You are receiving this email for professional knowledge/updates of your interest. If you do not wish to receive this type of email from us in the future, please click here to unsubscribe

Global Business |Update|
(A weekly update on Global Business )
Skyline Business School
Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi 110 016
Tel: 2686 4848, 2686 6968


Issue 121


Global Business Update
(15th July’09---21st July’09)


Contents


Global Corporate

1 Boeing eyes Dreamliner solution
2 Ryanair reduces Stansted flights
3 Yahoo posts fall in revenue
4 Starbucks buoyed by cost cutting
5 iPhone sales boost Apple results
6 Mallya's Kingfisher has most cases of drunk pilots
7 Essar Oil ties up $920 mn to fund refinery expansion


Global Outsourcing


8
IBM signs 10-yr outsourcing deal
9 Henry Ford Re-Ups Outsourcing with CSC
10 Citi, First Data Ink Outsourcing Deal
11 ACS inks $10M contract with hospital
12 Microdyne closing Groveport center, cutting 78
13 Michigan's Delphi Steering workers may get aid


Global Economy


14 Ukraine's economy 'to shrink 15%'
15 China grows faster amid worries
16 Ghana secures $600m loan from IMF
17 Economic recovery in UK 'on hold'
18
India to borrow Rs 150 bn a week till Sept
19 Inflation rises to -1.21 per cent on July 4
20 Indo-US eco ties to hinge on 5 pillars: Clinton


Global Market


21 NAB to raise up to $2.25bn in share sale
22 Citi posts $4.28 billion profit for Q2
23 Gold imports halved to 12 tonnes in June
24 US stocks extend rally as Caterpillar lifts forecast
25 Profit booking takes Sensex below 15K

Global Corporate

1 Boeing eyes Dreamliner solution

Planemaker Boeing says it has found a technical solution to a problem which had delayed the appearance of its new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. However, Boeing did not say when the plane would fly. Last month, Boeing said it had delayed the maiden flight of the Dreamliner once again. Boeing also reported a 17% rise in second-quarter profits to $998m (£417m), helped by its defence unit. Overall sales rose 1% to $17.15bn, with defence sales up 9% to $8.7bn. Last month's delay of the Dreamliner was the fifth time the launch date had been put back. The long-range, medium-sized plane is already more than two years behind schedule. Releasing its second-quarter results, Boeing said it would reveal a new delivery schedule for the 787 in the current financial quarter.
21st June 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


2 Ryanair reduces Stansted flights
Budget airline Ryanair has announced a reduction in its services at Stansted Airport, blaming higher charges. Ryanair will reduce the number of aircraft it runs at the airport by 40% in its winter schedule, and will cut the number of flights by 30%, it said. But it will operate only four fewer planes than it did last winter. The company said that Stansted was one of its most expensive bases, and added that an increase in air passenger duty tax was also a factor in its decision. The airline operated 40 aircraft from Stansted in the summer, but said this would fall to 24 this winter. Last winter, Ryanair also cut its Stansted fleet to 28 planes from 36 in the summer. Stansted Airport's managing director, Stewart Wingate, said: "It is common practice for [Ryanair] to reduce frequency to various destinations during the winter season as they have done in previous years.
20th June 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


3 Yahoo posts fall in revenue
Internet search engine Yahoo has seen revenues in the quarter to 30 June fall 13%, citing the challenging economic environment. Revenues for the three-month period dropped to $1.57bn (£953m) from $1.79bn in the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile profit for the quarter edged up to $141m from $131. Yahoo shares fell 4% in after-hours trade after saying income this quarter would range between $55m to $65m, from $76m in the second quarter. Ross Sandler, an analyst with RBC Markets said: "Everybody expected conservative guidance. It's more conservative than even most people had expected. There aren't great estimates out there. Yahoo chief executive Carol Bartz said "We established a clear, simple vision to be the centre of people's lives online, and we're backing that vision with important initiatives to create wow' experiences for our users.
20th June 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


4 Starbucks buoyed by cost cutting
Coffee chain Starbucks has seen its quarterly results beat expectations after cutting costs. The firm earned $151.5m (£92.1m) in the fiscal third quarter to 28 June, or 20 cents per share, up from a $6.7m loss - or 1 cent per share - a year earlier. The increase in profit stemmed largely from lower costs, as same store sales fell 6% in the US and 5% in Europe. The firm has been hit as consumers cut spending in the recession, prompting plans to close hundreds of stores. The upmarket chain has faced increasingly stiff competition from other outlets which offers cheaper coffee - such as McDonalds. The firm has reduced the workforce, as well as targeted more than 1,000 stores worldwide for closure. In addition it has reduced prices to lure customers.
18th June 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


