Fighting the war on terror with outsourcing
By Jason Gutierrez, Agence France-Presse
MINDANAO FEATURE
Sunday, June 14, 2009
 

MARAWI: When American consumers dial a toll-free hotline for customer service support, they may not be aware they are helping bring an end to a long-running insurgency half way across the world.
Some of the calls are routed to a call center in the Philippines’ southern Muslim heartland, the Southeast Asian theatre of the US-led war on terror where part of a new strategy is to smother the insurgency with job empowerment.

Expats should learn culture, exec says
By Abigail L. Ho
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:42:00 05/17/2009


MANILA, Philippines Most Filipinos will say yes even if they really mean no. And they do not mind talking about how much they earn with each other.

Executives from abroad who are working in the thriving business process outsourcing industry here should know cultural tidbits like these to bring out the best in their people.

In a presentation during a recent Asia CEO Forum conducted by Chalre Associates, Jeff Uthoff, executive vice president for solutions and strategy in Asia for ICT Group Inc., said expats here should make an effort to learn more about the Philippine culture.

Philippine BPOs of US-based firms may be taxed twice under Obama proposal
05/11/2009 | 10:03 PM


MANILA, Philippines - Philippine units of US-based companies such as Accenture and IBM should maintain the value of its high-quality outsourcing work, a move seen to neutralize “anti-outsourcing" tax measures announced by the United States.

This recommendation was issued ICT research think tank XMG Global as US President Barack Obama fulfilled a campaign promise to charge higher taxes on American firms that have offshore operations.

Under Obama’s tax plan, American business process outsourcing (BPO) companies are required to pay taxes twice – once for the locality in which it operates and the other for revenues earned abroad even if these haven’t been repatriated.

More BPO firms flock to RP amid crisis
By Karen Flores,
abs-cbnnews.com 
05/11/2009 2:31 AM

More jobs just keep on coming to the Philippines this year as business process outsourcing (BPO) firms continue to expand their operations in the country amid the economic crunch.

Industry group Business Process Association of the Philippines (BPAP) said the outlook remains positive for the Philippines as members expect a 200 percent growth in employment this year. The growth will come from both existing and new players.

Philippines Remain Optimistic Despite Crisis
By: Kathryna R. Ahorro

Economists have sounded off that the Philippine economy may outshine its East and Southeast Asian neighbors from now to a couple more years. According to them, this is due to the economic management that the government has implemented. The Philippines is one of the more resilient Asian countries that are not much affected by the worldwide economic downturn. GDP this year is expected to rise by a maximum of 3 percent, higher than neighboring countries like Vietnam and China's.

For the succeeding years, an average growth of 4.5 percent in GDP may be achieved. This steady increase in GDP is largely attributed to two factors: overseas worker remittances especially from those in healthcare and education, and business process outsourcing. Both are considered to be recession-proof sectors.

BPO firm inks deal with MSU campus in Iligan
abs-cbnNEWS.com 
05/08/2009 2:08 PM

Business process outsourcing (BPO) firm HP Outsourcing Philippines Inc. announced Friday that it has established a partnership with the Mindanao State University in Iligan City where it plans to put up an office.

HP Outsourcing Philippines, a subsidiary of the Hubport Group, has signed a memorandum of agreement with the MSU-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), a university known for its information technology and engineering programs. The BPO firm will be putting up an office inside the MSU-IIT campus.

Outsource Your Processes, Keep Your Customers
By Steve Ditto
CRM Buyer
05/08/09 4:00 AM PT

Recovery may not be just around the corner, but it is coming, and companies need to act now to position themselves to succeed. In many cases, that means cutting costs, but it should not mean cutting customer service corners. Outsourcers can provide some sensible solutions for keeping customers on board in a highly competitive landscape while keeping budgets under control.


Crystal Reports - New Royalty-Free Runtime and Free 30-Day Trial Download. Check out the new simplified licensing option that enables unlimited royalty-free distribution of the report engine for externally facing server and web deployment. Click HereLearn more.

Why right-brainers will rule this century
updated 5:40 p.m. EDT, Thu May 7, 2009

Daniel Pink tells Oprah Winfrey why creativity and imagination will be powerful forces for success.

Daniel Pink tells Oprah Winfrey why creativity and imagination will be powerful forces for success.

(OPRAH.com) -- Your left brain is logical, linear, by-the-numbers; the right side is creative, artistic, empathetic. Oprah Winfrey talks with Daniel Pink about his groundbreaking book, "A Whole New Mind", and explores how right-brain thinkers are wired for 21st-century success.

