Date:24/08/2005 URL: http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2005/08/24/stories/2005082401031900.htm

Back `Internet will take time to evolve as business model'

Our Bureau

Kochi , Aug. 23

SINCE it took a century for the industrial revolution to become a reality, it would be unrealistic to expect the Internet to become a business model overnight, said Mr Ajit Balakrishnan, founder and CEO of rediff.com.

Speaking at the IIM-Kozhikode on the topic `Entrepreneurship in e-business: Current challenges and future perspectives', he recounted the struggles and setbacks faced by rediff.com during the early days of its listing on Nasdaq and the subsequent collapse of all Internet stocks.

IIM-Kozhikode had organised the two-day Annual IT Management Seminar with the theme `IT India: Crossing the Chasm.' The event was organised by AbaKus, the Systems interest group at IIMK. TCS and Satyam were the sponsors of the event, which was supported by Nasscom.

Addressing the session Ms Jessie Paul, Chief Marketing Officer, Wipro Technologies, talked about how branding is both an art and a science. She remarked that a brand is not about advertising and public relations alone, but must deliver its promise to attain the affection and respect of customers.

Mr Sriniketh Raman Chakravarthi, Senior Manager, Corporate Development, Cognizant talked about global outsourcing landscape and the evolution of IT services.

Mr K. Ganesh, non-Executive Chairman of Marketics; Col K.P.M. Das, VP, Mobile Computing Products Group, Encore Technologies; Ms Aruna Jayanthi, VP & Head of Outsourcing, Capgemini; and Mr Viswanathan Krishnamurthi, CIO, Yahoo! Bangalore, also shared their experiences and insights on the occasion.