CALL CENTERS (CENTRES) - Faculty of Industrial Engineering and ...

widely-held assumption that offshoring voice services is a seamless undertaking, principally
through an investigation of the Indian call centre labour process. This enquiry is informed
initially by an analysis of the political-economic factors driving offshoring and shaping the forms
of work organization to have emerged in India. A critical review of literature on call centre work
organization provides a conceptual framework, through which Indian developments are analysed.
Data comes from fieldwork conducted in India and a complete audit of the Scottish industry,
through which UK trends can be evaluated. We conclude that the Indian industry reproduces
in exaggerated and culturally-distinctive forms, a labour process that has proved problematical
for employers and employees alike in the UK and elsewhere.
Keywords: Call centers, Location of industry, Outsourcing, International markets, Studies
103. Williams, Margaret, Cathryn Bradshaw, Beverly Fournier, Admasu Tachble, et al. The callcentre:
A child welfare liaison program with immigrant serving agencies, Child Welfare, Washington,
84 (5), Sep/Oct 2005, 725–746.
Abstract. Alberta, Canada, welcomed nearly 16,000 landed immigrants in 2003, of whom more
than half came to the Calgary area. Approximately 200,000 immigrants of various ethnic and
cultural groups now live in the region. Many of these new arrivals have no natural support
networks while struggling with language, cultural, and economic barriers. Recognizing these
difficulties, the Calgary and Area Child and Family Services Authority (CFSA) joined with several
Immigrant Serving Agencies to develop guidelines and procedures to direct staff working
with diverse cultures, including the Call-Centre pilot project, which provided CFSA staff with a
one-stop telephone contact for information about an immigrant or refugee family, their culture,
and available culturally-appropriate resources. The Call-Centre, which is currently being evaluated
by researchers at the University of Calgary, will gradually expand to all CFSA sites in the
region. This article describes the Call-Centre and the first phase of the evaluation.
Keywords: Call centers, Child welfare, Refugees, Culture, Aliens
(Appears also in Section X.)
104. Young, Robert J., Jean Taylor, Tim Friede, Sally Hollis, et al. Pro-Active Call Center Treatment
Support (PACCTS) to improve glucose control in type 2 diabetes: A randomized controlled
trial, Diabetes Care, 28 (2), 2005, 278–282. Young et al. determine whether Pro-Active
Call Center Treatment Support (PACCTS), using trained nonmedical telephonists supported
by specially-designed software and a diabetes nurse, can effectively improve glycemic control in
type 2 diabetes. In an urban Caucasian trial, population with blood glucose HbA1c greater than
7% PACCTS facilitated significant improvement in glycemic control.
Keywords: Glucose, Diabetes, Clinical trials, Whites, Call centers, Disease management, Technical
support
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