The roles and impacts of computers and communications technology Essay Example for Free

The roles and impacts of computers and communications technology Essay What are the roles and impacts of computers and communications technology in the increase of trans-border economic activity? I am specifically going to speak about foreign workers handling UK consumer calls and IT jobs in general, better known as offshoring or out-sourcing. Below I have tried to out-line some of the good and bad points about the subject Benefits The advocates of offshoring describe it as having high potential; moving jobs to a low cost labour market will save money and provide a good source of employment for the local people. Also as developing countries become richer, they will also buy more from us and invest more in our economy. UK exports of goods and services to India alone are already worth around à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½2.5billion a year, securing thousands of UK jobs. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) believe that the UK also stands to gain from growing world prosperity and a bigger global market for British goods and services. Offshoring will allow Britain to remain competitive, ensuring that the UK economy continues to generate new and sustainable jobs and new business opportunities. There is also the opportunity to gain from global partnerships. Problems Offshoring can have a negative effect on the morale of remaining onshore staff; furthermore, the low wages offshore could put downward pressure on remaining workers wages. The company risks trade union and public criticism, which could affect customer loyalty and satisfaction. Overseas workers at call centres may be unable to help beyond their training script, so there could be a reduction in quality. There are a number of challenges the offshore workforce will face: cultural differences may create difficulties in forming relationships, managing remotely can be difficult and the service may require local knowledge, such as geography, or an understanding of British systems, i.e. NHS My personal opinion I am totally fed up with ending up in call centres in India. It makes the whole experience lengthy, stressful and frustrating. I hate not being able to speak normally, having to repeat and spell almost everything said and the whole experience is one I could do without. I already have changed a bank for this reason. It Is ridiculous. Why should people have to put up with it? It seems to me just a way to make companies have a healthier bottom line, also no executive wants to give up their perks! As a student soon to be looking for work in the UK, I am fully in support of those who hold the view that companies that served mainly British customers should support jobs in Britain. They should be punished if they dont, either by consumer boycotting or by government taxes or both. Since many corporations are copying each other due to corporate greed there is mass influx of unemployed highly skilled workers, without a place for them to go, it will only take so long of being unemployed for them to either move offshore themselves or move to another occupation. I think offshoring has a large share of the blame for the job shortage here in Britain. Its amazing to see how the definition of cheap labour has changed at first the term was only associated with people working in terrible conditions for next to nothing. But now it extends to multinational companies and corporations moving skilled jobs abroad to save money, all at the expense of the British people. Below is a couple of articles I found that I think compliment what I have written. Bank customers fury at India call centres 12:41pm 18th October 2005 Staff at Lloyds TSB are facing high levels of customer dissatisfaction about the banks policy of transferring work to India, a union has claimed. A survey of nearly 2,000 branch managers and staff found that 96 per cent of people thought customers werent happy dealing with staff in India, while 83 per cent thought customers received worst service as a result. More than half of staff claimed they received complaints or adverse comments about the Indian operation every day, and a further third of people said they received them at least every week. Nearly two-thirds of those questioned reported seeing significantly more errors and mistakes being made by the Indian operation, and 64 per cent said offshoring had made it more difficult to promote the banks products. Around 85 per cent of staff thought the bank would lose many customers because of its decision to offshore work to India, while a similar proportion thought people would be likely to switch to financial services companies that were committed to the UK, according to the Lloyds TSB Group Union. Lloyds ignoring concerns But the union said Lloyds TSB was ignoring these concerns and continuing to transfer back office processing and telephone operations abroad. Steve Tatlow, assistant general secretary at Lloyds TSB Group Union, said: The survey confirms what we have known all along. That staff dealing with customers day in and day out are having to deal with considerable customer hostility at having their accounts handled abroad. The results show that whatever Lloyds TSB might say about the customer service provided by its India operation, hordes of customers are complaining across the UK each and every day of the week. Senior Management will have to make a choice. Either to continue with cost cutting in the teeth of customer opposition to its offshoring plans, or else refocus its strategy towards putting customers first. A Lloyds TSB spokeswoman said: Customer service is essential to us. The call centre in Mumbai has taken seven million calls over the past year and we do monitor the quality and look at customer satisfaction. We have found that levels of customer satisfaction are as high on calls to India as to the UK. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/money/money.html?in_article_id=365776in_page_id=1804 The Impact of Global Sourcing on the UK Economy 2003-10, commissioned by the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), an umbrella organisation for IT software and service organisations in India, estimates that by 2010 the UK could face a shortfall of 700,000 jobs as a result of an aging population and slow population growth. If the problem isnt addressed it reckons that economic growth in the UK could slow, leading to a loss of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½113 billion. Outsourcing would not only bridge that gap, it would also help generate extra income. For the report claims that for every à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½100 of work outsourced offshore, up to à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½141 is re-invested directly back into the UK economy. This upbeat assessment of the benefits of exporting jobs comes even though the report acknowledges that more than 250,000 UK jobs would be lost as a result of offshoring. But it argues that while the impact of offshoring on the UK workforce is real and will lead to the displacement of workers, it insists that the UK labour market is flexible enough to deal with the problem. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/01/28/sending_jobs_overseas_could_boost/

