Tag: <span>cost-saving</span>

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LED lighting is the most eco-friendly, the cleanest and the most energy-efficient way to illuminate an outdoor or indoor space. There are plenty of style, use and cost saving reasons to install this type of light. Here are six of the major benefits of using LED bulbs:

Long life

One of the easiest benefits to understand is the long life. LED bulbs have a usable lifespan in the region of 100,000 hours. This has the potential to provide nearly 20 years of use with the light in use for about 8 hours per day. The low output level is one of the reasons for the longer operational life. Also, the long life span means there is a lot less maintenance work to complete.

Energy efficient

The LED bulbs are nearly 80% to 90% more energy-efficient compared to the traditional alternatives. The incandescent lights are less efficient because of the amount of heat they produce, which isn’t a problem with LED bulbs. The ability to save energy is most noticeable in large infrastructure projects, such as airports, railroads and cities. For instance, a typical airport has the ability to save about 30% more energy compared to using traditional lights.

Eco-Friendly

LED bulbs are entirely free of toxic chemicals, such as mercury, which can have a negative impact on the environment. They are 100% recyclable and a useful option to let individual households cut their carbon footprint. Also, this type of bulb can last about 25 longer than the incandescent which means there is a lot of material saved in the production process.

Durable Quality

The LEDs are built to be tough and durable and a practical option for outdoor use even in the most difficult conditions. They are built to be resistant to external impacts, vibrations and shock. The resilient nature makes the lights practical for manufacturing and construction sites. They are also usable in low temperatures without experiencing issues with normal operation.

Low UV Emissions

The LED bulbs produce low UV emissions and low infrared light. The low heat emission makes the lights a practical choice for materials and goods that are highly sensitive to sources of heat. Also, there are plenty of UV sensitive materials in art galleries and museums that preferred this light source.

Flexibility

LEDs make it possible to create a wide range of light effects. This type of light is dimmable for complete ease in controlling its distribution and color.

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Source by Leo Eigenberg

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Introduction

In the year, prior to the turn of the millennium, Nissan was a company in a serious financial crisis. Debt had approached $22 billion by 1999. The company had been too complacent, and had taken its prior success, for granted [2].

Did Nissan’s decision to outsource their IT Infrastructure to IBM in 1999 make good sense? Nissan was a very troubled auto-manufacturer in the late 1990’s. Senior executives from the company were known for their conservative outlook on business, and their ‘old boy’s network,’ mentality. Profits were dropping dramatically, eventually forcing the company into the $22 Billion debt that it then faced. There were no signs indicating a change in the market that would encourage profit growth. The vehicle sales needed invigoration.

Mergers were the flavor of the day in the automotive industry during the late 1990’s. Nissan executives approached Daimler Chrysler and Ford to discuss a possible merger, but there was no interest from either of the companies [2]. There was only one alternative left, which was to reinvent themselves and reduce unnecessary overheads. This was the defining point that led to the business process outsourcing decision.

This paper seeks to answer the question “Does the cost of implementing an in-house solution outweigh the benefits or does Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) make more sense?” We reviewed the example of the automotive manufacturer, Nissan, when they decided to outsource their entire Information Technology department to IBM in late 1999, to answer our question.

Nissan – A brief history and the events leading up to the BPO decision

I. The Boom years

Nissan was established in Japan in 1933 as a heavy industry manufacturer. After the Second World War they turned their attention to automotive vehicles. In the 1950’s, they finally had an impact on the global market with the introduction of the Datsun branded sedans and small pickup trucks. The company eventually opened full-time operations in the USA in September 1960 [6].

The company experienced dramatic growth with the introduction of the ‘Z’ series sports sedans in the early 1970’s, with the 240Z becoming the fastest selling sports car of all time. This success led Nissan to the top of the U.S. vehicle importers market by 1975. Vehicle sales in the USA topped over 250,000 units per annum by 1970 [6]. The company was young, its leaders dynamic and the future looked very bright. They were competing for the U.S. market with the likes of Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors, showing improved quality and production efficiencies over their competitors.

The company was growing at a phenomenal rate, opening new manufacturing plants around the world on a regular basis such as Australia (1976), Spain (1980) and the United Kingdom (1984) [6]. There was no respite to the pace of growth and new business generation coming from the company.

In 1983, the company began the worldwide marketing of vehicles under the Nissan name which was felt to have a stronger quality image and started the six year transition from Datsun to Nissan on vehicles, dealerships, facilities and marketing materials. Sales continued to grow, eventually reaching 830,767 in 1985 [6]. The decade closed out with resounding success for Nissan with their domination of the North American market.

In 1993, the mid-line Stanza sedan was replaced with an all-new Altima and non-competitive Japanese-designed minivan was replaced with a new U.S. created Quest, which was the first minivan with car-like handling. Sales came roaring back in 1994 to near-peak levels of 774,405 [6].

In 1996, sales began to slip once again, fueled by a change in American vehicle tastes. Trucks and SUVs gained market share at the expense of sedans and sports cars [2]. Nissan’s position as a manufacturing driven company, which helped them in the ’80’s and early ’90’s, then had new problems with the dollar/yen balance which began to hurt their competitiveness against market driven companies.

