Mumbai – India’s Vibrant City

Bhelpuri is a type of chaat, or in other words, a small plate of savory snacks that is particularly identified with the beaches of Mumbai (Bombay)

Although Bhelpuri is available all across India, it is something which is very popular in Mumbai. Surprisingly, Bhelpuri, which was originally a Gujarati fast food, got merged with the Mumbai culture and became synonymous with Mumbai or Bombay. Much of the fun of eating Bhelpuri is in the crunchiness. Besides, ask anyone from Bombay about it, and they would surely have tried it out !

Now that, we know what Bhelpuri is, when are you dropping by Bombay to try it out ?

Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is known for its chaotic street scenes.

Mumbai is basically the financial capital of India, in addition to being the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. With a population of approximately 13.75 million, it is the second most populous city in the world

Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra state, which is widely spoken through out Mumbai. The other languages that are spoken include Hindi, Gujarati, and English. A colloquial form of Hindi, known as Bambaiya – a blend of Marathi, Hindi, Indian English and some invented words – is also spoken on the streets.

It is also to be note that English is not only the language of the executive, or the white collar job-force, but is also widely understood throughout Mumbai.

Bombay (now properly called Mumbai) is a city of great contrast. One minute you can be surrounded by poverty and the next minute you can be in a cozy restaurant enjoying great food and wine.

It is not surprising that Mumbai suffers from the common urbanization problems that is seen in many fast growing cities in third world developing countries – which is widespread poverty and unemployment, poor public health and poor civic and Ofcourse educational standards for a large section of the population.

With available space, going at a premium, Mumbai residents often live in cramped and rather expensive housing which is usually located far from their workplaces, and therefore requiring long commutes on crowded mass transit, or jammed roadways.

Presently, more than 60% of the city's population lives in slums

Remember the “slumdog millionaire”

Mumbai has a large polyglot population like any other metropolitan city of India.

Most other people live comfortably in large apartments, and they typically have drivers and servants (such as a cook). Meals are usually really cheap or fairly expensive. And most visitors of the city are said to either love or hate it.

Mumbai is also the glamour of Bollywood cinema so if possible it would be nice to try and experience Bollywood (and hopefully be an extra in a Bollywood movie)…it would be fun.

Mumbai is also the commercial and entertainment centre of India, generating 5% of India's GDP and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 40% of maritime trade, and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy and it is also one of the world's top ten centers of commerce by global financial flow

There are shopping malls full of designer labels, cricket on the Oval Maidan, promenading families eating bhelpuri or having the famous Bombay Burger or the traditional masala chai teas and the masala dosais on the beach at Chowpatty, red double-decker buses queuing in grinding traffic jams and the infamous cages of the red-light district…..

It's a city with vibrant streetlife, India's best nightlife, and a wealth of bazaars. Outdoor bazaars top the list of attractions for the bargains for example shopping in Fort/ Colaba neighborhoods… you'll find very inexpensive scarves, necklaces, t-shirts, leather sandals and anything touristy. You can do some bargaining [which is fun], but at a certain point it doesn't feel worth it to make a fuss over what's only worth $1 to a traveler, even though if they are technically trying to rip you off by their standards….so have fun and just give in gradually…..

More sightseeing options are the Gandhi Museum, in the leader's former home, and the cave temples of Elephanta Island.

For tranquility, Mumbai has many religious sites, lakes and parks. Popular waterfront destinations are Marine Drive, where visitors go to watch the sun set over the Arabian Sea, and the carnival-like Juhu Beach.

And for those inclined towards the media. Mumbai also enjoys an array of media in print and on the radio. English speakers are spoiled for choice as the major national papers have Mumbai bureaux and there are various English-language local papers and magazines.

Mumbai is geographically located in a tropical zone and is positioned near the Arabian Sea, thereby giving the city, two main climatic seasons - the humid and the dry season.

The humid season falls between March and October, is characterized by high humidity and temperature and between June and September, the monsoon rains lash the city. The dry season is between November and February and is characterized by moderate levels of humidity and warm to cool weather.

So pack your travel bags, November through March is a very good time to visit Mumbai. It is peak season, so make sure all your bookings are done in advance. Prices are higher at this time, of course.

Welcome to Mumbai and don’t forget your bhelpuri !

Outsource for More Profits

Recently Sony announced at Tokyo that it will be cutting 8,000 jobs which constitute five percent of its total permanent workforce and the rest from the part-time employees as a result of the global slowdown.

According to Sony, the new business plan is expected to deliver more than 1.1 billion in cost savings a year by March 2010.

What is offshoring? Offshoring is a type of outsourcing. Offshoring simply means having the outsourced business functions done in another country. Frequently, work is offshored in order to reduce labor expenses. Other times, the reasons for offshoring are strategic -- to enter new markets, to tap talent currently unavailable domestically or to overcome regulations that prevent specific activities domestically.

The phrase that I think describes the old, outdated approach well is, 'your mess for less', with the outsourced company taking on your operation and simply running it at a lower cost.

Today's corporation succeeds based on its ability to establish and sustain a network of strategic business partners. More and more companies are realizing the benefits in turning around core competencies and outside relationships. "Do what you do best and outsource the rest" is the credo, and for good reason.

