Careers with Bonsai International Group

You have worked with a big company or a small company but now want to work for yourself. However, still not ready to embark on ‘No Salary Entrepreneurship’ due to family or personal commitments.

Well, no problem. Your quandary or hunt is over now. Bonsai International Group, a diversified Financial Services Company into FOREX and Insurance Broking, may be the right career move for you. If you wanted absolute freedom to pursue your business strategies but could not do it due to massive hierarchical structure in your present company, then welcome aboard. Welcome to Bonsai Careers.

We are owners of popular and revolutionary web portals:
1. www.InsuranceMall.in – India’s first Compare and BuyNow Insurance Portal
2. www.BuyNowForex.com – India’s first Online Forex Portal
3. www.NewsandReviews.in – Free blog site for Global Indians

Bonsai International Group, operational in India and America is looking for following star professionals:

Manager – IT Programmer, Mumbai

• Role: Manager - IT Programmer
• Skill-sets: Well versed with Web Technologies - .Net or PHP programming
• Experience: 2-6 Years
• Qualification: Graduate / Engineer
• Posting: Mumbai, INDIA
• Reporting: Director – eBusiness

Manager – Business Development, Mumbai


• Role: Manager – Business Development
• Skill-sets: Well versed with Web with Channel Sales or Corporate Sales
• Experience: 2-6 Years
• Qualification: Graduate / MBA
• Posting: Mumbai, INDIA
• Reporting: Director – Sales

Manager – Finance & Accounts, Mumbai

• Role: Manager – Finance & Accounts
• Skill-sets: Well versed with Finance, Accounts, MIS & Statutory
• Experience: 2-6 Years• Qualification: Graduate / CA or MBA
• Posting: Mumbai, INDIA
• Reporting: Director & CFO

Manager – HR and Administration, Mumbai

• Role: Manager – HR & Administration
• Skill-sets: Well versed with corporate HR Practices, Compensation & hiring
• Experience: 2-6 Years
• Qualification: Graduate / MBA
• Posting: Mumbai, INDIA
• Reporting: Director

Sr. Executive – Web Designing & Marketing, Mumbai

• Role: Sr. Executive, Web Designing & Marketing
• Skill-sets: Well versed with Web Designing & Web Marketing
• Experience: 1-3 Years
• Qualification: Graduate / Engineer / MBA
• Posting: Mumbai, INDIA
• Reporting: Director – eBusiness

Trainees – Graduate / MBA, Mumbai & Bangalore

• Role: Fresh Graduate / MBA Trainees
• Skill-sets: Self motivated and Performer
• Experience: 0-2 Years
• Qualification: Graduate / Engineer / MBA
• Posting: Mumbai & Bangalore, INDIA
• Reporting: Director – eBusiness / Sales

Bonsai believes in fair base salary but fantastic performance related bonus. We are open to give company ‘Stock-Options’ for deserving and performing employees. Interested candidates may send their Resume to Mr Mahavir Chopra at mahavir@bonsaiinternational.co
m .

Welcome to new age professionally driven company where ‘Customers come second as You come first’. Welcome to Bonsai Group.

This is indeed a great news. The Economic Times has quoted today that The Union government will try to win agreement from coalition allies to ease restrictions on foreign investments in insurance, banking and pensions in its final year in office, finance minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said. “Financial sector reform is our unfinished agenda,” Mr Chidambaram said in an interview in Madrid on May 4. “We failed to convince our partners that sectors which are closed or partly closed be opened for domestic private and foreign investors,” he said.

The four communist parties that support Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s United Progressive Alliance have blocked plans to increase foreign ownership of insurers, now restricted to 26%, and remove a 10% cap on the voting rights of investors in local non-state banks such as HDFC Bank.

India’s $912 billion economy, Asia’s third-largest, has expanded at a record average pace of 8.7% each year since 2003. Singh’s government, which is entering its fifth year in office this month, wants to accelerate the rate of growth to as much as 10% by 2012 to create new jobs and reduce poverty. That will require greater financial muscle in banks to help fund local companies expand capacity and buy assets abroad. The combined assets of all Indian banks are less than the Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, China’s biggest lender.

That means India needs more foreign investment to increase the size of its financial services industry. India in 2000 opened up its insurance industry to overseas investment by dismantling the 44-year monopoly of state-owned Life Insurance Corporation of India and its non-life counterparts. Though their stake in Indian insurers is limited, companies including New York Life Insurance and Prudential have entered the market, which has since more than doubled to $22 billion in annual premiums.