RP well-positioned in the outsource gaming industry
05/01/2009 | 02:35 PM

MANILA, Philippines-Creative talent, good English communication skills and affinity with the American culture will increase the chances of the Philippines in the outsource gaming industry, a global animation company said in a statement.

MoAnima director Manny Ayala, who attended the 2009 Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, said the gaming industry has proven to be quite resilient as more people are investing in home-based forms of entertainment amid the global recession.

Windows 7 - It's like Vista, only less annoying
By Tim Anderson
30th April 2009 04:59 GMT

The mop-up starts now

Review Today, Microsoft will start official downloads of the Windows 7 Release Candidate. It's the last-planned release of Windows 7 before Microsoft sends the polished code to OEMs and starts boxing up the bits as product.

Knowledge Process Outsourcing Offers Significant Growth Opportunities
Press Release
April 29, 2009

London, The maturing knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) market represents a significant growth opportunity for vendors, according to a new and pioneering report by independent market analysis firm Datamonitor, titled “Trends in Knowledge Process Outsourcing – Growth Opportunities in High-Level Processes”. This research discusses the main players currently active in the sector, analyzes how the ongoing global recession will impact on the demand for KPO services and assesses how providers of KPO services can best position their offerings in order to take full advantage of the sector’s blossoming potential.

Tips for Outsourcing Incentives and Penalties that Work
By Stephanie Overby
April 29, 2009

April 29, 2009 (CIO) Reward good behavior and punish poor performance. Sounds like a commonsense approach to achieving results. And if that tactic works in the chaos of the kindergarten classroom, it seemingly couldn't hurt in achieving desired outcomes when outsourcing.

Tasks you fear to outsource but should try
by John Edwards
 —  InfoWorld —
April 29, 2009, 02:26 PM

In a sliding market, outsourcing looks increasingly attractive. In this era of drastic cost cutting and budget squeezing, many IT managers facing diminished budgets and frozen in-house resources are exploring ways of sending even more work off site to save money, or at least take capital costs of their immediate plate.

Electronics no longer top export in 5 years?
Jessica Anne D. Hermosa
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 | MANILA, PHILIPPINES

ELECTRONICS may no longer be the Philippines’ top exported good and leading manufacturing industry by 2014, as foreign firms opt for cheaper labor elsewhere, University of Asia and the Pacific economist Bernardo M. Villegas told a business forum yesterday.

Microsoft keeps tabs in a crisis
By Maggie Shiels
Technology reporter, BBC News, Silicon Valley

Microsoft has launched a trial product to connect users to the people and places they care about especially when crisis hits.

Philippines expects "rebound mode" of global economy
By Liu Hua, Mia. M. Gonzalez
2009-04-28 19:52:33

MANILA, April 28 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government is gearing up for a "rebound mode" following upbeat indicators in the global economy, officials said on Tuesday.

Dublin Call Centre Outsources more services to Philippines
PAUL CULLEN
Monday, April 27, 2009

Four Trends Will Change The Face Of The Paralegal Profession
Paralegals will benefit from changes to the field
By Chere Estrin  
4.24.2009 - 5:00 

Philippines Information Technology

Report Q1 2009 Market Overview - The report expects the Philippines to be one of the Asia  Pacific region's high-growth IT markets over the next few years, with annual spending  increasingto around US$4bn in 2013. The Philippines has a lower PC penetration than  many other Asian countries and offers correspondingly high potentialfor growth  over the forecast period. The global

Thinking small takes outsourcing to US$42B heights
By Tim Ferguson
ZDNet Asia
Monday, April 20, 2009 10:37 AM
 
Despite a jump in the very largest outsourcing deals, it seems businesses are increasingly turning towards smaller contracts.

Low-paid transcriptionists in the Philippines, India and elsewhere are helping to keep the huge U.S. healthcare bureaucracy running
By Paul Watson
Los Angeles Times
April 19, 2009
 
Reporting from Manila -- It started out as just another Thanksgiving Day stomachache, a nagging pain that sharpened until it reverberated from California halfway around the world.

RP firms short-term planners
By Daxim Lucas
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:01:00 04/16/2009
 
MANILA, Philippines -- Local businesses have some of the shortest planning horizons among peers in East Asia, partly because more firms are engaged in industries that are subject to rapidly changing trends, the results of a recent international study reveal.

