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The nitty-gritty of outsourcing to India South
African Indian is country’s first woman Editor |
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The nitty-gritty of outsourcing to India LONDON: Much concern has been expressed in the British media over the loss of jobs to India, but exactly how many companies have outsourced and how many jobs have gone to India? There is no single source to gauge the exact figures, but the Press here usually mentions figures in thousands. One estimate by the Communication Workers Union (CWU) says in the past two years 28 British firms have outsourced to India, involving a job loss of "more than 50,000". According to the union, the following financial services companies have outsourced British jobs to India:
These companies make
savings of over 40 per cent by outsourcing to India, the union says.
Unions say turnover rates in some Indian call centres have reached 60
per cent, twice as much as in the UK. — IANS |
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South African Indian is country’s first woman Editor JOHANNESBURG: A South African Indian woman has become the first woman Editor of a national newspaper in this country. Twelve years ago, Ferial Haffajee started her journalistic career as an intern at the Weekly Mail. On February 1, she will take over from Mondli Makhanya, as Editor of the weekly, now known as Mail and Guardian. Haffajee went on from Weekly Mail to work at the South African Broadcasting Corporation as a radio producer and television reporter. She shot to national fame as one of the reporters on a panel that interviewed national icon Nelson Mandela in his first television discussion soon after his release from 27 years of imprisonment on Robben Island. Describing the print
media as her "first love", Haffajee went to the Financial
Mail as Senior Editor, rising to Managing Editor, before |
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QUERY HOTLINE Dubbing artistes in demand Q I’m keen on making a career as a dubbing artiste. Is it a viable option? Rishabh Bakliwal, Chandigarh A Considering the multilingual nature of our country, there is a great demand for dubbing and voice-over artistes. Some of the larger film and television production houses have their own in-house dubbing departments. As a dubbing or voice-over artiste, you should not only be fluent in the language but also versatile enough to match your inflections, tone and pauses to synchronise with the original soundtrack and visuals. For example, the epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, which were originally made in Hindi, have now been dubbed in most of the Indian and several foreign languages. Also, almost every Hollywood film, big or small, which is now screened in India, has a Hindi release. Similarly, a large number of popular serials and ‘infotainment’ programmes are now being dubbed in Indian languages to increase their viewership. In TV serials, dubbing artistes are paid between Rs 1000 to 1,500 per episode, but depending on the artiste’s capability and the length and complexity of the role, they command as much as Rs 10,000 per episode. In films, you can make as much as Rs 75,000 by lending your voice to a single character on the screen, if you are really good. You could also lend your voice for documentaries, presentations and radio/TV spots. Contact some of the better-known recording studios in your town for a break. Marine engg Q If I clear the IIT JEE, can I still be eliminated in the physical fitness round for TS Chanakya or MERI? Are the norms for eyesight very stringent? Ashok Kumar A To be eligible for admission to the three-year BSc (Nautical Sc) degree at T.S. Chanakya, Navi Mumbai, and the four-year Marine Engineering degree at Marine Engineering & Research Institute (MERI), Kolkata, you must be mentally and physically fit for sea life. You will be considered for admission only after you clear a separate eye test. Details of medical standards are listed in the information brochure. You can also log on to www.dgshipping.com. But specifically, for TS Chanakya you need 6/6 vision in both eyes. Those wearing glasses are not eligible. For MERI, glasses up to plus/ minus 2.5 are allowed. Defective colour vision is a sure disqualification for both courses (you must be able to ascertain the course and direction of an oncoming vessel by the colour of light it throws). All said and done, a shippy’s life is not always smooth sailing. Life at sea can be pretty rough and demanding — involving long hauls away from home and family, braving the elements (and seasickness), which in turn require a very high level of physical (and mental) fitness. Moreover, you must be born on or after October 1, ’80 for the 2004 batch (5 yrs relaxation for SC/ST). Job security Q Due to financial and family constraints, I had to take up the job I’m currently in straight