Sometimes there can be no greater show of strength for a man than admitting you simply got it wrong. If the Prime Minister’s recent hints that he will listen to the protests from major international firms and look to water down the planned immigration cap tell us anything, it’s that he’s not afraid to reconsider his policies. Or do they?
David Cameron’s announcement that intra-company transfers “should not be included in what we are looking at [for the immigration cap]” will almost…
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Added by Martyn Hart on November 12, 2010 at 4:04pm —
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David Cameron's Tech City plan will deliver real benefits
In the last week we’ve seen Prime Minister David Cameron announce plans to redevelop London’s East End into a ‘Tech City’, with the construction of a £200 million network of technology and innovation centres to rival Silicon Valley.
The thinking behind this is clearly that a technology hub of this sort will help to encourage foreign investment and give the economy a boost.
It seems that research and…
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Added by Martyn Hart on November 12, 2010 at 4:00pm —
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Time to tell Obama a ban on outsourcing is not the answer to his domestic troubles
As US President Barack Obama primes himself for his imminent visit to India next month, the question on everyone’s lips is whether or not he will be able to rebuild the bridges he burnt with the strong anti-outsourcing stance he has demonstrated in recent times.
By visiting India earlier in his presidency than any US leader before, Obama’s visit is intended to be symbolic of the new US-India…
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Added by Martyn Hart on October 28, 2010 at 6:00pm —
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Thinking through the Spending Review
Wednesday’s announcement of the government’s Spending Review was greeted in some quarters with howls of derision by critics who argue that the cost-cutting measures are leading Britain into a new age of uncertainty. But how fair is this view?
It seems to me that the government has approached the review in the same manner as any organisation would do at the outset of a successful outsourcing deal. By reviewing performance as a whole, and…
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Added by Martyn Hart on October 21, 2010 at 4:00pm —
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As everyone knows, the most important part of any organisation is its people. Profits can rise or fall, but if a company’s employees are unhappy or ill-equipped to do their jobs, then it can be a recipe for disaster.
That’s why today, HR services are finding themselves in an increased position of responsibility, with the power to increase a company's productivity and profitability. However, effective HR management can also be a considerable task, and one which uses significant…
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Added by Martyn Hart on October 6, 2010 at 2:00pm —
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In a highly competitive industry, offshore destinations all over the world are fighting to achieve credibility as they look to win foreign investment. Indeed, the past decade has seen India build a name for itself in offshoring BPO, and ITO services, all offered at a fraction of the price compared to Western service providers. So, then – what’s the problem?
The last few weeks have seen a number of well-publicised problems surrounding India’s preparations for the Commonwealth Games,…
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Added by Martyn Hart on October 1, 2010 at 11:30am —
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Boom time for new market entrants?
It’s been a curious time for those involved in outsourcing for the IT sector. An increasing number of organisations have spent the last year cutting costs, rationalising and consolidating in an attempt to gain a financial foothold after the recession, and the result has been a sharp reduction in growth in ITO throughout industry as a whole.
If that isn’t enough, new laws have been passed over in the United States to prevent government…
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Added by Martyn Hart on September 16, 2010 at 4:30pm —
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How do you know when your business is well placed to benefit from outsourcing?
New research announced this week from analyst group Gartner found that more than half of all European organisations are planning to increase their use of outsourcing services.
Gartner’s study found that 53 percent of organisations said they would outsource more in 2010, with 40 percent of organisations planning to boost spending on external services. If accurate, it’s a clear sign that people in…
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Added by Martyn Hart on September 9, 2010 at 3:00pm —
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Last week’s warning from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) on the dangers of the proposed immigration cap should be a stark warning to us all about the dangers of creating a skills gap in this country. After releasing figures which pointed to a 14% reduction in the number of work visas issued in the year to June 2010, the CIPD argued that not only is the present points-based system actually working, but that employers will struggle to fill the resulting skills gap…
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Added by Martyn Hart on September 3, 2010 at 2:30pm —
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I’ve often thought that entering into a business partnership is a lot like spinning plates on a stick; it requires a great deal of attention, a sure touch and a great deal of awareness.
Recent changes in the way contracts are sourced means that, in outsourcing terms, this is a task that’s become either much more difficult, or far more simplified in recent years, depending on what sort of organisation you are.