5 iPhone sales boost Apple results
Apple's quarterly results were better than forecast, thanks to strong iPhone sales, including its new 3GS model. Net profits hit $1.23bn (£953m), or $1.35 a share, in the fiscal third quarter to 27 June, from $1.07bn, or $1.19 a share, a year earlier. The US technology giant sold more than 5.2 million iPhones in the quarter, seven times more than a year earlier. Analysts reacted positively to the profits news and shares rose in after-hours trade. Shares in Apple ended at $151.60 before rising to $157.02 in after-hours trade.
16th June 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


6 Mallya's Kingfisher has most cases of drunk pilots
Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines has the dubious distinction of having the maximum cases of pilots found under the influence of alcohol before take-off. A number of airlines including Naresh Goyal's Jet were cited where pilots were reported to be under the influence of alcohol in the past one year, the government informed the Rajya Sabha. Incidentally, Mallya had named his airline after the most popular beer brand in his brewery business. Eight pilots of Kingfisher Airlines, six each of Indigo and SpiceJet and three each of Jetlite, Jet Airways and Paramount were detected alco-positive during pre-flight medical examination, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel said in a written reply.
17th July 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


7 Essar Oil ties up $920 mn to fund refinery expansion

Ruias-owned Essar Oil has tied up USD 920 million to fund the expansion of its Vadinar refinery in Gujarat to 16 million tonnes, CEO Naresh Nayyar said. We have received approval for the debt from ICICI Bank, IDBI and SBI and we hope to sign loan agreements sometime next month, he said from Mumbai. The Vadinar refinery, situated five kilometres away from Reliance Industries' twin refineries in Jamnagar district, currently operates at 133 per cent of its nameplate capacity of 10.5 million tonnes a year. The expansion will cost us USD 1.6 billion or Rs 7,810 crore. Of this Rs 4,600 crore is debt and the rest equity, he said, adding that the expansion would be completed by December 2010.
21st July 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


Global Outsourcing


8 IBM signs 10-yr outsourcing deal
IBM has announced that it has signed a 10-year-information technology outsourcing agreement with Innovation Auto Risk, providers of claims management services and other related solutions to insurers and fleet management firms, to support firm's expansion and growth plans. As part of the agreement IBM will deploy server, storage networking and security IT infrastructure to be hosted at a data centre in Delhi. IBM will provide 24 X 7 onsite infrastructure monitoring services and ongoing project management for infrastructure procurement, commission and configuration, as well as hardware refreshes for five years. This agreement aims at reducing Innovation Auto Risk capital infrastructure expenditure on IT by 25 per cent, a release said.
16th July 2009, www.timesofindia.com

9 Henry Ford Re-Ups Outsourcing with CSC
Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System will continue to outsource some information technology operations to Computer Sciences Corp., Falls Church, Va. The renewal contract for five years and three months, running through March 2014, is valued at $115 million. CSC will continue to provide all applications development and support for more than 200 applications. The vendor also will develop an enhanced electronic medical record and oversee remediation of more than 50 applications for the new 300-bed West Bloomfield Hospital. Henry Ford Health System includes seven hospitals, an 1,100-member group practice, 27 primary care centers, additional other provider facilities and 500,000-member Health Alliance Plan.
17th July 2009, www.tutorial-reports.com


10 Citi, First Data Ink Outsourcing Deal

Citigroup will outsource the core processing elements of its U.S. receivables management business to First Data, a global technology and payments processing provider, Reuters reports. The deal, terms of which were not disclosed, will and cut spending on technology and payroll. The firm will employ the existing Citi ‘lockbox’ staff and will sublease facilities and take over equipment at Citi’s lockbox processing facilities. First Data will provide lockbox, image capture, posting and reporting of receivables for corporate billers.

