Outsourcing Archives - TODAY INDIA

Hire Services of Professional Android App Development Via Outsourcing

Android application development has increased by leaps and bounds. Those who have Android as their OS, are addicted to its applications because they are highly interactive and engaging. Within a short span of time, the downloads of Android apps have overtaken Apple and are selling more apps than iPhone and iPad combined, There are more than 50,000 applications ready for Android smartphone users. Anyone, who wants applications for business, education, lifestlye or any other task, can easily get one by hiring professionals via outsourcing companies. At time, it becomes difficult to find a desired application from the huge heap. In order to get your desired application with precision, you should hire expert Android app programmers who have extensive experience in Android development.

If you want your apps within your budget, then the best choice is to outsource this task to any app development company from countries like India. India has become one of the most prominent destinations for hiring app experts. It is easy to hire experts from the offshore outsourcing companies at the most affordable rates. You can save an enormous amount of money by opting experts from the outsourcing companies, and you also get flexible hiring options for expert Android developer/programmer.

Custom Android apps development service is the most appropriate approach towards the fulfillment of specific development tasks. The custom app development service from these outsourcing companies offers immense facility to get your app developed in your style. One can get incredible solutions as per his desire by opting for suitable custom Android app service. Outsourcing would surely help you to find prolific Android development service.

Outsourcing app development task to companies from offshore countries offer flexible packages for Android development. One can pick an expert apps developer/programmer on monthly, weekly, daily and even on hourly basis. Once again, the internet plays a vital role in this and help you to find the best, experienced and proficient Android apps development company. Do not forget to check the company’s portfolio, and have a look at the testimonials by clients. If you want a quick feedback on the services, then simply fill out the inquiry form of the companies and most of them would get back to you within 24 hours. First of all, get assured with the company’s development work, then only move ahead with the hiring process.

One good thing about these companies are that a team of persistent Android app developer/programmers are always ready to suggest, guide and assist you at any time.

Errand Services – Outsourcing Daily Chores

Let’s face it! In today’s busy lifestyle, working people or even non-working people don’t have the time for even the simplest of errands like getting vegetables from the market or picking up clothes from the laundry etc. Well, now you can easily pass those annoying, time-consuming tasks to the various errand running service companies and free up your precious time for something that can make you smile!

Growth of Errand Running Service Companies

Tight schedules, limited time, a busy lifestyle can be regarded as some of the prime reasons for the growth of companies offering errand services. In addition, in the modern era of instant gratification, where getting what you want and when you want is the norm, market for such services is widening, and businesses are coming up to fill the void.

Companies offering these services generally target to solve problems of three types of clients i.e., busy working class who would prefer to pay someone else to perform routine tasks for them, corporations who could hire the services of errand providers to carry out simple tasks on behalf of their or for their employees and finally people who need assistance with their errands due to old age, sickness, disability, expecting mothers or even lazy folks.

Overall, hiring someone who is virtually a personal assistant might be considered a perk these days, but for some people it is like a good investment of time: they can stay at their desks working, instead of running everywhere to finish errands.

Benefits of Hiring Errand Services

In order to counter extremely demanding lifestyles and concentrate fully on the key tasks and responsibilities of personal as well as work life, it is strongly recommended that both individuals and corporate entities hire these services.

The following are the key benefits that both individuals and corporate entities stand to reap from hiring such services:

Lowers stress and unnecessary anxieties: A typical errand running service company operates under very strict codes of conduct which includes timely delivery of the tasks, accountability and honesty. Thus, they can lower the stress and unnecessary anxieties of individuals to a great extent.

Saving Time – Since individuals would not be running the errands, they would be able to save greatly on time which they can subsequently use in undertaking other tasks that matter. Further, their time wasted in traffic will also reduce as they would not be running around. This ultimately increases the productivity of the individuals.

No Waiting in Queues: Since, the providers would be running to do the small and big tasks, individuals will not be required to wait in queues and waste time.

Outsourcing errands is the best way to go for individuals keen on reducing stress, spending more time with the family and having more leisure time for themselves. There are companies like earrand which can run all the errands for such individuals and can simplify their life to a great extent. We provides errand services with just a few clicks on the website or app on a smartphone.

Outsourcing Viewpoints – A Checklist For Making the Most of Your Provider Site Visits

In the wake of the Satyam scandal and the recent attacks in Mumbai, India, companies are looking more closely at being well-prepared for any provider site visits. They want to ensure they leverage their time and money as efficiently and effectively as possible.