Dr. Faustus Essay -- essays papers

Dr. Faustus In Christopher Marlowe’s play, Doctor Faustus, the idea of repentance is a reoccurring theme with the title character. Faustus is often urged by others to repent his decision to sell his soul to the devil, but in the end he suffers eternal damnation. Faustus was resigned to this fate because he lacked the belief in his soul of God. He was once a moral and devout man, but greed led him to sin. Although Faustus has signed a contract with the devil in blood, it is obvious that it is still able to repent. The good angel in the play is trying to make Faustus realize this. Throughout the play the angel encourages Faustus to stay away from dark magic, â€Å"Oh Faustus, lay that damned book aside, and gaze not on it lest it tempt thy soul and heap God’s heavy wrath upon thy head.†(p. 26, line 69-71) Faustus’ growing interest in necromancy leads him to give the Lucifer his soul in return for twenty four years of luxurious life. The good angel is always accompanied by an evil angel who supports Faustus’ choice. Both spirits try to advise him on a course of action, with the evil one usually being more influential. The evil angel speaks of the power, which Faustus thirsts after. Faustus does not want to be a servant to God. He was become disillusioned with the idea of heavenly pleasures when he realizes he can profit immediately from service to the d evil. In an exchange with the good angel he shows his lack of interest in having to work for rewards: Good Angel: â€Å"Sweet Faustus, leave that execrable act!† Faustus: â€Å"Contrition, prayer, repentance, what of these?† Good Angel: â€Å"O, they are means to bring thee unto heaven† With this display of lackadaisical attitude toward God, the likeliness of Faustus repenting be... ... but for Faustus’ weak soul it is impossible. The old man in the play is the opposing character to Faustus. The old man is a devout Christian soul, who in spite of all of the devil’s tortures, begs Faustus to repent. He clings to his faith to the very end and even Mephostophilis is wary of harming him because of his good soul. Mephostophilis says in response to Faustus request to kill the old man, â€Å"His faith is great. I cannot touch his soul. But what I may afflict his body with I will attempt, which is but little worse.† In comparison, throughout the play Faustus is unable to repent. His weak soul is not true to God. He would have to truly belief in the supreme power of God in order to be saved. He does not repent because his faith has changed, he repents because he fears death. All of Faustus’ decisions are made through a weak, greedy, power hungry mindset.

