“A highly successful organisation is built on the strengths of exceptional people. No matter how much technology and mechanisation is developed, no organisation could survive and prosper without them”. --- Luszez and Kleiner, 2001 The most important corporate resource over the next few years will be talent: smart, sophisticated business people who are technologically literate, globally astute, and operationally agile. And even as the demand for talent goes up, the supply of it will be going down. This seems to particularly hold true in case of the IT-ITES (Information Technology and Information Technology- Enabled Services) industry in India which requires high quality and highly skilled labour force to cater to the rapidly increasing global demand for software services but is currently facing an increasing shortage of skills supply. Moreover, due to shortages of skilled workers, high turnover rates, and rapid business growth in the service sectors, it has been noted that recruiting, selecting, and placing applicants are among the top three priorities of human resource professionals. Since the IT industry in India is faced with these three challenges, recruitment and selection comprises an important human resource practice in this industry. Further, in this industry, human resources comprise both the raw material and the 'technology', and are therefore of prime importance. As India completes the transition from being an agrarian economy to being a full-fledged, first-world economy, operating at the leading edge of contemporary technology, the IT sector is emerging as major driver of the economy. The Indian IT industry comprises of domestic software and services firms as well as foreign firms looking to consolidate their presence in India owing to the increasing cost pressures in US and Europe. This has increased the need to setup in-house development centers or outsource to third-party service providers in low cost countries such as India. IT and IT enabled services include a wide range of services from back-office data entry and processing to customer contact services, corporate support functions, knowledge support functions and research and design activities. As per the latest Forbes Research, India now controls 44 per cent of the global offshore outsourcing market for software and back office services. As per Nasscom estimates, it is projected to grow to 51 per cent. If this growth is sustained, Nasscom has estimated that there will be a potential shortfall of above 2, 10,000 IT and ITES professionals in India by the year 2012 and demand will out-pace the supply. Though the Indian IT industry is in a strong position to leverage this global software opportunity (as India currently has one of the world’s largest, most qualified pools of scientific and engineering manpower), this growing global demand is not only for numbers but also for appropriately skilled, industry-oriented professionals as companies are further scaling their operations and offering high value-added services which involve higher levels of technology and more specialized, higher-end services. Hence, firms which want to maintain their competitive advantage have to carefully recruit and select the most suitable out of the large pool of available manpower. Moreover, according to a recent study by McKinsey & Co., although the potential supply of talent in low wage countries such as India is large and growing rapidly, only a fraction of the job candidates could successfully work at a foreign company on account of their limited suitability i.e. though there are many candidates with the technical skills to fill a position, they may not have the cultural skills to “fit in” with the organisation. The same issue is also faced by large globally competitive domestic Indian firms who are competing for the same pool of talent and skills as their foreign counterparts to remain competitive and survive in global and domestic markets.

An effective state is essential to achieving socio-economic and sustainable development. With the advent of globalization, there are growing pressures on governments and organizations around the world to be more responsive to the demands of internal and external stakeholders for good governance, accountability and transparency, greater development effectiveness, and delivery of tangible results. Governments, parliaments, citizens, the private sector, NGOs, civil society, international organizations and donors are among the stakeholders interested in better performance. As demands for greater accountability and real results have increased, there is an attendant need for enhanced results-based monitoring and evaluation of policies, programs, and projects. This Handbook provides a comprehensive ten-step model that will help guide development practitioners through the process of designing and building a results-based monitoring and evaluation system. These steps begin with a OC Readiness AssessmentOCO and take the practitioner through the design, management, and importantly, the sustainability of such systems. The Handbook describes each step in detail, the tasks needed to complete each one, and the tools available to help along the way."

This book documents frontier knowledge on the drivers of agriculture productivity to derive pragmatic policy advice for governments and development partners on reducing poverty and boosting shared prosperity. The analysis describes global trends and long-term sources of total factor productivity growth, along with broad trends in partial factor productivity for land and labor, revisiting the question of scale economies in farming. Technology is central to growth in agricultural productivity, yet across many parts of the developing world, readily available technology is never taken up. We investigate demand-side constraints of the technology equation to analyze factors that might influence producers, particularly poor producers, to adopt modern technology. Agriculture and food systems are rapidly transforming, characterized by shifting food preferences, the rise and growing sophistication of value chains, the increasing globalization of agriculture, and the expanding role of the public and private sectors in bringing about efficient and more rapid productivity growth. In light of this transformation, the analysis focuses on the supply side of the technology equation, exploring how the enabling environment and regulations related to trade and intellectual property rights stimulate Research and Development to raise productivity. The book also discusses emerging developments in modern value chains that contribute to rising productivity. This book is the fourth volume of the World Bank Productivity Project, which seeks to bring frontier thinking on the measurement and determinants of productivity to global policy makers.

Today’s competitive workplace demands that managers evaluate employee performance, and provide coaching. Performance Management will help managers prepare for a formal performance meeting with a direct report, and create a development plan to increase employee productivity. The Harvard Business Essentials series is designed to provide comprehensive advice, personal coaching, background information, and guidance on the most relevant topics in business. Whether you are a new manager seeking to expand your skills or a seasoned professional looking to broaden your knowledge base, these solution-oriented books put reliable answers at your fingertips.