Lives on the Line

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Sallaz
Keyword(s):  
Call Center ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Initial Attempt ◽  
Strategic Resources ◽  
New Information ◽  
At Home

The call center industry is booming in the Philippines. Around the year 2005, the country overtook India as the world’s “voice capital,” while industry revenues are now the second largest contributor to national GDP. This ethnographic study traces the assemblage of a global market for voice over the past two decades. New information technologies developed during the 1990s and 2000s fed Western firms’ appetite for cheap, English-speaking workers in offshore locales. An initial attempt to build a stable labor market for voice in India failed, owing in large part to gendered norms regarding work and mobility. In the Philippines, in contrast, there is a remarkable affinity between workers and firms. Decades of failed development policies have produced for educated Filipinos a dismaying choice: migrate abroad in search of prosperity or stay at home as an impoverished professional. Offshored call centers, in this context, represent a middle path. Drawing upon case studies of sixty Filipino call center workers and two years of fieldwork in Manila, this book shows how call center jobs allow Filipinos to earn a decent living and stay at home. Filipina women and transgender Filipinos in particular use their voices as strategic resources. Call centers are for them lifelines and lifestyles. Taken as a whole, this study advances debates concerning global capitalism, the future of work, and the lives of those who labor in offshored jobs.

Responsible Women

2019 ◽  
pp. 109-133
Author(s):  
Jeffrey J. Sallaz
Keyword(s):  
Birth Control ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The Past ◽  
Call Center Agent ◽  
At Home

Women in the Philippines, and eldest daughters (ates) in particular, are customarily expected to serve as breadwinners for their families, both immediate and extended. In a country where divorce is illegal and birth control is controversial, too many Filipinas find themselves with a larger network of people to support. Whereas in the past, these “responsible women” would have had to leave the country as migrant workers, call centers offer them a new opportunity to stay at home. Working as a call center agent, in other words, represents a sustainable solution to the dilemma of breadwinning. As a case study of Hannah, a breadwinner, illustrates, these jobs are lifelines.

THE WORKPLACE, THE SOCIETY AND THE WIDER WORLD: THE OFFSHORING AND OUTSOURCING INDUSTRY

2009 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. 145-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Hamp-Lyons ◽  
Jane Lockwood
Keyword(s):  
Customer Service ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Call Center ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
Emerging Market ◽  
Language Assessment ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Business Success

Workplace language assessment poses special issues for language testers, but also, when it becomes very large scale, it poses issues for language policy. This article looks at these issues, focusing on the offshore and outsourcing (O&O) industry as it is transitioning from native-speaking (NS) countries into nonnative-speaking (NNS) destinations such as India and the Philippines. This is obviously most impacted in call centers, where the ability of customer service representatives (CSRs) to communicate with ease with their native-English speaking customers is central to business success and can be key to a nation's economy. Having reviewed the (limited) research in this area, we take the Philippines as our example to explore how government, academe, and the business sector are dealing with the language proficiency and personnel-training issues caused by the exponential growth in this industry. Appropriate language assessments that are practical, while also being valid and reliable, are critical if the Philippines is to retain its position in this emerging market. Currently, call centers in Philippines complain of very poor recruitment rates due to poor language ability, and of poor quality communication outcomes measures: But how do they assess these key areas? We describe and evaluate the current situation in call center language assessment in the Philippines and discuss possible ways forward, for the Philippines and for the O&O industry more broadly.

Revisiting Information Systems Research in Nonprofit Context

2015 ◽  
pp. 271-286
Author(s):  
Ali Eshraghi
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Ethnographic Study ◽  
Voluntary Organisation ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Systems Research ◽  
New Information ◽  
Information Systems Research ◽  
Social Technologies ◽  
The Individual

Understanding information technologies and systems in the context of nonprofits is under-developed field of study. Hence, this chapter reviews current literature on this field. It maps four conventional views on ICT's benefits for the sector. Then, using insights generated through an ethnographic study on a small voluntary organisation, the challenges and issues surrounding the process of adoption and use of both typical and new information technologies are explored. It is finally discussed that social technologies, based on the notion of Web 2.0, may have some partial advantageous for volunteer-based organisations but perhaps greater benefits will emerge at the individual level.