If not structured properly, a provider site visit can be just that – a “visit” and not a well-planned and executed data-gathering mission. Your visit team should strive to make it a form of pre-due diligence prior provider selection and contract signing. To make the trip most rewarding, there are several questions your team needs to answer in advance of booking flights and setting up logistics with providers to make the site visit most effective. Here’s a checklist to start with:

Investment: Determine Your Budget – the first order of business is to decide how much you are willing to invest for provider site visits. This will determine where you will visit (locally or at a distance) and how many from your company (and the advisory firm) will attend. For example, U.S. based companies can figure an average of $8,000 for business class airfare per person to India. In addition, there are other expenses including accommodations, local ground transportation, food, tips, passport, business visa, and medical preparation.
Tip: Always overestimate your expenses because you may need to adjust your schedule and extend your trip.
Team Involvement: Select Visit Participants – The senior executive responsible for the project should determine who needs to participate. Representatives should include executives from the functions being outsourced (e.g., the vice president of infrastructure), functional subject matter experts (e.g., the senior manager of the help desk) and business executives who will receive the services that are outsourced (e.g., the vice president of business operations). Keep in mind, the more you have attending, the more you have out of the office for an extended period of time (minimum of one week depending on number of providers visited and site locations).
Tip: Oftentimes, staff who are impacted by the decision to outsource may be reluctant to travel, especially overseas as they may see this as a big commitment and the final step toward a change in the way they operate. The senior executive needs to encourage those to participate so they can be there to ask the right questions and see firsthand what can be delivered by the providers.
Purpose: Determine Visit Objectives – Your team needs to determine what your purpose is for these visits. The site visit team should create at least three primary objectives. This will drive your entire agenda going forward.
Tip: Don’t have a small select group determine the visit objectives. Broaden the involvement so everyone owns the outcome. Otherwise, for the rest of the team, it is “their” visit, not “our” visit.
Timeframe: Decide When to Visit – Once you finalize your visit objectives, determine when you will make the site visits based on how you have structured your bid process. In some cases, clients want to visit all providers who are responding to the request for proposal (RFP). In other cases, the client wants to visit only those that are the two or three finalists.
Tip: Make sure you understand if there are any national or religious holidays that could impact your trip. Don’t assume that providers will accommodate you at just any time.
Locations: Identify Sites to Visit – Every provider has at least one showcase location they want you to visit. To use your time effectively, your sourcing advisor should contact each provider candidate and request a list of the provider’s Centers Of Excellence (COE) for the particular industry and function your company is seeking to outsource. Once armed with this information, it is easy to decide which locations are primary and secondary candidates to visit. The provider’s goal is to get as much face time as possible in front of their clients. The theory is the more time they have, the less time other providers will have in front of the client. As mentioned previously, it is costly to make these visits so you want to maximize your return by visiting the right location(s).
Tip: To keep your costs in line, you may need to compromise and visit a provider’s site that is not a COE. These are some of the tradeoffs you will need to make to keep your expenses in line as you move forward with the selection process.
Planning, Agenda & Logistics: Sooner than Later – Planning as far in advance as possible will keep your costs down (better rates on flights) and allow you the time to get your travel documentation (e.g., provider invitation letters, passports, business visas) and health requirements (e.g., shots, prescriptions, medical insurance coverage) in order. Check with your company’s travel office early in the process for the proper documentation required for the country(s) you are visiting. Coordinating business visas can be very time consuming. On-site logistics are critical to effectively manage time and meet your visit objectives. Your team should determine the “visit agenda” based on your visit objectives. This will include a daily logistics plan and specific questions for each provider.
Tip: Check your company’s overseas medical insurance coverage. Ask if your policy applies overseas and if it covers emergency expenses such as medical evacuation. If it does not, consider supplemental insurance.
Evaluation: Assess Providers’ Capabilities and Culture – Providers should be evaluated after each interactive session across three primary parameters:
– People – Is there a match between our company cultures? Can we work with this team?
– Process – Will they leverage industry standard processes effectively to benefit our project? Will we have to alter our methods to adapt to the provider’s process?
– Technology – What technology does the provider bring to the project that will give us a competitive advantage in the marketplace?
Create evaluation criteria and ensure it maps to your visit objectives and each item in your agenda. This step cannot be understated.