Unlike their competitors, Toyota and Honda, which were focused on key volume segments, Nissan did not dominate any individual segment and competed in identical segments against Toyota and Honda.

Unfortunately for Nissan in the 1990s, the Japanese “bubble economy” burst, a downturn in Europe coincided, so there was more pressure in the U.S. to perform. Unfortunately U.S. customers didn’t have a genuine brand reason to shop Nissan except for the ‘best price’ deal.

Former Nissan president, Mr. Nakamura, announced a “Back-to-Basics” plan. The key elements of the plan were to reduce inventories, eliminate unrealistic sales targets, and increase dealer profitability. Unfortunately for Nakamura and Nissan, the plan did not work [2].

II. Trouble looms for the auto-manufacturer in 1990’s

In the early 1990’s, trouble began to brew in the organization. The once revered executives at Nissan were now viewed as arrogant members of the old-boys club and were ignorant to the changing needs of their customers and the overall automotive market, in general.

As the company progressed deeper into debt, it met with more challenges. Nissan’s business partners and suppliers were charging a premium for their goods and services. Nissan was obliged to meet its financial commitments and by so doing placed itself further into debt. Finally, the company was in debt to the tune of $22 billion. Even the company’s financers were tightening the noose around them. Nissan felt the situation was hopeless.

III. Steps taken to address issues

Nissan executives were looking for a way out, a way to rescue the company from entering into bankruptcy. The first approach was to find a partner. Both the newly established DaimlerChrysler and the Ford Motor company were approached, but both organizations rejected the idea of a merger [2]. Finally, Renault, the French automotive company recovering from a similar predicament, decided to enter into negotiations with the flailing Japanese company. A senior executive at Renault, Carlos Ghosn, was a huge supporter of the merger idea.

After much negotiation, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry agreed to allow Renault to purchase a substantial stake in Nissan. The Nissan-Renault alliance was born and Ghosn was appointed Chief Operating Officer.

Nissans Executive decisions and major events

I. Creating a global alliance vision:

The following is excerpted from the Nissan/Renault alliance vision:

“The Renault-Nissan Alliance is a unique group of two global companies linked by cross-shareholding. They are united for performance though a coherent strategy, common goals, and principles, results-driven synergies, shared best practices. They respect and reinforce their respective identities and brands.”[2]

The Alliance set itself three objectives, with the goal of being amongst the best three automotive groups in the following areas:

1. Quality.

Achieve customer recognition as being a quality and value added product.

2. Technology.

Lead in key technology development and implementation with a focus on excellence in specific areas of the automotive business.

3. Operating Profit.

Consistently generate a high operating profit margin and vigorously pursue growth.

II. Appointing a new leader

Ghosn, given his enthusiasm for the merger, his demonstrated tenacity, and his experience of the automotive industry, was a natural choice for a senior position at Nissan. His initial appointment as Chief Operating Officer (COO) was just a temporary assignment. In 2000, he was named President and in 2001, he was appointed Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

As CEO, Ghosn was very aware that the ‘buck’ stopped with him. He was the final decision maker. Some important and very serious decisions were made to save the ailing company. Ghosn had to use all of his valuable experience gained from rescuing other organizations, such as Michelin and Renault, to save Nissan.

III. Decision making to save a troubled auto-manufacturer

With Ghosn’s arrival in Japan in the spring of 1999, he immediately set about researching Nissan’s root problems. The newly appointed COO had a management philosophy that stated “you must always start with a clean sheet of paper because the worst thing you can have is prefabricated solutions… you have to start with a zero base of thinking, cleaning everything out of your mind.”[2]

For the first few months, Ghosn flew around Japan, meeting and greeting employees at all levels, absorbing information and formulating a plan. He used this information to plot a picture of Nissan from a global perspective, identifying issues, and problems that had created the dispersed, unprofitable organization.

One of the many issues Ghosn identified was the lack of communication around the organization. Seniors managers around the world were aware of some of the issues that caused the downturn of fortune in the company. They even had solutions to them, but had lacked the necessary authority to implement or communicate the solutions back to Corporate Headquarters.

Finally, the major issues were whittled down to five key issues: [2]

• Lack of clear profit orientation. Nissan was not focused on driving profit, but were rather focused on market share and ended up having to buy their market share at the expense of the declining profits.

• Insufficiently focused on customers and too much focus on competitors. The company was too concerned about the competition introducing a new line which would have dug into the Nissan market share. For example when Volkswagen introduced their new Jetta sedan Nissan saw a significant decline in their Maxima sales.

• Lacked cross-functional, cross-border, and intra-hierarchical lines of work in the company. Nissan seemed to operate as separate islands scattered throughout the globe. There was no centralized purchasing function or in fact any of the other major business activities. The organization was not making maximum use of its global presence or buying power.

• Lack of sense of urgency. The executives in Nissan were complacent in their activities. Things had gone so well for the company in the preceding 60 years that they felt that there was no reason to embrace change.

