When Software Outsourcing is not a Great Plan

“Outsourcing and globalization of manufacturing allows companies to reduce costs, benefits consumers with lower cost goods and services, causes economic expansion that reduces unemployment, and increases productivity and job creation.”

~~ Larry Elder — “The Larry Elder Show”

When Outsourcing Is Not a Great Plan

Outsourcing can definitely be profitable for a great deal of reasons. Numerous companies enjoy advantages such as lower labor expenses, bigger workforces, access to industry experts and extraordinary flexibility because of outsourcing. At any rate, in spite of the glaring advantages to outsourcing there are a few situations when outsourcing is not a great plan. Though there a number of scenarios where outsourcing is a sensible business opportunity there are other scenarios where outsourcing is not the best idea. In these situations it is best to control the job in-house rather than attempting to force an outsourcing situation to work out.

When Outsourcing Is Too Expensive

One of the main advantages of outsourcing is lower expenses. In a great number of cases outsourcing results in lower labor expenses because expenses such as social security, health care and workers’ comp are eliminated. In addition, the increased proficiency resulting when tasks are outsourced to industry experts can also result in cost trimming.

In spite of these numerous opportunities for expense reductions, there are many situations where outsourcing might actually be the more costly alternative and it may also lead to a monetary loss instead of a gain. This may also include a situation where the expense of outsourcing to a tremendously specialized freelancer exceeds the budget for the project. Fees for freelancers with immensely specialized degrees or areas of knowledge are frequently quite costly. An additional possible instacne is one where discovering an freelance worker experienced enough to finish certain tasks would be too costly of a procedure.

“The other part of outsourcing is this: it simply says where the work can be done outside better than it can be done inside, we should do it.”

~~ Alphonso Jackson — Secretary of the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development

When Outsourcing Causes You to Lose Command

Even when tasks or projects are outsourced the business accountable for the work likes to continue to handle the job and keep close tabs on the progression of tasks. It is extremely important for the business to proceed to control the job even after it has been outsourced because they are the ones who are ultimately accountable for the successful fulfilment of the work. Whenever an freelance worker or business wants to deny the company access to project files or documents, outsourcing is a bad plan. The business who has the vested concern in the result of the project should at no time be excluded from participating in making decisions concerning the project.

Prior to outsourcing a job or task care ought to be taken to lay out criteria for the managing of the project. Depending on the length and complexity of the job it may also be smart to schedule regular meetings to supply updates on the progression of the job. During this period the contractor ought to supply the employer with all information needed to assess the progression of the job and affirm it is still on track for completion by the specific deadline.

When Outsourcing is Not Permitted

Occasionally outsourcing is not a great plan merely because it is not permitted by contract requirements. A few project contracts may possess stipulations stating the labor cannot be outsourced to an freelance worker or to another business. Inserting such a clause into a contract agreement is well within the rights of the customers. When they employ a specific business to finish a task or project, they expect all work related to the task or project to be completed by members of that business unless they stated otherwise when negotiating the agreement. Breaching the agreement documents in this circumstance is not a great idea. The business could be penalized by the customer. Penalties may include withholding payment or refusing to grant future projects or tasks to the business.

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The secrets of great customer service

The secrets of great customer service
VERY little consumes and perplexes organisations more than the question of customer service.

Read more on News Mail

Why Esther is One of the Great Women of the Bible

In the modern world, we often feel that we are on the vanguard of the emerging role of women in business, economics, and politics. But powerful women have always been a part of history. In fact, the Bible tells the story of a woman who played world politics and outfoxed a dangerous rival in the Book of Esther.

Esther became a queen by a series of unexpected events. Theologians will tell you that the book of Esther was written in part to demonstrate the fact that there are no coincidences, because a divine hand guides all events.

Here, Esther was a orphaned Jewish girl who was growing up in the care of her older cousin and guardian, Mordecai, who despite his Jewish faith held a prominent position at the king’s court. These were the days of the Jewish exile when Jews had been dispersed to different parts of the world. Persia was a rich and powerful nation, but one that had its share of Antisemitism.

There is no evidence that Esther and Mordecai were particularly devout Jews. In fact, when Esther was selected to be placed in the king’s harem, her cousin advised her to conceal the fact that she was Jew. She must have been very successful at it because no one guessed her ancestry or faith.

Esther was part of a large round-up of pretty young girls for the king’s harem. The harem at the palace in Susa was a special sumptuous area of the palace where the women at court resided. Young virginal girls lived in the first harem, where they were groomed (literally) for many months in preparation for their night with the king.

Once a woman had been with the king, she was moved into the second harem. After that, she was only brought out again if she was summoned to the king by name. With hundreds of women in the harem, many women lived out long, lonely lives in the isolation of the second haremwith no real husband, no children, and no companionship apart from the other females.

After six months of preparation, Esther had her turn with the king. He was so taken with her, he married her (elevating her from a concubine to queen). But after a while, he forgot about Esther and did not summon her very often.

By the way, the king in the Bible story is Xerxes, a figure well known to ancient historians. The book of Esther is set around the time that King Xerxes planned an invasion of Greece (which failed miserably).

According to the book of Esther, an ambitious Antisemite at court got mad at her cousin Mordecai and tricked the king into signing an edict to kill of the Jews. Although troubled by the genocidal edict, it seems Esther at first did not really know what to do. Some theologians wonder if she might have thought she could escape, since no one knew she was Jewish in the first place. However, her cousin Mordecai urged her to go to the king (which could have gotten her into terrible trouble, even had her executed) and arrange a way to save the Jews.