Hard Work or Luck

MARIA HERRADON GARCIA â€Å"When people succeed in life, it is because of hard work. Being lucky has nothing to do with success in life† Everyone will agree that hard work is the main key to every step of success but luck has also some role to achieve those successes. So many people in this world work very hard but still do not meet their dreams and goals. From my everyday experience and observation I can totally disagree with the statement. I think people should have good luck also to lead their hard work towards success. To be lucky in life you must have worked hard for it previously. There are very rare cases in hich people have accomplished their goals because of pure luck. You need to prepare your self. Since we are children we go to the school, to start feeding or minds with the basics. As we grow up we acknowledge more and more information that will be key in our lives, even if we don’t know it. Preparation is essential because in order to develop your ideas you need a background to support them. The important thing is to love what you are working on, because being passionate about your job will help you to rise your career and do greater things. You need to have dreams and goals in life even if they are rather mpossible but it is also good to settle some lower targets in a short period of time will help you to avoid feeling deceived. Some great examples of hard workers that have received their rewards are Pedro Almodovar and Steve Jobs. Almodovar was born in Ciudad Real, so knowing the possibilities that Madrid could offer him he moved to the capital at the tender age of sixteen years old, all alone, without his family. He worked very hard to make his way into the movie industry and his talent wasn’t given an award until the release of â€Å"Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios†, eleven movies later, when he got his irst Goya. At the age of 50 he finally won an Academy Award, achieving the dream of any moviemaker. The cas e of Steve Jobs is the example that even when you have been defeated you must carry on and keep trying. When he was expelled from the company that he himself founded, Apple, he started a new company neXT that become so successful that Apple decided to buy it, so in the end he returned to his first company and as CEO he raised Apple to a worldwide level not known before. Those were examples of people that worked hard all their lives to be in their position, but there are other occasions in which people success ust because of their luck. To be one of those people, you have to be on the right place at the right time. You never know when the luck might come to you so you need to be always ready, because these lucky strikes are not very usual and sometimes you may not even realise that it was a great opportunity until you have lost your chance. Stay positive, think that you will have your opportunity. You have to be surrounded by the right people, and no body likes that pessimist that ar e always grumbling about their bad luck and how unfair life is. Most of the times the attitude is more important than the aptitude.

A Comparison of Online Shopping at JCPenney and Kohls Essay

JCPenney Dominates Over Kohl’s in Online Shopping Being a multi-billion dollar retailer comes with its perks. JCPenney’s dominance over catalog merchandising has now extended into the cyber world at www.jcpenney.com. This website is multi-functional and easy to navigate, but how would JCPenney’s new e-commerce site stack up against its toughest competitor, Kohl’s, on the web? The answer may surprise you. This is an intriguing look at how varied retail comparisons can be. While JCPenney is struggling with sales on the retail floor, Kohl’s continues to exceed expectations in their stores. Online though, it is a completely different story. Kohl’s has a fledgling site located at www.kohls.com. The homepage for this site looks very†¦show more content†¦Kohl’s homepage is simple and bare unlike JCPenney’s cluttered doorstep; however, JCPenney lists all links on the homepage, which makes online shopping easier overall. The major difference between these two sites is the shop-ability of each. Kohl’s has yet to expand their website to an e-commerce base. It was dramatically easier for JCPenney to expand online because of their established warehousing ability for the catalog consumer. JCPenney has the ability to receive an online order and ship the merchandise within 48 hours, a feat unsurpassed by any online retailer. Kohl’s would need to contract their suppliers to â€Å"drop ship† (the process of shipping merchandise to fill open orders with no warehousing needed) all merchandise to fill Internet orders. JCPenney’s site includes color pictures of every catalog item, and the customer can shop online by using a catalog number. This amenity is something Kohl’s can not pursue because their lack of catalog merchandising. JCPenney also has the advantage of offering direct customer service online. Any online customer can quickly contact JCPenney by completing an online questionnaire detailing precisely what the customer needs. On the Kohl’s website, a customer may scroll through several screens of customer service information before they are given the email address to contact their customer service department. On www.jcpenney.com a customer can click the â€Å"Customer Service†Show MoreRelatedCase Analysis: Macys3825 Words   |  16 Pageshaggling and bargaining was most popular. Macy’s employed the first in store Santa Claus and brought the Christmas spirit into the retail business (Rowland). Today Macy’s is known for creating excitement with an assortment of top retail brands, ordinary shopping experiences, as well as special events most people know to include the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (Macy’s). History. Rowland Hussey Macy opened his first store in Massachusetts in 1851. In 1858, he established a new store after moving to NewRead MoreJcpenney Industry Analysis17889 Words   |  72 PagesDegree Course: MGMT 6800 MAY 9th, 2012 TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2 COMPANY PROFILES 4 1. 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