Tip: Each provider should be objectively scored after each visit and discussed in a daily debriefing session. It is best to capture this information while it is still fresh in the minds of the visit participants.
Travel Safeguards: Register with Your Country’s State Department – It is recommended that you register with your state department so they can better assist you in an emergency. This will help them contact you if there is a family emergency in the United States, or if there is a crisis where you are traveling. In accordance with the Privacy Act, information on your welfare and whereabouts will not be released to others without your express authorization.
Tip: Leave copies of your itinerary, passport data page and visas with family or friends so you can be contacted in case of an emergency at home.Provider site visits are only one element in the overall decision making process. Whether you travel a long or short distance for a provider site visit, there is a significant expenditure of time and money. The adage, “what you put into something has a direct correlation of what you get out of it” is most certainly true with provider site visits. When conducted properly, the investment you make now will give you a good return on investment in future years.

Project Outsourcing: Why ALL Businesses Should Consider Outsourcing An Integral Part of Business

OUTSOURCING: AN OVERVIEW

Businesses of all kinds can and do benefit from the tool of outsourcing every day. Businesses large and small have been outsourcing every day projects for many years. The businesses that use outsourcing as a tool to enhance and grow their business already know the value that outsourcing brings to their organization. Outsourcing is a business process term for what has literally become known as hiring a consultant, independent contractor, or freelancer to do a specific task or tasks for an organization in which the organization either does not have the time or the expertise to do on their own. The organizations that have used outsourcing for many years know that with the positives it brings to the organization that it is also important to have a well managed plan of action for hiring a consultant or contractor for a business task. This includes deciding which projects or tasks to outsource, whom to hire for these tasks, how to manage the project, how to agree on payment terms, and how to achieve the desired results. There are many forms of outsourcing ranging from outsourcing payroll to outsourcing package handling, to everything in between. Small businesses hiring a self-employed accountant to handle the corporate tax returns are in essence hiring a tax consultant. Large corporations that hire outside customer service firms to handle their customer support are outsourcing that function of their business to focus more on their core business functions. It is entirely possible to outsource practically every business process within an organization.

OUTSOURCING TOOLS

There are a wealth of tools available for the organization looking to outsource business processes. Companies such as SmartyLance.com, enable a business to post a project to a project marketplace and receive bids from experts in the field. These type of freelance sites match companies with freelance professionals, consultants, and independent contractors. There are many advantages for a business to use services such as SmartyLance. First, the marketplace enables businesses to use a centralized location to post their project, receive bids on that project, communicate with potential providers, choose a winning bid (either based on lowest cost or based on the credentials, expertise, or prior feedback of a particular provider), manage the project specifications, receive the delivered project and make final payment based on the terms of the auction. This centralized marketplace provided by SmartyLance greatly streamlines the entire outsourcing process and enables the business owner or manager to have greater control over the entire outsourcing process.

INCREASING COMPETITION

Competition is a complicated subject for many people. Ultimately, competition is good for the consumer, whether the consumer is an individual or a business, competition enables products and services to maintain high quality and low cost. Although many people dislike competition because it forces action to improve quality, the benefits to the overall economy even result in improved products and services for the very people that dismiss competition and the headaches it sometimes brings. Freelance marketplaces such as SmartyLance are no exception in that competition improves the overall quality and value for the project buyer and causes the freelance provider to adjust to market conditions in a practical, intelligent manner to win new business. The benefits to the company looking to hire freelancers are obvious. For example, Company A can compile a list of consultants to work on the design of their new company logo. This list may include a multitude of design firms from the same geographical area. Company A would be required to submit an RFP by contacting each design firm individually, stating the requirements of their project and requesting a quote based on the requirements. Many factors come into play in deciding which design firm Company A will choose. Chances are, that using this approach, Company A will end up paying too much for the project and will only have a handful of providers to choose from. Company B also must outsource the design of their new company logo. Rather than compile lists of design firms, which can result in overpriced quotes, Company B decides to post their logo design project to the SmartyLance marketplace. Doing so enables Company B to get competitive bids that help ensure that Company B gets the most competitive price for their project. By posting the logo design project to SmartyLance, Company B not only reduced costs associated with the project, they had access to specialists and skilled professional designers from around the world that were competing to give Company B the best cost and highest quality design for their money. The entire process was managed easily through Company B’s SmartyLance account enabling them to keep in contact, manage project specifications, manage competing bids, and send payment easily and securely through one of several different payment methods. An escrow account enabled Company B to ensure that payment wasn’t released to the provider until all project requirements were met. Company B successfully outsourced the logo design project and was able to save several hundred dollars. They also received the project several days quicker than Company A. In this example of Company A and Company B, we see that Company A had limited its ability to find a skilled professional and limited its ability to save money on the project. Company B took full advantage of all the resources and benefits of the SmartyLance marketplace and was able to save time and money. By outsourcing critical business functions that are not core business functions, the organization greatly benefits through a savings of time and money which in turn benefits us all through decreasing costs that are passed down to the consumer.

