RBI ups key rates, loans won't get costlier for now

In a bid to tighten money supply and curb rising prices, the Reserve Bank of India on Tuesday hiked benchmark rates by 25 basis points each in the monetary policy for 2010-11. However, the good news for borrowers is that this may not lead to an immediate increase in loan rates, though there will certainly be an "upward bias". "Whatever has been done in the policy has reduced the supply. So definitely there is an upward bias in rates. As credit demand increases, there will be a demand-supply gap, and then there is a possibility of interest rates going up," SBI chairman OP Bhatt said. ICICI Bank MD Chanda Kochhar expressed a similar view, saying ‘‘During the year I do see the lending rates going up, but I don’t see any immediate impact on rates as of now.’’ HDFC Bank MD Aditya Puri said lending rates would depend on the demand for funds. ‘‘We do not see any significant change in rates in the near term,’’ he said.

Should gambling in India be legalized?

Beyond the raging controversy over the finances and ownership of IPL teams, there are long-standing murmurs of betting and match fixing in cricket. Betting is banned in India, but that has not stopped people from indulging in it. Would it not make sense to legalize it? Prohibition never stopped people from drinking — it just made some of the alcohol unsafe. In fact, what a ban does is to drive such activity under ground, with criminal elements, terrorists and the drug mafia all getting involved. Legalizing betting and other forms of gambling would minimize the underworld's role by bringing this activity into the open. The government would also be able to raise revenues through taxation. Some might say the social consequences of gambling -- stories of men gambling away their family's savings -- make it not worth the risk. But if there are regulations in place, this possibility too would be minimized. Should betting and gambling, therefore, be made a legitimate, regulated tax-paying business?

Cos plan 15% hike in pay

It's that time of the year again. While traffic on Job Street is picking up, the decibels on the annual increments are getting louder. After a year of salary freeze and pay cuts, companies are looking to fatten the wallets of their employees — albeit more moderately than the heydays of 2006-07. The performers, however, have nothing to worry about. A dip-stick survey by TOI revealed that headhunters are projecting up to a 15% hike in salaries in India Inc this fiscal. Besides the hikes, here are a few other trends that would stand out. MNCs are no longer the preferred paymasters since the growth story has now taken a desi turn. The wide-eyed obsession of Indian white collar workers for MNCs is a thing of past and the focus is now on domestic companies. And the performers are not going to lose out in the year of the turnaround. Says Sandeep Chaudhary, leader of Hewitts Performance and Rewards Consulting practice in India: ‘‘The growth drivers are domestic consumption and investment. Since the domestic market is insulated from global downturn, it is less volatile. Organisations across all sectors in this field are looking at better salary increase projections for 2010, when compared to actuals of 2009.'' According to a TeamLease survey, the services sector is providing a fillip to salary growth with an average 6% growth, contrasted with the rather low, sub-5% salary growth average for the manufacturing sector. Telecommunication, healthcare and IT in that order have been driving this growth. Energy, automobile and allied and FMCD in that order are the only manufacturing sector industries to drive salary growth at 5% plus levels. A survey by Hewitt Associates also projects salary hikes for 2010 in India at 10.6%, the highest in Asia-Pacific and up 60% from the actual increase of 6.6% in 2009. It further adds that Indian-owned companies are expected to outperform MNCs with a projected average increase of 11.4% as against a 10.2% by the latter. E Balaji, CEO, Ma Foi Management Consultants, also swears by the 10%-plus hike. ‘‘Salaries are likely to be slightly above the 10% mark.”

Industry grows at over 15% in Feb

NEW DELHI: Industrial growth maintained the high growth rate of over 15% for the third month in a row in February. Industrial growth, as measured by the index of industrial production (IIP), however, was slightly lower than around 16% of the previous month and 17.6% in December. The high growth is largely due to a strong 16% growth in manufacturing and a low base of 0.2% a year ago, when the Indian economy was still reeling under the impact of the global financial crisis. Consumer durable, which was particularly hit by the global crisis, expanded 29.9% in February while capital goods production rose 44.4%. Among other sectors, mining rose 12.2% and electricity by 6.7%. For the first 11 months of the last fiscal, industrial output rose by 10.1% against 3% a year ago. As many as 14 out of the 17 industrial groups showed positive growth in February. This would help the Indian economy to grow by at least 7.2% as estimated by the Central Statistical Organisation (CSO).

