cbroberts

In my previous post I said that the European Renaissance period impacted how we live our lives today. For this blog I want to focus on that specifically. One of the major impacts this time period had on us was the influence of itself on science. Before the renaissance period there was a strong tie between religion and science. For some reason this period of time evoked in people the idea that the human mind was powerful and that through study we could learn why things worked and understand the world we live in. In many cases the use of science reinforced the belief systems of the people. It was from this time period that word science began to be used. (1)

It was due to this period that printing the Bible and studying it became a obtainable desire of the mass population. This revolutionized religion and impacts us still today. There was also a great focus on improving how people lived their everyday lives and this translated into politics. (1) We see this ramification of the renaissance still very clearly today, and it is amplified every four years.

Even though these are only a few examples, I believe they show that the renaissance period did have a large impact on society. I believe the impact is still felt today. I also believe the changes in lifestyle this period ushered in were good changes and a spirit of the renaissance regardless of the time period is always beneficial to society.

1) http://www.cyberessays.com/History/24.htm

Posted by cbroberts at 10:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The European renaissance was a period of time in which the creativity of man gained new heights. During this time artists such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo created their legendary works. This period of time began in the 14th century in Italy (Florence specifically), and there is no definitive answer as to the true origins of the movement, but many attribute it to the political structure of the country during that time. (1) Regardless of the movement’s origin, there is definitely something about that window in history that inspired men (and women) to create not just new art, but new ways of thinking, and better ways of living their lives. (2) Many view this time between the fourteen and sixteen hundreds as a time of “breaking away” from the medieval lifestyles that dominated the past. (2) Regardless of the reason of origin, this period was important because it was a major step forward in modernization, which impacted how we live our lives today.

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/European_Renaissance
2 . http://www.cyberessays.com/History/24.htm

Posted by cbroberts at 09:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Human Communication Defined

Human communication may be described as the ability of an individual to communicate a message through a channel or medium. (i) Communication can be verbal involving words (not necessarily always audible) and non verbal. A good example of non verbal communication is body language.

This system adheres to the process of a sender encoding a message, sending the message, and the receiver then decoding the message. Often times, the receiver of the message will decode a meaning that is different from the intended meaning of the message sent. This is due to noise. Noise can be audible, but it can also be defined as anything that hinders the clear transmission of the meaning behind the message. For example, mental stress may hinder the receiver from decoding, and therefore could be categorized as noise.

The first step for the sender is to determine the message. What is the meaning of the message sent? The sender can choose to send a message, but many times messages are sent unintentionally. The true meaning of the message lies in the perception of the meaning by the decoder. If the perception of the decoder is a negative message, then that piece of communication was negative in his/her mind. The old adage that perception is reality holds true in this situation.

The final pieces of this puzzle are that there are responses to the message. This is made possible because the message has order. This allows for the decoder to determine what is important in the message. This is what distinguishes communication from noise (as defined above). Even if the message is not clear and concise there is often at a minimum an acknowledgement of the message. This is possible because the order of the message lends itself to an equally ordered response.

Shannon, C. (n.d.). The Shannon-Weaver Model. Retrieved September 4, 2007, from http://www.cultsock.ndirect.co.uk/MUHome/cshtml/introductory/sw.html

Posted by cbroberts at 09:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The following blog is meant to go along with my previous post. I wanted to expand on some of my ideas from before, and explain why IT outsourcing and offshoring is occurring, and why it can be beneficial.

It is my belief that two major factors play into why India is able to attract business in the form of BPOs or Business Outsourcing Processes. The first factor is the large labor pool. What we see in India is a large emerging economy. This means that there are many people breaking away from the traditional (low paying) jobs of the past, such as farming for example. As this occurs, there are more and more people striving to make their mark in this new economy (which is fueled by IT and various scientific fields) and separate themselves from the pack. In order for people to do this, they must have the required education, but not just any education will do in this highly competitive labor pool, they need to distinguish themselves by being the best at what they do. This equates to one thing: an outside firm has access to highly trained successful people who are willing to work at relatively lower wages than their western counterparts. This is a scenario that will put dollar signs in the eye of any CEO.

The second factor was just mentioned, and that is the economic status of the Indian economy. They are a lower wage paying country (in comparison to the United States for example). This is because of the current emergent stage at which they find their economy, but also due to the large supply of workers. Basic economics tells us that supply and demand will drive that wage down. Offshore companies are jumping on this because it saves them money.

I do think it is a good idea for a company to take advantage of this situation because it allows for them to remain as competitive as possible in the global market. The problem with this though, is that it is risky. There are issues that have to be considered, such as the differing culture and how that relates to their business. Things such as the technical infrastructure of the country also must be considered. For example, in order for a call center to setup shop in India the infrastructure to support this must be in place. A firm must compare the initial investment of this cost to the money that will be saved by lowering the labor expense, and determine if it is worth the investment. One other risk here is political instability of doing business in another country (and not just India). For example, if the political view towards foreign business changes at all, this may result in more difficulty of doing business there than a company may desire.

To conclude, outsourcing (or offshoring) in India can be beneficial, but there are risks. However, after a proper risk assessment is completed, it very well may be in the best interest of a company to move IT operations within the borders of India.

The following is an interesting resource for those interested in learning more: http://www.rediff.com/money/2007/mar/15bpo.htm

Posted by cbroberts at 08:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

In an MBA class in which I am currently enrolled we discussed issues of outsourcing, offshoring, and the role India plays in this process. Our discussion led to me to thinking about the IT industry, and the effect that offshoring and outsourcing has on it. These are my thoughts.

In the book entitled: "The World is Flat" by: Thomas L Friedman he talks about how the world of industry and business is flattening out due to the increased development of emerging economies and their deployment of new technology. In this book, he uses India as the prime example. Friedman says that there are ten major "Flatteners" as he calls them in the new global economies which are working to make the world smaller (or flat). One of these flatteners is outsourcing.

In years past India was known as a strong socialistic economy relying heavily on agriculture as the main supportive industry, but within the last two decades technology as opened the door to India, thus allowing them to become major players in worldwide business. They are doing so mainly within the borders of their own country. This coupled with their large population surge (which leads to extreme competition in the job market) has produced very effective IT professionals. However, old political views of the past hinder the expansion of this line of work within their borders. India countered this by enacting economic reforms. This is reflected in the economic reforms of the 1990's. One of the notable reforms was the relaxation of stipulations placed on foreign investors doing business in India. This among other reforms was the spark that was needed to get the new Indian economy going, and it has worked.

To answer the question, has the Indian government helped or hindered growth? I would say they have helped it. They have done this by enacting economic reform and doing it in a way that cuts through the social norms of the past. The government has also increased its focus on education to help prepare its citizens to function in this new global economy (as pointed out in a recent Newsweek article about the education boom in India), both by teaching more English skills and by allowing more private schools to educate its population. By doing this, India is making a great effort to establish itself as global economic power and they are doing so through outsourcing and education. This combined with lower waged labor and the ability of the Indians to speak English (as opposed to China for example) has made India a prime target for offshoring and outsourcing activities. As the infrastructure supporting these activities in India becomes stronger so will the practice. In the times to come, I only see India becoming more and more of a force in the IT industry and I see this practice growing.

Friedman, T. L. (2005). The World is Flat. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
(n.d.). Retrieved September 24, 2007, from www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11571960/site/newsweek/
Rajaraman, I. (2000). Recent Economic Reforms in India. Retrieved September 24, 2007, from http://www.acdis.uiuc.edu/Research/S&Ps/1993-Sp/S&P_VII-3/india_reforms.html

Posted by cbroberts at 08:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

this is a test blog

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