Qualitative Strategy for Inbound Call Center Outsourcing

An analysis of the various challenges of the call center industry, together with the challenges of outsourcing, revealed a need for developing a strategy that acts as a guide for organizations that are willing to outsource their call center operations. This research therefore develops a strategy for this purpose. The research first provides mitigation strategies for the challenges of outsourcing and the challenges of the call center industry, followed by a strategy for the outsourcing of call center services. Telephone call centers are an integral part of today‘s business world, serving as a primary channel for customer contact for organizations in many industries. Globalization, the advancements in the telecommunication and technology industries, and the availability of cost effective work forces around the world are compelling organizations to outsource their functions (call center services) to reap the benefits that come with outsourcing. Organizations outsource functions, especially a function that is not their core competence, for a multitude of reasons. These reasons may include cost savings, quality enhancement/improvement, reduced time to market, tax benefits, and risk management. Outsourcing also comes with its share of issues. A few examples of the challenges involved in outsourcing include cultural differences, knowledge transfer to suppliers while protecting intellectual property (IP), knowledge retention, language barriers, ethics, norms of behavior, distance and time zones, infrastructure, privacy and security, skill set/quality, objectivity, geopolitical climate, labor backlash, communication, end-user resistance, and governance. There are also many challenges associated with the call center industry, such as, but not limited to, deploying the right number of staff members with the right skills to the right schedules in order to meet an uncertain and time-varying demand of service, forecasting traffic, acquiring capacity, deploying resources, and managing service delivery. Therefore, despite the advancements in telecommunications and information technology, the challenges faced by client organizations that outsource their inbound call center services abound. While choosing outsourcing/offshoring as their strategy, an organization can avoid many of the disadvantages that arise due these risks/issues by adapting a proactive and careful approach such as the strategy developed in this research

Mitigating the Adversity of Outsourcing: Outsourcing from the Employee’s Perspective

This paper explores how outsourcing activities and decisions put the well-being of the remaining employees at risk, ultimately affecting productivity and creating further costs to the employer. It highlights four potential threats to remaining employees: trust, job satisfaction, motivation, and stress. The paper provides several suggestions for mitigating these impacts, including communication to retain trust, acting ethically to ensure satisfied employees, seeking an understanding of employee perspectives to build employee motivation, and providing good planning along with training and development to reduce employee stress

Outsourcing Back Office Services in Small Nonprofits: Pitfalls and Possibilities

Presents findings on small nonprofits' administrative, finance, and other office support needs; reasons and conditions for outsourcing as well as barriers; methods for evaluating options; and guiding principles. Examines three business models

Strategies for Information Technology Employee Retention

Information technology (IT) employee retention is essential to IT departments tasked with supporting the goals and objectives of the organization. IT employees manage, support, and direct IT to drive business, pursue innovation, and create a competitive edge. The purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to identify strategies that IT managers use to retain IT employees in order to support the goals and objectives of the IT organization. The population for this study consisted of 5 IT managers in the transportation industry. The IT managers selected for this study had subordinates and delegation duties and worked for employers with offices in Memphis, Tennessee. Organizational learning theory formed the foundation of this study as the conceptual framework. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 5 IT managers to gain insight into their experiences using retention strategies for IT employees. A review of 13 organizational documents and member checking of interview transcripts supported the validity of the findings of this study. Four significant themes appeared through methodological triangulation: communicate with executive management, create career opportunities, place employees in appropriate job roles, and address the needs of IT employees. The findings of this study may benefit IT managers in retaining IT employees to shape IT for organizational success. The findings may contribute to social change by informing strategies to support healthier IT employees who are motivated and committed to their organization. Healthier people can promote healthier communities, resulting in a society with a longer lifespan and fewer occurrences of disease and illness. The findings may also be adapted to support organizations\u27 overall retention strategy

Enhancing Hospitalists\u27 Knowledge In Relation To Palliative Care

Abstract Palliative care was not the specialty of many hospitalists; thus, communication was hindered regarding ELC and advanced directives. Despite healthcare utilization in the United States, inadequate treatment of serious illnesses continues due to the lack of provider education and understanding of ELC (palliative and hospice care). Hospitalists are not formally or informally trained to care for patients that need palliative or hospice care. A quantitative, quasi- experimental and qualitative approach was utilized to determine if hospitalists who received educational training on palliative care communication and collaboration improved knowledge, skills, and collaboration when caring for end-of-life or critically ill patients. This project\u27s findings suggested a statistically significant relationship between the education of hospitalists and increased knowledge of palliative care. COVID-19 restrictions hindered palliative care treatment, such as communication and patient isolation. The educational session enhanced the knowledge of the hospitalist and increased effective communication between the hospitalist and patients. The project findings can bring awareness to the need for palliative care education for hospitalists. The education can enhance critical aspects of end-of-life care, such as communication and optimizing care