after graduation. Now I am relatively independent and wish to build a proper career even if it means taking up a professional course. Which field will offer security and money for the next 20 years or so till I retire? Satish Madan A With rapid technological and global economic changes continuously throwing up new jobs while rendering several others redundant, it’s hard to predict which industries will continue to boom over the next two decades! Even Alvin Toffler, the noted American futurologist (Future Shock) admits that it’s not possible to forecast the future with certainty because it doesn’t move in straight lines. Nonetheless, we can clearly see certain forces at work. For instance, the perceptible shift from blue collar jobs in the manufacturing sector to white collar jobs in the services sector which is projected to have a massive 100 per cent growth in the years to come. The growing services sector (presently constituting over 50% of our GDP. Agriculture: 12%, Industry: 27%) comprises a diverse range of services: Wholesale and retail trade, travel and tourism, banking and financial services, including insurance, health, education and other community services, transport, real estate, business services, which includes software and IT-enabled services, advertising, communications including media, etc. Instead of looking for long-term security, which is an elusive proposition in this age of obsolescence, why not train for something you love? Your best hope for prospering over time is to find the line of work that really fires your imagination. Unless you’re enthused about what you do, you won’t be able to compete with those who are. Why not look afresh at the various jobs you have worked at in the past? Perhaps one of those fields interests you enough. Or it may be something completely different. Only if you are passionate about something will you go that "extra" mile or do that "extra" bit to come up with the best solutions. As far as lifetime employment is concerned, forget about it. The concept is pass`E9. Haven’t we seen global blue chip giants shedding staff at all levels, to protect their bottom lines in a downswing? If you are looking for a relatively stable future, don’t look at what jobs are currently "hot" or "in" but at what really interests you. And if you are interested in a career in advertising, for instance, don’t look at courses in insurance. Or vice-versa. I know this may sound very obvious. But, how many of us have ended up doing just that! Do make your second choice count — for you. — Pervin Malhotra, Director, CARING Please send in your query, preferably on
a postcard, along with your name, complete address and academic
qualifications to: Editor, Query Hotline, The Tribune, Sector 29,
Chandigarh-160020, or at careerguide@tribuneindia.com
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FORTNIGHTLY QUIZ-199 1. Who has been appointed the new Chief Election Commissioner of India? 2. Who is known as the father of Pakistan's nuclear bomb? 3. Which famous poet of English and author of 'Time to Change' died recently? 4. Who is the Governor of Rajasthan? 5. On which river India and Pakistan intend to build a 450-mw hydro-electric project at Baglihar in Jammu & Kashmir? 6. Expand PIOs. 7. Which cells of the human body have the ability to get transformed into different types of cells, giving them the potential to cure various diseases? 8. Which country recently launched Queen Mary 2, the world's largest passenger ship? 9. What is the full form of NHPD? 10. Which world-famous cartoon character made by Herge completed its 75 years of creation this year? 11. What is the name of the westernmost maritime boundary of India bordering Pakistan? 12. Name India's first indigenously built sport car with a 1817cc engine. 13. Name the South African openers who have the record of being the first pair to share three triple-century partnerships in Tests. 14. Who recently became the first South African batsman to score centuries in four consecutive Tests? 15. Which country recently won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Hockey Tournament ? Name -------------- Class -------------- School address -------------- Winners of quiz 198: The first prize by draw of lots goes to Nakul Mishra, IX-D, DAV Public School, Lawrence Road, Amritsar. Second: Harsh Bal Gupta, VII-A, St Joseph School, Mandi Dabwali, dist Sirsa-125104. Third: Pragati Gupta, IX, St Lukes Sen Sec School, Solan-173212. Answers to quiz 198: Rover Spirit; Bam; AIDS, war, child abuse, life expectancy & lack of investment in education; Deccan Odyssey; Kal Ho Na Ho; South Asian Free Trade Agreeme; Samsung; Dhaka; Pakistan International Airlines; Sachin Tendulkar & VVS Laxman; Sachin Tendulkar; 241; 5; Brian Lara; India. Cash awards of Rs 400, 300 and 200 are given to the first, second and third prize winners, respectively. These are sent at the school address. — Tarun Sharma |