Sachin and the art of magic

Finally, Sachin Tendulkar’s dream sequence came to an end on Tuesday night: he himself would have heaved a sigh of relief after returning to the dugout with nothing more than 11 runs in his kitty.
After all, the way he is batting it almost looks unreal. For most of his fans, of course, it is as close to magic as it can get; but then, don’t we all know that there is not even a thin line between magic and illusion.
The amazing part is that Sachin is batting like the good old times; if anything, in fact, he seems to have gone one level higher now. Instead of blazing all the way, like he used to, he pulls out the big shots only as a weapon of surprise.
Otherwise, he is happy playing the edges, nudges and, quite often, even the second fiddle; the booming drives too have quietly made way for well-timed, well-directed hits. He doesn’t try to convert good deliveries into bad anymore; they come along anyway.
Most importantly, unlike earlier, his innings doesn’t end abruptly, just when he seems to be racing towards a crescendo: this is probably the one critical difference between the Sachin of yore and the Sachin of today. Truly, experience and age have their virtues.
Despite his meager contribution against Kings XI, Sachin would be delighted though: after all, Mumbai Indians won yet again, romping to their sixth triumph. At this stage, all the think-tanks must be wondering how to stop him and his team.
After all, they do look invincible. With Shikhar Dhawan willing to take the attack to the opposition, and Sachin playing the mentor, they have the most effective opening pair here. With Tiwari, Rayudu, Bravo and Pollard to follow, they also have the firepower to go for broke.
Harbhajan Singh, of course, is there with his own brand of batting in times of crises. The only question is: can they sustain it? Especially, when runs dry up from Sachin’s bat.
MI, however, look even more imposing when you look at their bowling: Zaheer. Malinga. Harbhajan. There is experience and variety here. Add Bravo and McLaren and they seem to have an answer for everything.
Only one team matches them in terms of personnel: Royal Challengers. Kallis, Pandey and Uthappa have been in superlative form with the bat; Steyn, Praveen and Vinay have been equally potent with the ball. With the arrival of Pietersen, they appear even more formidable.
But just when you thought the battle was getting thicker at the top, they went and lost to Dhoni’s Super Kings. Caught in a Vijay blitzkrieg, they capitulated easily to open up the table completely. Everybody seems to be in the race again, apart from the luckless Kings XI of course.
Clearly, the IPL has slipped into its most exciting phase; as the teams get their final reinforcements, the contests will only become sharper and tighter.

Generation Next

India, the world's fastest growing mobile phone market, is on its way to revolutionising its telecom sector. Auction of spectrum for 3G services is a first for the country, and the response last Friday didn't belie expectations. First day, first show saw 12 per cent higher bids than the fixed base price of Rs 3,500 crore. Nine bidders put on the table a total of Rs 12,000 crore, and that's already one-third the officially projected revenue haul of around Rs 35,000 crore. Cash inflow, it seems, may eventually exceed the government's target. Though a very dynamic sector, telecom has yet long been dogged by controversies. Opacity and arbitrariness marked the now-stalled grant of 2G spectrum. The specially designed 3G sale model India's first online auction monitored by auctioneers and telecom authorities provides a welcome contrast. The multi-phase bidding process aims at boosting revenue, allowing for stage-by-stage price escalation based on surplus demand. It's also geared to avoiding cartelisation by bidders. With the world watching India handle one of its most exciting technological makeovers, the bar has rightly been set high on transparency. If our growth story is to remain credible globally, all remnants of a licence-permit approach to business have to be swept away. The government's stakes are high. India's yawning fiscal deficit has to be trimmed to 5.5 per cent of GDP in 2010-11. Revenue from sale of 3G and, subsequently, broadband wireless access will come in handy. Fiscal consolidation plans are also to be buoyed by disinvestment proceeds, and a follow-on public offer in SAIL is the latest big news on that front. The government must continue mobilising resources through reform and modernisation which have multiplier effects on the economy. More so, since its social sector spending will increase with the upcoming food security law. For consumers, 3G's high-end applications will take cellphone use to the next level. High-speed internet, video streaming, calling and conferencing, TV viewing, online movies and games, content download, data sharing and transfer: all of this and more can be facilitated on the 3G platform. Important social and economic benefits will accrue, when 3G-enabled mobile services are geared to health and literacy, dissemination of market information for, say, farmers or banking and other financial transactions. On their part, companies may expect good returns on investment, going by a TRAI report that 150 million cellphone users had subscribed to data and internet services by end-2009. That indicates the kind of demand out there. At the end of the day, however, 3G will be as transformative as its price tag allows it to be. It'll be good for everybody if competition among operators ensures affordability.