TO OUTSOURCE OR NOT TO OUTSOURCE?

That is the question many small business owners and large corporations alike are asking themselves each and every day. Risks are inherent in any new business strategy or thought process. However, like any business decision, risk can be managed. By intelligently choosing a provider that matches your intended skill requirements, carefully detailing and outlining your project requirements, and ensuring that you maintain the requirements within budget, the benefits can far outweigh the risks.
One of the more common fears among some larger organizations that may be reluctant to outsource projects is a fear of the unknown. This fear stems from the inherent inability to oversee each and every aspect of the project from start to finish and to evaluate each step along the way. Internal employees devoted to a project are more easily evaluated and can be guided through performance and work appraisals. Managers may feel that outsourced projects are more difficult to oversee and manage with an eagle eye. The fact of the matter is that so long as there are well-defined contractual obligations and project reporting requirements, an outsourced project can in fact result in a more manageable outcome than actually thought. Also, the talent pool and skills obtained that may be completely unavailable to the organization allow the organization to reach milestones and achieve success that may never have been possible with their current employees.

OUTSOURCING CONTROVERSY

The outsourcing controversy that is making headlines today is the public opinion of outsourcing jobs to other countries. This includes manufacturing of products, such as those that are “Made In China” as well as service outsourcing such as computer programming that is outsourced to skilled workers in India. One can argue that outsourcing projects overseas is taking opportunity away from workers in their native country. Others may contend that outsourcing projects, whether it’s overseas or in the same country is a great opportunity that will improve business processes, improve productivity, reduce costs and have an overall positive effect on the economy, thus creating more new jobs and specialized jobs in specific skill areas. All businesses are consistently looking for ways to increase productivity and lower costs. From an economic standpoint, increasing productivity and lowering costs are essential elements for business success. Business success, in turn leads to more growth, which leads to new job creation, be it in a more specialized skill area or through the development in new types of jobs in new specialized areas.

OUTSOURCED BUSINESS PROCESSES

As mentioned previously, practically any business process not related to the core business activity can be outsourced. Some examples of commonly outsourced business processes include:

Accounting and Finance

Graphic Design & Multimedia

Sales and Telemarketing

Web Design and Development

Administrative Support and Data Entry

Business Strategy, Advertising, Business Plans, Consulting

Legal, Contracts, Copyright, Corporate, Incorporation

Software and Technology, Database Development

Writing and Translation, Copy Writing, Creative Writing

Press Releases

A REWARDING CAREER

Having a specialty or skill in a particular business area can enable you to begin a career as a consultant or freelancer. Freelancing enables you to have the flexibility to work on your own and on your own schedule. You can choose which projects match your skill set and decide which types of freelance projects that you would be interested in working on. There are numerous sources available to find freelance work. Some sources include browsing freelance directories, job boards, and registering with talent auction sites such as SmartyLance. All of these resources are filled with potential jobs. In comparison, it seems that talent auctions are the most comprehensive resources offering the most flexibility to both the freelancer and the company hiring a freelancer. They offer the breadth and depth of listings and the simplicity to bid on numerous projects as well as services enabling the handling of the entire payment process through a service provider account with the talent auction site. Bidding on projects requires much discipline and planning. Before placing a bid or giving a quote on a project, the freelancer must take into account many factors including the length of time required for the project completion, the budget the service buyer can afford, and whether or not they can actually meet the requirements to complete the project. It is also important to keep in mind that developing relationships with service buyers can lead to more work in the future. Developing a relationship with service buyers and meeting or exceeding their project expectations will enable you to develop a client base that allows you to practically always have new projects to work on.

