The product supply chain from China is not what it used to be. Over the past 20 years, Chinese consumer-product manufacturers have become increasingly sophisticated and capable of taking on more “value-adding” tasks or segments of the product creation supply chain and have moved from mere manufacturers to multi-functional suppliers. In doing so, they have [...]
Despite quantum improvements to outsourcing deals and governance over the past 10 to 15 years, when it comes to achieving outsourcing excellence there’s still plenty of opportunity. Part of the challenge is that once the decision is made to outsource or change providers, the clock starts ticking….fast. It takes real discipline to know when to [...]
Wipro Voice: Dr. Anurag, CTO, Wipro Technologies Human resources, call centers, customer service, finance and accounting. Companies have offshored these processes for years. But what about research and development? Is it a good idea? How much of the R gets outsourced relative to the D? The burst of the economic bubble in 2008 led to [...]
Analytics. That is the new buzz word in outsourcing and particularly in workforce management. Managed services providers (MSP) rely on vendor management systems (VMS) to crunch the terabytes of data on a company’s global workforce—where they work, for how long and how much they cost. But is this really helpful? “Absolutely,” says Doug Leeby, president [...]
As the rupee hits new lows against the U.S. dollar this year, the issue of how foreign exchange rates impact offshore outsourcing arrangements has again come to the fore. But how swings in currency valuations affect outsourcing parties remains a complex question. A weak rupee, for example, theoretically boosts the top line of Indian service [...]
At the most basic level, the challenge with change management is that everyone knows it’s important, even that it’s make or break to the success of outsourcing engagements, but very few actually know what it is or how to do it. Even the most outsourcing-sophisticated organizations fall short in their change management activities. Sourcing change [...]
A new study by Monitor Group and the Rockefeller Foundation examines BPO that delivers a “double bottom line”—a strong business case and social impact. There’s little doubt that offshoring business process work can deliver cost savings for outsourcing customers and profits for business process outsourcing (BPO) providers. But can the BPO industry actually improve the [...]
Applications have personalities? Yes, they do, according to HP Distinguished Technologist, E.G. Nadhan. Nadhan is the Lead Technologist for Global Strategic Capabilities within HP and the Chief Architect for HP’s Applications Process and Tools Framework. Nadhan explains that as HP helps its customers manage their applications, it is important to help the IT executives categorize [...]
Wipro Voice: A Discussion with Deepak Jain, Senior Vice President and Head of TIS “You can see computers everywhere but in the productivity statistics.” — Robert Solow, Economist The CEO wants to know how to transform IT from a cost center to a game changer. The CIO wants to run IT like a business. The [...]
It is the era of the 24/7 employee – but no one seems to be complaining. Cloud computing, collaboration convergence and the need for access-on-the-go have driven a surge in mobility technologies. Instead of wanting to “get away from it all,” people want to take it all with them – accessible through the lightweight devices [...]
The cloud computing business model is one based on conformity. In exchange for that largely standard approach to technical delivery and service levels, customers can gain access to cost-effective solutions for everything from desktop support to infrastructure to business applications with minimal capital investment or ongoing management. “The vast majority of providers will leverage a [...]
Wipro Voice: A Discussion with KD Singh, Global Head of the ISV business “My own theory is that we are in the middle of a dramatic and broad technological and economic shift in which software companies are poised to take over large swathes of the economy. More and more major businesses and industries are being [...]
Fifteen years ago outsourcing buyers wanted to pool their contingent labor needs so they could clearly see their spend, recalls Lisa Fitzgerald, senior director within the contingent workforce practice of Kelly OCG. “We put them on standard rate cards and cut their expenses 20 percent on average the first year,” she recalls. “Moving to a [...]
If you are an outsourcing customer, an outsourcing agreement is like a three-legged stool. Its value depends on what you agree to buy, what you agree to pay and the terms of the contract. Although the agreement and the other contract terms are often extensive, outsourcing customers often underestimate, or even overlook, the value in [...]
One of the hottest areas of the workforce today is contingent labor. But staffing firms that helped place them got their start more than 70 years ago during World War II. For example, Yoh, a managed services provider (MSP), supplied engineers and drafters to help the war effort, recalls Matt Rivera, director of customer solutions. [...]
During the heat of the August monsoon, I traveled to New Delhi to speak at the NASSCOM BPO Strategy Summit. The sights, smells and intensity of India never cease to amaze and delight me. I speak at conferences all over the world including world-class events hosted by Sourcing Interests Group (SIG) and IAOP. All three [...]
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