Ethics Report + Sustainability Report Assignment

Ethics Report + Sustainability Report - Assignment Example In addition, there are no clear and explicit policies regarding RFID usage. This raises ethical concerns about people’s privacy. In this regard, by implementing the RFID system, the following ethical concerns should be considered by the company. Stakeholders The four main stakeholders in the case are the operations manager, employees of the organization, customers or clients, IS policy makers. The operations manager will be affected in case ethical issues arise as he is in charge of the implementation of the RFID system. He will have to make the decision, based on the analysis, whether the system should be implemented or not. Employees will be affected as their movement will be restricted because they will be monitored by the system. Clients or customers will be affected as their information will be collected without their knowledge. Lastly, IS policy makers will have to develop policies that strike a balance between ethical dilemma. Analysis Based on PAPA Framework The four p rinciples of Mansion, Property, Access, Privacy, and Accuracy overlap with the use of RIFD. Property involves the owner of information and how it should be distributed or sold to other entities. Unlike traditional times where information in hard forms and their hard nature made them easy to own, the advancement in technology has made information to be in soft form, which has brought a lot of challenges regarding ownership. Organizations use the RFID and collect a lot of information of employees without their knowledge and use the information for their own benefits. In this regard, some organizations sell the information they gather from employees or even customers to third party organizations (Balkovich, Bikson & Bitko 2005). For example, it is likely that many retail traders sell customers personal information regarding their behavior of buying. This will make third party organizations to practice targeted and direct marketing. The information gathered by RFID will enable the organ izations to know the frequency of shopping of a customer, the store he or she shops, the products she likes, and many other attributes that encourage direct and targeted marketing (Huber, Houck & Vinogradov n.d.). Collecting and using customers’ personal information is unethical. The information is considered her property and she should be informed when it is collected and how it is used. According to Mason framework (1986), Access involves the kind of information that can be collected from a person and how it can be used and accessed. Organizations use RFID to collect personal information from clients. While employees can be told the kind of information collected by RIFD systems, they are not always allowed to access, inspect, and correct such information. This is unethical as it is the right of employees and clients to access their personal information collected by RFID, inspect, and correct them. However, it is normally not practical to allow employees or clients to access systems and correct such information even if the information collected about them is wrong. Privacy involves protection from private intrusion. Employees and clients have the right to privacy where they can do their things at will in a manner they like without interference from third party. Organizations use RFID tags to monitor and observe the movement of employees in the building or work

Essay Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 4

Essay - Assignment Example Wendell Berry offers an insight into the importance of practicing some sort of agriculture to produce food. After critical evaluation of the existing trend in which people are increasing choosing food over the counter, he learns something. The contemporary society is characterized emphasis on service industry especially in urban center. In that respect, people tend to ignore the important fact of researching on the nutritional threshold of the food consumed (Wendell 146). The increasing campaign for industrialization has kept many people away from practicing simple gardening at the backyard to obtain pure and fresh food. Instead, eating has remained the only interest with absolute ignorance on the diet and suitability of such food. Besides, Berry recognize the immediate challenge of poor feeding habits and the transferred costs through medical attention over nutritional health related problems. The pleasure of eating according to Berry Wendell can only be derived from consuming fresh and nutritious food which one knows its source. This constitutes direct involvement in farming however small scale it may be and cooking the food before eating it. On contrary, most people have shifted the responsibility to food processing industries who serve their profit interest at the expense of consumer welfare. People have failed to understand that the groceries and food stores are health hazards filled with mere appearance of beauty. Such food production technology to feed the mass includes biotechnology which has already raised ethical concerns. The chemical content of the genetically modified food outweigh the bodily nutritional requirements. Individual consumers are partly to blame for this increasing technology due to overreliance on the food stores instead of embracing even small scale vegetable gardening at the backyard. Besides, people tend to give little attention to the significance of cooked food and hide behind limited time to consume