COMPETITION FOR PROJECTS

There will always be competition in all forms of business. Competition for freelance projects is fierce. One of the major ways to compete and win is to make yourself stand out from the rest of the crowd. You can start by fine tuning your resume. This will force you to think about your accomplishments as well as your exact skills and abilities. There are numerous services that can help you with your resume, including ResumeEdge. Using a service to help you with your resume will enable you to better explain your accomplishments and present them in a manner that will captivate and impress the reader. Especially if you are an independent freelancer, having your resume retooled by ResumeEdge will allow you to stand out in a crowded marketplace. Many freelance service buyers will wish to see a list of your accomplishments and your skills. If you register as a service provider with a freelance marketplace such as SmartyLance, they offer several different options that enable you to stand out above the crowd. First, there are different subscription levels when registering. There is a Limited subscription, a Novice subscription or a Professional subscription. Each higher level subscription offers more options to the service provider. Every service provider does have the ability to post a profile, detailing various information about their abilities. Limited subscriptions limit the cost range in which a service provider can bid. For example, a Limited service provider can only bid on projects with a price range less than one thousand dollars. Novice subscription service providers can bid on projects less than five thousand dollars, and Professional subscription service providers can bid on any service level project. Several added bonuses with the Novice and Professional subscription levels include the ability to purchase credential verification services as well as the ability to post “Buy Now” projects. Credential verification services enable you to post information related to your references, certifications, licenses, education and previous employment. Simply adding these options to your account gives you a special designation stating that your information has been checked and verified as being true and accurate by the freelance marketplace. This designation gives you an added level of credibility making you stand out from the rest of the service providers and enabling you to showcase your achievements and abilities, giving a service buyer confidence in choosing you to complete their project. This will undoubtedly lead to more work and more projects coming your way. In addition to verifying your credentials, you have the ability to showcase a portfolio of your previous work. This allows you to show the service buyers your achievements and your successes with previous clients. Showcasing your portfolio is another important aspect that gives the service buyer confidence in your ability. Finally, the higher level subscriptions enable you as a service provider to offer “Buy Now” solutions. Similar to purchasing products immediately without bidding as on major product auctions such as Ebay, “Buy Now” solutions enable freelance service providers and consultants to make a solution available to all service buyers for a specific set price. For example, a freelance graphic design firm may create a “Corporate Identity Package”, enabling a service buyer to purchase this package that may include the graphic design of a logo, along with designs for letterhead, business cards, and banner ads. Another example could be from a lawyer or legal consultant who creates an incorporation package that includes corporate setup and incorporation services for all fifty states, creation of shareholder agreements, employment agreements, and registered agent services all for a set price. These simple examples of “Buy Now” services enable freelance consultants and independent contractors to create easy options for service buyers who are looking for simple solutions and quick turnaround time. Service providers also enjoy creating these type of services because it enables them to focus on their core interests and abilities. Only higher level subscriptions such as the Novice or Limited subscriptions enable freelance service providers to post “Buy Now” projects. The beauty of these additional options as a freelance service provider is that you can focus on one specific aspect of your business. If you are a consultant for a graphic design firm and you simply enjoy creating and designing corporate logos and identities, then you can find work specifically in this area by posting your own “Buy Now” solution. If you are a lawyer working for your own legal firm and your passion is new business setups and incorporation services, then you can steer projects your way with a “Buy Now” solution posted on a freelance marketplace like SmartyLance.

CONCLUSION

These are only a few examples of the many opportunities that exist as a freelancer. Whether you are a small business, an individual, or a large corporation, this article simply serves as a guide to help you in your quest to use outsourcing to your advantage to help your business grow and flourish. Outsourcing, when done correctly, can benefit your business in so many different ways. The two most obvious benefits are a savings of time and money. From the freelancer’s standpoint, this article has been developed to help educate and guide you with the many options available to find work as well as to delve into the minds of freelance service buyers. Knowing their concerns and understanding the reasons for choosing one service provider over another will greatly benefit you by enabling you to increase your odds for getting new business. Understanding the concerns and needs of service buyers will lead to your gains as a service provider. If you are able to provide enough people with services that they wish to have, then you will always be in demand.

HR Outsourcing: A Start-Up Silver Bullet

If you are considering a start-up, you may want to avoid the hassles, headaches, and burdens involved in building out your HR infrastructure.

The big guys are doing it!

As recently as the early 90’s HR outsourcing was a very small, emerging option that was met with skepticism by big business (over a billion in revenue). These early outsourcing companies did not have the tools, paths or resources to meet the demands of their early adopter clients but with the vast improvements of the internet and workflow processes, by the early 2000’s outsourced HR had become a 165 billion industry.

Not only did it grow but it grew very well in regard to retention. An Accenture study in the mid-2000’s had shown that over 80% of companies that chose to outsource HR functions were happy at the management level as well as the employee level. During this period, the Shell Oil Corporation was able to reduce HR infrastructure and overall HR costs by 40% while improving benefits and employee retention.

Great, it works for the big guys, what about the start-up?

With this in mind, anyone considering a business start-up can be free to remain focused on the business they are developing verse trying how to meet compliance, policy issues, and finding all the right tools to track all employee needs. This cumbersome task is time-consuming as well as costly.

With a little research and due diligence, a start-up can identify cost effective solutions that are now plug-n-play and will be developing a partnership with their provider. Many of the options in today’s market place are well suited to grow as the underlying start-up grows.

