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Deciding whether or not to outsource particular tasks is one of the many important decisions both large and small companies alike have to make often. This can be a difficult decision at times but often the decision making process is greatly simplified and it becomes clear that outsourcing is the only viable option.

Situations in which this may occur are when the in-house staff is not qualified for these tasks, when the in-house staff is already overburdened and when there are specific client requirements specifying certain tasks must be completed by individuals with specific qualifications. This article will address each of these situations and discuss why outsourcing becomes the only solution in each case.

The Qualification of In-house Staff

Sometimes outsourcing becomes the only option available because there are no in-house staff members qualified to perform a particular task. This often occurs when a task requires a highly specialized degree or area of expertise. This is especially problematic when the task in question is one which is extremely rare. When this is the case it does not make sense for a company to hire an employee with these capabilities when they will be rarely utilized because employees who are not productive are expensive to the company.

However, if this task becomes one which is required regularly, the question of whether or not to outsource the task becomes more complicated. As this article is focusing on situations where outsourcing is the only option, we will not delve further into the factors which complicated this decision such as labor costs and increased manpower.

Smaller companies often face the problem of not having staff members qualified for particular tasks more often than larger companies. Larger companies obviously have a larger pool of employees to pull from and it is therefore much more likely for the smaller firms to have gaps in their level of expertise than it is for larger companies to have these gaps.

The Availability of In-house Staff

Sometimes outsourcing becomes the only option based on staff availability. A company may have a need for tasks to be completed rather quickly. Although it may be a task for which several in-house employees are qualified, current workloads may make it impossible for these employees to take on these tasks. When this occurs, outsourcing again becomes the only option. Company employees are often multi-tasking and may be working towards several serious deadlines at any one particular time.

Management is tasked with the responsibility of doling out work to lower level employees and when they feel as though their in-house staff is not able to take on more work, they often turn to outsourcing as a solution.

Workloads often become a factor in outsourcing when there are projects which are particularly time sensitive in nature. Employees and employers often have to prioritize the multiple tasks they are managing but there are times when a number of projects or tasks become urgent simultaneously and when this happens it may become difficult to complete all of these tasks with only the assistance of the in-house staff.

Client Requirements

Sometimes outsourcing becomes the only option as a result of client requirements. Depending on the complexity of a task, a client may require the consultant firm tasked with completing a task to have the task performed by an individual with specific qualifications.

These qualifications may include specific training in certain types of software, exact education requirements or previous work experiences. Companies who do not have in-house employees who meet these specific requirements have no choice but to outsource the task to a qualified individual.

When this is an isolated incident, companies often outsource the task and do not make efforts to attempt to hire a full time employee with these qualifications. This is a wise decision especially when the client requirements require an expert in a particular niche of the software industry.

Employing an employee of this caliber would likely be rather expensive especially if he would rarely be called upon to utilize his advanced skills.

A great deal of attention has been paid to properties for sale in Bulgaria in the major urban areas in that country. In addition, the growth of property investment in Bulgaria in resort communities — particularly in the mountainous regions of the country and around the Black Sea — has been phenomenal in the past few years. However, when it comes to property investment in Bulgaria in some of the more rural areas of the country, people have been a bit slower on the uptake, perhaps a bit reluctant to put money into buying real estate in rural areas.

In point of fact, if you are interested in properties for sale in Bulgaria, you would be well served in taking a close look at the rural parts of the country.
(Indeed, Bulgaria — with a population of just at 8 million souls — remains a largely rural country.)

Perhaps the primary reason that you will want to consider property investment in Bulgaria in the rural part of the country rests in the reality that tourism is expected to increase markedly when Bulgaria becomes a part of the European Union in 2007.

For generations, Bulgaria has been a popular holiday destination for men and women who are residents of some of the other Eastern European countries. These holiday travelers flocked to the Black Sea resorts by the thousands annually. (As mentioned, properties for sale in Bulgaria in the resort communities have
been very buoyant recently.)

With the opening of the borders that will accompany admission into the European
Union, Bulgaria will experience an even more significant influx of holiday travelers in the future. A good number of these people will be interested in touring Bulgaria, including visiting some of the interesting and historic
destinations in the more rural parts of the country. Thus, a person with the foresight of taking advantage of property investment in Bulgaria will be in a position to profit from the increase in tourism that is anticipated in all sectors of the country.

