Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel) posted strong growth in customer acquisitions with the addition of 64 million customers, or 33% more from a year ago bringing its combined regional mobile customer base to 262 million as at 30 June 2009.
The news on its customer base growth was released today, as a prelude to its results announcement for the first quarter ended 30 June 2009 tomorrow, 13 August 2009.
There is no small organization or large corporate network remaining in business for longer without an adequate customer support service for troubleshooting.
Have you ever heard this saying before? Basically it means if something goes wrong, it’s better to provide a solution the first time it breaks. If you ignore the problem it will only grow bigger, and ultimately when you’re forced to provide a solution it will be a lot more costly. For a small business [...]
Accenture has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the professional services unit of Nokia responsible for Symbian customer engineering and customer support.
– Accenture has announced that it has entered into an agreement to acquire the
professional services unit of Nokia responsible for Symbian customer
engineering and customer support.
Gary Morgenstern, a spokesman for Accenture, said, quot;The strategic intent
of this acquisition is to accelerate …
The world’s cheapest car, Nano, is set to hit the roads of India with the first customer receiving keys to the vehicle in the city of Mumbai.
Ratan Tata, the head of Tata Motors which manufactures the car, will personally deliver the first car to a customer at a showroom in the city.
Tata Motors says it has received over 200,000 orders for the car.
The basic Nano costs 1 lakh, or 100,000 rupees ($2,025; £1,340), and a 95,000 rupees deposit must be paid upfront.
Analysts say that if the car proves an immediate hit in its home market, Tata may struggle to meet demand.
This is because the main Nano factory in the western state of Gujarat, which will be able to build 250,000 cars a year, is not due to open until next year.
In the meantime, Tata will only be able to build about 50,000 Nanos at its existing plants.
‘Significant’
Delays arose when Tata had to abandon plans to build the Nano in a new plant in the state of West Bengal due because of a row over land with farmers.
Analysts say that the delivery of the first car to the customer was "very significant" considering the fact that the launch had been delayed.
"They (Tata Motors) have been talking about delivering this car since last year and subsequently due to the problems they have had with moving the factory they have had to delay it by at least one year," automobile magazine editor Darius Lam told the AFP news agency.
"It really shows that now they are getting their production in hand and are able to start delivering."
The four-door Nano has a 33bhp, 624cc engine at the rear.
The basic model has no airbags, air conditioning, radio, or power steering. However, more luxurious versions will be available.
Reports say some 100,000 people have been selected from a ballot to be the first recipients of the Nano.
Among them, the reports say, are a roadside cobbler from Mumbai, a 82-year-old former police officer, and India’s first female photo journalist, Homi Vyarawalla, who is in her 90s.
Half of the orders were for the most deluxe version of the car, which comes with air conditioning and electric windows, and the remaining 30% for a mid-range model.
Tata said only 20% of customers opted for the cheapest version of the car.
The booking fee, or deposit, required for the deluxe model is 140,000 rupees, which has a full price of 185,000 rupees.
Tata hopes the low cost of the car will encourage millions of Indians to trade up from their motorcycles.
Currently, there are about nine cars per 1,000 people in India.
Environmentalists are warning that the Nano will add further clog up India’s crowded roads, and pollution levels will soar. Tata says the Nano will be the least polluting car in India. </p
This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.
Hey, really cool, just heard that this might also exist for London Underground….
Prospects for plug-in electrics and hybrids continue to provoke much discussion in the industry. Last week, we heard that Daimler’s electric Smart has been formally given the go-ahead to enter commercial production next year. The Smart Fortwo (sorry Daimler, but I have to capitalise brand and model names) is a curious one. It’s perhaps an example of a car that was ahead of its time. In the looks department, it is much more acceptable now than it was back in the late 1990s. And a plug-in electric version seems to make good sense.
But the batteries are not going to be cheap. And that’s a problem: who pays? Will the customer pay for that? The vehicle manufacturer? Will governments tinker with regulatory frameworks to encourage take-up? There seems to be a consensus in the industry that governments will have to play a part in helping electric cars develop significant market penetration. And, the argument goes, the government needs to do that as part of a broader energy policy that addresses overall CO2 generation, renewable power and economic or energy security issues. There’s a lot to consider.
At some point though, the consumer is going to be asked to make a contribution to the additional costs associated with a battery pack and electric drive. Early adopters at initial low volumes may be fine with that. The interesting thing though will be the speed with which plug-in electric vehicles can become cheaper on a cost-per-unit basis as volumes become bigger. It will be something of a chicken and egg situation – which is why the regulatory framework is particularly important in terms of the fossil fuel relativities.
But would you pay almost GBP400 (USD650) a month to lease a Smart with electric drive? That’s some premium to ask the customer to pay. How quickly can that sort of figure come down and to what extent will the government subsidise these vehicles? One point that should not be lost: in Britain the government takes plenty of tax from motorists at the petrol pump, way more than is required for investment in roads. And Her Majesty’s Government needs every penny it can get, even if politicians like the sound of a greener electric future.
In September of 1960, J.F. Kennedy engaged Richard Nixon in the first presidential candidates’ debate. Kennedy’s opening statement in that debate has now become the famous “I am not satisfied†speech. What Kennedy’s team rightly strategized was that in any competitive environment, political or businesses, sustainable success starts with focusing on your own house. You will not win the race by focusing on the competition. There are a number of reasons for this…