The FDI raise to 49% for Insurance Sector means more Players including Insurance Companies, Re-Insurance Companies and Insurance Brokers. India still needs to attract top brands for all the 3 segments as MNC’s not only bring the desire capital but also best global practices. We may have a hope of having India’s first online insurance company soon.

Complete details at ..

InsuranceMall News I Opener (Blog)

Link :http://www.insurancemall.in/I
-Opener/post/2008/05/FDI-norms-
in-insurance-sector-could-ease-
FM.aspx

As they say ‘change is inevitable’ or the only this that is constant is ‘change’. Insurance in India fits this adage very well. I remember the times, when we heard new generation of Insurance around 7-8 yrs ago when Indian Parliament had just passed the revolutionary IRDA bill. Indian Insurance world changed since then.

All big MNC names were making rounds to find a suitable bride (Partners) for their Indian Operations. I was lucky to be part of that change and was lucky to meet some of the best minds with their recently appointed County Heads. Then, it was still AIG / Allianz / Tokiyo, Lombard / AMP or Chubb. Things were moving very fast and practically every one was looking at best Indian brand to partner with. Soon, durable partnerships were announced (we see today) with the exception of Chubb and AMP abandoning their Partner HDFC / Sanmar since they chose to exit the great Indian Insurance market.

In those strategic meetings, mostly we discussed new innovative products and effective but profitable channel of distribution. Particularly, for the General Insurance segment, we were facing a daunting task of relevant data, including loss ratios so that a smart insurance product could be built for Indian customers. The old players of this industry i.e. the Govt. of Indian Insurance Companies were reluctant to share the data and very much righty so as the winner in Insurance game is only that who could underwrite the risk well. Other wise, what is the difference between FMCG and Insurance business model?

Well with not much of luck, most of the Insurance companies now with their Indian partner and rechristened names viz. Tata-AIG / Bajaj Allianz / ICICI Lombard / Iffco Tokiyo picked the clues from international markets including re-insurance companies like Swiss-Re / Munich-Re etc. And look at where we stand today. Indian Insurance products are perhaps 30% cheaper than international markets and the best news is that the Insurance companies are well on their profitable / break-even path. This is our genius or I would say smartness of Indian Insurance Underwriters and Business Development guys who managed to achieve critical mass with less loss ratio at an amazing speed.

The new buzz word is Online Distribution of Insurance today. The credit goes of ICICI Lombard, who were the first player to see Insurance Online when their competition were still hiring more Feet of Street (FOS), spending millions on wasteful advertizing or opening new branches. ICICI Lombard perhaps is the only company in the world that has huge a depth of Online Products ranging from Travel Insurance to Motor Insurance. Bajaj Allianz followed suit and came out with their smart Online Products too. Both these companies, if I am not wrong, are doing over USD 30 million worth of business every year.

Of Course, if we look at the total Indian Insurance Size, which is over USD 30.00 billion, this sounds like a small amount. But mind you, 75% of total Insurance industry in India is Life Insurance where we still don’t have a single Online player.

Looking at the opportunity and need for a neutral player not selling only A or B Insurance company product, Bonsai Insurance Broking launched India’s first Online Compare and BuyNow Insurance Portal in 2007. The concept is like a shopping Mall where a customer could get all types of policies across Insurance companies at his or her pace without any agent chasing them. The Online Brand is InsuranceMall. 

To the best of my knowledge, now India has 3 types of Online Insurance intermediaries who are changing the landscape of how Insurance is bought or sold today. They are:

1. Online Insurance Brokers – Neutral. You can Compare and Buy Policies Online
2. Online Insurance Lead Generators – Collects your Info. Sells lead to Insurance Companies
3. Online Insurance Information Companies – Knowledge bank

For details and complete article pls click :

https://www.insurancemall.i
n/I-Opener/post/2008/05/Online-
Insurance-is-Welcome-in-India--
-by-MKJ.aspx

Cheers!

Manish

Film Review : Harold and Kumar, Escape from Guantanamo Bay
Director: Jon Hurwitz
Producer: Hayden Schlossberg
Cast: John Cho, Kal Penn, Roger Bart, Richard Christy
Distributor : New Line Cinema
Rating: 4 on 5 Stars

Harold and Kumar – Escape from Guantanamo Bay, the sequel, is another super hit movie by Kal Penn and John Cho. A non-stop comedy from the beginning till end will make you laugh through-out the movie. It is a satire on Bush War on terror and government’s high-handedness towards non-white Americans.

