Citation
Heap, J. (2004), "East is East and ...", International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, Vol. 53 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm.2004.07953aaa.005
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2004, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
East is East and ...
East is East and ...
The move of IT-related jobs from the West to the East (as, for example, call centres in the UK are relocated to India) is an interesting phenomenon. It is good to see the East getting a much-needed boost to its economy, but I fear for the medium-term. A few years ago, I remember writing that the mass-seat call centre was a temporary creation – likely to be replaced in just a few years by sophisticated voice-response technology. It seems as though, in this shorter term, cheaper Eastern labour is the solution, but I still believe that even cheaper labour costs are too high to compete with future technology costs. I hope that India uses its income wisely to invest in an even higher-tech future.