The New Year will bring new business realities, delivery models, destinations and technologies to the outsourcing industry, according to the fifth annual trend predictions released today by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®).

While the uncertain economy and the elections will impact the industry, the winners will be: locations in the U.S. and near shore as well as the BRIC countries; collaborative delivery models; and companies using converging technologies, IAOP’s thought leaders say.

Here are the top trends to watch for:

Sourcing Close to Home: Higher unemployment, economically blighted urban areas and local government incentives will drive more companies to look to stay on shore, especially in the U.S. Nearshoring, rural sourcing and domestic sourcing will be on the rise.

BRIC Surge: Look for the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – to surge as outsourcing destinations in the coming year. Hosting both the 2012 World Cup and the Olympics will bring tremendous visibility to Brazil, making it a strong Latin America country in the coming year.

Collaborative and Strategic: Models where customers and service providers work collaboratively to develop performance-based partnership will be increasingly used by companies. Customers will move outsourcing out of the back-office and into more customer-facing processes and more strategic opportunities.

M&As: Expect to see more consolidation as providers struggle with tight access to capital and to meet growth expectations given the uncertain economic and political situation worldwide.

Technology Convergence: The convergence of social networking, collaboration and mobility platforms will create a significant demand for value-added outsourcing services. Companies will increase their emphasis on social media to source talent globally, position their products and services, and collect intelligence around their end users that goes significantly beyond SEO.

Cloud Concerns: As cloud computing solutions continue to proliferate worldwide, customers and suppliers will continue to struggle to comply with increased government regulations, the real risks of cyber-security and threats of eco-terrorrism.

About IAOP
The International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®) is the global, standard-setting organization and advocate for the outsourcing profession. With more than 110,000 members and affiliates worldwide, IAOP helps companies increase their outsourcing success rate, improve their outsourcing ROI, and expand the opportunities for outsourcing across their businesses.

Source:http://www.pr.com/press-release/379421

A global survey being conducted by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals® (IAOP®) will update the growing importance of corporate, social responsibility (CSR) in outsourcing.

IAOP is surveying outsourcing providers, customers and advisors on their actions and views on CSR, as well as sustainability and environmental responsibility. The survey will be conducted through this summer and early fall, and results will be released at the 2012 Outsourcing World Summit at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.

The survey is open to the association’s 110,000 plus membership and affiliates as well as all outsourcing professionals interested in participation. It is available at IAOP’s website.

Survey questions cover topics including perceptions about the impact of outsourcing on the environment; climate and society; reporting on CSR practices; business strategy; budgets for CSR activities; standards and codes of conduct; and the importance of CSR issues and policies.

IAOP’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) subcommittee of the Advocacy and Outreach Committee is sponsoring the survey. Members of this subcommittee include industry leaders in CSR, as well as academic researchers with the Ted Rogers School of IT Management at Ryerson University and the IT Services Qualification Center (ITSqc) at Carnegie Mellon University and representatives of the Rockefeller Foundation

A study by Professor Bill Hefley of the ITSqc showed that companies who ranked as the world’s leading outsourcing providers in IAOP’s 2009 Global Outsourcing 100® had significantly greater CSR activities than other outsourcing firms.

Adhering to the highest ethical standards, contributing to local communities and bettering the environment are just a few ways outsourcing can be used as a powerful tool in advancing critical social, economic and environmental issues on a global basis,” said IAOP CEO Debi Hamill. “The CSR survey provides us with important information about where the industry is headed in this important area.”

IAOP Advancing CSR
IAOP identified CSR as the top outsourcing trend in 2008 and is advancing it in practice by demonstrating how companies and professionals can embrace outsourcing in a socially responsible way, creating a positive outcome for all involved.

The CSR subcommittee was formed to identify and promote discussion of socially responsible policies and practices.

A track at The 2012 Outsourcing World Summit will focus on corporate social responsibility including socially responsible outsourcing and will cover topics like:

• Rural Sourcing
• Impact Sourcing and outsourcing in non-traditional areas
• CSR both onshore and offshore
• Preparing the outsourcing professional through coaching, education and leadership and certification
• Human capital and “inter-culturalism”

In addition, IAOP honors individuals positively contributing to both business and society through its Outsourcing Hall of Fame.

Source:http://www.theopenpress.com/index.php?a=press&id=112645