Any glance at today’s startup world shows the great need to get HR correct from the start instead of the mad scramble that seems to be in the news on a weekly basis as companies fail in this most critical issue in running a business.

Cash is king!

As a start-up, keeping cash as long as possible is always important. What many new businesses fail to see is that high-cost investments into HR infrastructure have no R.O.I., these costs can be avoided by tapping into the outsourcing company. Yes, there remains a cost but is spread out over each new hire.

Two other cost saving benefits that many are not aware of in today’s market are, pay as you go worker’s compensation and payroll funding. Each of these silver bullets can be a cash saving life line for any new business.

With proper vetting, all these great tools can be a part of any start-up who chooses to outsource their HR infrastructure.

Economics 101 – Free Trade and Outsourcing Jobs

Free trade is an often misunderstood and polarizing subject. In my musings with everyday folks to academics it is shocking how confused the subject can become. Speaking in generalities, most Americans want a healthy, robust economy here in the United States. That is what I want and that is why I am an avid supporter of free trade. This is why the issue of shipping jobs overseas has particular importance to me. In my experience most people see shipping jobs overseas and the decline of American manufacturing as an unequivocally bad development. Avid supporters of free trade often take a negative stance towards businesses who shift operations overseas. This line of thinking is simply wrong. If this sounds crazy or offends you then that is exactly why you need to read on and gain some perspective. I want jobs in the United States and I want people and businesses to prosper and flourish but demonizing businesses for making shrewd decisions to stay competitive is pointing the finger at the wrong party. The problem isn’t the business that “ships jobs overseas,” it is the policies that make the business “ship jobs overseas.”

To illustrate the point I would like to talk about the sugar industry in the United States. Beginning in 1816 the United States implemented tariffs on sugar imports. These were designed to placate the newly acquired Louisiana territory and their sugar plantation owners. These tariffs were intended to protect the sugar industry in the United States and provide incentive to buy American sugar. In 1934 the government implemented import quotas to complement the tariffs and funnel subsidies to American sugar growers. For almost two hundred years these policies have protected sugar growers in the United States but this encroachment on free trade has not come without its costs.

For 59 of the last 60 years sugar prices have been equal to or higher than the world market price. At one point sugar in the US sold for 21 cents per pound when the world market price was 3 cents per pound. Every cent the price of sugar goes up costs the US economy between $250 million and $300 million to consumers. A commerce department study estimated this costs consumers more than $3 billion dollars a year in the United States. In 2002 Kraft moved its Lifesaver factory to Canada. In 2004 Brach’s moved its candy production to Mexico. Hershey Foods shut down operations in Pennsylvania, Colorado, and California and relocated them in Canada. Chicago, once the candy manufacturing capital of the U.S. has lost thousands of jobs. In 1984 both Coke and Pepsi stopped using sugar in their products and switched to high fructose corn syrup causing a drop in sugar consumption in the U.S. of 500,000 tons per year. Since then a slew of manufacturers have made the switch to high fructose corn syrup. In 2006, a Commerce Department study concluded that for each sugar industry job saved nearly three food manufacturing jobs were lost.

When businesses pull the trigger and move operations overseas we need to have a deeper understanding of why they are moving business overseas. In a previous article I spoke of our minimum wage that raises the cost of labor. The United States also has the second highest corporate sales tax in the world. These things tilt the scales and often make it more profitable to do business overseas. Many people like to spout the mantra “Buy American” but in a global economy this is often difficult to do and racked with confusion. Toyota has three of the top ten most American vehicles. Saying “Buy American” doesn’t hold much weight unless you talk with your wallet. People act in a fashion that gives the most bang for their buck. That is why we get cheap clothing and electronics from overseas.

Buying American is great as long as the price makes sense. When the price doesn’t make sense, it can hurt the economy and cost us jobs. I know this sounds scary and goes against what some of you might feel in your heart but it’s true. When you spend inefficiently and buy American products that cost more than equivalent foreign products, the difference in price is money that would have been spent in another part of the economy. If you spend $100 more on an American bed than you would have spent at IKEA, that is $100 taken from another part of the economy. The aggregate effect of this mentality could cost American salesmen jobs or American distributors. This is just like spending more on sugar to prop up American sugar growers while costing thousands of jobs in the food manufacturing industry in America.