Outsource for More Profits

Resourcing allows to free internal resources and allow HR practitioners to be more strategic. Instead of entering data, crunching numbers and pushing paper, HR can focus on core/non-administrative functions. Offloading the administrative work maximizes the organization's resources.

Alternately they can offer access to expertise. Organizations that outsource gain access to know-how they probably do not possess. They tap into a broad network of experienced people and best practices.

There are, however, some common misconceptions about outsourcing, including the belief that it can and will in every situation:

One of the core reasons is that outsourcing cuts costs thereby increasing profits. Although outsourcing will provide cost savings for some organizations (mostly those that are very large and extremely inefficient), in most cases, it is dollar-for-dollar cost neutral.

Take an organization with hundreds of people in HR: If it can save just 5 percent of the $100 million dollars it spends on HR, it will save $5 million. But a company with only 10 people in HR is not going to pay for the service by shifting the work off one or two employees. What will happen is that the department will gain an increase in benefits or services -- more bang for the buck.

Besides, "The capital crunch and cost pressures due to the financial crisis will force enterprises to outsource more of their back office operations to vendors like Sitel for cost arbitrage and access to talent pool. In spite of lower IT budgets, we are upbeat on surviving the crisis and sustaining growth," Adeni asserted.

Multishoring is a trend that mirrors the evolution of IT outsourcing. Gone are the days of 10-year deals being awarded to the traditional global outsourcing providers. The reality of IT outsourcing now is shorter contracts, with a number of specialist suppliers.

Similarly, multishoring enables companies to secure best-of-breed outsourcing solutions, thus tapping into specialist skills sets and maximizing the merits of each offshoring location.

You can have different suppliers, in different locations for different functions. As multishoring takes off, what we're seeing is a trend towards suppliers opening operations in different locations to give companies the option of a multi-shore strategy but with the security of a single supplier contract.

Simply outsource processes elsewhere in an attempt to break from the traditional mould
Use India as one supply location as part of a global strategy whereby elements in which India excels, such as knowledge process outsourcing, will be outsourced to India, but other processes will be nearshored, onshored or offshored to other locations. In terms of costs, India and China remain amongst the cheapest options, yet the tax-free incentives schemes offered by Dubai, for example, are leading to a far greater competition regarding cost in the global market place.


Conclusion - Outsource for More Profits

In conclusion, the new global environment is offering opportunities aplenty to end users. With the emergence of global service provision, end users have the world at their feet and the multishoring 'pick and mix' approach can maximize this.

By capitalizing upon several offshoring locations, possibly in tandem, end users can accrue a low cost offering with the particular skills that are required. India is still a vital cog in the outsourcing wheel, but taking the risk and going elsewhere can sometimes reap massive benefits.

Through innovative outside relationships, organizations are aggressively reshaping themselves and fundamentally changing the way they do business. Unprecedented levels of performance and profitability have resulted from these efforts. The bottom line is that outsourcing has become one of today's most powerful, organization-shaping management strategies. Smart corporations of the future will serve their customers by functioning more as a focuser of resources than as an owner of resources.

Outsourcing a non-core function like the data center to a high quality provider that gives enhanced levels of service at a lower cost helps businesses to compete in today's highly competitive marketplace.

In conclusion, it can be safely said that outsourcing allows freeing of internal resources and allowing executives to be more strategic. Instead of entering data, crunching numbers and pushing paper, company executives can focus on profitability and core/ non-administrative functions. In other words, offloading the administrative work maximizes the organization's resources.

Bottom line - Outsourcing is a necessary component of a profitable company’s business plan. By choosing wisely, a company can be more profitable and efficient by letting other companies take some of the load.

Does Everything Have A Reason ?

Most of us believe in the Lord, but there are a growing number that are fast becoming atheists.

Thank the Lord for that!!

Let’s not confuse being agnostic and being an atheist.

People who are agnostic don’t believe in religion as a mean to reach the Lord, they prefer a more direct path. Most people believe in the big guy above [with due apologies], but in a different way. The problem is in the concept of belief and worship - idol worship, temple, mosque, church, monasteries - this is where the argument is..

People who believe in a higher power, in a controlling force, in destiny usually tribute everyone of their actions to the Lord. That is sometimes fear and excuse….Mainly because, most of the wrong actions that lead to pain are ONLY because of their own wrong doing and there is NO punishment from above… The wrong doing can also be done as a good deed only to realize later…that was bad…

The flaw is that when you completely give up everything to the Lord that basically means that you have no control over your own actions, over your own sense of morality. This way any action would be justified as an act of the ‘Big Chief’. Pretty much meaning that anyone can get away with murder by believing that was the decision of the man above. This is not to condemn those good people - but it is just a personal viewpoint. Just that service is above everything else.

Obviously, all roads lead to the asylum after that.

In the middle of all this, there is a lot of confusion and most of the time it is here where people are completely lost, and thus people like those guys who teach you the Art of Living, and those evangelical priests who make very forceful speeches, make money.

Come on guys - they also need a living!

They provide you answers to go from the gray to the black and white again.

Belief is something that can’t be taught. A new born doesn't trust in his own body, until he is cognizant or as you say until his brain is completely in control of it and that’s all there’s to it. The logic is pure, and the rationality of thought also, but what atheists fail to explain, is that voice inside.