Man who inspired Bill Gates dies

Dr. Henry Edward Roberts, a developer of an early personal computer that inspired Bill Gates to found Microsoft, died on Thursday in Georgia. He was 68. Roberts, whose build-it-yourself kit concentrated thousands of dollars worth of computer capability in an affordable package, inspired Bill Gates and his childhood friend Paul Allen to come up with Microsoft in 1975 after they saw an article about the MITS Altair 8800 in Popular Electronics. Roberts, an ex-military man, later went on to careers as a farmer and a physician, but continued to keep up with computer advances: He recently told Gates he hoped to work with new, nanotechnology-enhanced machines, according to son David Roberts. “He did think it was pretty neat, some of the stuff they’re doing with the processors,” said David Roberts, who confirmed Gates rushed to Georgia on Friday to be with his mentor. Roberts died in a Macon hospital after a long bout with pneumonia, according to his family. “Ed was willing to take a chance on us — two young guys interested in computers long before they were commonplace — and we have always been grateful to him,” Gates and Allen said in a joint statement. “The day our first untested software worked on his Altair was the start of a lot of great things. We will always have many fond memories of working with Ed."

Oilcos may lose Rs 80000 crore

If the current price of crude at around $85 per barrel continues and government does not hike the petrol and diesel prices, the losses of government-owned IndianOil, Bharat Petroleum (BPCL) and Hindustan Petroleum (HPCL) may jump over 66% to Rs 80,000 crore in 2010-11 due to under-recovery. According to one estimate, these three fuel retailers lost around Rs 48,000 crore on selling petrol, diesel, cooking gas and kerosene below cost in 2009-10. The firming of global crude had led to upward revision in estimates for under-recoveries to Rs 48,000 crore for 2009-10, from earlier projection of Rs 45,000 crore. In 2009-10, losses were lower as crude prices fell due to slowdown in the global economy. But prices are now firming up with recovery in the world economy, a government official said. According to a company official, IndianOIL, BPCL and HPCL currently sell petrol at a loss of Rs 6.12 per litre and diesel at Rs 4.60 per litre. Sale of Kerosene through public distribution system leads to maximum losses, with an under-recovery of around Rs 18.42 per litre. They also lose Rs 265.27 per cylinder of cooking gas. According to another estimate, if the price of crude jumps to $100 per barrel, losses of oil companies will touch Rs 1,20,000 crore in 2010-11.Refiners, who sell the final products in markets at lower than the cost of production, are worried over indecision on part of government regarding sharing of losses by the crude producing companies like ONGC. In 2009-10, a part of losses on petrol and diesel has to be met by upstream firms like ONGC as per a prescribed formula and the government is supposed to bear the losses on sale of cooking fuels. However, government has provided for only Rs 12,000 crore of the total loss of Rs 20,989 crore on the sale of cooking gas and kerosene in the first nine months of 2009-10. The losses further surged in the fourth quarter as the crude prices increased. But the government is yet to make any payment towards this end. Out of the provisioning of Rs 12,000 crore, IOC would get Rs 7,100.18 crore, BPCL Rs 2,370.77 crore and HPCL Rs 2,529.05 crore.

