Miscellaneous

UN environment chief Erik Solheim resigned on Tuesday after an audit questioning his huge travel expenses triggered an outcry, UN officials said. The former environment minister of Norway had been at the helm of the Nairobi-based UN Environment Programme (UNEP) since June 2016. A UN audit found that Solheim had spent nearly $500,000 on travel and that he claimed unjustified expenses at a time when the world body is struggling with shrinking budgets. His globe-trotting raised accusations that he showed little regard for the environment and efforts to reduce carbon emissions generated by air travel. Solheim said in a statement that he had received the final report of the audit of his travel expenses on Saturday and that "after deep reflection" had decided to step down. "As I have maintained throughout this process - I have been and remain - committed to doing what I believe to be in the best interest of UN Environment and the mission we are here to achieve," he said. UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric confirmed that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had accepted his resignation. Solheim's last day in the job will be Thursday.

In the ever-booming buzzword of entrepreneurship in India, IIM grads forsaking the cushy MNC or Bank jobs for their own startups and even business school dropouts following the footsteps of Bill Gates, one must not forget the very intrinsic business sense that is so much inbuilt in the DNA of this country - the one thing that earns our country the name of a shopkeeper's nations. Entrepreneurship has been a major driving force for economic growth in India. Starting from the local grocery stores to the roadside tikkiwalas to the myriads of other small businesses that are booming in different parts of the country, are enough to prove the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit and resources in this country. However, there are still many businesses that are yet to maximize their business potential optimally. As we always say that there are two India - one that is modern and tech-smart; and then the other that is yet to rise to this level - we call it Bharat. The real business potential lies in this other India or Bharat. All that it needs is a little technological and digital up gradation. And this is where Dial4Trade comes into play. Dial4Trade is a digital platform for small and medium businesses to support business owners who are not yet well versed with the internet or even emails. Dial4Trade aims to help entrepreneurs to maximize the potential of their businesses digitally. The Humble Beginning The founder of Dial4Trade Arun Pratap Singh hails from a farmer's family, where his father had to leave his ancestral occupation of farming and take up a job in a private firm in pursuit of a better city life. Arun happened to witness many such families who had to compromise on small things only because they could not upgrade their ancestral occupation to meet the modern criteria. This inspired him to do something for the small businesses to bring them up to be at par with the modern business world. Arun wanted to start a B2B business where businessmen from small cities and towns can do online business. He hired the some of the best marketing, sales, and tech professionals to form a winning team. Thus, was founded Dial4trade - a very humble attempt to help businesses to digitally maximize their potentials. Business Services Dial4Trade has a number of services that provide a platform to operate your business digitally. One of their services is called BuyerConnect where they have created dedicated teams who have in-depth knowledge of various industries. Through this service, potential buyers and sellers can connect with each other. Here, even if the seller cannot operate an email account, the Dial4Trade team helps them to operate their business online. They provide every small service and know how to digitally equip the small businesses. Dial4Trade facilitates businesses to create buyers and sellers' list for doing businesses through the internet. They also facilitate free product listing on the website in the order generated business for them. In this way, small and medium businesses can connect with potential buyers from all over the world. Some of their special services include: Buyer and seller can chat online The seller can create and run his e-commerce website and extend his reach to the global customers. Business Listing & Catalog on the Dial4Trade website to ensure optimum visibility and business opportunity Continuous monitoring of the traffic of each listed company by the Dial4Trade team and immediate updating about any business inquiry Dial4Trade has created the simplest online technological framework that can be availed businessmen from every corner of this country. Every time you open this platform on a computer, you gain more confidence in growing your online business. How Dial4Trade Works Dial4Trade aims at taking a small business to a global level. Buyer Search - a tool introduced at Dial4Trade from where you can connect with the right buyers. Business owners can post their products and even create a catalog. Dial4Trade optimizes the content in order to increase traffic towards the seller's profile and product listing. Sellers can chat with the potential buyers There are some very easy yet distinct ways for the buyers to reach out to the seller: Post a buy requirement Post a direct inquiry on the catalog or website Call the sellers on their mobile Contact to the allocated BuyerConnect Agent In all this Dial4Trade acts just like a mediator between the selling and the buying parties Dial4Trade aims at addressing the major challenges in e-commerce business: The very first concern is to find the right product to sell. Every product do not have buyer online. In some products, it is very difficult to source buyer. In order to minimize this issue, Dial4Trade has created a buyer's list and products list online which is further boosted through messages and calls. The next step is to analyze the buyer's shopping patterns and what influences his/ her purchasing decisions. Social media & online reviews play a very significant role in this regards. Dial4Trade facilitates buyer's recommendation for suppliers on their social media & own website which helps them to attract more online buyers. Dial4Trade also helps to convert potentials into paying customers through their online chatting service where the buyer and seller can converse and negotiate with each other. All these services are very common and much used in everyday terms for the contemporary business world. However, what makes the same services worth a special mention in the case of Dial4Trade is that they are working at a very grass root level with the smallest and the remotest of the entrepreneurs to bring them together on this digital platform and optimize their businesses through the modern internet services. In the words of Arun Pratap Singh, Founder, Director, Dial4Trade and Webprofits, "We are up on the mission to bring the buyer and sellers together under one roof and assist them with a well versed and motivated team so that no business owner falls behind just because of the lack of technological know-how."