What is that single force that unites us all in so many different ways makes every human similar?

There is something within us which blossoms only when we are cognizant and we have a fuller understanding of yourself. In other words, by believing the Lord is within you, inside you, is the most powerful force on earth, only you might not call it a Lord. That kind of belief is true power, a power to achieve any goal.

He ain’t gonna be upset, that’s for sure.

Phew - It gives him an opportunity to take a break!!

Getting A Resume Writer To Write Your Resumes

In the midst of hundreds of resumes that any recruiter or employer receive for any given position, your resume needs to stand out from that crowd.

In other words, you must make the Recruitment Manager want to read your resume more thoroughly than just the rudimentary 10-20 seconds the vast majority of your competition will warrant.

The only way to achieve this is by designing an "accomplishment driven resume".

Now what makes a resume that focuses on achievements, so effective?

It can be said that most job seekers tend to list their responsibilities of their past and current positions without highlighting on their achievements. Although responsibilities are an important factor, the crux should be on achievements. If you are seeking a high-level position, it becomes even more necessary

In other words, you have to show proof of those results that you were able to achieve and that you would be able to repeat it should the future employer hire you.

Presentations and fancy dressed up resumes are just not enough. Of course, there are instances there when the odd one that has been selected just because of the fanciness, but these are only rare cases.

You must be in a position to describe how you have increased the company’s bottom line or managed any projects that lead to increase revenue and company savings. Of course then there is the case when you are able to show how you have restructured the organization, leading to increased employee morale and company profitability. Now the interviewer or resume reviewer must get the picture that you are capable to repeat these performances.

This is the kind of information that managers seek out amongst the clutter of resumes that they receive.

Another important aspect for an "accomplishment driven resume" is the resume format itself. Try not to mix your achievements and responsibilities together. In other words, you can write an overview of your responsibilities in a paragraph and then highlight your accomplishments with bullet points.

Basically, if everything looks the same, nothing will stand out.

By applying the above points, your potential employers would not only be able to see what you have achieved in the past, but what you could offer to them in the future as well.

Now that the achievement issue has been discussed, let’s get to the next step.

If you have been sending out your resume and not getting interviews, you can certainly blame your resume.

Without a good resume, companies virtually have no idea that you even exist - unless you are invited to an interview by the hiring authority, you may as well be invisible.

We live in a market economy and you must learn to market yourself effectively and aggressively or suffer in a 'go nowhere' job while your friends move on to new opportunities and brighter futures.

As a matter of fact, the primary job of your resume is to only open doors !

Now the question arises, whether you should write the resume yourself or hire a "professional resume writer".

There are chances that if you do the writing, that key elements could be missing and a jobseeker generally doesn't discover this until a good portion of time has been poured into the job search.

For example a job-search campaign can stretch out for weeks or months.

Let's look at some numbers that will determine whether a resume writing service is worth the investment.

First, the salary you are seeking, say $36,000.

Now, let's divide that number by 2,080 (based upon 8 hours per day, multiplied by 5 days and further multiplied by 52 weeks) and you will come up with $17.31 per hour (gross).

Every day, you will lose just over $138.45, and for every week, $692.30.

Let us say your job search takes 6 months, you will lose an estimated $18,000.

Compare these with the costs that you might have to shell out for hiring a “professional resume writer” and you will see that their charges come to only about (2) days of your expected salary.

Of course, there are the ones (like poor me!!) that you could get cheap, but then that requires a lot of research. Whenever, you do a research, you must remember to pay yourself as well.

Another grey area is the cover letter.

Since the cover letter is what most hiring managers read first, you have less than 10 seconds in which to make your reader want to put down your cover letter, pick up the phone and call you for a job interview. This 10 seconds makes or breaks you. It provides the information that hiring mangers use to make decisions on who gets called, interviewed, and hired.

It's your cover letter which decides that!

A cover letter with a concise format is easy to scan and shows respect for the reader's limited time.

Recruitment Managers don't have the time nor the inclination to sift through the hundreds of resumes they receive. If your resume is not available on the manager's desk at the correct time, with the correct format, the job assignment is going to go to the person whose resume and cover letter managed to get there first, even if you're the better person for the job.

Is this not better than waiting for an interview with your fingers crossed!

So, while resume preparation on your own is possible, there really is no substitute for letting a resume writer do it. Besides, if you are not getting any feedback on the resumes you have written, it is time you tried out a "professional resume writer".

Mainly because, it really doesn't pay to cut corners when it comes to your career.

If you still need more information, contact me, and perhaps we could discuss whether the fault lies with your resume !

To live is to have problems and to solve problems is to grow intellectually

“To live is to have problems and to solve problems is to grow intellectually,” quoted J. P. Guilford. In other words, we all run into or face problems sometime, or the other. Problems can be work related, or personal problems and it can be said that one man’s solution to a problem could turn to be another’s nightmare. This is because according to Guilford's “Structure of Intellect” (SI) theory, an individual's performance on intelligence tests can be traced back to the underlying mental abilities, or factors of intelligence.

