Future on the line
With the image of call centres taking a beating in the past year, they are being viewed by many as no more than ‘swanky sweatshops’. S. Mitra Kalita checks out the work woes and wows in the BPO lane.
The call centres in India have been part of a burgeoning industry known as ‘business process outsourcing,’ or BPO—a new world created by a rush of foreign investment as western companies outsource functions such as customer care to billing services. But the emerging subculture of call centre workers reveals that the US has exported more than jobs and products to India—it has exported values, as well. Call centres have brought new wealth to India, but they are also fostering a cultural backlash, as the country’s young, hip BPO workers run up against the traditions of the older generations.

ISB summit focuses on marketing trends
THE Indian School of Business, Hyderabad, recently hosted ‘Ikshaa- The Marketing Summit’. The theme was ‘Marketing in 2020: Are Marketers Ready?’.

Career Hotline
Work vs higher studies
Pervin Malhotra
Q I am very confused about my career. I got 94.3 percentile in GATE-2005. Some suggest I go for M.Tech, while others say that I should go for a job. They say there are very few job opportunities after M.Tech. Please help and guide me for my future.

• Pilot project

• Eligibility criteria

• Placement problems

• Safe choice

• Biotech branches

Smart Skills
Take a shot at hospital management
Usha Albuquerque
The demand for healthcare services has expanded so much that the industry at Rs 70,000 crore, is among the fastest growing sectors in the country. While the central and state government health services provide essential hospital services in the rural and urban areas, the basic infrastructure and the quality of services are inadequate to meet the growing requirements of an increasing population. Health services in the country require not only an infusion of more doctors and specialists, but professional services of trained manpower to manage hospitals and medical facilities.

• Work wise

• Getting admitted

• Course clues

• Placement prospects