18th July 2009, www.reuters.com


11 ACS inks $10M contract with hospital
Outsourcing company Affiliated Computer Services Inc. has renewed a contract with Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific, a health care facility that has agreed to a $10 million contract with ACS to provide the company with information technology support and services. A spokeswoman for Dallas-based ACS said the contract is part of the company’s momentum within the IT outsourcing business, but there will be no direct impact on the Dallas-Fort Worth area in terms of job creation from the new contract. ACS has been providing Honolulu-based Rehabilitation Hospital of the Pacific with information technology support since 2002. As part of the new agreement, ACS teams will provide server management, network management, service desk support and desktop management for the company. ACS also will be partaking in the hospital’s installation of a new electronic medical record system.
20th July 2009, www.tutorial-reports.com


12 Microdyne closing Groveport center, cutting 78
The outsourcing division of a defense contractor has notified Ohio officials that it plans to close a Groveport repair center this autumn, eliminating 78 jobs. Torrance, Calif.-based Microdyne Outsourcing Inc. said in a filing with the state Department of Job and Family Services that its computer and printer refurbishing center at 2450 Speigel Drive will close Oct. 30. The reduction is scheduled to begin Sept. 15. David Spear, vice president of operations at the facility, said the closure is another casualty of the recession.
19th July 2009, www.tutorial-reports.com


13 Michigan's Delphi Steering workers may get aid

The federal government says more than 900 former workers at the Delphi Steering facility in Saginaw are eligible to apply for job retraining and other assistance. The U.S. Department of Labor said Tuesday that the assistance for the laid-off auto supply workers will come through the federal Trade Adjustment Assistance program. Workers are eligible for the program when they lose jobs because of outsourcing or international trade.

21st July 2009, www.tutorial-reports.com


Global Economy


14 Ukraine's economy 'to shrink 15%'

The World Bank has downgraded its economic forecast for Ukraine again, predicting that the country's economy will contract by 15% this year. In April, the bank had predicted the economy would shrink by 9% in 2009, which was also a downgrade from its original forecast of a 4% contraction. The economic downturn has hit the price of metals worldwide, and Ukraine relies heavily on this sector for exports. The World Bank now predicts a gradual recovery starting in 2010.
21st July 2009, www.bbc.co.uk

15 China grows faster amid worries

China's economy grew at an annual rate of 7.9% between April and June, up from 6.1% in the first quarter, thanks to the government's big stimulus package. The country's quickening economic expansion comes as most nations in the West continue to experience recession. Beijing now expects China to achieve 8% growth for 2009 as a whole, which compares with a predicted contraction of between 1% and 1.5% in the US.

However, the Chinese government warned that some economic challenges remain.
16th July 2009, www.bbc.co.uk

16 Ghana secures $600m loan from IMF

Ghana is to get a $600m three-year loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), amid concerns about the impact of the recession on poorer countries. It will also be able to draw up to $450m from the IMF through a special facility - expanded after the G20 summit - to help poor countries. Ghana needs funds to reduce its budget deficit and support its currency. It has been hit by high food and fuel prices, an energy crisis and heavy spending before last year's elections. But the Ghanaian economy has proved "relatively resilient," the IMF said, supported by the high prices of cocoa and gold. The extra $450m will come from the money that Ghana and others have deposited in the fund. These are held as special drawing rights, a basket of currencies composed of the dollar, euro, yen and pound.

18th July 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


17 Economic recovery in UK 'on hold'
The UK economy is set to shrink by 4.5% in this year, the biggest fall in a single year since 1945, according to an influential think tank. The downbeat forecast is more pessimistic than the consensus view, and considerably worse than the 3.5% fall predicted by the government. The Ernst & Young Item Club also warned that hopes of economic recovery are running ahead of reality. The Item Club also warned of the threat posed to the economy from swine flu. If doomsday predictions about the extent of the flu outbreak materialise, it forecast a further 3% contraction in GDP this year, on top of the 4.5%. The flu could also wipe out any growth next year, with a worst case scenario of a further 1.2% contraction.
19th July 2009, www.bbc.co.uk


18 India to borrow Rs 150 bn a week till Sept
The current trend of borrowing Rs 150 billion is likely to continue at least till end-September, a senior finance ministry official said on Wednesday. The weekly borrowing in the second half would depend on the Reserve Bank of India's assessment of liquidity. Liquidity is comfortable now, the official, who did not wish to be identified, said.
15th July 2009, www.financialexpress.com

19 Inflation rises to -1.21 per cent on July 4
India's wholesale price index fell 1.21 per cent in the 12 months to July 4, compared with the previous week's annual decline of 1.55 per cent, government data showed on Thursday. The fall was smaller than a median forecast of 1.38 per cent fall in a Reuters poll. The annual inflation rate was 12.19 per cent during the corresponding week of 2008. The wholesale price index is more closely watched than the consumer price index, which is published monthly, because it covers a higher number of products and is released weekly.
18th July 2009, www.reuters.com