Bilingual call centers at the US-Mexico border: Location and linguistic markers of exploitability

2013 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amado Alarcón ◽  
Josiah McC. Heyman
Keyword(s):  
Call Center ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Linguistic Markers ◽  
Flexible Labor ◽  
Technical Competency ◽  
New Information ◽  
The Us ◽  
Mexico Border ◽  
Us Mexico Border

AbstractBilingual call centers in El Paso, Texas, an extensively bilingual US-Mexico border setting, provide a valuable opportunity to examine empirically what occurs with respect to language shift reversal of Spanish in the context of new information economy. Interviews were conducted with thirty-nine call center operators and managers, and twelve translators and interpreters. Call centers provide an important occupational performance of and recognition to the Spanish language. Nevertheless, bilingual call centers mainly rely on uncompensated, socially provided language skills in Spanish, a freely available “heritage language” in the border setting. Spanish is not valued as a technical competency, worth specific attention to training, management of language features, and extra compensation. Bilingualism is used in the labor market as a sign of cheap and flexible labor, rather than as economically and socially valued “skill,” even though in the new information workplace it serves the latter role. (Call centers, new economy, language and workplace, bilingualism, Spanish, borders)*

scholarly journals Control, Communication, and Knowledge-Building in Asian Call Centers

2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Maria Lombard
Keyword(s):  
Call Center ◽  
Knowledge Building ◽  
Call Centers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Workplace Writing ◽  
Language Differences ◽  
And Control ◽  
Corporate Language ◽  
Authentic Interaction

Communication within international call centers can be significantly complicated by breakdowns that result from multiple layers of corporate language.  This case study explores training sessions and documentation developed and delivered by an American team responsible for training international call center workers located in the Philippines.  Findings show that attempts to standardize and control workplace language can limit meaningful two-way communication, leaving workers to both question what they are told and invent new ways of communicating.  Recommendations are presented in this study for a workplace writing model that can overcome language differences through authentic interaction.

Activization of Children’s Reading Interests in German Libraries

2009 ◽  
pp. 90-94
Author(s):  
Larisa E. Kresova
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
Reading Interests ◽  
New Information ◽  
American Memory ◽  
Children's Reading ◽  
Technical Basis ◽  
Children’S Reading

The activities of the American Memory Library, aimed at on activization of children’ reading interests in Germany are considered. The history, the collection composition, the material and technical basis and the organization of library space, as well as the usage of new information technologies in children's libraries of Germany are illuminated.

On-line testing as a new method of student knowledge evaluation

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-356
Author(s):  
V.P. Kovalchuk ◽  
I.M. Kovalenko ◽  
S.V. Kovalenko ◽  
V.M. Burkot ◽  
V.O. Kovalenko
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
English Language ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Personality Testing ◽  
Online Testing ◽  
Training Time ◽  
Internet Resources ◽  
New Information ◽  
On Line ◽  
Use Of The Internet

Innovations change the world in all spheres of life, and education is not an exception. Modern requirements of time put us new challenges that require the use of new information technologies at all stages of the educational process in higher education institutions, in particular the use of the Internet. In addition, it has been noted that Internet resources increase motivation and contribute to the formation of a fully developed personality. Testing and evaluating students' knowledge and abilities is an integral part of the credit-module system. One of the forms of evaluation of the initial level of knowledge, consolidation and improvement of assimilation of information is testing. It should be noted that in a number of countries, testing has shifted traditional forms of control — oral and written exams and interviews. However, in Ukraine, educators remain adherents of a combination of testing and classical analysis of material. It allows the most efficient distribution of the training time of a practical class, 100% control of the knowledge and the effectiveness of mastering the material of all the students of the academic group. Technical progress stimulates the search for new variants and possibilities of testing, its various variations. One of the options that can help solve this problem was a smartphone. In order to facilitate the work of the teacher at the Department of Microbiology, an online testing system with the use of smartphones was introduced. Online testing is conducted among students with Ukrainian and English language training. With the Google Forms platform, the teacher creates a form which contains the student's records and tests. Students directly from the teacher get a link to fill out an online form directly at the lesson. For testing, a database containing standard KROK-1 licensed test tasks is used. The form can contain any number of test tasks that are in arbitrary order, as well as a changed order of distractors, which makes it impossible to write off. At the same time, all students are in the same conditions: all write one option. After submitting the form, the student receives a notification that his response is recorded. Re-linking is not possible. In turn, the teacher receives a message on the result of the test in the table — the ratio of correct answers to the total number of questions, as well as options for their answers. First and foremost, questions are displayed on which students gave the largest number of incorrect answers. This allows the topic to be considered in the process of discussion of the most difficult tasks from the students perspective, and in the future it will allow more efficiently to create forms for on-line tests and to focus on these issues.