Explore and understand the impending changes of tech-led future work world at the launch edition of JobBuzz Workplace2025 Conclave 2018. This one-day event will host India's top business and HR leaders to rake a thoughtful debate on the possible challenges at workplaces. The event will also felicitate best new-age Indian workplaces in various categories.  New Delhi, April 23, 2018: Ever imagined the future of work? What do you expect? Robots at workplaces, Artificial Intelligence taking over tasks performed by people presently? If yes, which people skills will be valued? In a survey conducted by JobBuzz (a company review and rating platform from TimesJobs), nearly 91% employees said that their job roles have evolved in the last five years. These roles will undergo drastic changes in the next 20 years and beyond. Hence, it's the most appropriate time to host a dialogue on the future skills and talent needs in co-relation to the future workplaces. Welcome to #Workplace2025 where all your concepts and misapprehensions related to future jobs and workplaces will be challenged. This one-day event, Workplace 2025: Technology, Talent & Transformation Conclave 2018, will bring together the torchbearers of India Inc. to draw upon the possible workforce changes and workplace challenges in year 2025. The event will be held in New Delhi on May 4, 2018. "New-age work world will be driven by fast-paced technological advancement. Accordingly, the people needs and business needs change too. This is the right time to rake a debate about the workplace and workforce changes in the tech-led world. JobBuzz's maiden #Workplace2025 conclave will address all related questions, doubts, concerns, challenges and outline their possible solutions as well. It will shed light on the interconnections between evolving technology, the talent dynamics and the evolution of leadership," said Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs, JobBuzz & TechGig. Sanjay Goyal, Head of Technology and Product, TimesJobs & JobBuzz, is excited about the launch of Workplace2025. He said, "Traditionally, the Human Resources has been a paper-intensive function. How upcoming technologies such as Artificial Intelligence and data analytics will change the future workplaces in terms of people and process will be interesting to explore. We welcome everyone to come and discover the future workplace at the JobBuzz #Workplace2025 conclave. Workplace2025 conclave is a first-of-its-kind gathering of top business leaders, tech experts, HR influencers, and talent leaders to pursue the debate and find practical answers to critical questions about workplaces of future." The JobBuzz workplace2025 conclave will host India's leading CEOs, CTOs and CHROs to discuss how organisations must prepare for disruptions in recruiting, employer branding, employee engagement, learning, technology and the future workspace. The conclave will have an array of uniquely interactive sessions spread over the entire day and will conclude with JobBuzz Best New-age Workplaces Awards in various categories, including: Best New-Age HR Practices Best New-Age Employee Engagement Practices Best Innovative Talent Management & Succession Planning Best New-Age Employer for Work-Life Balance Best New-Age Employer for Work Culture Best New-Age Employer for Career Growth There are People's Choice Awards in the following categories: Best New-Age Employer Branding Campaign   Best New-Age Employer in Conglomerates Best Innovation in Recruitment   Excellence in HR Through Technology   Best New-Age Employer Be there on May 4, 2018 at the Taj Diplomatic Enclave, New Delhi and experience how technology will transform talent and workplace, at large! Join the discussion on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn using the hashtag: #workplace2025 For more information about the event and for registration log on to workplace2025.in   About JobBuzz: A well-known portal that provides information & insights about different companies, job profiles and interview processes. About TimesJobs: TimesJobs is a platform to help competent professionals enhance their career growth. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month, it is the most preferred career portal among ambitious and talented professionals who want to make smarter career decisions that accelerate their career progression.