India's Young Hottest Executive

When Madhu Kannan, now running India's oldest stock exchange, turned up at the Bombay Stock Exchange at 6.30 a.m. on his first day at work, the guard posted at Phiroze Jeejeebhoy Towers, where the bourse is housed, stopped him. He did not know that BSE had recruited the youngest CEO in its history, and thought that Kannan, 36, was pulling a fast one (Kannan's predecessor was 45).
"It was tough getting in. It was easier to get the job," chuckles Kannan, who is just one among several top executives finding their youth an advantage— and a burden at times—as they race into the CEO's room in record time. Others: Rajesh Kamat at entertainment TV channel Colors, Varun Bajpai at SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Management, Tarun Katial at Reliance Media World, Gagan Banga at Indiabulls Financial Services, Akshay Gupta at Peerless MF and Sameer Kamdar at ASK Investment Managers.
Here are some useful words from India's hottest young executives:
R Balakrishnan - Chairman & Chief Creative Officer/ Lowe
"I believe that focus, ability etc. are all hygiene factors. It is finally a lot of luck involved in success...I still don't have an idea how and why the right idea comes, so it is about having the patience and resilience to hang in there till you get lucky."
Prasoon Joshi - Executive Chairman/ McCann Worldgroup India
"Achievers never take themselves too seriously, they take their job and the moment seriously and are constantly practising their craft. They are constant learners and are stupid enough sometimes to not know that things can't work-and they do!"
Santrupt Misra - CEO of Carbon Black, & Director, HR/Aditya Birla Group
"Have a keen interest in things that may not have any relevance to your immediate business. Gain knowledge about different aspects of business; put oneself behind people and harness the power that various people have in the organisation."
Madhabi Puri-Buch - MD & CEO/ICICI Securities
"Seek out difficult assignments. This is where you can add maximum value. Have the stomach to do them differently. More of the same never solved a problem. Create systems and a strong second line so that there is no hesitation to let you move on."
Kamesh Goyal - CEO, India, Middle East & North Africa/Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance
"In my view, the qualities that are required in a person for the top job are a sense of ownership, an ability to learn beyond the area of responsibility and also have an ability to take risks. Good leaders are usually equipped with these traits."
Rajesh Kamat - CEO, Colors; Group COO, Viacom 18
"What compensates for lack of grey hair is the point to prove and passion to prove. You can always find people who want to aspire to get to the next level"
Madhu Kannan - MD & CEO, BSE
"There is absolutely no replacement for high quality relevant experience, right attitude and the willingness to adapt to the changing environment. These are bigger drivers than age"
Tarun Katial - CEO, Reliance Media World
"The work life cycle one would cover in 3-5 years, is now completed in one year"
Rishi Khiani - CEO, Times Internet
"Companies in the forefront of innovation globally (the large Internet companies or the media companies) are the ones with a younger CEO"
Varun Bajpai - Senior Managing Director, Macquarie Capital; also CEO at SBI Macquarie Infrastructure Management
"What matters is the maturity of an individual, the professionalism one operates with and also the competence one brings to the table"

Infosys denies reports of tax & duty evasion

NEW DELHI: The country's second largest software exporter Infosys on Monday said it has made a total advance tax payment of Rs 1,180 crore for the fiscal 2009-10. "We are among the top tax payers in the software and BPO industry. For fiscal year 2010, our total advance tax payment is Rs 1,180 crore," the company CEO Krish Gopalakrishnan said. Infosys also refuted reports of evasion of taxes and duties, saying it did not claim any tax or duty benefit till its SEZ unit in Chandigarh got approved by the Ministry of Commerce on June 16, 2006 and signing of the customs bond on July 10, 2006. "Therefore there is no question of evasion of taxes and duties (direct and indirect)," it said. "No land has been sold to us by the Chandigarh administration on free hold basis. Infosys signed the land lease agreement as per the provisions of SEZ Rules on April 3, 2009," the company said. The firm has not carried out a series of complex buying and lease deals with the Chandigarh administration to buttress the legality of its SEZ status," Infosys said in a statement. Stating that the land was vacant at the time of filing the application by the Chandigarh administration, the subsequent construction activities have been fully disclosed and the government has also confirmed the same in its inspection report and this fact has been considered by the government before the issuance of the SEZ notification. The SEZ being developed by Infosys has come under the scanner of the revenue department for allegedly breaking some norms. SEZ rules require that land should be vacant for getting approval. The revenue department in the Finance Ministry claimed that it had found some structures on SEZ land even before the approval was given. Infosys added that it continues to invest in its facility in Chandigarh. The cumulative investment by the company in this facility as on December 31, 2009 is Rs 286.85 crore. "Since the start of operations of our Chandigarh Development Centre on September 4, 2006 till December 31, 2009, we have had exports of over Rs 750.40 crore. Exports for the last 12 months ended December 31, 2009 was Rs 374.64 crore. As of December 31, 2009 we had 2,676 employees at our Chandigarh Development Center. The only activity taken up in this development center is for export purposes, itadded