The View From Taft
By Mary Margaret Que
Thursday, April 16, 2009
 
Outsourcing pertains to sub-contracting a process to a third party. These processes can range from simple ones, such as encoding and janitorial services, to more complex processes, such as payroll preparation, customer service, and even an entire manufacturing process.

Outsourcing will continue.

To create new high-skilled jobs, energy is very promising aspect. An overhaul  of the electricity grid can generate  employment-report by Satish Kumar Singh Developing countries like India, China  and Philippines are striving for employment.  They are not capable to provide jobs to their youths. Consequently, brain-drain
 

Smooth the Path of Outsourcing
Written by Rick Sturge
WNS Global Services  
Thursday, 02 April 2009

Business Process Outsourcing: A life raft for businesses striving to stay afloat.

Today's global economic crisis is creating untold challenges for businesses in all industries, in all corners of the world. Business leaders of large and small companies alike are struggling to weather the storm that is affecting the survival of many once solid companies. With no safe harbour in sight, it is time to sort out how to stay afloat.
 

1,000 jobs opened in Cebu call center
By Irene Sino Cruz
Inquirer Visayas
First Posted 00:44:00 04/04/2009
 
CEBU CITY – Convergys Corp., a business process outsourcing company, has opened its third facility at the Asiatown IT Park here and is now looking for people.

Pacnet targets RP outsourcing firms
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 12:36:00 03/24/2009
 
MANILA, Philippines – Pacnet is targeting business process outsourcing (BPO) industries, hinting at the possibly acquiring local telecommunications companies to boost its operations in country.
 

A sign of things to come?
Melvin G. Calimag
The Pinoy Post
2009/03/23 11:51:11
 
Dell, the Texas-based computer maker, announced last Friday that it is selling one of the only two company-owned call center sites in the Philippines to call center operator Teleperformance.

Is India's outsourcing sector in trouble?
Monday, March 23, 2009
 
Ever since taking over as US President, Barack Obama has caused some nervous moments for India's gigantic outsourcing industry, which depends on American corporations for the bulk of its business. First, it was the issue of curtailing the number of H1B visas that allow foreign workers to take up employment with US companies. Then came the announcement about "ending tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas" in his February 24 speech to Congress.

Mischievous idea: help the economy, bring outsourced jobs back
April 15, 2009
 
The corporation that Wall Street nicknames Sallie Mae manages $180 billion in student loans and has a mission of helping American society. Fine. American society is in recession. What to do?

RP to protect OFWs, local BPOs using WTO platform
Written by Max de Leon
Reporter
Thursday, 12 March 2009 22:41
 
WITH the crisis tempting economies to implement protectionist policies that may also affect trade in services, the government is now looking at using the World Trade Organization (WTO) platform to protect overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and the local business-process outsourcing (BPO) sector�which combine for about $26 billion in dollar earnings from new regulations that could be enforced by the member-countries.
 

ECONOMY: Offshoring won’t stop
Dinesh C Sharma
Thursday, March 12, 2009
 
In a globalised world, the flow of people, services and jobs will follow a natural trajectory determined by market forces. Tax breaks, trade barriers, legal restrictions and political posturing play only a limited role in affecting this trend

UK firms look to SA outsourcing
ITWeb
12 March 2009
 
[ Cape Town | ITWeb, 12 March 2009 ] - Financial and economic stress is forcing UK companies, in particular, to seriously explore SA as a quality outsource destination, says Peter Winslow, CEO of insurance firm BGL Group.

CICT: RP's cyber corridor sustains growth
abs-cbnnews.com
03/11/2009 7:35 PM
 
The Central Luzon Cyber Corridor continues to grow in leaps and bounds as envisioned by President Arroyo under her country-wide development scheme, an online report said Tuesday.

Commission on Information and Communication Technology (CICT) chairman Ray Anthony Chua said the ICT industry generated 372,000 jobs and $6-billion in revenue for 2008. "And despite the global financial crisis, we still expect the industry to grow this year," he said during a presentation at the Cyber City Teleservices in Clark, Pampanga.

Local IT sector confident of recovery by next year 
GMANews.TV
03/06/2009 | 01:59 PM

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines information technology sector, including the business process outsourcing industry, remains optimistic of recovery by next year.

BPO execs: More job openings this year
By Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 14:24:00 03/06/2009

MANILA, Philippines - Despite rumors of layoffs, outsourcing firm executives see more job openings this year due to demand for higher-value services, an industry survey showed.