What do the following industries have in common?

Law enforcement
Legal industries
Government
Banking
Health care
Financial service (brokerage)
Entertainment
Technology
Manufacturing industries

The answer: the above-mentioned industries regard information as a very important aspect of their operations. They are information-sensitive - they have a need to ensure that important and confidential data are secured and protected at all times.

What data are considered classified? Some are listed below:

Disbursement records (Wages, etc.)
Accounts records (financial statements such as the balance sheet, etc.)
Sales receipts
Bank records
Social Security records
Business letters
Customer information
Personnel records
Computer printouts
Computer discs or tapes

Why is there a need to protect such data? Industries are in constant danger of having such sensitive information to ‘fall into the wrong hands’ - people that are out to inflict damage, such as a discontented employee or a competitor, which could result to either of the following:

Bad publicity
Humiliation
Loss of staff or key personnel (probably to a competitor)
Loss of customers
Loss of job or running out of business
A possible indictment

This is why every information-sensitive industry needs a proper and secure records storage and management. However, such course of action usually requires much room (think of all those years’ worth of papers and electronic tapes piling up); it also incurs high costs. In addition, there will also come a time when the company will need to purge itself of the age-old materials. But these outdated materials will still be sensitive, and throwing away classified documents in a wastebasket will not do the trick - they can still be collected and sorted out, the information still made available to whoever would want them.

There is a truly a great need for a secure disposal of sensitive data, and an effective solution to this crucial aspect of an industry is document shredding.

Document shredding is a safe and secure option for discarding restricted documents and materials. In document shredding, sensitive files and records are destroyed, turning them into bits that can no longer be recognized; thereby ensuring that confidentiality is maintained.

The document shredding process is entirely flexible that it can adapt to any industry’s distinct requirements in destroying sensitive records. Depending on what would suit it’s needs, a company can either purchase it’s own document shredder or employ outsourced document shredding services, who can then perform the document shredding process on-site or off-site.

On-site document shredding provides industries with the opportunity to observe the actual shredding of their materials ‘on site’, right at their doorsteps. The use of mobile shredding vehicles and equipment will especially fit those who do not want their records to leave their site intact.

In an off-site document shredding, the document-shredding company collects the materials in security containers and hauls them in a safe location that may be monitored by security cameras where they are destroyed into little pieces. Aside from the surveillance cameras, industries can also send representatives to personally observe the actual document shredding process.

Once the classified records are destroyed in a proper and secure manner, the document shredding company will then provide its client with a “Certificate of Destruction,” which notes the date and time as well as the accounting of the materials shredded. This not only serves as a proof that the documents were destroyed properly; it also gives the client the necessary data for an audit trail.

There are many advantages in making use of the services of an outside document shredding company:

A document shredding service enables the company to save thousands of dollars by not having to buy a document shredding equipment and not having to worry of the depreciation as well as the maintenance costs.

A document shredding service also enables the company to save in terms of labor. Employees would not need to spend hours to do the document shredding. Employees can spend the time more effectively by doing their own jobs.

A document shredding company also helps the environment by recycling. Recycling is the final step in almost all the document shredding process. The shredded materials are collected and, through baling and/or pulping, can be used again to form other items such as boxes and copier papers, among others.

We cannot deny that protecting the interests of a company remains a crucial phase of every business, especially in this age of information. And with document shredding, we are not only securing an industry’s information, we are also helping the environment - a win-win solution.

Aspiring Filmmakers: To Film School or Not to Film School     
 
Education,Entertainment,Art and Culture
  
 
Often I am asked to consult with aspiring filmmakers or their families on whether or not they ought to go to film school.
I’ve found that some should and some should not!

Some need preparation to be able to get into film school. (In this case, I do what is needed to prepare them, and then deliver the person to the school.)

Some need to learn filmmaking or make their films outside the school system. (I work with this group too, to get them successfully through their projects.)

But how to decide which route to take?

Here’s an article I wrote on that recently, that may give some tips:

Filmmaking has been the fastest growing curriculum in U.S. colleges for the past 15 years.