When Esther finally made the tough decision to act rather than observe in history, she vowed to leave the harem to approach the king. By law, anyone approaching the king without a specific invitation could be executed on the spot. However, Esther could not wait in the harem until the king called for her again. She had to take the risk.

Mordecai suggested this was her destiny, saying that she was called to the kingdom “for such a time as this.”

Esther resolved to risk perfunctory execution with her very famous line. Saying she would go to the king, she told Mordecai, “And if I perish, I perish!”

The story is a lot more complicated than it first appears. The law in Persia at that time expressly forbade a royal edict from being reversed, even by the king himself. In a clever series of moves involving a couple of banquets and an appeal to her enemy’s enormous ego and personal pride, Esther exposed the plot to her husband who then has Haman executed.

Esther revealed that she was Jewish. Most important of all, Queen Esther had worked out a very clever way that the edict could stand and yet the Jewish nation would survive. She dispatched her enemy and won the admiration of her husband, the king, all while saving her people.

The great beauty of the book of Esther is that she progresses from a terrified teenager to a world political figure in a series of carefully executed moves.

Like many other historical figures (men and women), Esther always capitalized on the fact that her enemies underestimated her.

But far from being a fiendish mastermind, Esther was actually a gracious woman. She was kind to her husband, even when he acted like a dolt. She was an astute observer of human nature, which is why she knew how effective flattery would be on her enemy, Haman. She also studied life at court, which is why her banquets were the perfect backdrop for her plan.

Most of all, Esther was brave, even more courageous than her husband who led the Persian army on many battlefields. After having dutifully concealed her Jewish heritage for years, Esther chose to reveal it to her husband and enemy at the very moment when it was most dangerous to her personally but most effective to help the Jewish people.

In Esther, we see how an ordinary girl, propelled by God and fate into extraordinary circumstances, emerged victorious by taking a series of difficult steps.

Some theologians have trouble with the book of Esther because it is the only book of the Bible that fails to mention God. There is no direct mention of Him, not even once. Yet commentators argue that the genius of the book of Esther is that God does not have to be mentioned to be evident and obvious. In a stunning series of coincidences and chance encounters, God’s plan and intervention are clear.

The story of Esther is celebrated by Jewish people in the holiday known as Purim, which occurs in the spring.

How to Write Great Survey Questions

In order to consider your surveying efforts successful, the information you collect must be reliable and relevant to your objective. Too often, the data that is collected from a survey is tainted. It may be inaccurate, vague, or lack significant insight into the thoughts and perceptions of your population. More often than not, you can control these issues. The manner in which you create your survey questions and how you combine a variety of different types can help you elicit the information you need to take action.

Today, I’m going to explain the fundamentals of a good survey question. I’ll describe the variations you can use, the proper way to construct them, and some factors to consider to ensure your results are useful.

Closed-Ended Versus Open-Ended

Almost all questions that you can design for your surveys will either be closed-ended or open-ended. Let me take a moment to define the two types. Closed-ended queries are those that only let a person to choose from a given set of responses. One of those responses might be “Other,” but even then, the answer is limited. By contrast, open-ended queries allow respondents to elaborate.

One of the advantages of a closed-ended question is that the responses are easy to categorize. They’re in a standard format, making them especially well-suited for statistical analysis. The drawback is that this type of query can be deceptively complicated to create. Open-ended questions can often reveal insightful information. Their inherent disadvantage is that they’re unsuitable for statistical analysis. In fact, interpreting the responses can often be challenging.

Scale Queries

Scale queries are most appropriate when you want to determine your survey population’s feelings toward a specific topic. Normally, respondents are asked to choose a rating between 1 and 5 that most closely represents their personal viewpoint. For example, the question – or statement – might be “A college education is critical for future success.” Your respondent is then asked to rate their level of agreement with a scale from 1 to 5. 1 might represent “Strongly agree” while 5 represents “Strongly disagree.”

Multiple Choice

Multiple choice questions are well-suited for uncovering the strongest reason for a given feeling. Typically, a number of choices are made available from which your participant chooses. Even if more than one answer is accurate, the respondent is forced to choose the strongest answer.

For example, he or she may be asked, “Why do you enjoy your job?” In most cases, there will likely be several possible reasons (for example, high salary, small commute, intellectual challenge, etc.). By forcing that person to select only one answer, you can determine the most important reason.

Priority

Queries which ask respondents to prioritize the factors that are important to them can be especially useful in identifying behaviors, marketing opportunities, and other valuable data. A number of choices (usually, 5) are presented and the participant is asked to rate them from 1 to 5.

For example, they might be asked, “Rate the following items in order of importance with regards to how you would choose a health club membership.” The items might include monthly fees, flexibility of terms, and availability of the trainers. This type of survey question will help you identify areas that are most important to your respondents in relation to other areas.

Critical Factors In Query Design

The keys to obtaining useful data from your surveys is to focus upon one element, try to accommodate all potential responses, and encourage your respondents to answer truthfully. Today, we’ve focused most of our attention on closed-ended queries. They’re a bit more difficult to design because they must adhere to a specific structure. Open-ended queries are far easier to create because they allow broader answers. Ideally, your surveys should blend a mix of each type that I’ve profiled above.

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