Personal Problem
About seven years ago, I became handicapped and this put me in a catch-22 situation. Here I was all set to go out for any little excuse but for some reason or the other, I just couldn’t get myself to doing it. It was absolute misery and it wasn’t a surprise when things spiraled quickly out of control. I managed to alienate myself from most of my friends and family and infact did a good job of it. It was then the computer and the net came to my rescue. It’s funny which how much you can do with this machine. There is enormous potential out there for mothers based at home who can work out wonders with this machine and the net and this applies to men working from home as well

Since then, it became a full time relationship with the computer and net and the question of doing another job did not even arise. Now, the subject question here is; whenever you ever run into such serious problems, what are the methods or processes that have been adopted in resolving it.

Sometimes, the problems resolve itself like in my case, and all it required was some time. In other words, it did not require any outside help, such as a shrink to resolve it. Ofcourse, I did visit a shrink but that’s another story and we’ll leave that for a rainy day

I say this because when you encounter problems and tend to ignore them, they just disappear. It gives you the feeling that when you tend to ignore them, they just solve itself. It’s magical, solutions emerge from nowhere. In fact, this method made me more relaxed and I refused to view problems as they are. Instead I only view them as solutions that have encountered a minor setback or delay.

Theoretically, majority of the problems resolve themselves in the long run. All that remains are the worry and tension that it caused. In a time based scenario, the only "problem" is that we don't know when the so-called problem would be resolved and the time-period could cause quite a bit of misery.

So let’s assume as per the subject topic we have run into a generic problem that need solutions. A problem as such cannot be described, as it must be remembered that no problem can exist in the absence of an objective. That is to say, we need to know exactly where we want to arrive so that we can properly determine our track, as well as direction.

In his lateral thinking theory, DeBono stressed the importance of “looking at a problem with a fresh perspective”. In other words, knowing our direction is an important aspect in problem solving.

Now, the first thing when I encounter a problem is change or restructure my way of thinking. For this I need sleep. By sleep, I mean a sound sleep. The sleep gives me a relaxed mind, and makes problem-solving far easier, instead of purely relying on intuition. After a sound sleep, your approach to solve the problem becomes more systematic, more balanced and logical. Starting from that point it becomes easier to see what lies in front of you.

The SIX Processes
After the sleep, it is better to split the problem into smaller problems and begin solving it step by step. It is realistic when you do this and write the processes down, as you would very soon begin to see the possible solutions that underlie within each problem. That is to say, in order to resolve problems effectively one has to understand the whole process and their role in making the problems work. And as we live in a talking culture, it is imperative that we put these things in writing. This procedure helps you identify the best solution embedded within each problem

After writing it down, the next step in our hypothetical problem is to identify pain points, if any, and identify the connections between the connecting pain points. This would help me understand the problem better and then take on the objectives and translate them into structured programs. Then I could evaluate which solution has the most advantages, and further break down these solutions into different stages, while at the same time conduct a SWOT analysis between solutions.

Thirdly, I will reflect on the possible solutions while consulting friends and relatives, and then conduct a strategic analysis and begin to tailor solutions according to feedback and sentiments. This would eventually result in deeper penetration and a larger perception of the whole problem

Stage number four is to evaluate all possible solutions, i.e., reviewing the problem point by point, while analyzing the pros and cons of each solution. The next step or stage number five is when I implement the decision. Last of all, stage number six is post-decision justification or evaluation of the outcome. Ofcourse this also means the implementation of any follow-up actions required.

Now the question is what have all these so called stages to do with my personal situation. Although, I applied all these processes, none of these methods were adopted in my case as the solution to my problem turned out to be time and patience. It was just out of frustration I started toying with the computer, and which eventually materialized in to a hobby and subsequently into a job. It is only when you encounter or run into problems, only then, these so called strategies materialize. In other words, it is only when you start visualizing the problem mathematically, you begin to analyze what the problem really is, and start approaching it in an organized and logical manner. Then the whole problem becomes easier to solve.

Conclusion
It is only when you start visualizing the problem mathematically, you begin to analyze what the problem really is and start approaching it in an organized and logical manner. Then the whole problem becomes easier to solve.

Don’t ever make the mistake of making the problem bigger than it is, as any solution appears to be good, and the actual problem is only as big as you perceive it to be. You should always visualize that you are "bigger" than the problem itself. This gives it a positive outlook, which definitely counts in solving problems in the long run. Finally, never give up whatever the problem may be. Just stick in there. You will soon find a solution. Remember, it is just that problems help you to enhance your ability to live happily.

Once you solve a problem, the feeling and satisfaction of solving it is so great that explaining it has just no words. In Living a Life That Matters, Harold S. Kushner (the Massachusetts rabbi whose best selling books include When Bad Things Happen to Good People) suggests that the most successful lives are the ones that most effectively manage and resolve their problems.

Employee Motivation At Work

The word "motivation", in psychology is the intention of achieving a goal, leading to goal-directed behavior.

In this view the general conclusion is that leadership is motivation and motivation is leadership, and that the two elements are inseparable. However, interestingly, no one has actually conceptualized motivation in a useful way to demonstrate and analyze the connection between it and leadership.

While Motivation clearly comes under personality and emotion, Leadership comes under cognitive psychology

But basically, belief is the solution to the problem.

Optimism is that which leads to achievement.

Nothing can be done without hope and confidence and this is where emotional aspect comes in.

Now by finding something positive in every situation, ninety-five percent of the emotions are determined by how one interpret events to oneself.