ASHOK VERMA
PGDM II SEM

Scholarships

Are you thinking of pursuing higher studies? Then you may probably be thinking of financial backing as well. You need not always depend on loans to go in for higher studies. Apart from educational loans, monetary aid is available to students as Scholarships and Endowments. Scholarships enable deserving students to pursue higher education in their sphere of study or go for specialization by providing them necessary monetary assistance as course fee and book grant without having to repay loans. Today scholarships and stipend are available to school students, college students, research fellows etc. The scholarships may be funded by Individual Trusts, Government Institutions, Institutions of Higher Learning like Universities, by Corporate Houses or by Missionaries and Charitable Trusts. The students have to fulfill the eligibility criteria as laid down by the respective organizations or institutions offering scholarships to be in receipt of these scholarships. The eligibility criteria set by institutions may be ones regarding the minimum and maximum age limit of applicants, the academic ability (scholarships are usually given to meritorious students who have performed exceptionally well in academics), exceptional interest in a particular field, research work carried out in that field etc. Scholarships are available in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Medicine, Law, Sports, Fine Arts
and a number of other fields. While some of the scholarships enable students to pursue studies in India, International Scholarships enable students to pursue higher studies abroad. Some of these scholarships are quite prestigious and being a recipient of it gives adds weightage to one's resume.

Signs of resolution over impasse on women's bill

NEW DELHI: The standoff over the Women's Reservation Bill in Lok Sabha ended on Thursday with the government announcing that the proposed legislation would be brought in the House only after consultations with all sections. The breakthrough came after SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, RJD leader Lalu Prasad and JD(U) president Sharad Yadav, the three strong opponents of the bill, met finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and DMK leader T R Baalu also attended the meeting. During the meeting, "some sort of assurance was sought on the progress of the Constitution Amendment Bill (Women's Reservation Bill) before bringing it to the Lok Sabha. Government will complete the process of consultations with all concerned," Pranab Mukherjee said in a statement in the Lok Sabha after his discussions. "I think, this assurance would assuage the feelings of all members and the business would be conducted smoothly," he said, when the House re-assembled after two adjournments on the issue. The standoff over the bill prevented normal functioning of the Lok Sabha for the last four days as those opposed to it have been disrupting the House. "I would like to inform members that it has been agreed to conduct smooth business of the House for the remaining period," Mukherjee said. "I would request colleagues to help the Chair to conduct normal business," he said. The statement by the Leader of the House came at 2pm after two adjournments following uproar over the bill. Normalcy was restored soon after and discussion on General Budget, which had got delayed because of acrimony, was taken up. Earlier, after his meeting with Mukherjee, Sharad Yadav said the government had assured those opposing the bill that all sections of the House will be consulted before bringing the measure in the Lok Sabha.