• No shared vision or common long-term plan. Senior management within Nissan did not have a joint plan for the different brands within the company. Each division did their own thing with little or no thought for the greater good of the company. An example was the Z series that had achieved phenomenal success throughout the 1970’s and ’80’s but was suddenly dropped from production when sales dropped. The obvious thing to have been done was to test the market with a modernized design. Instead Nissan chose to ignore the market and drop the brand.

To address the issues, Ghosn announced the Nissan Revival Plan on October 18, 1999. This seven-point plan was aimed at reducing costs and debt as well as creating and launching new automotive brands to raise sales and market awareness. The goals announced in the plan were far-reaching and encompassed: [2]

• The reduction of operating costs, net debt, global head count, and vehicle assembly plants and manufacturing platforms (the latter in Japan).

• The generation of new product investment through the launch of twenty-two new models.

The cost-cutting plan called for centralization of purchasing, procurement, human resources and information technology. By centralizing these essential functions, the plan aimed to assist the company in achieving its aggressive cost reductions.

Expenditure, particularly in the information technology function, was perceived as being out of control. Ghosn’s message to senior level executives was clear, “cut costs in every possible area.” If that meant outsourcing non-core activities because somebody else could do it cheaper, then that had to be fully investigated and determined. The management was ruthless in their execution of the plan [2].

Nissan looks at Business Process Outsourcing as a means

I. Will outsourcing non-core activities save money?

There are well-documented records of company’s saving money and others of outsourcing horror stories. Success really depended on the situation and the provider.

Most experts agreed, though, that you needed to use BPO in strategic decisions, for example refocused efforts on core competencies and not merely for cost cutting activities [1]. Stephen Withers of ZDNet said in his on-line article that you should only “use BPO for strategic purposes, not to take advantage of a (possibly transient) cost saving.” Withers then asked the reader, “Does outsourcing the IT Infrastructure make sense?” To answer that question corporate Chief Information Officer’s (CIO’s) would need to have completed extensive research and have done a thorough analysis of their business processes.

This is exactly what Nissan’s CIO did, or rather what Ghosn told him to do. The company had invested over 80 billion yen (over $US760million) in 1998 on IT services, but their processes were still not providing the management with the infrastructure that would assist in building their competitive edge [5]. The final decision was made to approach various outsourcing service providers for the much needed help.

II. Does outsourcing the IT infrastructure make sense?

If Information Technology (IT) truly was a commodity, like gasoline or electricity, then companies only competed on price, with very small profit margins. In that event, the decision to turn over IT to an outsourcer was as simple as it was a century ago to turn to motor vehicles instead of using the horse and cart. However, while personal computers and the networks they run on may be standardized, the services provided by IT outsourcers vary in many ways. Services such as data analysis, application development, and IT decision-making allowed companies more competitiveness in the market therefore, those elements of IT are far from being viewed as commodities [8].

With regards the decision to outsource, many factors were considered in Nissan’s case. Ann Moynihan in her article in the Albany Business review states “Outsourcing can help you: [3]

• Reduce and control operating costs.

• Free staff to focus on core business.

• Gain access to specialized skills and technologies.

• Introduce positive change.

• Gain control over a difficult-to-manage function resulting from uneven workloads, insufficient or unskilled resources.”

With Nissan, in 1999, this was exactly what they were looking for. Refocused staff efforts, introduction of positive change and control gained in all critical areas led to the outsourcing decision.

The choice of IBM as Nissan’s outsourcing partner was a strategic one. In the late 1990’s there were not many outsourcing companies that had the breadth or the global reach that IBM had. Competitors such as EDS and CSC were not considered because they were only outsourcers and could not offer the hardware and software technology that Nissan required to update their infrastructure [5]. If either one of those competitors were selected over IBM as a partner Nissan would still have faced the same infrastructure issues. IBM was the only logical partner.

Did the relationship work between Nissan & IBM?

I. A further look at the relationship between IBM and Nissan

In a joint IBM and Nissan press release published in Tokyo on June 19, 2000, the two companies announced that they were “Extending their global partnership for information system (IS) operations which Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. and IBM agreed in October 1999, Nissan and IBM today jointly announced that Nissan will outsource its IS operations in Japan, to IBM Japan.

The service includes Nissan’s regular maintenance and operational activities as well as part of its application development, but excludes the planning and design of new systems. The two companies will start operations from October 1. [7]

In North America, Nissan has outsourced these same operations to IBM Corp. since October 1999. This latest agreement in Japan is expected to further accelerate the standardization, integration and centralization of Nissan’s IS on a global level.”

Ghosn further noted, “The Nissan Revival Plan cannot be accomplished without effective information systems. Following upon the recent agreement with Japan Telecom, this latest partnership with IBM puts in place the global infrastructure which is key to support Nissan’s long term profitable growth.” [4]

II. Hypothetical view of the Return-on-Investment model used

Before they could calculate their Return on Investment (ROI), Nissan first had to look at the Total Cost of Ownership model proposed by IBM. Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) is a type of calculation designed to help consumers and enterprise managers assess both direct and indirect costs and benefits related to the purchase of any IT component. The intention was to arrive at a final figure that will reflect the effective cost of purchase, overall [8].