No one else 'makes us angry.' We make ourselves angry when we surrender control of our emotions and attitude. What someone else may have done is irrelevant as we are the one to choose and not them. What they do is merely put our attitude to a test

This is where the cognitive psychology comes in

The mind, if properly controlled, can do just about anything. You can think your way through adversity, you can think your way through problems. It is a powerful instrument which very few use to a maximum. And if the mind thinks with a believing attitude it can do amazing things. As a result of this the confidence improves and it is widely believed that confidence is contagious.

Now on the other hand, it is not so easy to acquire and then maintain this productive attitude.

It takes considerable experience, work, and time to find where your head needs to be in order to control such a situation, and to bring them into the lives of those you affect around you and this is what Leadership is all about.

When you continuously communicate and act upon the organization's mission, values, and goals, naturally your employees will be motivated to live the mission and maintain a high standard of behavior and productivity. This communication must start at the top and be communicated and acted upon at every level at every opportunity.

One of your organization's top values should be - Respect.

When you allow an employee to disrespect other team members through words or actions, you are not only destroying your organizations values but it could also lead to organizational and team turmoil, not to mention productivity issues.

For instance, extending common courtesies such as a "Good morning" or a nod as you pass workers in the hallway says to them that they are not invisible to you and has an immense effect in reward terms.

The second value should be - Recognition.

One of the two powerful words important in employee motivation are the words - Great Job.

By recognizing the work of others, you motivate them to keep working. You'll find that regularly giving verbal or written praise for a job well done goes a long way in making employees feel appreciated. If workers feel that they play an important part in the company by the work they provide, they are much more likely to seek ways to improve their performance.

The third value should be - Reward.

While cash incentives are a sure way to put a smile on an employee's face, there are other creative ways to motivate employees through such similar thoughtful gestures. For example, a Dinner at a local restaurant once-a-month or a birthday party would have great impact on their mode of functioning.

When working with top organizations, the more the organizational values are communicated and reinforced, more success the organization will achieve. This creates a motivated work environment and rewards employees based on the mission.

Another factor to remember is to be careful how you use your words.

Well, words do hurt.

The best advertising copywriters, political experts, speech writers, and screen writers are paid hundreds of thousands to create emotions with words, so that the end user is persuaded to act in a certain way. It is important to realize that once we say something that is hurtful can alienate our fellow employees and we may never be able to take it back.

We should all be careful with the words we use. It should be positive or motivating towards your fellow employees and thereby showing respect toward my team members with the words you use.

Also always encourage positive, motivating behavior and recognize good behavior whenever you can. Recognize the person(s) exhibiting positive behavior in team meetings and send him/ her personal memo/ letter from the CEO, etc. As a result of which, most of the employees will start emulating such a behavior. So always set an example by displaying your best motivating, respectful, and positive behavior.

On the other hand, also be prepared to take corrective action when you have employees who display inappropriate behavior. Make sure that you, as a Manager, document all discussions relating to such unacceptable behavior. Confer with HRD to receive expert advice on the next steps in the corrective action procedure. Then start implementing the corrective action and follow-up to ensure there is a positive change in their behavior.

Be timely in your follow-ups so that there is no lapse in time between the next situation of unacceptable behavior and the next level of corrective action. Try to immediately motivate and reinforce positive behavior changes.

Remember, if you show you are quick to take action for unacceptable behavior, this sends a message to your team members that you respect them as individuals and more so as team players. This would make them far more motivated because of your actions.

Apply these basic fundamentals and you will create a motivated workplace that achieves team and organizational goals.

As a closing line..... It is of great importance for you to realize that all your repetitive thoughts create ideas, which in turn create actions and which over time creates character. And if you allow too many negative, improper, incorrect thoughts to dominate you, the chances are you will never succeed...

Now something on the lighter side for the day...

Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Manager asked a young engineer who was fresh out of engineering, "What starting salary were you thinking about?"

The Engineer said, "In the neighborhood of $125,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."

The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5 weeks vacation, 14 paid holidays, full medical and dental, company matching retirement fund to 50% of salary, and a company car leased every 2 years - say, a red Jaguar?"

The Engineer sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"

The interviewer replied, "Yeah, but you started it."

Human Resources Outsourcing

As most of you may be aware, human resource outsourcing provides a number of benefits to a primary organization. Generally companies outsource product development to reduce costs, time saving, boost bottom line and focus on core activities

In most cases I have never asked my primary clients regarding their clientele.

As in an outsourcing process, it would be unethical of me to contact clients directly, unless advised. In most cases when I contact clients, it is only for clarification of information provided from the primary source

Below are just a few of the reasons why a parent organization should consider outsourcing. It can maintain control over critical functions, while taking advantage of outsourcing non-critical functions.

I can speak up for outsourcing of resume writing and freelance writing as I take on quite a lot of outsourcing jobs on “resume writing” and “freelance writing” on a regular basis

In the midst of hundreds, if not thousands of resumes, recruiters and employers receive for any given position; your resume needs to stand out from the crowd. You must make the Recruitment or HRD Manager of the identified or targeted company, read your resume more thoroughly than just the rudimentary 10-20 seconds the vast majority of your competition will warrant. The way to do this is by designing an accomplishment driven resume.