Director Jon Hurwitz has touched upon every possible concurrent themes i.e. racial discrimination against Asians, profiling of minorities at Airport, over cautious out look by Govt. staff etc. While reading this, you may think that ‘Escape from Guantanamo Bay’ would be a serious political movie but Director Jon has really treated it in a light humor, which you may really enjoy.

A welcome twist in this bindaas (Hindi version of cool), complete non-sense movie is that both Harold and Kumar manages to find their secret or should I say, lost love in this movie.

I am sure, some people will try to compare first Harold & Kumar with this sequel but I must say, that this one is equally good. The cast and the director have managed to live up-to the expectations. Over all, a great fun movie and a must watch for all adults. Yes, no children please. I am happy rate to it 4.0 on 5.00 Stars.

Cheers!

Manish Jaiswal

for

News and Reviews

It is a vacation time and also a good time to travel to United Stated for business. Soon, students will also start preparing to arrive in the land of opportunities for their academic pursuits.

America is a great country but one thing will hit you first, from the time of landing, that she is a true capitalist economy. Some thing which we take for granted i.e. cart to carry luggage at the airport. Well you may end up paying US 2-3 dollars for the cart, depending upon which airport you are landing. Of Course the Airports are clean and elegant. The Visa Officer will smile at you and will welcome you to United States but soon you will realize that you will be spending money on every thing, perhaps except for water and restrooms. No sooner you are out of the airport and if you are lucky, you will be greeted by your family members / office colleague, so you may get a free ride home. But if you are like us, when we arrived in USA, we had to do every thing on our own. Hunting for a cab to a grocery store, to a Medicine shop. Now you have to do every thing on your own, so what you were rich and famous in your native country. Welcome to America. Welcome to Self Help world. Welcome to the country where there is ‘No Free Lunch’ well, for almost every thing. Cheers and welcome to the most advanced country on planet earth!

Well, I would avoid general statement here but would seriously recommend the following to carry or do before landing into America or soon after landing here.

1. House Search: Google a couple of options and you may get a house of your choice in your budget
2. Social Security Number (SSN): Once you are sure of your address, be it office or stay, immediately apply for Social Security Number. Your local SSN office could be searched through Google
3. Mobile Phone: Based on your Visa status, you can get your mobile phone immediately. Remember, for better post paid plan, it is good to have SSN. Go for GSM phones as CDMA phones will not deliver your SMS to your native country, where network is based on GSM. AT&T and T-Mobile are good mobile options in America.
4. Grocery Store: Hunt your nearest grocery store. They are your life line. You will get tired eating Pasta / Pizza and Burger. Home food will give smile on your face for sure.
5. Driving License: Indeed, carry your International Driving License. It will help you drive till you get your USA Driving License. Some states like NJ will not ask you to go for driving test if you have a valid International License from your country, say India.
6. Bank Account and Credit Card: This should also be done within first week of arrival in United States. Based on your passport, bank will open a Checking or Savings account. Start with checking account. If you have dealt with Citi or HSBC banks in your host country, then you may get your Credit Card also fast, so carry your past credit card statements. To get a Credit Card is a big challenge in America. Without a Credit Card, you will not be able to build a credit history and without your credit history, you will not get a Credit Card in USA. It is like ‘an egg or chicken’ situation, which every immigrant to America face.

Well, if you have done these 6 things in your first 15 days of your arrival, then you are kind of ready to roll and explore new America. It is a process driven country hence you will never face problems in getting things done that is within the Policy Framework.

But it is pertinent to share with you that one thing you must carry before entering United States i.e. Your Health Insurance Policy.

Consider this

For a trip to a doc for a normal check-up, (of course after appointment perhaps next week), you may spend over USD 300/-. Unlike India, most of the critical drugs are available through Prescription only, which means you will have to visit a doctor to get that small piece of Prescription to get your medicine. Again the drugs are very-very expensive. God forbid, should you need to be taken to emergency room, you may get a bill of USD 3000/- plus for say 2 hrs of stay there. Incase, you need to be hospitalized then God only knows what will be the bill. It could be as high as USD 10,000/-. Can you really afford that?