The TCO model used, had to calculate the costs that were required, beyond the fees of outsourcing. The organization had to evaluate specific criteria’s that could have added expense to the outsourcing project. They also had to calculate the ongoing expenses throughout the lifetime of the contract [8].

Then, after calculating the payback period, Nissan were in a position to calculate their ROI. Once the numbers were crunched, a thorough financial and risk analysis was conducted. The ROI measured the profit or cost savings realized. It was calculated by estimating, for a 3-year period, the investment was made and the resulting profit created through that investment.

The results were conclusive. Nissan and IBM entered into their agreement and operations scheduled to commence on October 1, 1999.

Conclusion

I. Did Nissan’s BPO reach its stated objective?

Nissan’s stated objective for the outsourcing of the IT infrastructure was to control expenditure, improve efficiencies, and update the infrastructure. By outsourcing to IBM, Nissan achieved all of its goals.

In controlling expenditure, outsourcing gave companies the opportunity to have a predictable monthly budget for expenditure. That amount may or may not have been lower than current expenditures but the component that was crucial to a large organization such as Nissan was that the amount is predictable. There was no variable component to the pricing. The only time the pricing may have fluctuated was when additional services, which were out of scope of the contract, were required.

In Nissan’s case, that was never a requirement. The company was in the first stage of a major, global, restructuring project and there were no new initiatives taking place.

The second objective in the BPO was to improve efficiencies. IBM is the world’s largest information technology company with revenues close to $100 billion [9]. When companies outsource their operations to IBM they are gaining best-of-breed technologies, excellent consultants and some of the best systems architects money can buy.

The way that any global outsourcer makes its money is by achieving economies of scale. The only way to achieve these economies of scale is to ensure that they deploy the best hardware, software, and infrastructure possible and make that equipment work to maximum efficiencies. By taking full advantage of this best-of-breed technology, Nissan met its second and third stated objectives.

II. What if the IT Infrastructure had been retained in-house?

If Nissan had decided to retain its IT infrastructure in-house and attempted to implement an updated and modernized system, it would have lead to a significant increase in their expenditure. Ghosn’s prime objective, when he took over the company in 1999, was to reduce expenditure by 700 billion Yen [2]. He was not interested in spending any additional money to modernize existing equipment.

To support the intended improvement in competitiveness, Nissan had to ensure that their infrastructure supported the additional workload. There was no way they could do the intended improvement in efficiencies without external support. Nissan did not have the expertise and the additional work force to handle the required upgrades and the reengineering of business processes.

III. Final assessment and summation of the relationship

Robert Greenberg, Nissan’s CIO of North America was on record as saying in 2006 that, “We were happy with the services from IBM but the world had changed.” This comment sums up the relationship as it stands now, almost 8 years later [5]. When Nissan announced its Revival Plan, in 1999, the company had very clear objectives; cut costs, and return to profitability.

Nissan was looking for help in 1999 and IBM fulfilled this role for their IT Infrastructure. Greenberg also stated in his Q&A that “One of the things that also took place with the original outsourcing to IBM was we probably outsourced too much.” [5]

Greenberg was not working for Nissan when the original outsourcing decision was made in 1999; he only joined the company in 2005. He is on record though as saying that he thought that they should have either retained some of the infrastructure in-house or perhaps have multi-sourced, thereby ensuring that they had the best possible solution and price.

In 2006, when the contract came up for renewal, the CIO decided to put everything out to bid and compare what the other vendors were offering with what IBM had provided for so many years. The decision to look at new vendors was actually excellent timing for the company as Nissan had decided to relocate their North American corporate headquarters from Los Angeles, CA to Nashville, TN and any transition could be timed to coincide with the move.

Ultimately, what Greenberg opted to do was to accept IBM’s proposal to “manage desktop systems, network services, help desks, dealer systems, and other key infrastructure elements for Nissan North America.” He then outsourced the application and maintenance to an Indian firm, Satyam and brought the remainder of the services back in-house [5].

When asked about the decision to bring IT back in-house, Greenberg said, “By bringing it in-house you increase the alignment. It’s a matter of building the knowledge internally [that] can be used to help drive the business activity, which is much harder when a business analyst function is sitting within a third party.” [5]

IV. Does the cost of implementing an in-house solution outweigh the benefits or does BPO make more sense?

As Stephen Withers stated in his article, BPO decisions should not be made for cost-cutting exercises but rather for strategic directions [1]. In other words, companies should not view BPO as a cost saving tool. Outsourcing the IT operation makes sense when an organization is looking to improve efficiencies and business processes or when they cannot attract, or retain, the human capital who have the expertise and ability to modernize or improve the infrastructure.

Nissan’s CIO Robert Greenberg thought that he would actually save money by bringing some of the work back in-house because he was “not paying margin on the individual [headcount].” [5]

Some of the individual lessons that Nissan’s Greenberg has learnt from the outsourcing agreement with IBM has been that certain services developed by the IT organization can indeed be outsourced or developed externally. However, he felt strongly about retaining in-house IT skills in such value generation areas as business analysts who have a strong understanding of the business, sometimes even better than the business customer does. Insourcing these skills could result in ideas and dialog with the business, with the end result being a service delivery or product development than can then be outsourced.