As a Manager, you would know that by retaining the services of a freelance writer, you pay only the writer's fee, as they do not require monthly retainers, and can be hired on a project basis. So payroll taxes, benefits costs, and other employee expenses are eliminated.

Besides, a freelance writer works on a per project basis and works to deadlines.

So, the parent company’s projects are completed on time and on budget. In addition, customers need to see new content and how the services are changing with the times. A freelance writer has the skills to handle complex research and fact checking. Besides, a freelance writer can accommodate special needs and schedules, and can provide fresh perspective and expertise, that staff writers may have lost

In short, there is cost containment through reallocation of resources, by freeing up valuable resources to perform other duties, thereby getting a significant cost savings benefit, besides, the time savings benefit. This allows the parent company to focus on critical processes. Moreover, when employees know that writing projects are handled by a freelance writer, they have the time to concentrate on what they do best.

At this moment India is a favorite destination for human resource outsourcing for the IT sector outsourcing for US offshore outsourcing companies.

India is the leading Asian region in the outsourcing sector, while China comes a close second. Other Countries like Malaysia, Singapore, and Philippines etc are the other Asian countries that are growing rapidly in outsourcing sector and countries that outsource for big profits. Taking into consideration the outsourcing market in general, a big portion of outsourcing business will shift to Asian region because of low cost and excellent work.


Following are the factors which makes India a favorite offshoring center

- Stable government and the political stability.
- Development policies by government
- Pro -IT outsourcing government policies
- Good english speaking skilled professionals
- Economically stable
- Excellent GDP growth – 8%
- Highly IT skilled work force
- Good IT infrastructure
- Very good internet and telephone networks
- Telephone users - over 49 million
- Internet Users - over 19 million
- Good labor supply and cheap labour cost
- Good work force - More than 2 million IT graduates per year.
- Strong Technical and Professional Educational System ( IITs and IIMs )

India is doing well in IT offshore outsourcing and will continue to perform well mainly due to its skilled and excellent English speaking work force and can easily supply labor to the IT industry for the next 10 years

That’s about it for now – So, if you need a research assistant online, do drop me a line.

Give me a call should you need to outsource low cost any of your writing projects or need any information on how to outsource low cost any of your works.

The Importance Of Learning A Foreign Language

A few years back an article in the Time magazine suggested that foreign languages should be taught to children as early as possible.

The American Council on Education had also sometime back, called on education decision makers to make foreign language an essential part of a college education. It was envisioned that every baccalaureate holder should be competent in a foreign language as they move into the next century.

Infact, it was somewhere around this time that the American Association of School Administrators had short listed the need of foreign languages as one of the most important subjects that the students required to thrive in the 21st century.

Even though the US regards itself as the world’s melting pot, it has very low levels of proficiency in learning a foreign language. To put it briefly, most students usually study only English, or start learning a second language, when the gaining proficiency becomes a bit too late. In other words, although there are many skills around, a secondary or a foreign language is a skill or a trait that that most people could benefit from mastering.

The importance of learning a foreign language is continuing to increase day by day. Just to quote an example - the inflow of Hispanic immigrants into the US has created a greater need for Spanish translators and interpreters.

Research shows that by studying another language, it would enhance the academic skills of students by increasing their abilities in reading, writing, and maths. It was also noted that bilingual children show that they grasp linguistic concepts such as words having several meanings faster and earlier than their monolingual counterparts. With so many different languages globally, knowing a foreign language can give a person an edge in a multilingual world.

There are many jobs today that would igirectly or directly benefit from a foreign language. In other words, although there are many skills around, a secondary or a foreign language is a skill or a trait that that most people could benefit from mastering.

However, it is to be remembered that while it is nice to know two or more languages and if one of them is not English, then you are increasingly sidetracked in a world where the official language of science is English, the language of the Internet is English, the language of pilots and aviation is English, the language of commerce is English.

So, studying a foreign language is a nice sounding development, but without the opportunity for utilization, it becomes more of a waste. In other words, if you learn a language just as a hobby or just for the sake of learning it, it does not have an use and amounts to a waste of time.

Personally, I reckon it is great to know more than one language, and if one works in some areas of the US it becomes more evident as to why it is so important to know a foreign language.

Society also profits both economically and politically, not to mention socially as well, when its citizens are able to co-relate and communicate with immigrants from other cultures.

Parents should think twice and make use of the many available opportunities and resources that have been identified for learning a foreign language

65 Roses Or Cystic Fibrosis

Cystic fibrosis (also known as CF, mucovoidosis, or mucoviscidosis) is a hereditary terminal disease of the lungs and pancreas marked by severe coughing and malnutrition. It affects the exocrine (mucus) glands of the lungs, liver, pancreas, and intestines, causing progressive disability due to multisystem failure.

Thick mucus production results in frequent lung infections. Diminished secretion of pancreatic enzymes is the main cause of poor growth, fatty diarrhea, and deficiency in fat-soluble vitamins.

Often, symptoms of CF appear in infancy and childhood. Meconium ileus is a typical finding in newborn babies with CF. Individuals with cystic fibrosis can be diagnosed prior to birth by genetic testing. Newborn screening tests are increasingly common and effective (although false positives may occur, and children need to be brought in for a sweat test to distinguish disease vs carrier status).

Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common life-shortening, childhood-onset inherited diseases

In the US alone, about 1 in 4,000 are born with CF. It appears to be most common among western European populations and Ashkenazi Jews. That is to say about one in twenty-two people of Mediterranean descent are carriers of one gene for CF, making it the most common genetic disease in these populations. Incidentally, Ireland has the highest rate of CF carriers in the world, about 1 in 20.

The pancreas contains the islets of Langerhans, which are responsible for making insulin, a hormone that helps regulate blood glucose. Damage of the pancreas can lead to loss of the islet cells, leading to diabetes that is unique to those with the disease. Cystic Fibrosis Related Diabetes (CFRD), as it is known as, shares characteristics that can be found in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetics and is one of the principal non-pulmonary complications of CF. Vitamin D is involved in calcium and phosphorus regulation.

Poor intake of Vitamin D in the diet causes the bone disease Osteoporosis in which weakened bones are more vulnerable to fractures. Beisdes, people with CF also often develop clubbing of their fingers and toes due to the effects of chronic illness and low oxygen on their tissues.

Younger children with cystic fibrosis in the United States call their disease 65 Roses because the words are easier to pronounce. This trademarked phrase has been popularized by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Sixty-Five Roses, the book is the heart-wrenching, yet beautiful account of two sister's love for each another as one sister battles daily for her life with cystic fibrosis. It seems to be a lifetime story that leaves no emotion in a safe harbor. Her life seems to be a daily struggle, crammed with treatments, hospitalizations, false starts and faint hope, setbacks and unfulfilled dreams. She communicates well the complicated feelings that long-term illness can breed in families.

From the few pages that I have read, I can assure you is that it is told with complete honesty and with a soft conscience. Although I haven’t got down to finishing it, it appears that it surely would be one of the most moving memoirs that I may have ever read.

Readers tell me that each page is breathtaking, pulsating and leaves you wanting to never stop reading as the story is fascinating from beginning to end.

I can quite understand the support and love in a family towards the person inflicted with cystic fibrosis and highlights the complicated feelings that long-term illness can breed in families. Like in any battle they live and fight it together and learn to triumph over it in as many ways. Must truly be one helluva journey.

It was nominated as the Globe and Mail Best 100 Books of 2006

Read this book: your life will never be the same claims the Storycircle Book Review.

Now that I have it, I must get down to finishing it one of these days.

Since 1965, the term "65 Roses" has been used by children of all ages to describe their disease. But, making it easier to say does not make CF any easier to live with. The "65 Roses" story has captured the hearts and emotions of all who have heard it. The rose, appropriately the ancient symbol of love, has become a symbol of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Many Ways to Give

The Skinny On MUFAs - The Flat Belly Diet

We all want great looking abs.

One of their biggest problem areas is the stomach, and toning the abs and a getting a flat tummy is one helluva task – I can tell you that from personal experience. Let me tell you it is very difficult to lose that belly fat and flatten out the abs.

Recently, a study on belly fat has indicated that is the cause for an increased risk of heart disease and diabetes. To make matters worse for fat people, it also links belly fat to early death. The study says that the people with belly fat has about double the risk of dying prematurely as people with the least amount of belly fat.

Death risk increased with waist circumference, whether the participants were overweight or not.

Recently, the Flat Belly Diet was created for people who have tried everything to eliminate belly fat. It offers a solution that combines a cutting-edge nutrition plan with expert tips and advice.

The Flat Belly Diet was developed by the editor of Prevention Magazine. The Diet was inspired by findings that the consumption of monounsaturated fatty acids, commonly called MUFAs, causes the liver to more efficiently excrete fats, LDL cholesterol and other toxins from the body so that they do not form fat clusters around the mid section, which is what happens when there is no MUFAs present at meal time.

It is centered around new research that discovered that eating healthy fats (Monounsaturated Fatty Acids or MUFAs) at every meal specifically targets belly fat, the most dangerous fat because of its high correlation with heart disease.

MUFAs are a type of heart-healthy, disease-fighting, “good” fat found in foods like almonds, peanut butter, olive oil, avocado, even chocolate

MUFAs are an unsaturated fat, and have the exact opposite effect of the unhealthy saturated and trans fats you’ve heard about in the news. According to exciting new research, MUFAs can actually help you lose weight, specifically around your middle!

FlatBellyDiet.com is healthy, sustainable weight loss at your fingertips. They also offer a Flat Belly Diet Book, free-1 year membership to the Flat Belly Diet site, exclusive membership to their Success Story Club and the likelihood to see the exclusive Flat Belly Diet Videos.

They are offering 3 months of FREE membership at their online program. What have you got to lose (pardon the pun!)… Give it a try !

Choose A Vegan Lifestyle - Look And Feel Better

It is said that you are basically what you eat!

A family can easily and safely avoid the chemicals, preservatives, growth hormones and other harmful toxins found in almost all of today's meats and over-processed foods! If you are a meat eater and have continuously eaten meat, this might make you think.

After all, you got along so far by eating eggs, hamburgers, dairy products, hot dogs, poultry, beef, pork, fish - so why should you go vegetarian now?

If you project to people that they don’t abuse their car like they abuse their bodies – they would perhaps get the message a lot better !