ASHOK VERMA
PGDM IIsem

scholar news

Are you thinking of pursuing higher studies? Then you may probably be thinking of financial backing as well. You need not always depend on loans to go in for higher studies. Apart from educational loans, monetary aid is available to students as Scholarships and Endowments. Scholarships enable deserving students to pursue higher education in their sphere of study or go for specialization by providing them necessary monetary assistance as course fee and book grant without having to repay loans. Today scholarships and stipend are available to school students, college students, research fellows etc. The scholarships may be funded by Individual Trusts, Government Institutions, Institutions of Higher Learning like Universities, by Corporate Houses or by Missionaries and Charitable Trusts. The students have to fulfill the eligibility criteria as laid down by the respective organizations or institutions offering scholarships to be in receipt of these scholarships. The eligibility criteria set by institutions may be ones regarding the minimum and maximum age limit of applicants, the academic ability (scholarships are usually given to meritorious students who have performed exceptionally well in academics), exceptional interest in a particular field, research work carried out in that field etc. Scholarships are available in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Medicine, Law, Sports, Fine Arts and a number of other fields. While some of the scholarships enable students to pursue studies in India, International Scholarships enable students to pursue higher studies abroad. Some of these scholarships are quite prestigious and being a recipient of it gives adds weightage to one's resume.

current scholar

Alejandra Arguelles was born in Mexico City and lived in the Los Angeles Area since she was twelve years old. Upon graduation from Manual Arts High School, Alejandra entered the work force. She worked for several years until she realized she needed a higher education in order to achieve her dreams. Alejandra attended Los Angeles Trade Tech College and received her Associates Degree in Accounting before transferring to the University of Southern California. Alejandra hopes that one day in the near future her dream of becoming a CFO will come true.
Rutilio Castor Jr. was born in Los Angeles California, but was raised in Mexico. After graduating from Lakewood High School, he enrolled at Long Beach City College to become a Recording Engineer. After completing his first semester, Rutilio dropped out in order to join the labor force. After years of working at a dead-end job, Rutilio decided to go back to school. He enrolled at Los Angeles Trade-Tech College in the Machine Shop Program. After completing the program, Rutilio took the advice from his English professors and declared English as his major and put all his focus and dedication into being admitted to USC. Rutilio knew that USC would push him to another level and after he was admitted, he realized he had made the right decision. While attending USC, Rutilio plans to obtain a Master’s in Education and become an English Professor. Currently he is working closely with a program called “Colleges against Cancer” which raises funds for the American Cancer Society and cancer awareness. His goal in life is to teach, inspire, and motivate just like his peers and mentors have inspired him to never give up.
Jesus Escobar was born and raised in South Central Los Angeles, California. Upon receiving his GED at Bell Alternative Education and Work Center, Jesus began his college experience at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) where he developed a passion for learning. At ELAC, Jesus made it his priority to one day become a Trojan and transfer to one of the most renowned schools in the country. At the University of Southern California (USC), Jesus is majoring in Sociology with the anticipation of obtaining a second major in Political Science. He has completed numerous hours of community service, including helping with the construction of homes for needy families and removing litter from the L.A community while working with organizations such as Caltrans and Habitat for Humanity. Upon graduation from USC, Jesus plans to enroll in a postgraduate degree program in the social sciences.
Edgar Escobedo was born in Mexico. At the age of fourteen, he and his brother migrated up north to reunite with their parents in East Los Angeles. Edgar attended Roosevelt High School where he graduated with honors and was offered a scholarship to attend UC Irvine. His migratory status made him ineligible to receive the scholarship earned or to attend any other college or university at the time. Edgar had no choice but to join the workforce where he held several minimum-wage jobs over the years. In 2002 he finally had the opportunity to return to school and resume his dream of getting a fine education. He enrolled in Los Angeles City College where he received his Associates degree in Liberal Arts ten years after graduating from High School. At USC, Edgar is a Policy, Planning and Development major. He plans to attend law school and focus on immigration law.
Christopher Juarez graduated from Alhambra High School in Alhambra California, and attended East Los Angeles College before transferring to USC. In line with his current interests, Chris spent over four years serving on the Alhambra City Youth Commission which is an advisory board to the City Council tasked with ensuring the city is appropriately serving the young citizens’ needs. Chris is a sophomore, currently studying political science and plans to pick up a double major in policy, planning and development. He plans attend law school after graduation and continue his passion for government and civil service with a possible career as a municipal attorney.
Hung Lac grew up in Vietnam and came to Monterey Park in 2002 where he attended Mark Keppel High School. He continued to pursue his academic goal at East Los Angeles College with a major in biochemistry. He recently transferred to USC due to the wide array of potential opportunities that USC offers to science majors and the great help that USC students receive. Hung is determined to achieve his goal of becoming a pharmacist. He plans to continue his education after USC undergraduate as a pharmacy student, possibly in USC School of Pharmacy.