In summary, the answer to the question, ‘Does the cost of implementing an in-house solution outweigh the benefits or does Business Process Outsourcing make more sense?’ is that it depends. It depends on the available skills; it depends on the overall objectives (cost saving vs. process improvement) and it depends on the organization. For the most part the majority of major corporations world wide that have been through an outsourcing contract or are in an outsourcing contract will agree that there are substantial benefits to implementing an outsourcing contract and there substantial benefits in retaining those skills in-house. What each organization needs to do is ascertain which of those benefits outweigh the other and base their decision on that analysis.

Works Cited

[1] Withers, Stephen. “BPO: Save money or fix your processes?” ZDNet.com

[http://www.zdnet.com.au/insight/business/soa/BPO-Save-money-or-fix-your-processes-/0],139023749,139156391-10,00.htm 17 August 2004. Downloaded October 22, 2007

[2] Magee, David. Turn Around: How Carlos Ghosn rescued Nissan. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 2003.

[3] Moynihan, Ann. “Outsourcing enables owner to focus on core business.” http://www.bizjournals.com/albany/stories/2002/10/14/focus10.html October 11, 2002. Downloaded October 22, 2007

[4] IBM Press room press releases. IBM.com “Extending Their Global Partnership, Nissan, and IBM Announce IS Outsourcing for Japan” http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/1670.wss June 19, 2000. Downloaded October 19, 2007

[5] Thibodeau, Patrick. “Q&A: Nissan CIO reshapes automaker’s IT”

[http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=110024&intsrc=industry_list] March 29, 2006. Downloaded October 23, 2007

[7] McDougall, Paul. “IBM, Nissan Outsourcing Deal Spans The Globe” http://www.informationweek.com/outsourcing/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=181502685 March 10, 2006 10:00 AM. Downloaded November 02, 2007

[8] Ikin, Paul. IBM Representative on Nissan Global team. 1998 to 2001.

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Source by Paul Ikin

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With the global economy slipping towards what analysts are speculating to be the worst meltdown of the human history, every business has started looking for ways to minimize its expenses. While some organizations have started letting their valuable employees go, some are resorting to other measures such as outsourcing, internal cost cutting, etc. To add to the troubles of organizations, more businesses are surfacing in every industry, making every business league all the more competitive. During such times, it has become imperative for organizations to find solutions promising to reduce their operational costs without them compromising on the productivity front.

When it comes to organizational functions, one of the biggest concerns for most organizations is effective management of HR and payroll. Even though every notable organization employs professionals specializing in human resource and payroll functions, in order to ensure the hired specialists are able to deliver up to their optimal efficiencies, companies have to purchase suitable software solutions for managing these critical functions, which usually amount to substantially large sums of money. However, thanks to the remarkably cost-effective option of online payroll solutions, companies can ensure seamless payroll and HR management without having to burn a hole in their pocket.

The prime reason to go for online HR and payroll solutions is the cost advantage they promise over their rather highly priced standalone equivalents. Furthermore, by opting for such solutions, organizations can take the administrative burden associated with managing their payroll completely off their shoulders and hence, can utilize their staff members to perform more valuable functions within the organization. With online payroll and HR solution in place, organizations will not have to worry about making changes in their payroll legislation and other statutory requirements, letting them avoid having to deal with HM Revenue, customs and other such government agencies, thereby saving themselves a great deal of time.

Though it is evident that offering for online payroll and HR solutions are sure to give organizations the much needed cost edge most companies are seeking in the current industrial environment; however, a lot relies on proficiency of the solution provider. Credit on the dot-com boom or the leniency of the government towards outsourcing policies; fact stays the same that a large number of names are joining the IT industry, and not all have the same level of competence. Hence, in order to select a highly proficient provider of HR and payroll solutions, it is extremely critical to examine the reviews received by the contenders shortlisted.

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Source by Puja P Rai

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In today’s globalized business world data entry outsourcing has become the most popular term in BPO industry. Industries like hospitality, medical, telecom and manufacturing are increasing outsourcing their data entry requirements to qualified BPO companies who can provide quality work along with outsourcing benefits.

Outsourcing can be described as sub-contracting your work to the outside world – either you can hire an individual or a group of professionals depending on the scope of the project. Today the market is flooded with effective and affordable communication tools. Internet and VOIP has changed the way we communicate with the rest of the world. One can easily access Internet anywhere anytime so it doesn’t matter that from which country you are outsourcing your requirements.

Last two years were extremely difficult for most businesses due to partial recession and slowdown in developed economies. Today every organization is looking for cost savings and ways to efficiently allocate their in-house resources. Outsourcing your data entry work allows you to free-up your internal resources and focus on core business activities.

For any company data is an important and vital part that must be kept safely and at the same time easily accessible. Therefore, your vendor must ensure sufficient data security and confidentiality. Before assigning the work you must check the vendor history, project portfolio and industry accreditations if any. Once satisfied start negotiating the contract terms and conditions.

Major advantages of Outsourcing data entry work include:

Cost Saving:

With outsourcing you readily get access to skilled professionals and latest techniques. This eliminates the need of setting up new infrastructure and training people and in turn helps you save cost and time.