An example is the sharp decline in the number of single source…
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Added by Martyn Hart on August 20, 2010 at 12:30pm —
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Better relationships result in better outsourcing
American businessman and entrepreneur JC Penney once famously opined that “every business is built on friendship”.
You might think that a close, long-standing friendship with your service providers seems like a little too much to ask for - if so, then at the very least, it’s perhaps worth looking into how you can strengthen your relations for the better, in order to achieve success?
The onset of globalisation…
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Added by Martyn Hart on August 12, 2010 at 5:30pm —
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When the G-Cloud strategy was announced last year, it was amidst claims from the Treasury’s Operational Efficiency Programme that it could save the government £3.2bn of its annual £16bn IT budget by 2013/14.
The proposal remains on schedule to achieve this, largely by replacing the existing government network of department-hosted systems with a dozen dedicated secure data centres, and encouraging government departments to share resources.
However, the questions on the lips…
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Added by Martyn Hart on August 5, 2010 at 2:30pm —
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The government immigration quota: how to fill the skills gap
If there's one issue guaranteed to get the pulse of the nation racing, it's immigration. Prime Minister David Cameron has spent the week juggling this particular political hot potato as he visits India to forge stronger trade and business links between the two nations.
However, there seems little doubt that the trip has been overshadowed by the government's announcement of a permanent immigration quota to be…
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Added by Martyn Hart on July 29, 2010 at 5:00pm —
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According to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s plans outlined in last week’s white paper entitled ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’, patients and doctors have been promised a bigger role in health services. A range of online services will be provided much more efficiently at a time and place that is convenient for patients and will also enable greater efficiency.
What these reforms mean in practical terms is that strategic health authorities and primary care trusts will be…
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Added by Martyn Hart on July 19, 2010 at 8:00pm —
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This week, Cabinet Secretary Francis Maude summoned government suppliers including Serco, Capita, Compass and WPP to a meeting to discuss radical changes to their contracts.
Bosses are bracing themselves for news that they must be prepared to lower their prices and consequently their profits on public sector contracts, in light of the drastic spending cuts. Speculation hints strongly that the Cabinet Secretary’s team will target four key areas: construction, technology, professional…
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Added by Martyn Hart on July 6, 2010 at 5:00pm —
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This week, the NOA along with its European counterparts took part in the European Outsourcing Association (EOA) Summit in Brussels. The event brought together leading outsourcing suppliers, end users and support service providers from Europe, as well as countries as far afield as the Philippines, Egypt and Mauritius to discuss the latest innovations, trends and developments in the global outsourcing market.
The Summit provided a forum for key outsourcing players to examine the…
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Added by Martyn Hart on July 2, 2010 at 2:30pm —
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The waiting is over. Tuesday’s Emergency budget announced by Chancellor George Osborne has for many consumers confirmed their worst fears: increased taxation and slashed public sector spending.
Most of us have been left reeling from the announcements that the VAT is set to increase to a whopping 20 per cent and cuts to unprotected government departments, excluding health and international aid, will amount to 25 per cent over four years. It’s not all doom and gloom for businesses…
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Added by Martyn Hart on June 25, 2010 at 5:30pm —
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It seems somewhat surreal that, little more than 20 years ago, Russia was a communist state within the former USSR, and nations such as India and China were competing in the third tier of industry prior to the digital revolution. How times have changed.
Two decades on, Russia is no longer pigeon-holed for just producing top gymnasts, but a leading provider for outsourcing software development.
Meanwhile, the Asian market finds itself battling it out for global outsourcing…
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Added by Martyn Hart on June 9, 2010 at 12:00pm —
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Every cloud has a silver lining. Stripping away the bureaucracy that so often blights the decision-making process will empower more companies to take a holistic view on the environmental impact they have on outsourcing.
Outsourcing, in its broader sense, has become one of the buzzwords of 2010. Despite popular belief – often perpetuated by the media, its value-added impact is a lot more than just cost-saving. Risk mitigation and reducing carbon emissions also have a key role to…
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Added by Martyn Hart on June 2, 2010 at 11:30am —
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The USP: the key differentiator that sets your business apart from the best of the rest. It’s as important now as it’s ever been.
Some viewed Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement on first round public sector budget cuts earlier this week as bad news for the outsourcing industry.
I take a different view on these cuts. They may well turn out to be an opportunity. While overall they may mean fewer new prospects for general outsourcing suppliers in the short-term, we could…
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Added by Martyn Hart on May 25, 2010 at 3:00pm —
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