On Introducing New Information Technologies in Jurisprudence

2019 ◽  
pp. 82-86
Author(s):  
Aleksandr Mitin
Keyword(s):  
Information Technologies ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Professional Competence ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Legal Services ◽  
Degree Programs ◽  
Creative Work ◽  
Electronic Trading ◽  
New Information ◽  
Legal Space

The article discusses the possibilities of automation of legal activities. Special attention is paid to the new branch of the business LegalTech, which allows providing legal services using information technology. Some projects in this area are briefly described: FreshDoc document designer, VideoContract app, and electronic trading platforms such as Legal Space and Pravoved.Ru. Although the legal community is not quite ready to work in such conditions, higher education institutions are already reforming their curricula, developing disciplines that allow gaining professional competence in introducing technologies that automate legal work, and so on. The author, in turn, offers using chat bots in legal clinics, gives examples of new disciplines for master’s degree programs, considers the idea of passing final examinations outside universities in certification centers, etc. It is emphasized that in jurisprudence there are a lot of typical situations in which typical decisions need to be made, and here artificial intelligence will be a good helper, and scientists will have more time to undertake a comprehensive analysis of law. Thus, even with the advent of new technologies, the creative work of lawyers will always be in demand.

UNIVERSITY DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: COMMERCIALIZATION AND RESPONSES TO NEW CHALLENGES

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (10) ◽  
pp. 155-162
Author(s):  
Z. F. MAMEDOV ◽  
◽  
Kh. BAYRAMOVA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Educational Institution ◽  
Educational Environment ◽  
Global Market ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Social Progress ◽  
State University ◽  
The University ◽  
Education Science

Education like others spheres of life of modern society is in the state of dynamic changes. New formats of universities as well as their missions and roles in the social and economic development are actively discussed by professional environment. A number of external and internal factors that determine the depth and scale of transformation have effects on the development of the system of higher education. The system of higher education is under the influence of the system and institutional dynamics, which dictate the need for changes. The activity of universities as centers of education, science and culture is one of the most important bases of social progress. This role becomes especially important in XXI century, which is based on new knowledge and principles of technological development. First of all a university takes new features in the current conditions of globalization. The fundamental task that needs to be solved in order to achieve the goals of a modern University is the change of meanings, goals and content of education by active participation in the internationalization processes of the system of higher education and by introducing reforms in educational process. Of course new economic conditions (global market and information technologies) require modifications. It was stated that the commercialization of University innovations in Azerbaijan is a relatively new direction, since the country is just adopts the path of an innovative economy. In this regard the transformation of a scientific idea to a product or a service faces a number of difficulties. It was investigated the problem of commercialization of the results of scientific activities of higher educational institutions in Azerbaijan. For the first time Azerbaijan State University of Economics has implemented its rebranding in the educational system of the country in order to strengthen the market position of the educational institution and realization of innovative marketing strategies. The University’s strategic goals were defined under the UNEC brand, and the brand development was successfully continued with the support of the scientific and expert community. An integrative educational environment is created in Azerbaijan State University of Economics and such environment ensures the unity of the “education – science – innovation – commercialization – production system”. It is important to note that UNEC strategy also provides for clustering of economical education and so that it provides for increasing the integration pace of the University into the world scientific and educational space. The article presents the innovative infrastructure of Azerbaijan State University of Economics connected with its integration into the global scientific and educational environment. The paper studies the matters of the international cooperation issues of the University with universities of such countries as USA, EU, Russia, Turkey, which expands the academic potential of the University and increases its competitiveness. The article substantiates the conclusion that the globalization of higher education increases the importance of commercialization of higher education institutions in the field of education and science. The article reveals the successful experience of UNEC University in the creation and implementation of joint educational programs, expanding academic mobility, attracting foreign applicants, conducting joint researches and international scientific events in partnership with universities in the EU, Russia and Turkey.

Digital Middle East

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
New Media ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Information Technologies ◽  
Complex Dynamics ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Mena Region ◽  
New Information ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Information And Communication

In recent years, the Middle East’s information and communications landscape has changed dramatically. Increasingly, states, businesses, and citizens are capitalizing on the opportunities offered by new information technologies, the fast pace of digital transformations, and enhanced connectivity. These changes are far from turning Middle Eastern nations into network societies, but their impact is significant. The growing adoption of a wide variety of information technologies and new media platforms in everyday life has given rise to complex dynamics that beg for a better understanding. Digital Middle East sheds a critical light on continuing changes that are closely intertwined with the adoption of information and communication technologies in the MENA region. Drawing on case studies from throughout the Middle East, the contributors explore how these digital transformations are playing out in the social, cultural, political, and economic spheres, exposing the various disjunctions and discordances that have marked the advent of the digital Middle East.

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