Higher Efficiency:

Many outsourcing firms have employees working 24X7 in different shifts. This ensures efficient output at all times.

State-of-art technology:

For accurate outputs advance technical resources are required. Various companies use state of art technology for providing reliable outputs. This results in better communication and seamless work flaw.

Flexibility in Pricing:

Offshore BPO service providers offer flexibility in pricing. You can readily get quotes on man-hour, project or sheet basis. You can select any option that best suit your requirements.

For any queries related to outsourcing Data Services and other BPO projects then email us at info@dataentryoutsourcing.co.uk Our experts would be glad to help you in best possible way.

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Source by Bobby Valentine Smith

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There’s no doubt that France is one of the world’s most alluring travel destinations. It’s got everything from the beautiful streets of Paris to lush, green wine country to glamorous beaches to the snow-capped Alps to Disneyland and much, much more. France is also a great destination for seniors travel in particular, with all kinds of great discounts and cost-saving opportunities across the country. Here are our top tips for Seniors Travel in France.

Save on train travel. France has one of Europe’s most extensive rail networks – you can get from just about anywhere in the country to just about anywhere else. The SNCF (French State railway company)’s Carte Senior entitles those over 60 to discounts of 25-50% on all train journeys, even if you don’t book in advance, for an entire year. The card also gets you a 30% discount on rail journeys in 22 other European countries. Better still, save more if you book and pay for your rail pass before you leave your home country.

See all the great museums. A lot of France’s many museums and monuments will offer a discount for senior travellers, in some cases of up to 40%. Some sites begin the discount at age 65, but if you’re over 60 always remember to ask just in case, and do bring your passport or other ID in case they ask you to prove your age! The Louvre has a great €6 entry special on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.

Bring a phrasebook. While most tourist sites, restaurants and hotels around Paris will have English-speaking staff, if you venture further afield in France you may run into some difficulty. But between a few basic phrases in French from you and at least some English language skills on the part of the local person, you should be able to muddle through. I lived in regional France for a period and they love Australians. Before I would say anything, I would speak in French “I’m sorry, I am from Australia, I don’t speak French”. Learn to say this in French – they will love you for it.

Swap houses. It may not get much press, but savvy travellers have been saving tons of money by exchanging their house for one at their destination for decades. HomeExchange.com. has 29,000 homes worldwide, including France. You never know, you could end up with a chateau in Bordeaux for a song!

Watch the world go by. One of French people’s favourite activities is to sit outside a cafe and discuss the affairs of the day over coffee. Try this yourself, and you’re sure to get a great flavour of the local atmosphere no matter where you visit in France. This is one of my favourite activities. Choose a spot frequented by the locals and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

Fly around France on the cheap. Air France offers seniors a 10% discount on internal flights around the country. The airline also gives a 10% discount to those over 62 on select international flights – be sure to ask when you book.

Stay safe. Users of the popular Tripadvisor website recently voted Paris as the fifth most common pickpocket city in the world, so watch your valuables in the City of Lights – unfortunately I can vouch for this first hand

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Source by Bronwyn White

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Improving productivity and reducing costs are now a priority for all companies to remain competitive. This priority should not mean an indiscriminate cutting of resources within a company, but approach it from a strategy to improve competitiveness and productivity, not worsen the quality of their products or services. Generally, one of the most frequent actions in determining the cost reduction is the dismissal of staff. However, this is not always a good measure because it has a series of negative effects: disagreement in the working environment, reduction in productivity and quality, higher staff turnover, disruption of the learning curve and potential costs for contract of new employees as necessary.

Cost reduction should be approached from a systemic approach, including the intimate interplay between the various components of both manufacturing processes and the organizational structure. The reduced cost means to detect, prevent and eliminate the excessive use of resources. Decisions and actions taken by the owners and managers of a company must be first and fundamental objective to achieve the greatest net present value of the future stream of income for the organization. This involves the pursuit of sustained yield in the medium and long term as opposed to the search for revenue in the short term.

There are several methods to reduce costs and improve productivity, but we can take into account some considerations that can be implemented:

Improve the quality, it generates as a result of fewer errors, defective products and repetition of work, thus shortening the total cycle time and reducing resource consumption and the cost of operation. The quality of products and services generate greater customer satisfaction and thus greater fidelity to the company. This can translate into increased sales and a better image of the company, which in turn helps increase the brand value of products and the ability to generate future revenue.

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Source by P. Moran

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The smartest marketers nowadays form strategic alliances with other companies that sell “complementary” products or services, whose “image” fits well with their own product or service.

Cross-promotions and cross-advertising can save big on marketing support dollars, while creating more awareness and an even better image for each of the products or services through reciprocal endorsement. Think Pillsbury chocolate chip cookies made with Hershey’s chocolate.

Sometimes the products aren’t even that complementary and a connection between them is almost impossible to see. But why not have a gecko advertise insurance and diamonds in the same ad, if it means shared advertising and media cost?

It’s called “Relationship Marketing” and is indeed a very powerful tool and a very smart move, as long as both products or services

• target the same customer

• do not compete

• have a compatible, positive image

How could this work in the cash flow industry? Let’s say you provide access to factoring dollars. You might “team up” with someone who specializes in purchase order financing or equipment leasing.