My dream computer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My dream computer - Research Paper Example Thinking of a dream computer is a delightful experience. I have been at computers since long and have worked on several types of computers ranging from old Pentium-III computers to present day state of the art computers. One thing common to all these experiences is the wish for an even faster computer. But now it is not only a wish and dream it is a genuine requirement to do several different tasks that cannot be accomplished without this machine or at least may have consumed time that cannot be afford. Therefore, now it is extremely important to work out the details of a computer that can meet day to day requirement of various task discussed ahead. Being a student I have to complete college assignments that may require word processing, presentation, picture editing, drawing, worksheet and equations writing facilities along with simple website development software. Beside this for writing technical reports I use some CASE tools. Math assignments are required to be written in some spe cialized software. Entertainment support is inevitable and special sound and graphic equipment are needed to fulfill the requirements of latest games and videos. Internet support software and hardware also form part of the requirements for a dream computer. Software Requirement Beside Microsoft Office 2007 I prefer to use MathType software which a very convenient way to prepare math assignments. MathType can insert complex equations and provide a wide range of mathematical symbols. It is easy to use and provide excellent edit environment. These math equations cannot be written in Microsoft Office because they are not specialized software for math equations. Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium is an excellent student adobe suite which available from adobe at special 80% discount. This is an ultimate solution for all web site and photo editing requirements. The software is a bit complex and requires special training and tutorials to be followed for extend uses and some meaningful con tribution. This software require extra bit of processing power and system resources but it pays off and provide a good value for the money. CloneDVD is my favorite DVD player. It is excellent software which can play nearly all types of media files. It also provides the recording facilities and can run in the background. The software is not resource hungry and can be used while other heavy applications are still running at the computer. The online help and support can help in understanding the software, while routine updates can also be downloaded when available. Software Operating System System Requirements Price Math Type Microsoft Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP 12 MB free hard disk space. MathType is not RAM-intensive so listing its requirements is not necessary $78.02 Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 Web Premium Microsoft ® Windows ® XP with Service Pack 3; Windows Vista ® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (Service Pack 2 recommended); or Windows 7 Intel ® Pentium ® 4 or AMD Athlon ® 64 processor 1GB of RAM or more. Recommended 1280x800 display with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card, 16-bit color, and 256MB of VRAM $449 CloneDVD Microsoft Windows 98/98SE/ME, Windows NT/2000/2003, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 Intel CPU with 350 MHz and MMX, or AMD CPU with 450 MHz or higher 64MB RAM or more $69 Computers Researched I have researched three major brands in the market. All of these laptops can fulfill the hardware requirements and support the software discussed in Part-II of this report. The price difference is based on the features and may also be change slightly if some extra features or capabilities are appended to the hardware details provided in the excel sheet. I have finalized the emachine laptop which can fulfills all requirements and will meet the advance requirements for one year. The machine offers some good upgrade options and can be considered for an upgrade later on. The pric e of the computer is neither too high nor too low and falls under

