1st RANK: Gurgaon - All grown up

 As little as two decades ago, Gurgaon took its first baby steps from a sleepy little hamlet in Haryana to becoming a bustling township, snapping up Delhi’s corporate gentry as its tenants. Today, the new kid on the block is attracting hordes of multinationals, bringing in their wake swish restaurants and hotels. Hard to believe, but take a drive down the recently constructed fivelane, world-class expressway to Gurgaon 29 km away—make sure you stay well behind manic tempos, SUVs and motorcycles weaving across lanes like deranged Formula 1 drivers—and you will soon pass a clutch of glittering buildings that are home to some of the biggest corporations in the world. What’s Gurgaon got that Delhi doesn’t? “I would say it’s got the feel of an international city—barring some potholes of weak infrastructure,” says real estate consultant Anshuman Magazine, Chairman and MD, CB Richard Ellis South Asia...

..There’s more to Gurgaon than just its tax policies. In the wake of this corporate migration, the city has attracted thousands of young professionals who find that living, working and playing in Gurgaon is cheaper, more convenient and fun than Delhi. “There appears to be a vibrant cultural takeoff here,” says Manoj Madhusudanan, VP- Business Research, Evalueserve. 

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The Indian IT-ITeS industry, already reeling under effects of US recession, lost an estimated $1.5 billion worth of productive hours in 2008 due to because of poor employee lifestyles and habits, says a latest study. Nearly one out five ITITeS employees skip breakfast despite being aware of the first and most important meal of the day, a survey done by analytics company Evalueserve found.

Stressed and unhealthy employees translate to increased absenteeism and sub-optimal performance at the workplace, which adds to the long-term costs of the company and the overall economy. The study shows that around 30% of employees feel a sense of constant fatigue while around 32% employees experience eye stress, probably linked to their long working hours.

“Our research shows that sports or any other sort of physical activity such as exercising at the gym or aerobics, do not form a part of the daily routine of most of the surveyed people. This can be primarily attributed to the lack of time and initiative as people do not give high priority to physical fitness,” Sheetal Ranganathan of Evalueserve said. More than a third of the respondents were overweight, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 25. Simply put, one out of every three ITITeS employees is vulnerable to a serious health risk. This is alarming as the average age of the respondents is only 27 years with more than 2 years of experience, the study said.

 “In India, better roads with lesser congestion and quick alternative modes of transportation will make people spend lesser time on roads and have more time to take up physical activities or nurture a hobby. IT-ITeS staff in India spend, on an average, 2-3 hours every day travelling for work, apart from the time spent at work, which translates to a 12-hour work day,” Marc Vollenweider, CEO of Evalueserve, said.

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Evalueserve is an award-winning research and analytics company specializing in market, business and investment research; data and financial analysis; intellectual property and legal process; sales support; information; technology and related services to clients in a broad range of industries. In such a fast-moving, in-demand industry, even a momentary lapse in communication could cause serious problems for Evalueserve's viability. The company thus faced two major challenges: to provide those reliable communications links; and to ensure that the capacity and capabilities of its network could continue to grow as quickly as- and where-its business grows.

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Evalueserve is a global research company based in India, offering business and technology intelligence, market research, investment research, data analytics, and intellectual property services. The data centre is the lifeline of operations at Evalueserve.Time is money for the company as it bills its clients on an hourly basis, and even a second's downtime can prove costly. Business continuity was another concern because the reputation of the company was at stake - if power goes down, it's harder for Evaluserve to service its customers.

Learn how Evalueserve made optimal use of the data centre in terms of space, power, and cooling while ensuring scalability and availability.

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Slowdown or not, value retailers are still making money by selling discounted merchandise under one roof. Though relatively new to the game, they account for almost 50% of the sector's turnover.

Future Group's discount format, Brand Factory, which operates 2 outlets in Bangalore, has seen brisk business in the recent past. A snap poll of retailers found that most stores get 25% of revenues from discount retailing. Rajesh Seth, vice-president (marketing), for Central and Brand Factory, said, "Our turnover in apparel and footwear segments is almost the same as large lifestyle retailers."

Brand Factory will add 1,20,000 sq ft to its existing 1,50,000 sq ft in Bangalore in the first quarter of fiscal 2009-10. Seth said, "We have seen tremendous growth in the last four weeks and are touching double-digit growth."

Pegged at Rs 12,000 crore, value retailing is expected to grow by 35%, according to Evalueserve data. It provides an avenue for lifestyle firms to clear unsold stock. On an average, a value retailer gets 22-30% margins on the products.

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