Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) is one of the fastest growing segments of the Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) industry. BPO is a strategy which promotes in a unique way either by putting-in new technology or applying existing technology to improve a process . IT-enabled outsourcing services use information technology in the processing and delivery of the services. These services are typically delivered through a telecommunications or data network, or other electronic media.

Following an introductory report (Sick on the Job: Myths and Realities about Mental Health and Work) and nine country reports, this final synthesis report summarizes the findings from the participating countries and makes the case for a stronger policy response.

Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. New ways of production are adopted, markets expand, and societies evolve. But some changes provoke more attention than others, in part due to the vast uncertainty involved in making predictions about the future. The 2019 World Development Report will study how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Technological progress disrupts existing systems. A new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Significant investments in human capital throughout a person’s lifecycle are vital to this effort. If workers are to stay competitive against machines they need to train or retool existing skills. A social protection system that includes a minimum basic level of protection for workers and citizens can complement new forms of employment. Improved private sector policies to encourage startup activity and competition can help countries compete in the digital age. Governments also need to ensure that firms pay their fair share of taxes, in part to fund this new social contract. The 2019 World Development Report presents an analysis of these issues based upon the available evidence.

This Research Report (RR) is the third product from the Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) Call Centre studies. The first product of the HSL research was HELA Local Authority Circular (LAC 94/1) published in November 1999. The LAC reported the findings of HSL's exploratory and qualitative (interview and discussion-based) research on call centres. The second product of HSL's call centre research was a significantly revised and updated version of the HELA Local Authority Circular (LAC 94/1 (rev)), which was published in December 2001. In this RR, we report findings from the larger scale quantitative (questionnaire-based) study. as a call handler more stressful than working in other jobs?; 2. Is working as a call handler equally stressful for everyone who works as one?; 3. What is it that makes working as a call handler stressful?; and 4. What can be done to reduce the psychosocial risks associated with working as a call handler? Future research papers and articles in practitioner publications will report further results and conclusions from this research.

This book argues that larger flaws in the global supply chain must first be addressed to change the way business is conducted to prevent factory owners from taking deadly risks to meet clients’ demands in the garment industry in Bangladesh. Using the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster as a departure point, and to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future, this book presents an interdisciplinary analysis to address the disaster which resulted in a radical change in the functioning of the garment industry. The chapters present innovative ways of thinking about solutions that go beyond third-party monitoring. They open up possibilities for a renewed engagement of international brands and buyers within the garment sector, a focus on direct worker empowerment using technology, the role of community-based movements, developing a model of change through enforceable contracts combined with workers movements, and a more productive and influential role for both factory owners and the government. This book makes key interventions and rethinks the approaches that have been taken until now and proposes suggestions for the way forward. It engages with international brands, the private sector, and civil society to strategize about the future of the industry and for those who depend on it for their livelihood. A much-needed review and evaluation of the many initiatives that have been set up in Bangladesh in the wake of Rana Plaza, this book is a valuable addition to academics in the fields of development studies, gender and women’s studies, human rights, poverty and practice, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, and South Asian studies.