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession

How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession An investigation into Companies Usage of Outsourcing and a Critical Analysis of How Outsourcing is affected by the Current Economic Recession, Specifically in relation to Northern Ireland. Aims and Objectives The Aim of this research is to determine whether or not the current economic recession has affected companies decisions to outsource. It is important to decipher whether or not companies have increased their usage of outsourcing as a direct result of the recession or whether the increase or decrease in outsourcing is due to other factors. The Aim of this research shall be applied in relation to Northern Ireland companies and build a general consensus that Northern Ireland based companies during this time of economic pressure are increasing their outsourcing. Based on this there shall be three objectives of the research. These shall be; To determine companies have increased their outsourcing during the unstable economic climate. To determine that this increase is due to the unstable economic climate; and To determine the relation of outsourcing and the unstable economic climate to Northern Ireland Companies. Importance of the Research In todays volatile and largely unstable economic climate, it is important to note that the recession as it is referred to affects not just large corporations such as banks and multinationals, but ordinary people living in an everyday environment. The state of the economy affects the modest corner shop consumer right to the small to medium sized business entrepreneur. The word recession has become a word synonymous in everyday language. It is due to this that it can be seen to be important that research is carried out to determine exactly how this has impacted the behavioural patterns of people, businesses and theories. This research is important, and more so relevant, to today than ever before with many companies being forced to cut costs and overheads, and inevitably, manpower, as they try to stem the tide of financial loss. The term Outsourcing is subcontracting a service to a third party and the decision to employ this concept is based upon the companies hopes to achieving a higher margin of profit by lowering their running costs. Lankford et al 1999 defines it as the procurement of products or services from sources that are external to the organisation It is believed today that firms should aggressively adopt the practice and the practice is almost becoming a given, and consultants presentations talk of a revolution in outsourcing. The academic literature on the subject has grown in kind. (Lonsdale and Cox, 2000) Outsourcing for businesses has been an integral part of a well oiled operating system for many years. It came to the fore in the 1980s and has since been used in business lexicon, and it is today in the midst of the economic downturn that it has been a vanguard of companies value systems. Few management practices have attracted as much attention as outsourcing is enjoying at the present time (Lonsdale Cox, 2000) The idea of a subcontracting deal to make the most of time and money in the depths of economic downturn would seem like a perfect opportunity to cut the cost of overheads and use resources efficiently. Faith (2009, p.36) agrees, stating As the recession persists, managements are enforcing stricter budgets. All departments are reviewing their processes to find ways to reduce costs and save money. Outsourcing is an area where companies can limit expenditure Research into the recession and its effect on outsourcing has never been more important than it is today, and while companies cannot predict when the recession is going to end, and with the increasing uncertain future and the possibility of more volatility, research into this area of business practice is vital. In a historical sense, the United Kingdom has experienced the onslaught of a recession before. The last recession struck in the 1980s, and this is where companies found the advantages of using outsourcing during a period of economic downturn (Charsley, 1986) Within Northern Ireland, research into the recession linked with outsourcing within Northern Irish companies has been under researched and indeed very little work has been published. So while periods of boom and bust continue throughout the decades in the worlds economy, research into aspects of the need of cost cutting exercises through outsourcing remain essential. There have been many research papers in the area of outsourcing and the implementation of such a business rationale, as there has been in the area of recession, however the development of one in relation to the other has only been lightly touched on, and this is one of the main reasons for the importance of research into this common area, and hopefully add to academic debate. Critical Literature Review A review of literature published suggests that the recession has caused many firms to reshape and refocus their energies into cost cutting exercises, and one of these comes in the form of outsourcing. The literature suggests that there are pros and cons of such an exercise, and that there may be a negative impact of such an implementation. This research is set to highlight the benefits of outsourcing as a key business tool, especially in a period of economic downturn and that it has increased during recent times in this period of economic instability. Past recessions have changed the way businesses operate and the ability to outsource entire departments have compounded this change. Industrial organisations in the late 1980s and early 1990s experienced a turbulent environment brought about by an increase in internationalisation and a downturn in the economy (Tucci et al, 1997) As a result of cost-cutting efforts during this period, many companies are opting to go the outsourcing route to cover either routine and/or non-core work. (Charsley, 1987) This proposal by Charsley would back up the research to determine that the increase in outsourcing is due to the unstable economic climate. The disintegration, outsourcing and off-shoring of manufacturing and other non-core functions have been seen as irresistible trends (Shi and Gregory, 2003, 2005; Sturgeon, 2002; Arnold, 2000) Outsourcing and the recession appear to come hand in hand when a business is restructuring to save costs. The advantages of such a restructuring and outsourcing during a recession have been highlighted in Joanna Faiths article in Outsourcing becomes luxury in recession where she states that the advantage of outsourcing rather than hiring internal resources is that if the state of the company declines, there is no need to make redundancies This helps stave the negative consequences of firing staff and leaving the workforce unsettled, while saving the companys reputation within the market. Mukesh Butani from BMR Advisors in India believes that If you outsource you can just terminate or alter the contract in seasons of peak and downturn however Graham Beck of PA Consulting stated that many firms who were involved in multi-sourcing were unaware of the risks. These include the integration of all the suppliers after the multi-sourcing, despite admitting that multi-sourcing would drive down costs. (Financial Management, 2009, p.7) PA Consultings outsourcing survey found that with the result of the recession firms are re-evaluating their outsourcing contracts or in effect outsource more elements of their firm. Research has also found that Human Resource chiefs have lost control over making outsourcing decisions, as finance directors and chief executives look to rein in costs during the recession (Logan 2009) In January 2009, a study by outsourcing firm Ceridian found that 20% of two hundred and fifty senior Human Resource professionals had the ultimate say in outsourcing recruitment, payroll and benefits for their organisation. Thirty one percent (31%) of the decision making went to the CEOs. Steve Joyce of Ceridian (2009) stated that The credit crunch has left no business function untouched, and it is clear in some organisations now that HR directors are not masters of their own strategy. Barker (2009) believes that In a recession, sometimes it is not possible to take a long-term perspective, especially where firms are really facing an emergency, and it becomes a matter of survival to cut costs wherever they can Charsley, 1987, states the opportunities brought about by outsourcing are several Charsley saw these as, firstly, management could balance the work force with the load, since contracted employees and can be brought on board or dismissed This could be done without the headaches generally involved in changing permanent staff levels. He also identified that management can focus on core work and more easily determine actual cost to the organization provided by non-core support units. In his book, Management Consultancy-A Cost Effective Resource Charsley states The ability to determine costs and allocate them across different parts of the organisation also allow management to consider new structural forms that might enhance the firms overall competitive position However in an interview of 1,000 firms all around the world about their experiences with outsourcing, also by the PA Consulting Group, the results show that the most common outcome was a fairly neutral one. As a result of the cost-benefit analysis comparing contract labour to company personnel, many managers were and are becoming more willing to opt for the contractor through outsourcing contracts because of the total cost of continuing the relationship with the company employee To summarise, there has been very little research conducted to verify whether or not within Northern Ireland the recession has had a direct impact on the