The aspiring filmmaker should ask two questions:

Should I go to a film school?

And, if I decide to go to film school, which one should I attend?

Having taught at two of the leading film programs in the world (Art Center College of Design in Pasadena since 1976, and Cal Arts in Valencia since 1994), I’ve seen 7000+ students answer in favor of film school. And as a private consultant, I’ve seen many people answer the other way!

It seems to me that there are some points of personal values that come into play.

First, do you thrive better in a structured and demanding environment, or do you do better when on your own with full independence?

Those who need a structure with demands from the outside would most likely do better in a college or university with a set curriculum, lots of assignments and strict due dates, and some teacher and peer pressure.

–Those who feel restricted by the above, and who are highly self-motivated, might consider remaining outside of a school.

–Of course, they’d have to rent or own equipment and hire crew for their projects.

–Also, they wouldn’t get “student discounts” at the various vendors who rent production gear.

–And, finally, they wouldn’t have the advantage of school insurance (insurance MUST be maintained for any rented equipment; and Workmen’s Compensation must be carried for any on your crew, even if they’re not paid).

When evaluating which school, if any, to attend, I recommend a hard look be taken at the results the school gets with its students. Are they graduating people who enter in short order into a film industry job, or are their graduates delivering flowers and waiting on tables (both of which can be quite fun and remunerative) for very extended periods?

You might also look at the faculty and their credits. Are the teachers working filmmakers? Are they retired? Or have they never themselves worked in the film industry?

There’s nothing wrong with an intelligent theoretician, but when it comes to getting and maintaining jobs, it would be helpful to have instruction from someone who has practical experience.

Another point would be the location of the school. Is it in or near a filmmaking center (e.g., Los Angeles or New York), or is it in the sticks? While the second could provide a more peaceful study environment, the former might better prepare you for life in the trenches.

Finally, I’d assess the courses you’d need to take. Make sure there’s plenty of opportunity to see films, either in history or aesthetics classes. At the very least, make sure the school library has an excellent and full collection, and has liberal lending policies.

Also, make sure there are classes where you actually MAKE films. (It’s always shocking to me that one could get a degree in a subject and never perform the activities of that subject!)

So, my general advice is: IF YOU DECIDE TO GO TO FILM SCHOOL OR STUDY FILM IN COLLEGE, make sure there’s a satisfactory match between you and the college you choose.

THOSE WHO DECIDE NOT TO GO TO FILM SCHOOL WILL HAVE DIFFERENT CHALLENGES–I’LL TAKE THAT UP ANOTHER DAY!

Learn Scales On The Guitar     
 
Art and Culture,Music,Hobbies
  
 
The job of practicing scales on the guitar can be quite tedious. It is hard work without any immediate reward and the long term reward is kind of not very clear. There is a reason why you need to learn scales on the guitar. When you are improvising or composing guitar solos your fingers need to be able to go from one note to the next without your brain having to think about it. The end result when you learn to play scales is your mind can relax and play with musical ideas instead of needing to think, “where do my fingers go next?”
There are two ways to practice guitar scales. The first is to play as fast as you can with a maximum amount of tension and a minimum of precision. This kind of scale practice is characterized by fluffed notes and a distinct lack of improvement. The other way is to play your scales slowly and carefully, trying to keep your arms relaxed as you play. This way you are always learning something about how your body works and what you can do to improve the way your scales flow as you practice.

The major scale is a good place to start. This scale is a series of notes with a definite number of intervals or steps between each note. For a guitarist a step is one fret. The distance between D and E is one step and the distance between F sharp and G is a half step, which means G is the very next fret up from F sharp. If you are playing in the key of D, the notes of the major scale will be: D E F# G A B C# and D.

Another scale you will be seeing mentioned in guitar literature is the pentatonic scale. This scale contains five notes. The notes of the pentatonic scale are the first, second, third, fifth and sixth notes of the major scale. So the in the key of D the notes are D E F# A and B.

If you become familiar with the pentatonic scales in a few keys, you will be able to compose guitar solos using the five notes of your pentatonic scale played at various locations on the fretboard. Then it will be your turn to tell newbie guitarists the benefit of slow, careful practice when you learn guitar scales.