20 Indo-US eco ties to hinge on 5 pillars: Clinton
India and the United States plan to take their strategic and economic cooperation to a new high by launching an important dialogue on what is called 'five pillars" during the five-day visit of US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. We see the dialogue that we are embarking upon as extremely important and is based on the five pillars which are areas of strategic importance, agriculture, healthcare, science and technology and education, Clinton told reporters after meeting top Indian businessmen, including Ratan Tata and Mukesh Ambani.
18th July 2009, www.financialexpress.com


Global Market


21 NAB to raise up to $2.25bn in share sale

National Australia Bank on Wednesday launched its second large equity raising in eight months with a surprise move to secure up to A$2.75bn ($2.25bn) from investors to fund growth and bolster its capital position. Although analysts said the move appeared defensive, the capital raising comes as Australia’s banking sector faces a surge in bad debt charges. Australia’s largest lender said the funds were needed to maintain balance sheet strength and to provide firepower for possible acquisitions. NAB last month agreed to spend up to A$925m to buy the Australian life and wealth management businesses owned by Aviva, the UK insurer.

21st July 2009, www.ft.com


22 Citi posts $4.28 billion profit for Q2
From near bankruptcy late last year, banking behemoth Citigroup has posted swung into profit of $4.28 billion for the second quarter riding on stake sale in group company Smith Barney brokerage. In the year-ago period, the company had a loss of $2.49 billion, Citigroup said in a statement. Revenues for the second quarter surged 71 per cent to $30 billion from $17.5 billion in the same period last year. India-born Vikram Pandit-led Citi has already received three lifelines, including USD 45 billion in fresh capital from the US Federal government to tide over the financial turmoil.
18th July 2009, www.profit.ndtv.com


23 Gold imports halved to 12 tonnes in June
Gold imports fell by 50 per cent in June compared to the same period last year due to slowing demand amids a rise in prices. The demand for the precious metal declined as the prices ruled high hovering between Rs 14,500 to Rs 15,000 per 10 grams level in the domestic markets, Bombay Bullion Association President Suresh Hundia said from Mumbai. Gold imports in June were less by about six tonnes from May's imports of 17.8 tonnes. Gold prices today ruled over Rs 15,000 per 10 grams in the spot markets across the country. The MCX August gold today was trading at Rs 14,866 per 10 grams while in global markets it was at 951 dollar an ounce 28.34 grams.
20th July 2009, www.financialexpress.com


24 US stocks extend rally as Caterpillar lifts forecast
The stock market managed to extend its weeklong rally even as it struggled with more worries about the banking industry. Major market indexes seesawed through much of Tuesday's trading and ended with gains of less than 1 per cent. Better-than-expected results from companies including Caterpillar Inc. spurred shares generally higher, although financial stocks slid on reports of losses at several regional banks. Investors also digested a mixed report from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who restated the Fed's view that the economy is still on track to recover this year, but slowly. He also predicted rising unemployment. Analysts said the market's more subdued tone was natural after stocks surged more than 8 percent since the start of last week. Caterpillar joined other major companies in issuing an improved 2009 profit forecast. Second-quarter profits fell 66 percent but still came in ahead of expectations. Shares in the heavy equipment maker, considered a bellwether of the global economy, rose 7.7 percent.
21st July 2009, www.economictimes.com


25 Profit booking takes Sensex below 15K

Profit booking in metal, auto, cap goods and IT shares saw markets reverse early gains and end lower on Wednesday. The Sensex fell 219 points to end at 14,843, after gaining as much as 2 per cent in early trade. The Nifty dropped 1.5 per cent to close at 4,398. During today’s session, the Sensex had hit its day’s high of 15,369 on the back of higher Asian markets and Wall Street but weak European markets reversed the investor sentiment, pushing investors to book profits after strong gains in the past few sessions. All sectoral indices on the BSE ended lower today. The BSE capital goods index fell 1.8 per cent on selling in BEL and Thermax. The stocks fell over 5 per cent each.The auto index on the BSE dropped 1.6 per cent.

21st July 2009, www.profit.ndtv.com



Compiled By
Himanshu Gupta,
BBA Alumni (2005-08), Marketing
Skyline Business School
Hauz Khas Enclave, New Delhi 110 016
Tel: 2686 4848, 2652 4399
http://www.skylinecollege.com