decision of companies to outsource more of their business. By conducting further research into this field the purpose of this investigation is to shed more light on the topic as it is of high significance in this turbulent economic climate. Many authors agree that outsourcing is an integral part of the business acumen. The shaping and refocus of business objectives because of the recession has led to this. However there a handful of experts who believe that outsourcing has led to the relationship between the company and employee being stretched. Proposed Methodology The study being undertaken can be described as an exploratory research study. The research aims to find and explain the relationships between the outsourcing and the recession amongst companies in Northern Ireland. The research aims to assess the phenomena of companies outsourcing to cut their overheads and to maximise profit in the time of high economic uncertainty, and to find out what is happening; to seek new insights; to ask questions and to assess phenomena in a new light (Robson, 2002 taken from Saunders, 2007) This research project is set to explore data and develop theories from which will directly relate to previous literature. This is an inductive approach. The use of primary sources for the purpose of this research is decided on the fact that the researcher can focus on specific issues and have a higher level of control over how the information is collected and used. The research can be implemented on a strict timescale. A survey strategy shall be implemented in-order to meet the aims and objectives of the research. Survey strategies are popular in business and management research and are frequently used to answer questions raised by previous research. The benefits of a survey strategy are that they allow a large amount of data to be collected from a large population in an economical way. Survey data is also seen as straightforward to comprehend and illustrate. To conduct this survey, questionnaires shall be drawn up and sent to companies based around Northern Ireland. In social research, questionnaires are one of the most widely used in data collection. For the questionnaires a sample shall be selected from the wider population. The population in this case is all the registered companies in Northern Ireland. Because it is not feasible to send questionnaires to all the companies in Northern Ireland, for the purpose of the research, an appropriate sampling frame shall be drawn up. This is a complete list of all the cases from which the sample shall be made from. The sampling base shall be unbiased, current and accurate. Upon collaborating a suitable sampling frame the next stage of the process will be to decide how many (the sample size) and the method by which the companies shall be chosen. Large sample sizes can be sought without the burden of major costs, and produces quantifiable data. In this instance, systematic sampling shall be used. The reason behind this is it works well with either a small or large number of cases. It is also suitable for geographically dispersed cases. Actual lists are not always needed either. The relative costs are low and is relatively easy to explain. The next stage of the research having identified the method by which the data shall be collected, the sample and the sampling technique is to decide upon the technique of data collection. For this research it is proposed to collect the data via postal questionnaire. This is decided upon the characteristics of the respondents and the size of the sample. Having designed the questionnaire the next step is piloting. The purpose of piloting the questionnaire is to refine it so that the respondents have no ambiguity as so how to answer the questions and the questionnaire exhibits face validity thus ensures accurate feedback of results. In addition to this it shall provide some form of validity to the questionnaire and the results. Reliability of the results is the main aim here. Initially to pilot the questionnaire, a group of experts in the field of which the questionnaire is to given to, should be asked to complete it. Allowing suggestions to improve the questionnaire would further enhance the content of the questionnaire. Upon completion of the pilot, the necessary adjustments can be made. The pilot should also ensure that the structure of the questions is correct and there is an established flow allowing an easier understanding of what is being asked. For the purpose of this research it would be suggested that ten pilot questionnaire s be distributed amongst a field of experts to ensure that any trace of ambiguity or misinterpretation be eliminated before the actual questionnaires are distributed. The responses of the questionnaire will provide an idea of reliability and sustainability. It is good research practice to follow through with a pilot of the questionnaire. The final stage is administering the questionnaire. Attempts must be made to maximise the response rate. In order to do this, factors such as appearance, type of delivery and incentives, should be considered. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of this research, the key data collection method employed shall be interviews. For the purpose of the research the key figures to be interviewed shall be managers from the Human Resource (HR) departments. Reasons for this are that evidence from prior research suggests that it is this department who are in charge of outsourcing despite Logan, (2007) suggesting that many companies are taking this responsibility away from the HR departments. To conduct the interview for the purpose of the research a semi-structured interview shall be implemented as opposed to a fully structured one. The drawbacks of the fully structured interviews in research like this are the fact that the answers that may be given could be irrelevant, providing little or no use to the research, the questions are normally closed and thus does not allow freedom to operate outside the constraints of the questions and removes the interviewers ability to back track and highlight certain topic areas. As questionnaires shall be produced and sent out to various companies, the need for a structured interview is further outweighed as fully structured interviews are broadly similar to structured questionnaires. To complete the semi structured interview the main areas of the research to be covered shall be worked out in advance so the overall focus of the interview can be guided by the researcher. The advantage of using the interview situation is that the response rate can tent to be higher than perhaps if requesting information in a non face to face environment. The ability to judge the seriousness of the answers can be helpful in interpretation as well as noting body language. The planned sequence of questions may change during the semi structured questionnaire. This is a huge advantage, as a number of topic areas may covered simultaneously and the interviewee may revert back to a question to be covered in more detail. The naturalism of conversation can take effect and allow the interviewee peace of mind. Before the interview takes place, the interviewee shall be asked whether or not it is possible to ask for the interview to be recorded for further evaluation. This would be an advantage as the flow of the interview shall not be disturbed. In-order to gain access to the HR department within the companies, adequate time shall be allowed to let the organisations allow feedback, and the proceeding follow up contact. A clear account of purpose shall be given to the company. This should clear all concerns regarding credibility. The gatekeeper is the sole source through which contact should be made to gain access to the interviewee. This is done to ensure feasibility of the actual interview. The analysis of the semi structured interviews shall take the form of transcribing the conversations and from that withdrawing key themes and concepts which may help with the implantation of the research objectives. This is known as grounded theory approach, a widely used method for generating a theory from research. The data derived from this research method shall be qualitative data, and shall emerge from the data collected rather than being imposed. Having completed the transcriptions of the interviews, and the keys themes of note are recognised, the information must then be transformed into a form of quantifiable data which allows easier understanding. This involves coding. The data is split into segments which are relevant and meaningful to the overall research and the aims and objectives. The purpose of this is to highlight any trends which may appear from the qualitative data and add weight to what the research is investigating in a statistical manner. As more data is analysed the codes may change. The program used to carry out statistical analysis is SPSS. Time Scale The research shall commence on January 11th 2010 and will be collated over the course of the following fourteen weeks. It shall conclude on April 16th 2010. Here is a detailed plan of the timescale of each proposed stage of research. While conducting the research it will be important to note that there will be time allowed for contingencies should there be any unforeseen circumstances occur. Due to Undertake Activity Activity Week 1-3 Background reading Week 3 Construction of Questionnaire Week 4 Pilot questionnaire/Select Sample Size Week 5 Feedback from pilot questionnaire and modify accordingly Week 6 Perform final questionnaire, allow three weeks for postal surveys to return and begin interviews Week 9 Collect data from Postal Questionnaires. Begin interview Transcriptions. Week 10 Begin coding of questionnaire results Week 12 Results and Discussion Conclusion and recommendations Week 14 Final Draft prepared and Submitted