A Phenomenological Investigation Of The Lived Experiences of Workplace Burnout, Wellness, and Resilience in Independently Licensed Private Practice Counselors Who Operate Their Own Practice While Maintaining a Caseload of Clients

Private practice counselors who own their practice are unique from agency practitioners in that they function as both counselor and business owner. Therefore, these counselors must work to find a balance between the human aspects of practicing and the logistical business components of owning and operating a practice. The combination of these two roles can pose unique threats to a private practice counselor’s wellness and how they experience of burnout and resilience - which may differ from agency counterparts. Although resilience and burnout experiences and practices in agency and community counselors are prevalent in the literature, there is a lack of research regarding these concepts in private practice counselors and business owners. A descriptive phenomenological study using Husserl’s perspective and Colaizzi’s 7-step method of data analysis was implemented with a sample of 14 private practice counselors who own and operate their own practice in the United States. Private practice counselors described nuanced differences related to owning and operating their own business. Five themes were identified and developed during data analysis: 1. Being Independent but Needing Connection; the need for control, to make and maintain personal and professional relationships, and obstacles to interconnectedness. 2. Successes and Stressors; clients, personal, and professional. 3. Managing The Many Roles; learning by doing, counselor versus business owner, trying to find balance while doing it all. 4. Caring For Self While Caring For Others; tuning into oneself, caring for the busine to care for oneself, and making time for self-care/burnout prevention. 5. Business Beyond The Clients; personal growth, professional growth, and business growth. Study findings affirm the need for further research in the experience of private practice counselors and the need for more extensive trainings to adequately prepare future counseling private practice owners. Study implications and findings are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided

A Focus on University Counseling Centers and Counselors

학위논문(박사)--서울대학교 대학원 :사범대학 교육학과(교육상담전공),2019. 8. 김동일.한국 사회를 이루고 있는 인구는 최근 몇 년 동안 급속하게 다양화되고 있으며, 그에 따라 다양한 문화적 배경을 가진 사람들이 삶의 여러 문제를 가지고 심리 상담 서비스를 점점 더 많이 찾고 있다. 따라서 문화적 요인이 상담 및 치료 환경에 어떻게 영향을 미치는지에 대한 이해가 더욱 요구되고 있다. 한국의 주요 다문화 내담자 집단에는 국제결혼 이주 여성, 탈북자, 외국인 노동자 외에도 외국인 유학생들이 포함된다. 2018년 교육부 통계에 따르면 국내 대학에 등록한 외국인 유학생은 86,036명이며 56,169명의 비학위 프로그램 등록 학생들을 추가하면 총 142,205명의 외국인 유학생이 국내 대학 캠퍼스를 누비고 있다. 한국 정부와 대학들이 더 많은 외국인 유학생을 모집하기 위해 적극적으로 나서고 있기 때문에 최근 몇 년 동안 나타나고 있는 외국인 유학생 수의 증가 추세는 계속될 것으로 보인다. 이러한 맥락에서 대학 내 상담센터들은 외국인 유학생들에게도 상담서비스를 제공해야 한다는 부담을 안게 되었다. 외국인 유학생들은 내국인 학생들과 비슷한 발달과제를 안고 있으면서 그 외에도 언어 장벽, 생소한 학업 시스템, 문화적 차이, 인종 차별 등의 고유한 문제들에 직면하게 된다. 심리상담은 익숙한 사회적 지원망이 결여된 채 타지에서 고군분투하는 외국인 유학생들을 위해 꼭 필요한 지원이 될 수 있지만, 사실상 이들을 위한 적절한 상담 서비스를 제공하는 것은 쉽지 않다. 외국인 유학생 상담을 위한 예산과 제도적 지원이 부족할 뿐만 아니라 외국인 유학생에 특화된 다문화 상담 전문성을 갖춘 상담자들이 많지 않기 때문이다. 외국인 유학생과 같은 다문화 내담자들의 관심사를 효과적으로 다루기 위해서는 상담 전문가들과 센터들은 다문화 상담 역량을 적용할 필요가 있으나, 지금까지 상담학 분야에서 이루어진 다문화 상담 역량 연구는 대부분 오랜 다문화 인구 역사를 지닌 국가 맥락에서 진행되었기 때문에 한국 맥락에 바로 적용하는 데에 무리가 있다. 더구나 외국인 유학생이라는 독특한 다문화 집단에 초점을 둔 다문화 상담 역량 연구는 전세계적으로 부재한 상황이다. 따라서 본 연구의 목적은 외국인 유학생 상담을 하는 국내 대학 상담센터와 상담자의 다문화 상담 역량을 개념도 방법론을 사용하여 탐색적으로 확인하는데 있다. 이를 위해 현재 국내 대학 상담센터에서 외국인 유학생에게 상담을 제공하고 있는 상담자들을 인터뷰하여 이들이 인식하는 외국인 유학생 상담에 요구되는 센터와 상담자 수준의 다문화 상담 역량 요소들을 추출하였다. 먼저 상담자 11명으로 인터뷰를 실시하여 관련 아이디어들을 획득하였고, 그 아이디어들은 외국인 학생 상담을 위한 다문화 역량의 구체적인 행동 지표 진술문으로 제작되었다. 그 결과, 총 48개의 센터 역량 진술문과 78개의 상담자 역량 진술문이 도출되었다. 다음으로, 센터와 상담자 역량 진술문에 대하여 13명의 상담자들이 카드소팅을 통해 유사성 분류 작업을 수행하였으며, 19명의 상담자들이 각 진술문에 대해 중요도와 현재 실행도를 5점 리커트 척도에서 평정하였다. 이러한 과정을 통해 수집된 자료를 바탕으로 다차원척도분석과 군집분석을 실시한 결과, 외국인 유학생 상담을 위한 대학 상담 센터의 다문화 상담 역량은 2개의 차원과 5개의 군집으로 이루어지는 것으로 나타났다. 가로축인 1차원은 대학 상담센터의 지원 대상 차원으로, 세로축인 2차원은 대학 상담센터 자원의 원천으로 해석되었다. 5개의 군집은 군집 1 지속적인 서비스를 위한 협력 및 옹호 역량, 군집 2 상담자 지원 역량, 군집 3 외국인학생 친화적인 환경 구축 역량, 군집 4 외국인학생을 위한 적극적인 홍보 역량, 그리고 군집 5 상담 서비스의 다양화 역량으로 명명되었다. 또, 외국인 유학생 상담을 위한 상담자의 다문화 상담 역량은 2개의 차원과 6개의 군집으로 이루어지는 것으로 나타났다. 가로축인 1차원은 상담자 자원의 원천 차원으로, 세로축인 2차원은 상담자 노력의 방향으로 해석되었다. 6개의 군집은 군집 1 외국인 학생 상담을 위한 인식, 태도, 능력, 군집 2 외국인 학생 이해를 위한 지식, 군집 3 문화적으로 민감한 상담 전략, 군집 4 지지적인 환경 구축을 위한 절차적 전략, 군집 5 확장된 상담자 역할, 그리고 군집 6 자기관리 및 전문성 개발로 명명되었다. 본 연구는 외국인 학생 상담에 요구되는 다문화 상담 역량이 무엇인지에 대해 상담자와 기관 차원에서 살펴보고, 그 결과 행동으로 실천할 수 있는 다문화 상담 역량 지표들을 도출해내고 그 구조를 파악하였다는데 의의가 있다.This study used an idiographic research design using the concept mapping methodology to explore a very specific, unstudied topic. Specifically, this study helped raise the understanding of how counselors think about the construct of multicultural counseling competence required for international student counseling. Considering the importance of engaging the counseling center in vitalizing international student counseling, the study examined the institutional-level competence of university centers in addition to the individual-level competence of counselors. Ideas obtained from brainstorming interviews of 11 counselors were turned into specific behavioral indicator statements of multicultural competence for international student counseling (48 for university centers, 78 for counselors). Subsequently, 13 counselors categorized these statements on the basis of relatedness and their cluster solutions summed up to create the group similarity matrices for the center competence and counselor competence. Through multivariate concept-mapping statistical analyses, the center competence indicators were organized into five clusters along two dimensions, and the counselor competence indicators were structured into six clusters along two dimensions. Each competence indicator statement was rated for importance and degree of execution. Specifically, the concept map for multicultural counseling competence of university counseling centers working with international students shows 48 competence indicator statements grouped into five clusters laid out on a 2-dimensional map. Dimension 1 (X-axis) describes the target of institutional support provided by the university counselor center. Specifically, statements that involved client support were placed in the right sector of the map, and statements that involved counselor support factor were placed in the left sector of the map. Dimension 2 (Y-axis) describes the capacity of the center. Specifically, the upper half of the map is comprised of items dealing with internal capacity (utilizing in-house resources to enhance international student counseling), while the bottom half includes statements dealing with external capacity (utilizing outside resources to enhance international student counseling). The five categories of center competence for international student counseling were: (1) Engaging in active partnership/advocacy for sustainability, (2) Providing counselor support, (3) Creating International Student-Friendly Place, (4) Reaching out to international students, and (5) Diversifying counseling services. As for the concept map for multicultural counseling competence of counselors working with international students, 78 competence indicator statements were grouped into six clusters laid out on a 2-dimensional map. The two dimensions that characterized this map were the source of counselor capacity (Dimension 1) and the direction of counselor efforts (Dimension 2). The six categories of counselor competence for international student counseling were: (1) Sustaining awareness, attitude, abilities for international student counseling, (2) Acquiring knowledge to understand international students, (3) Utilizing culturally responsive counseling strategies, (4) Employing procedural strategies to create an open and supportive environment, (5) Engaging in extended roles, and (6) Practicing self-care and professional development. This study represents the first formal research attempt to systematically examine the multicultural competence of university counseling centers and counselors working with international students. The number of international students on Korean university campuses will continue to increase and their need for counseling services present real challenges. Accessible and appropriate counseling services provided by competent university counseling centers and counselors will play a pivotal role in helping international students as they deal with diverse issues related to adapting to a new cultural and academic environment. To date, university counseling centers and counselors in Korea and elsewhere in the world are not equipped with practical guidelines, trainings, or resources to work with this special population. This study will serve as a foundational starting point in the efforts to increase greater proficiency and to improve counseling outcomes for international students. The scope of this study was to look at the multicultural competence of both the university counseling centers and counselors; it is hoped that the university counseling centers and counselors move forward together in advancing the much-needed international student counseling services.Chapter 1. Introduction 1 1.1 Study Background 1 1.2 Purpose of Research 8 1.3 Research Questions 10 Chapter 2. Literature Review 11 2.1 International Students in Korean Universities 11 2.2 Counseling Needs of International Students 14 2.3 Counseling Services for International Students at University Counseling Centers in Korea 17 2.4 Multicultural Counseling and Multicultural Counseling Competence 18 2.5 Multicultural Counseling Competence for Counseling International Students 26 Chapter 3. Methods 32 3.1 Concept Mapping 32 3.2 Participants 33 3.3 Procedures 34 Chapter 4. Results 41 4.1 Multicultural counseling competence of university counseling centers working with international students 41 4.2 Multicultural counseling competence of counselors working with international students 58 Chapter 5. Discussion 80 5.1 Multicultural counseling competence of university counseling centers working with international students 81 5.2 Multicultural counseling competence of counselors working with international students 87 5.3 Significance and utilization of results 96 5.4 Limitations 98 5.5 Further discussion points and ideas for future studies 99 References 101 Appendix 113 Abstract in Korean 124Docto

