English Intelligibility Issues in Outsourcing of Marketing and Call Centers

Abstract Worldwide, most multinational companies have outsourced their call centers in India, the premiere outsourcing destination of services. However, some U.S. companies have brought back their outsourced services in response to U.S. customers’ complaints of communication breakdowns in their phone interactions with Indian call agents. This thesis researches English intelligibility issues of outsourced telemarketing and call centers in India. The observations made in the thesis extend to all call agents originally from the Outer Circle of English countries, part of the three Concentric Circles of World Englishness model developed by Kachru (1975). English in Outer circle countries serves as lingua franca, though still spoken as a second language. This thesis primarily focuses on Indian call centers’ interactions with customers. Essentially, it examines issues at the interface of English as lingua franca and business communication. It addresses the following research questions: 1) what are the intelligibility issues that consumers face when interacting over the phone with Indian accented English? 2) What are the specific features in the Indian accent that cause intelligibility issues for American callers? 3) What are outsourcing companies doing to meet these challenges? The first question is regarding the types of intelligibility issues that consumers face when they interact with Indian English speakers over the phone. The second question examines the specific features in the Indian-accented English which cause intelligibility issues for American callers. The third question considers some specific training strategies, such as accent neutralization, that U.S. outsourcing multinationals have implemented to address issues of intelligibility as well as communication breakdowns. Before tackling these questions, a brief background on outsourcing and call centers is presented. Next, economic ramifications of U.S. call centers in India as well as why some U.S. companies have brought back their call centers are examined. The main part of the thesis will focus on segmental issues that impede intelligibility. Confusion and phonological data will be presented and discussed

Addressing Homelessness and Housing Crisis in Windsor-Essex County

As a longstanding democracy, Canada has been a staunch advocate for human rights, including the right to affordable housing. By ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1976 and assenting to the National Housing Strategy Act in 2019, Canada affirmed its commitment to the progressive realization of the right to housing as recognized under international human rights. Despite acknowledging the right to affordable housing, homelessness remains a social concern in many cities across Canada, including Windsor-Essex County. This research paper, therefore, analyses the homelessness situation in Windsor-Essex, taking into consideration the causes, programs, and policies implemented in combating homelessness as well as the challenges to addressing homelessness. This paper finds that although the City of Windsor is addressing homelessness through diverse programs and policies such as emergency services, rent subsidies, and the Housing First Program, there are still financial and structural challenges that impede the fight against homelessness in Windsor-Essex. Thus, this paper recommends tackling homelessness through continuous investment in affordable housing, increasing public awareness and financial support for program operators, and preventing unlawful evictions

COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND HERDING BEHAVIOUR IN CRYPTOCURRENCY MARKET

In this paper, we examine the presence of herding in cryptocurrency market for four distinct sub-periods (Pre and During COVID-19 period, bear and bull markets) using daily closing prices of 5 largest cryptocurrencies by market capitalization (Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP, Stellar and Tether) from April 20, 2019 to January 31, 2021. The study employs cross-sectional absolute deviations (CSAD) model to test herd behavior and the results of the study provide evidence of herd behavior in the whole market for the selected period under study. The study also proofs the presence of herding during COVID-19 period and in positive market returns. These indicate that, investors in the cryptocurrency market, during COVID-19 periods, and in bullish market are inclined to the investment behavior of other peer investors in the market. The study is significant to investors, regulators and players in the cryptocurrency market so as to deepen their understanding of herding behavior since herding is thought to increase the volatility of the market.  The study is significant to investors, regulators and players in the cryptocurrency market so as to deepen their understanding of herding behavior since herding is thought to increase the volatility of the market

Voluntary Disclosures in Financial Reporting Among Listed Companies in Ghana: Does Corporate Governance Play a Part?

Corporate disclosure has been said to be very important as it increases the confidence of both shareholders and potential investors. This has led users of financial information to have intensified expectation for both statutory and voluntary disclosures to meet their needs. Since voluntary disclosures are based on the discretion of management, it is therefore necessary to examine whether corporate governance play a major role in voluntary disclosures. The purpose of this paper was to investigate the relationship between corporate governance and voluntary disclosure of firms listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange. The study investigated 31 firms using dynamic panel data from 2005 to 2015. It was evident that current disclosure is influenced by past disclosure indicating a trend in voluntary disclosure overtime. The study revealed that board compensation, board gender diversity and ownership structure have a statistically significant positive relationship with the level of voluntary disclosure. However, board size tends to negatively influence voluntary disclosure while no correlation was found between non-executive directors, audit committee independence and voluntary disclosure. Keywords: Voluntary disclosure, corporate governance, board compensation, audit committee