When we eat high fat meats, low fiber processed foods, and fill our bodies with preservatives and chemicals, we're much more prone to high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and other serious health issues.

A car engine that hasn’t been tuned or isn’t getting the type of gasoline it needs simply will not run efficiently, nor "live" for as long as it was intended to do.

Hence, the human body shares the same concept with a car

And when you’re eating high fat meat, or meat that’s been fed antibiotics throughout, that’s simply not the kind of fuel the human body is intended to use!

While I do believe that vegetarianism is a healthy choice and that eating no meat or red meat could be more beneficial in combating diseases like high cholesterol and hypertension, I have my reservations. While I also respect vegetarians and their choice not to eat meat, I on the other hand do not have any religious / moral convictions about not eating meat.

Although I am partly a vegetarian, I just love my Beef Burgers and Chicken Tikka too much. But all said and done, there is a rule at home that no meat or non-vegetarian food would be cooked at home, except for eggs – so if I want to feast on something “meaty” I gotta get it from outside (and this is allowed only once/ twice a week).

Now as I said earlier, but from studies conducted it is obvious that overall, vegetarians or veggie eating people are a lot slimmer than their meat-eating counterparts. Here are my thoughts on this - I was in a relationship once with someone who was a vegetarian (a salad and fruits woman) and she never seemed to put on any weight and that was the reason she never put on any weight.

So for all practical purposes, I can call my vegetarian and I still have put on tremendous amount of weight. This goes to show that vegetarian doesn’t really mean only vegetables and fruits, but there are fats (sweets, desserts, syrups), carbohydrates (rice and others) – the list is endless. So there is no guarantee that you are gonna lose weight by just avoiding meat. Meat taken at reasonable amounts can lead to a balanced weight

Vegetarians (fruits and vegetables people) tends to be in better health than people who eat meat, and they don’t suffer from high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and any other diseases which tend to be linked with being overweight.

In other words, you can eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and yet not gain any weight. This goes on to indicate that the food eaten in a vegetarian diet helps with the fat burning process. It also indicates that eating vegetables helps with insulin resistance instead of the food being stored as fat it tends to get taken up by the cells and burnt off hence no weight gain.

I guess, it would also make a compelling case for vegetarianism if it could be shown that the founder of one of the major religions (Christianity) was a vegetarian, even though the religion he founded does not actually require its adherents to practice vegetarianism.

So just for kicks, try eating vegetarian (fruits and vegetables) for a week or two. See for yourself if you feel different, more mentally acute and note any difference

Gets you thinking….right?

Percentage of Various Groups Who Never Eat Meat (Rounded to Whole Numbers)
• 7% Total Adults
• 5% Male
• 9% Female
• 9% 45- to 54-year-olds
• 5% 18- to 24-year-olds
• 8% North East
• 6% North Central
• 6% South
• 7% West
• 6% White (excluding Hispanic)
• 7% Black (excluding Hispanic)
• 8% Hispanic
• 4% High School Not Completed
• 6% High School Graduate
• 8% College Graduate

Dietary Habits of Adults 18 and Older (in the United States in 2006)
• 100% Total adults
• 6.7% Never eat meat
• 6.3% Never eat poultry
• 14.6% Never eat fish/seafood
• 7.6% Never eat dairy products
• 8.8% Never eat eggs
• 23.4% Never eat honey
• 2.3% Never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood (vegetarian)
• 1.4% Never eat meat, poultry, fish/seafood, dairy products/eggs (vegan)

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Divine Press Release..

Turmoil rocked Heaven this morning as allegations arose that God had an affair with a former worshipper.

The scandal was begun when a 21 year old woman, known only as Mary, claimed that she had given birth to God's "only son" last week in a barn in the hamlet of Bethlehem.

Sources close to Mary claim that she "had loved God for a long time", that she was constantly talking about her relationship with God, and that she was "thrilled to have had his child."

In a press conference this morning, God issued a vehement denial, saying that "No sexual relationship existed", and that "the facts of this story will come out in time, verily".

Independent counsel Kenneth Beelzebub immediately filed a brief with the Justice department to expand his investigation to cover questions of whether any commandments may have been broken, and whether God had illegally funneled laundered money to his illegitimate child through three foreign operatives know only as the "Wise Men".

Beelzebub has issued subpoenas to several angels who are rumored to have acted as go-betweens in the affair. Critics have pointed out that these allegations have little to do with the charges that Beelzebub was originally appointed to investigate, that God had created large-scale flooding in order to cover up evidence of a failed land deal.

In recent months, Beelzebub's investigation has already been expanded to cover questions surrounding the large number of locusts that plagued God's political opponents in the last election, as well as to claims that the destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah was to divert attention away from a scandal involving whether the giveaway of a parcel of public land in Promised County to a Jewish special interest group was quid pro quo for political contributions.

If these allegations prove to be true, then this could be a huge blow to God's career, much of which has been spent crusading for stricter moral standards and harsher punishments for wrongdoers. Indeed, God recently outlined a "tough-on-crime" plan consisting of a series of 10 "Commandments", which has been introduced in Congress in a bill by Rep. Moses.

Critics of the bill have pointed out that it lacks any provisions for the rehabilitation of criminals, and lawyers for the ACLU are planning to fight the "Name in Vain" Commandment as being an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.