Colonization In America :: US History Colony American

Before Europeans had ever set foot on North America the continent was a vast land made up of various Native American nations that had their own distinct cultures, history and social hierarchies. The Natives here possessed all of the aspects that human beings all over the world incorporated into their societies. They had social structures, trade routes and relationships between various Native groups and were by no means a cluster of heathens waiting to be discovered by white Europeans who would come to claim the land they have lived on for thousands of years. Upon their arrival on the continent that was often tagged as The New World the three prevalent European countries that established colonies in North America England, France and Spain each took fundamentally different approaches to establishing their colonies and forming relationships with the native inhabitants. There were many various reasons for why each European country chose to participate in the colonization and their affair s with Indians in the ways they had. The country itself and the goals it had set for establishing settlements in the New World along with the location of the settlement and the Indians that they would be confronting as a result of their settlement are all interesting aspects that play vital roles in why each colonial society differed from one another in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Spanish in the New World landed their ships and set up Catholic monasteries in Florida as well as the area now known as New Mexico. The Spanish who have had a long history of coexisting in Spain with the Mores brought some of their conventional diplomacy with them when they attempted to establish permanent settlements in the New World. Although a large portion of Spain's reasoning behind occupying land in the New World was the conversion of Native Americans as well as gaining gold, wealth and power just like the Conquistadors had done in the past from conquering the Aztecs. Spain brought a sort of diplomacy with them when they tried to coexist their culture and peoples with that of the native inhabitants of Florida. This approach was probably just as much done out of necessity than modern European kindness, because the Spanish settlers who founded the string of settlement towns in Florida were vastly outnumbered by their Indian counterparts.

