Archive for December, 2007
The Romanian Foreign Investments Agency (ARIS) has monitored investment projects that amount to around EUR 3 bln with projects worth around EUR 1 bln coming into being up to this moment, Monica Barbuletiu, ARIS Vice-President, has stated during a press conference, according to Rompres.
‘In 2008 we intend to attract investors from outside the EU, from countries such as India, China, Japan, Korea, Turkey and Israel. The estimated value of annual foreign investments in Romania will top approximately EUR 6 bln in the 2008 to 2013 period. The energy sector, the constructions sector, the pharmaceutical sector and the telecommunications will be the privileged domains,’ Sorin Vasilescu, director within ARIS, has stated. (more…)
December 12th, 2007
Choosing a service provider is kind of like choosing your significant other. The variables are complex and the consequences expensive, so you’d be wise to do your homework before getting involved.
What’s the candidate’s track record? Does it have a fear of commitment? Would it be a good personality fit? Do you get the feeling it’s hiding something? All are important questions when you’re shopping for a relationship, and that includes outsourcing. So you check out the provider’s history, assess its long-term potential, seek out any hidden information, and otherwise obtain the data you need to decide on a partner.
That applies not only to provider capability, but also to financial factors, which are a key means of differentiating one service provider from the next. Following is a cursory view of the top 10 financial differentiators to look for when you’re comparing service providers for business process outsourcing (BPO).
1. Transition costs. Beware the provider that proposes an upfront payment or a schedule of payments that isn’t tied to the transition progress. Instead, look for one that agrees to milestone payments that are aligned with key transition goals, such as the implementation of hardware and software or the relocation of your servers to the provider’s data center. In the case of one global food and beverage company that structured its payments based on milestones, the BPO transition fell behind by about three months — and, therefore, so did the payments, which saved the company cash out of pocket. Milestone payments can help keep the transition on track and, in the event of a delay, ensure that you’re not paying for underperformance. (more…)
December 12th, 2007
It’s no surprise that the UK’s biggest firms are outsourcing HR, but it’s wrong to assume this trend is down to ‘lazy’ HR (Personnel Today, 27 November). British industry is seeing a ‘second wave’ of outsourcing. Organisations of all sizes are starting to tap into the outsourcer’s economies of scale and, as a result, are reducing cost, risk, and improving service to employees.
Essentially, outsourced HR doesn’t always mean cutting office staff. Instead, the HR team is free to work on more specialised tasks that support the goals of the core business, rather than drowning in a sea of paperwork and processes.
Outsourcing HR is anything but lazy. It takes time, planning and resource and often results in happy and motivated employees.
Sursa: www.sourcingmag.com
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December 12th, 2007
Only 14 per cent of the small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have taken out a bank loan, according to First Deputy Governor of the Central Bank, Florin Georgescu, quoted by Rompres. BNR statistics suggest that a majority of companies are financed by their parent companies, the value of the money raised in that way representing nearly half of the domestic corporate credit. Almost half of the loans extended by banks to SMEs are treasury loans having the company cash flow (revenue and cash) for collateral, and 31 per cent of financing goes into investing in equipment. The BNR data shows an weight of 9.64 per cent of loans taken out by SMEs to buy immovable goods, while export loans only represent 0.07 per cent of the total. Although the SMEs funding is 63 per cent of total corporate loans, only 14 per cent of the SMEs have taken out bank loans. (more…)
December 5th, 2007
The European Commission is proposing to simplify the complex VAT rules for financial services institutions – a move that could encourage greater outsourcing of non core functions at many firms.
Financial services are exempt from VAT under rules dating back to 1977, which also means that they are generally unable to recover VAT charged by third party suppliers.
The rules mean that outsourcing usually carries an added cost for financials services firms. The European Commission is now proposing to allow financial institutions to manage the costs of non deductible VAT by allowing them to opt for taxation and by clarifying and extending the tax exemption for cost sharing arrangements. (more…)
December 5th, 2007
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