scholar club programe

The SCholars Club is designed to assist exceptional community college students in transferring to selective colleges and universities. Students interested in participating in this unique program must submit a SCholars Club application by the appropriate deadline.
Ideal candidates for the SCholars Club will meet the following selection criteria:
Student has completed at least one semester (preferably one year) of courses
Student maintains full-time enrollment (enrolled in approximately 4 courses per semester)
Student has minimal withdrawals (Ws) on their academic record
Student’s course selection fulfills IGETC requirements or is enrolled in transferable courses
Once admitted to the SCholars Club, participants attend a Kick-off Breakfast in the Fall at USC that honors their academic accomplishments. This reception introduces SCholars Club participants to the USC campus culture, and is meant to excite students about transferring to a selective, research institution. The reception also provides an opportunity for current USC students who are ELAC, LACC, and LATTC alumni to interact with newly selected SCholars Club participants.
PROGRAM BENEFITS:
Use of USC services
Each SCholars Club participant receives a personalized USC SCholars Program identification card. The card grants participants access to USC’s electronic resources in addition to services offered by USC’s Libraries and Writing Center.
Four- Part Transfer Success Seminar Series
Part One: Why transfer?This orientation session introduces participants to the program’s goals and guidelines. Participants meet program staff and a panel of currently enrolled USC transfer students. Students are asked to bring an outline of their admissions essay to the next session.
Part Two: Why transfer to USC?This workshop details the benefits of attending a highly selective private institution. The session also informs participants about USC’s general admission requirements, USC’s character and mission, and about the unique opportunities afforded to USC students because of its location and rich relationship with the City of Los Angeles. Students receive feedback on their outline, and prepare a draft of their application essay(s) for the following workshop.
Parts Three & Four: How to transfer to USC: applying and funding your USC education. The USC Admission’s Officer assigned specifically to ELAC, LACC, and LATTC respectively, provide information on admission requirements, tips, and guidelines for the application essay(s). In addition, a USC Financial Aid Representative provides information about unique funding opportunities, necessary financial aid documents (FAFSA, CSS Profile), and completing the financial aid application.
Office Hours
Each participant meets one-on-one with a SCholars Program staff member to review the student’s application and to discuss transfer readiness and transfer credits. Questions about the financial aid process are also addressed.
Visit SC: A Day in the Life of a Trojan
This day-long event takes place in the Spring and provides an opportunity for prospective transfer students to experience what it is like to be a “Trojan.” The agenda for this event includes a campus tour, visits to resource centers across campus, participation in a mock lecture, and many other activities that are both educational and enjoyable.
Campus Activities
Participants of the SCholars Club are presented with opportunities to attend several USC events throughout the year to further familiarize them with our campus (e.g. cultural events, sporting events, lectures, etc.).

Scholarship News

Are you thinking of pursuing higher studies? Then you may probably be thinking of financial backing as well. You need not always depend on loans to go in for higher studies. Apart from educational loans, monetary aid is available to students as Scholarships and Endowments. Scholarships enable deserving students to pursue higher education in their sphere of study or go for specialization by providing them necessary monetary assistance as course fee and book grant without having to repay loans. Today scholarships and stipend are available to school students, college students, research fellows etc. The scholarships may be funded by Individual Trusts, Government Institutions, Institutions of Higher Learning like Universities, by Corporate Houses or by Missionaries and Charitable Trusts. The students have to fulfill the eligibility criteria as laid down by the respective organizations or institutions offering scholarships to be in receipt of these scholarships. The eligibility criteria set by institutions may be ones regarding the minimum and maximum age limit of applicants, the academic ability (scholarships are usually given to meritorious students who have performed exceptionally well in academics), exceptional interest in a particular field, research work carried out in that field etc. Scholarships are available in Arts, Humanities, Science, Engineering, Medicine, Law, Sports, Fine Arts and a number of other fields. While some of the scholarships enable students to pursue studies in India, International Scholarships enable students to pursue higher studies abroad. Some of these scholarships are quite prestigious and being a recipient of it gives adds weightage to one's resume.