Diagnostic Assessment and Formative Assessment Essay

Assessment for learning In classrooms where assessment for learning is practiced, students are encouraged to be more active in their learning and associated assessment. The ultimate purpose of assessment for learning is to create self-regulated learners who can leave school able and con? dent to continue learning throughout their lives. Teachers need to know at the outset of a unit of study where their students are in terms of their learning and then continually check on how they are progressing through strengthening the feedback they get from their learners. Students are guided on  what they are expected to learn and what quality work looks like. The teacher will work with the student to understand and identify any gaps or misconceptions (initial/diagnostic assessment). As the unit progresses, the teacher and student work together to assess the student’s knowledge, what she or he needs to learn to improve and extend this knowledge, and how the student can best get to that point (formative assessment). Assessment for learning occurs at all stages of the learning process. Assessment for learning Comprises two phases—initial or diagnostic assessment and formative assessment  Diagnostic Assessment- This set of diagnostic assessment materials for literacy, language and numeracy (Entry 1 to Level 2) was a national development in 2002. Included are materials for assessing learners on the pre-entry curriculum framework (Milestones 4-8) and materials for assessing the need for support for dyslexia. Diagnostic assessment helps to identify speci? c learning strengths and needs, and usually follows an initial assessment at the beginning of a learning programmer, where there is an indication of the need for further, more detailed assessment. It is related to speci? c skills needed for tasks. The diagnostic information can be included in the learner’s ILP. It is recommended that diagnostic assessment is conducted by specialist teachers of literacy, language or numeracy. Formative assessment -including diagnostic testing is a range of formal and informal assessment procedures conducted by teachers during the learning process in order to modify teaching and learning activities to improve student attainment. It typically involves qualitative feedback (rather than scores) for both student and  teacher that focus on the details of content and performance. ] It is commonly contrasted with summative assessment, which seeks to monitor educational outcomes, often for purposes of external accountability. Assessment can be based on a variety of information sources (e. g. , portfolios, works in progress, teacher observation, and conversation) Verbal or written feedback to the student is primarily descriptive and emphasizes strengths, identi? es challenges, and points to next steps As teachers check on understanding they adjust their instruction to keep students on track. No grades or scores are given – record-keeping is primarily anecdotal and descriptive Occurs throughout the learning process, from the outset of the course of study to the time of summative assessment -Assessment that is accompanied by a number or letter grade (summative) -Compares one student’s achievement with standards -Results can be communicated to the student and parents -Occurs at the end of the learning unit Evaluation Judgment made on the basis of a student’s performance Test An assessment intended to measure the respondents’ knowledge or other abilities Assessment.

Outsourced

The film profiles the lives of four young Indian women who work in outsourcing jobs at a company called Genpact. l They see their work as an exciting opportunity and an important source of income for their families. They take their Jobs seriously and believe their oles are an important step towards financial security and professional advancement. By way of contrast, the film also canvasses the experiences of four Australian call-centre workers who do not consider their Jobs as careers.They are young, itinerant workers who, despite earning up to five times the wage of their Indian counterparts, do not regard their Jobs as being long- About this study guide > Key themes discussed in this study guide are: globalization, economics, business, gender, trade, society and culture. The study guide includes questions and activities to be explored before and after watching the film. e questions can be incorporated into classroom discussion or students can provide individual written responses.Th e activities in the study guide include a mixture of individual investigation, class discussion, and small group work. Specific questions and activities for students of media studies are included under a separate heading. Curriculum Links In OUTSOURCED! , filmmakers safina Uberoi and Anna Cater examine Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), focusing on an Indian company that wins contracts to take over many ‘back office' functions of companies located in developed countries.With many Western white-collar Jobs being ost to the BPO industry, the subject is a controversial topic in the world's economies. Choosing to shoot the majority of the documentary in India, they concentrated particularly on the perspective of women because it is female employment in the Indian BPO industry that is creating tremendous social change for its participants. Both Uberoi and Cater have prior