg">Source</a> 
 
In the capital city, besides meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday, May 21, he will meet the Chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Bharti Mittal on May 20. Mittal runs India’s largest telecom service operator, Airtel, which is also Asia’s third largest telecommunications company. 
 
 
<a href="https://www.gg2.net/newImage/original/1363775653_Sunil%20Bharti%20Mittal.jpg">Source</a> 
 
His talks with Modi are expected to include discussions about opening single brand retail stores in India, which is due for a governmental clearance soon. For Apple, the Indian authorities are waiving off a contentious clause in the policy to allow 100% owned single brand retail stores in India, which required owners to source atleast 30% of the material from the country. Talks with the Indian PM are also expected to include India’s decision to refuse Apple from selling refurbished iPhones in India. Cook is expected to fly out the same day. 
 
Cook who took charge of Apple in August 2011, was chosen to take over by Steve Jobs. He holds an MBA from Duke University and Bachelor of Science in industrial engineering from Auburn University. 
 
<a href="http://i.huffpost.com/gen/2044974/images/o-TIM-COOK-facebook.jpg">Image source</a>

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