Creating short-term volume flexibility in healthcare capacity management

It is well-known that unpredictable variations in supply and demand capacity in healthcare systems create the need for flexibility. The main tools used to create short-term volume flexibility in the healthcare system include overtime, temporary staff from internal calling lists, moving staff across units, internal staffing pools, external staffing agencies, queuing patients, and purchasing care from external providers. We study the creation of short-term volume flexibility in healthcare systems to manage short-term capacity losses. A questionnaire was developed and distributed among department managers in the Region V\ue4stra G\uf6taland healthcare system. Respondents were asked to what extent they used each tool to create short-term flexibility in capacity. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Several significant tendencies were found, including that acute units use overtime and internal staffing pools to a larger extent, and patient queues and external providers to a smaller extent than planned units. The prerequisites and required managerial approaches used to manage aggregate capacity in the system efficiently differ substantially between different parts of the system. These differences must be addressed when, for example, capacity pools are considered. These results serve as a steppingstone towards a more thorough understanding of efficient capacity management in healthcare systems

Leading With The Heart: Coach K’S Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business and Life

If you are a student of leadership, whether in business or in sports, you have no doubt noticed the proliferation of leadership books that continue to make their way onto the shelves of bookstores. After a while one starts to wonder if there can be possibly anything left to write on the subject that hasn’t already been written. Well, perhaps there is; the relationship between leadership in sports and leadership in business, perhaps even leadership in our everyday lives

Leading With The Heart: Coach K’S Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business and Life

If you are a student of leadership, whether in business or in sports, you have no doubt noticed the proliferation of leadership books that continue to make their way onto the shelves of bookstores. After a while one starts to wonder if there can be possibly anything left to write on the subject that hasn’t already been written. Well, perhaps there is; the relationship between leadership in sports and leadership in business, perhaps even leadership in our everyday lives