April 12, 2018, New Delhi: Talent demand in India grew by 8% in March 2018. This is the highest growth registered by the recruitment index in the last four months. Compared to last year (from March 2017- March 2018) this year has registered a 9% increase in overall talent demand.  RecruiteX - a monthly hiring trend report by recruitment portal TimesJobs - noted that key industries and functional areas posted a significant rise in talent demand and contributed to this phenomenal rise of 8% in hiring activities in March 2018. Talent demand was highest for professionals with 10-20 years of experience. Industry-wise analysis: Construction sees maximum talent growth  The construction sector in India registered 13% rise in hiring in March 2018, followed by 12% rise in talent demand in the petrochemicals sector. The infrastructure sector also saw a 12% rise in talent demand.  "In March 2018, the hiring activities recorded a sharp rise of 8% in the Indian market. This is the highest mark in the last four months and definitely a reason to cheer. Fresh policies, new projects resulted in this increased talent demand. A bulk of talent demand came from construction, infrastructure and petrochemicals sectors. In construction, specifically, most companies started hiring in March. Going by the trends from RecruiteX editions from previous years, we expect hiring activity to sustain its momentum in the coming months too, said Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs & TechGig.  Functional area analysis: Biotech, pharma profiles in demand  Biotechnology and pharma profiles witnessed 21% rise in demand in March 2018. This was followed by IT/Telecom professionals which witnessed a 10% rise in talent demand. Engineers also witnessed 10% rise in demand as per month-on-month analysis.   Location-wise analysis: Jaipur records the highest demand  Among key locations, Jaipur recorded the highest rise in talent demand of 26% as per the latest RecruiteX report. Chennai saw a rise of 15% in the talent demand, while Mumbai posted 9% rise in hiring. Ahmedabad witnessed 13% rise in talent demand.   Experience-wise analysis: Professionals with 10-20 years of experience in demand  Hiring for professionals with 10-20 years of experience witnessed the highest rise in demand during March 2018. This experience category witnessed 11% rise in demand, followed by professionals with over 20 years of experience, who posted 6% rise in demand.   Key highlights of the report are:   • Top hiring sectors Construction Petrochemicals Infrastructure   • Top hiring locations Jaipur Chennai Ahmedabad   • Top hiring profiles Biotechnology/Pharma IT/Telecom Engineering    Complete report is available here - https://bit.ly/2v4bsn3    About TimesJobs: TimesJobs is a platform to help competent professionals enhance their career growth. With over 25 million registered jobseekers across the board and more than 60 million page views every month, it is the most preferred career portal among ambitious and talented professionals who want to make smarter career decisions that accelerate their career progression.

- Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning are accelerating business productivity significantly. - Industry experts discuss the ways and means Artificial Intelligence is being used in different industries successfully at Times AI Hub recent event. March 27, 2018, NOIDA : After successfully hosting Artificial Intelligence-focussed events at the prestigious IIT Delhi and IIIT Okhla, Times AI Hub recently organised it's third Artificial Intelligence Conclave at IISc Bengaluru. The one-day conclave, which was supported by ASSOCHAM and NASSCOM Center of Excellence, was powered by NVIDIA. Times AI Hub is an Artificial Intelligence (AI) focussed virtual platform that connects the industry thinkers, practitioners, companies and influencers, and keeps hosting events to formalise dialogues in the AI domain     With this conclave, the recently formed AI Hub's Bengaluru chapter intended to bring together all industry leaders on a common platform to share knowledge and interact. The conclave witnessed exhaustive discussions on practical implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) & Machine Learning for enterprises and organisations, and the solutions which enhance business productivity.   With a gathering of about 250+ participants from companies like, Rolls Royce, Mercedes Benz, Bangalore International Airport, IBM, NPCI, Deloitte Consulting, Genpact, Columbia Asia, and HCL Technologies, this event was a huge success. Some of the eminent speakers included Sundara Nagalingam, Head of Deep Learning at NVIDIA India who shared his learnings on the topic AI in the physical world: Practical applications of Machine Learning. Other speakers included Dr. Pratibha Moogi, Part Head, Media Analytics & Recognition at Samsung Electronics, Dr. Manish Gupta, Director Machine Learning & Data Science - American Express, Dhaval Doshi, Founder - Smarthome NX, Sandeep Chanda, AVP Technology at Neudesic, Dr. Praphul Chandra, Founder Koinearth, Amit Singh, Director IoT at Cognizant Technology Solutions and Avi Patchava, VP, Data Strategy at Inmobi.   The event's keynote was delivered by Ramit Sharma, Inspector General Police of Allahabad Range, who presented fascinating insights on Predictive Analysis, Crowd Management and Service Delivery using AI: Current Trends and Future Prospects. Incidentally, he is instrumental in developing an AI-based software known as agent-based modelling. With this, the Allahabad Range Police manage crowd behaviour more strategically, and this came in handy during the recent Kumbh Mela.   The enthralling talk sessions upraised the audience about how AI and Machine Learning technologies are fast turning into tools for predictive policing. The panel discussion led by the moderator Dhaval Doshi was centered around the topic Artificial Intelligence 2018 & Beyond. It decoded the key reasons on how Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things & Machine Learning are becoming integral to every industry and business. The panellists also presented case studies based on their experiences in their respective industry verticals, which was highly applauded by the audience.   Expressing his happiness at the event turnout, Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head, TimesJobs & TechGig, said that new technologies will be an indispensable part of future work sphere and its right time to adopt this learning curve. "The future of work is tech-driven. At TimesJobs, we have been cautiously leading this dialogues through the Times AI Hub mantle. It's heartening to see so many leading companies, thinkers and leaders discuss this avenue passionately. The case studies presented here were phenomenal and these were my favourite part of the discussion," he said. Times AI Hub is an initiative by TimesJobs that aims to bring forth many such events during the year. Revolving around AI, Blockchain & Cybersecurity , the events shall be organised at tech-driven cities like Pune & Hyderabad. Website: http://www.timesaihub.com/