It is misguided to blame companies for making tough decisions to stay competitive. If an American manufacturer decides to keep jobs in the U.S. when it is more efficient to outsource their jobs, they become less competitive. That means their prices will likely be higher. Their profits will be lower which means they have less money to expand or invest in research and development. If they cannot stay competitive then they will likely go under costing all of their jobs rather than just jobs they would have sent overseas. These are all things that need to be considered in free trade. Tariffs and subsidies cause distortions in the market where the negatives often outweigh the positives. Forcing “Buy American” policies when the price doesn’t makes sense may prop up one industry but at a cost to other industries and we often forget that.

Free trade works but we can’t pick and choose what kinds of free trade we like. When companies move overseas we need to stop blaming the companies and look at the policies that push them to do it. We can’t pretend that shipping jobs overseas has only one effect that is negative or that usurping free trade to keep certain jobs here doesn’t have negative effects. Companies don’t ship jobs overseas to satisfy some insatiable greed, they do it to survive in a competitive world market. It gives us low prices so our dollar goes further and our quality of life is higher. If we want manufacturing in America we need to address the reasons why businesses outsource manufacturing. We need to address things like our corporate tax rate, minimum wage, tariffs, and import quotas. Free trade is an amazing way to allocate funds efficiently for a maximum benefit to society. When we see things happening in the economy we don’t like you are likely to find that the source is a policy that hampers free trade rather than free trade itself. Get rid of the sugar program and we will see more jobs in America.

How to Search The Best Outsourcing App Development Company

App development has been the recent trend. Each and every website is developing the apps so that they can reach out to the maximum number of customers. This has been a great step to increase the brand awareness among the customers. It is worthy to note here that one cannot develop the app on their own. It needs the endeavor of several hardworking developers who are skilled enough to perform the job.

If you want to get an app for your website it is better that you follow the steps below to make your choice a better one in choosing a professional Android app development company. Most of the android development companies offer the best type of app development for the customers that denotes the business priorities and services.

Skills of the Developers

To measure the skills of a company you need to go through the company’s Android app development services. This means that you have to check the portfolio to find a justified answer. Their earlier projects will show their skills and expertise. Most of the reputed Android app developers have many years of experience and knowledge in this field. They work delicately to bring out the best results.

Ask For References

An unavoidable part of the screening process is asking for references from the company. If the company has a good reputation in the market they will not hesitate to show their work as references. This will reassure you the kind of services they offer. References and testimonials will help you to search the best companies in the market. Go through the testimonial section and check out the client’s testimonials once.

Delivery Time Frame

The company you choose should be the one to deliver your projects in a given time frame. Make sure they are not the ones that miss out deadlines and make you fall in trouble. They should be capable of delivering quality work at pre-mentioned deadlines. They deliver the services in short period of time.

Awareness of Tools and Technology

Make sure you ask them the tools they are using for the development of the website. If you want to develop an iOS app then make sure you will take the help from the best custom iPhone application development company.

If you really want advancement for your company, make sure that you take the help of an app development company who is having the above-mentioned qualities.

5 Myths of IT Outsourcing

Despite the popularity of IT Outsourcing, there are several misconceptions that surround its general principle of working. Though, we cannot cover all the myths that surround IT Outsourcing, we try to focus on the most common ones here:

Myth 1: IT Outsourcing hampers productivity

There is a general belief that when a client opts for IT Outsourcing, the overall productivity of the concern may go down because of several barriers in terms of culture, distance, communication and time that exist.

Fact 1: Productivity is increased when IT Outsourcing is opted for

Excellent English skills and superior technical knowledge possessed by the employees of IT Outsourcing companies ensure that the productivity sees an upsurge despite time and cultural barriers. Also, most companies offering IT Outsourcing work as per their client’s time zone thus ensuring uninterrupted IT activities. In most cases, an on site project manager is appointed by the IT Outsourcing vendor in order to carry out coordination amongst the on site client managers and offshore team members.

Myth 2: Global clients opt for IT Outsourcing to cut costs

The costs of a company sure see a reduction when offshoring of IT activities is done. This is the only reason for clients to opt for IT Outsourcing.

Fact 2: Simplifying the way IT activities are carried out

Often, clients look for technical experts to develop a technical product or application after the requirements are frozen. Recruiting in-house employees and training them is time-consuming and needs specialized attention that the business people cannot spare.

So, the clients offshore such development activities to the experts in the area of Information Technology,who help give their ideas a credible and feasible shape in form of a software product.

Myth 3: It’s about cheap labor

More often than not, people associate the term ‘cheap labor’ to IT Outsourcing.

Fact 3: Quality, Innovation and Specialized skill force

The foremost aim of IT Outsourcing is to find a modestly priced provider, who specializes in offering high-quality output, has predefined methodologies and shows innovation in the field of IT.Affordable labor is just a side benefit, not the only deciding factor.