Your Heath Insurance options

Fortunately, now you have many options to choose from to get a decent travel insurance policy for United States. Incase you are coming from India then you may want to check-out Bajaj Allianz / Tata-AIG / ICICI Lombard. Or if you don’t want to waste your time searching all insurance company website for a good plan then an easier way is to compare and buy your choice policy from India InsuranceMall (Click Travel).

Incase, you are going to stay long in United States, say 60 days plus, then I would recommend you Ame

You have been working all your life. You don’t regret having spent most of your adult-hood raising children, giving them comfort and education plus providing for food, shelter and security. You have turned 60 now. It is time to take a much deserved break. Right time to go and see the world around. India is beautiful and you may have seen most of it by now, so why not explore foreign countries. If you are thinking in that direction, then I must tell, that you are thinking right. Don’t wait for another 2 or 5 years as this is the time.

You chose a destination as most of them are great. If you are conscious of your budget, then you may want to explore Thailand. I call it the best value for money for all first time travelers. If you have dreamt about Europe, then trust me, you are not alone. Europe is like India, quite vibrant, beautiful and expensive. But, a trip to Europe, covering UK / France / Italy / Switzerland and Spain will be a trip of a life time. If you still feel that you are young at heart and may want to venture far-out distances then Australia and New Zealand is your place to visit. If your family members are calling you for long time and you want to see the most powerful & wealthiest nation on earth, do come home to USA.

As I said, do travel abroad as it will refresh you. It will make you feel good. It is not indulgence or waste of money but every penny worth spent as you deserve this break after long working years. Besides, there are huge learning and exposure when we travel to see different countries, culture or people. So, travelling abroad can never be a bad deal.

A savvy traveler should do a research on what is good and what is a must before venturing our for a Dream Holiday. Fortunately, Google is one good avatar, which will help you take an informed decision for your next vacation.

Here is my take that you may keep in mind, when you are making an international trip.

Tickets: Ensure, that you have a confirm ticket for all sectors. Don’t leave home, if any of the destinations is showing wait-list. This is a travel season time and chances are that you may not get to board the plain. Which means you will be stranded. Whether you are buying online Tickets or through your travel agent, ensure you have a valid ticket.

Hotels: Market is competitive, hence both online or offline agent of yours will give your throw-away prices on your hotel stay. Well, on the face of it, that would be great, but ensure that you are staying at the city center, even that means 10-25 dollars extra. Hotels in the heart of the city (close to all tourist attractions) are expensive but they are worth extra dollars. You would not want to spend over 50 dollar daily on travelling just because your travel agent sold you a cheap hotel at the outskirts. What ever your agent says, avoid staying in less than 3 Star Hotel any where during your trip! 4 or 5 Star is just waste of money, unless your company is paying for. This thumb rule is true across United States / Europe / Far East or Middle-East destinations. If you have small children with you, then prefer Holiday Inn as they are always the best bet hotel for a family stay.

Luggage : Well, I don’t need to speak much on this as now Airlines regulate the size and shape of your luggage. If you are coming to United States, then be sure, that you are not carrying over-sized or over-weight luggage, as they have become very strict. Carry a hand-bag always with basis minimum stuff to survive, in-case your baggage is delayed. Trust me, it happens quite often on all routes with all Air-lines.

Pass: You may want to carry passes / tickets etc for Amusement Parks / Eurail / Museums etc. Incase you missed it, no sweat. They are available in plenty at all locations, including your host Hotels. Why to waste your precious FOREX in India, before the start of journey. But, if you are planner and would want to see the world within your budget, then buying these expensive items (tickets / passes etc) up-front in India will be a good move as they may be available with your travel agent.

Insurance: This is some thing; you should not compromise at any cost. Don’t leave home without a valid and adequate Travel Medical Insurance with you. Remember, you are going to an alien country and should you fall sick, will not only spoil your trip but could also bring huge financial burden on you or your loved ones. I am sure, you would not want that. The good news is that Travel Medical Insurance from India is very competitive. You don’t need to spend a fortune to cover your piece of mind. However, if you are travelling to United States or Japan, pls. don’t carry less than USD 100K, if you are going abroad for 30 days plus. Falling ill in America is like a curse, so you must avoid it or best hedge the risk by taking a decent Travel Medical Policy. But, here is a catch. If you happen to be 70 plus