You can easily market to the same businesses and customers without competing with each other, as the two of you provide different, yet possibly very complementary products.

Imagine if both of you did the same amount of marketing for your own product. By cross-promoting each other, you would immediately double your marketing reach without any extra costs to either of you.

Now think about having another person on your team who specializes in, say, business plan writing for example! Again, same target group and no competition. You have just tripled your marketing reach and efficiency.

You can probably think of other “good fits” with your business that could equally increase your marketing reach and efficiency in the very same way!

The point here is that through “team marketing” smaller players with more limited time and monetary budgets can achieve faster and greater success by combining their resources and efforts.

Now, where do you start when forming such alliances? First, you need to have the right people, of course. It helps a lot when they are compatible and share the same vision and values. They also need to commit to the same goals, and each of them needs to “pull their own weight”. Motivation and determination are paramount. No free-loading or piggybacking for anyone!

Of course, if you have assembled such a team, you can even take it one step further and go from a “strategic alliance” to a full-fledged company formation.

Imagine, under a single company umbrella you could even qualify for group healthcare insurance rates and enjoy many other cost-saving benefits (e.g. common business cards, brochure, website, and other marketing support materials, etc.).

In addition to the cost savings, just think how much more ground you could cover with a like-minded team compared to what you could achieve on your own with your own, limited resources (both, time and money)!

For example, instead of dividing your available hours between phone calls, networking events, direct mail preparation, trade show attendance, and social media participation, you could divvy those tasks up between different team members and run those activities simultaneously instead of consecutively.

Think of the afore-mentioned cost saving opportunities. Let’s say you had $5,000 to build and run your business. If you do it on your own, you pretty much have to spend the money on operational cost and marketing just to keep the business going.

Now imagine you had three like-minded “partners” who all had $5,000 working capital as well. All of the sudden the “company” has $20,000 working capital. Even if you would now have to spend $8,000 on operations and marketing, the company would still have $12,000 to invest.

Now, the “company” could take, say, $10,000 of its remaining “investment capital” and – instead of just brokering cash flows – actually acquire some paper as well!

Congratulations! You have just created a double-income stream. One from brokering and one from investing.

In other words, the share of the “company’s” working capital that is being “invested” is now actually producing a direct return, instead of just being “spent” on activities that are expected to generate a return in the future.

That is a huge difference when it comes to the bottom line.

If you put that scenario on a forward trajectory, any surplus money the “company” generates (i.e., income minus expenses and taxes) could now flow into the acquisition of more paper (invoices or notes or tax liens or whatever else best fits the team’s short- or long-term investment strategy and goals).

Of course, it is a quite a leap to go from the idea of being a one-person cash flow broker to a multi-person team or company that not only brokers cash flows but also shares the risks of investing in them.

However, just like being a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon is not for everyone, investing in cash flows may not be for you.

The good news though is that the market entry barriers for becoming a cash flow investor are much lower – unless you’re already on your way to becoming a rocket scientist or brain surgeon, that is, of course.

But if you’re intrigued about the opportunities and challenges of brokering and investing in cash flows, just play it out in a plan and run the numbers (or let me know if you need any help).

If you think this all sounds great on paper but that it is way too difficult to pull off in reality, you might be right.

However, perhaps not necessarily for the “technical” reasons you probably have in mind. The real hard part about the whole thing is finding the right people with the right attitude and the right commitment with whom to team up.

And while it may indeed appear to be hassle-free, less complicated, and quicker to go at it alone, just remember why the team approach can be so much more rewarding on a variety of levels (think time, money, and motivation): Together Everybody Achieves More!

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Source by Ralf Bieler

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Inspecting and changing out or cleaning your HVAC air filter is any easy home maintenance task that can save you on monthly electric and gas bills and HVAC repairs. Air filters are located at the point where air is pulled into your system. This can be on a wall-mounted return grille, or in the furnace’s filter case or blower compartment. If your air filter is difficult to access, you should contact your heating and air conditioning specialist to relocate it so you will have no problems changing the filters regularly.

How Do Filters Affect HVAC?

HVAC systems-short for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning-keep building interiors comfortable by regulating air temperature and quality. Filters catch dirty particles from the air-dust, dirt, pet dander-before they enter the system. HVAC systems need to be kept as clean as possible so that the air they blow out is cleaner than the air taken in. Filtration only works when the HVAC unit fan is in operation.

A dirty air filter has done its job and should be changed or cleaned. Otherwise, it can become so clogged that air cannot easily pass through the grille, forcing the entire system to work harder and use more electricity or gas. The majority of heating and cooling failures are caused by a lack of maintaining the filtration system. Dirt and dust can also escape the filter and enter the air ducts that run through your home or business.

Dirty air filters alto affect your HVAC system’s performance because they make it difficult for the systems to achieve and maintain stable temperatures. This increased pressure on the system will, in turn, overheat your furnace which results in your furnace turning off due to its “running high limit” being reached.