Myth 4: IT Outsourcing can be done with everything

This is really not possible. However, some global clients and software companies try to make it happen.

Fact 4: Study, Analyze, Decide on IT Outsourcing areas

The software company needs to understand client requirements thoroughly and perform feasibility study. If the business needs cannot be covered by offshoring the IT activities, then there is no point in considering IT Outsourcing.

Myth 5: Job cuts, job cuts, job cuts!

IT Outsourcing is seen as the main culprit behind several natives going jobless. However there are several studies and researches show that it is not so.

Fact 5: Economic growth

It’s about gaining maximum output, with minimum input for the country’s economy when IT Outsourcing is done. Consequently a steady economic growth is seen leading to more employment opportunities for the natives.

How Outsourcing iPhone Development Saves Money and Time

iPhone development has been growing steadily and is showing no signs of stopping. With over 3 billion downloads in the Apple App Store, it is only a matter of time until we see 10 billion and more. A lot of the time, entrepreneurs think up iPhone app ideas without any knowledge of how to create this application and this is where iPhone development outsourcing comes in.

On average, a simple iPhone application can cost up to $10,000 to have developed by development companies located in the United States. This is because they have a higher overhead and need to charge this amount in order to stay in business. Another solution to having your iPhone app created is to outsource the development. This means to hire a developer overseas to work with you on your app idea.

Outsourcing is much more affordable for developing apps that hiring a domestic developer because they developers have a lower company overhead and therefore are able to charge a fraction of the cost a United States developer would charge. In addition, you can also save time by hiring an outsourced iPhone developer because of the time different. For example, if your developer is located in India, then he will be working while you sleep which would allow you to communicate any changes and have them ready for him when he starts working in the morning.

Outsourced work can be a very rewarding experience if you find the right developer so it is important to take your time and select a developer you feel can create your application up to your expectations. I would recommend interviewing several developers before finally selecting one to work with. Ask to see their portfolio, prior work history, and strengths in their development. It is also extremely important that you communicate what you want developed and have it outlined in great detail, this will make the developers job much easier and take a lot of the guesswork out when developing your application.

Right now is a great time to have your iPhone application idea created and if you are successful at managing an outsourced development team, you could see a great deal of profit in the App Store with your idea.

Benefits of Outsourcing Engineering Services

If you are a business, whether small, medium or large enterprise, that contributes technological research and development to the society, how do you get your ideas formed?

Well, engineering itself is a widespread area where countless businesses are involved in engineering and technological explorations. It is practical for large businesses to have their own R&D department and team, while it is quite an expensive affair for small and medium enterprises to have their dedicated research and development personnel.

For small and mid cap companies, outsourcing has come up as an interesting and inexpensive option. So many companies are hiring engineering and technology outsourcing agencies to meet their requirements. There are great many benefits of outsourcing engineering services, which are enunciated in following snippets of the article –

Cost-effective – When hiring full time, in-house engineers, you get a number of responsibilities. You have to bear the cost of training, infrastructure, and sometimes meals and accommodation as well. It is a great investment, especially for small and mid cap companies. On the other hand, if they choose to employ an outsourcing firm, it will bring various avails for them. At best, they will save a good portion of investment and training cost. Additionally, they will also save their resources, which again will save plenty of their capital.

Hiring outsourcing engineering services is cost-effective for another reason. Most of the outsourcing companies are nestled in South-East Asian countries, like Philippines, India, China, etc. These third world nations are known for their inexpensive services and labour cost. The wages, in these countries, is extremely low, which makes them stand as an inexpensive outsourcing destinations. Apart from engineering services, these nations also farm out different types of IT and other services to global audiences.

Space – The key concern of small and mid-sized setups is the shortage of space or area. Some of them can hire dedicated engineers, but they do not have sufficient space to set up the R&D unit within their premises. If choosing to hire outbound engineers, they can easily sort out their problems, related to the lack of space and infrastructure. All their ideas of research and development will take place at the property or setup of outbound agency.

Professional Services – There are always risks like, unprofessionalism or improper experience, if a business chooses to hire an inbound engineer. While if it has come up with an outsourcer’s name, there will be lesser chances of their getting unprofessional services. Outsourcing agencies generally are well equipped with good experience and understanding of their respective fields. They offer reliable, dependable, expert services to their clients.

On Time Project Delivery – These third-party service providers are so professional that they always are on time, when it comes to deliver the project. They dedicated work for their clients, and give them the delivery at the right time.