RELIANCE CAPITAL SCALE

Reliance Capital scales up stake in Fame to 11%
Aminah Sheikh/Mumbai - Feb 18,2010 00:26 AM
The Anil Ambani-promoted Reliance Capital has scaled up its stake in theatre chain Fame India from 8.13 per cent to nearly 11 per cent. This is subsequent to the demand from the Ambani group company, Reliance MediaWorks, for an explanation from Fame for spurning its takeover suit in favour of rival, INOX Leisure.
Reliance Capital began with a 3.5 per cent stake in Fame India and had been continuously shoring up its stake. However, INOX has already taken a 51 per cent stake in the company and announced an open offer for a further 20 per cent.
Reliance Capital's acquisition has been made at share prices between Rs 44 and Rs 75. Fame's stock closed at Rs 75 today, five per cent up from yesterday's close. This makes Fame five times costlier than its peers in the multiplex industry, based on its price to earnings (PE) ratio. For example, while Fame's PE is 97.79 based on today's price, that of Cinemax and Inox Leisure are 14.53 and 18.76, respectively.
Reliance MediaWorks claimed to have expressed interest in acquiring stake in Fame India at Rs 80 per share, though Fame had said earlier it did not get any formal written offer. Analysts said with INOX already having 51 per cent stake, the scaling up of stake could be Reliance MediaWorks' attempt to make the deal more expensive for INOX.
It is not known whether INOX will increase its open offer price (Rs 51 a share), but sources close to the deal say it may not, as it already has 51 per cent in Fame. The open offer is scheduled in April.
Analysts said if Reliance MediaWorks could increase its stake in the company to 26 per cent through open market operations or an open offer (which would be triggered if they increased it to 15 per cent), the company would secure a position on the board.
Reliance MediaWorks has been crying foul in the last few weeks, claiming it had made an offer to Fame's promoter, Shravan Shroff, to acquire stake at Rs 80 per share and threatened regulatory action against Fame India. However, in an earlier interview to Business Standard, Shroff had clarified, "Reliance MediaWorks never made a written offer to acquire stake in Fame at Rs 80.&"

ASHOK VERMA
PGDM IIsem

The NIIT National Aptitude Test (NITAT)

The NIIT National Aptitude Test (NITAT) introduced by NIIT in the year 2004 tests the acumen of graduate students in the fields of science, commerce, arts and engineering before they embark on a professional career in the information technology sector.Coming into existence in 1981, NIIT works with the principle of establishing a congenial relationship between people and computers. NIIT provides necessary guidance and assistance to business firms as well as individuals in the field of information technology. NIIT has its presence in more than 40 countries of the world and has become a brand name in as far as software and software technology is concerned.
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The NIIT National Aptitude Test is conducted on an all India basis in more than 100 cities and towns of the country. Some of important centers for NIIT AT are Agra, Allahabad, Amritsar, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Delhi, Noida and Gurgaon.Since its introduction, the NITAT has become a benchmark for those who wish to make a career in IT and ITES. This initiative from NIIT is a positive step from the point of view of students who really wish to have an idea regarding their inherent ability and competence to excel in the field of information technology. The IT industry in general also hopes to benefit from this exercise as more and more capable students will come to the forefront and contribute effectively to the growth of this sector. Eligibility :Students who have successfully passed their 10+2 examinations or are into their engineering degree courses or graduation courses in either science or arts or commerce can take this testType of Test :The NITAT is an aptitude test for 1½ hour’s duration whereby the student has to answer to certain objective type questions.Application for Scholarships :Address :Corporate OfficeNIIT Limited85, Sector 32, InstitutionalGurgaon 122001Phone No: +91 (124) 4293000Fax No: +91 (124) 4293333 Related Link: www.niit.com