Types of HVAC Filters

There are four basic types of filters:

1. Electrostatic filters attract dust particles and can be reused by vacuuming or washing with water every 30 to 60 days.

2. Pleated filters provide more filter surface area. They should be changed monthly, and more often following dust storms or windy weather. Many pleated filters are inexpensive and disposable; they are also available as electrostatic filters.

3. HEPA filters were developed to relieve allergies and asthma and are used in air cleaners.

4. Activated carbon filters absorb chemical, fumes, and odors as well as particles.

Filters come in different sizes so be sure to note the size you need for your particular unit.

MERV Rates Filter Efficiency

The HVAC industry created the MERV-Maximum Energy Reporting Value-system to help consumers understand how well a filter cleans the air passing through it. MERV ranges from 1 to 20, with higher numbers representing better cleaning efficiency and ability to trap smaller particles.

People with severe allergies are usually affected by very small particles and can benefit from higher MERV units and filters. However, there is a tradeoff between efficiency and cost. This higher-efficiency equipment consumes more energy since the HVAC unit has to work harder to pull in the air. Most reputable HVAC professionals recommend air filters with a MERV of 13 or higher.

The following information, adapted from an EPA report, indicates the capabilities of HVAC and air cleaning systems according to MERV size with some examples.

MERV size 1 to 4 catches pollen, dust mites, roach parts and droppings, textile and carpet fibers.

MERV size 5 to 8 catches the above plus mold, spores, pen dander, hair spray, and dusting aids.

MERV size 9 to 12 catches the above plus legionella, humidifier and lead dust, flour, auto emission particles, nebulizer drops.

MERV size 13 to 16 catches the above plus bacteria, sneeze droplets, most smoke, and face powder.

MERV size 17 to 20 catches the above plus unattached viruses, all smoke, and carbon dust.

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Source by Albert Westbrook

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We recently built a garage for a customer who requested Techshield roof deck be used in his construction. After doing a little research on this product and actually using it on this project I felt the need to offering my customers this as a option on every job.

Techshield is made by LP and is a thin but durable layer of aluminum applied to oriented strand board sheeting. It is designed to not only keep heat out of attic spaces, but also help keep conditioned spaces more efficient. The foil side is installed down towards the attic, the radiant barrier is a highly reflective and low emitting material that helps reduce the solar heat gain in the attic space. According to LP Techshield will prevent 97% radiant heat from penetrating the panel into the attic Techshield is installed like any other roof sheeting, It should be noted that this does not eliminate the need for attic insulation. Techshield will not create any problems with roofing shingles and most shingle manufactures back their warranties, as long they are installed properly.

I was surprised by the relative minimum cost difference over regular OSB roof sheeting ,on this particular job it was only about $4.00/ sheet, adding only about $100.00 of additional cost to the homeowner. The potential energy cost saving to a homeowner, using this product in home construction would be immediate and over the years substantial. The initial up front cost would probably be recovered in the first year in utility savings. But the advantages of this product cannot be measured in dollars alone. Most garages and storage sheds are not heated and cooled ,thus anything that can be done to lower interior temperatures inside these buildings is a positive. During the construction of this job the temperatures were well into the 90″s and just walking inside the structure you could tell a substantial difference. The manufacture claims up to a 30 degree reduction in a homes attic space temperatures with use of this product if you only get ½ of that Techshield will be well worth the investment and in garages and storage sheds even a small temperature reduction can make a big difference. We will now offer this option to all of our garage and storage shed customers.

Michael W. Mathis owner Affordable Building Concepts/ABC Backyard Basics

www.affordable-buildings.com [http://www.affordable-buildings.com]

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Source by Michael W. Mathis

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When you are decided to remodel your house, you need to consider many things regarding energy efficient lighting.First of all, you need to consider about Energy efficient lighting products to curb your strain on the earth’s resources and get the added benefit of lower gas and electric bills. At this present, there are many energy stars rated products are available for homes and office buildings.Here is one of the simplest and cheapest ways to reduce your gas and electric bill is to buy compact fluorescent light bulbs. These bulbs will save seventy percent of energy than incandescent bulbs, making them last about ten times as long. As per the cost saving, these products will pay for themselves after about six months of use, and will save you a total of about thirty dollars in its lifespan. If you are searching for ways to be more eco friendly and save money on energy bills, consider using all types of energy star rated products in your home.

When it comes to Los Angeles water conservation, the residents of this city have not only met the water conservation goals that were set forth them, they have actually exceeded those goals. The city established new Los Angeles water conservation goals that residents have been implementing this year. It is good to hear that most of the residents of this major city are managed to cut their water usage almost twenty percent in the last year. If we convert this percent into statistic, they have saved almost seventeen gallons of water in this major city.

The people of Los Angeles are setting real good example for building energy efficiency houses and apartments. And this city is the good example for water conservation in the rest of the country. If every city takes Los Angeles as an icon for water conservation, in a short period of time, we are able to do out part as well. Of course it helps that there is a financial incentive to cut back, people who failed to do so are being hit with higher fees for their water use. If you want more information on this energy efficiency lighting, Los Angeles water conservation, please do not hesitate to visit their valuable website.

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Source by Kjohn Shane