BPO sector celebrates reduction in illegal activity

BY HORACE HINES Observer West reporter

Thursday, October 16, 2014    

MONTEGO BAY, St James — A year ago, lotto scamming activities threatened to flat-line the business processing outsourcing (BPO) sector. Today, with a clampdown on the illegal activity, bolstered by the relevant legislation, there is now next to no reports of the illegal activities and the industry is thriving.

“I would say a year or so ago that was the number one issue affecting not only the sector but more broadly and certainly in the last couple of months I have not heard that as a major issue anymore,” Julian Robinson, the state minister in the Ministry of Science, Technology, Mining and Energy, told the Jamaica Observer West.

Robinson attributed the reduction of complaints to Government’s introduction of legislation to battle the illegal sweepstakes, which not only posed a threat to the existence of BPO industry but has resulted in a spate of killings across western Jamaica.

In the past, scammers would get data from within some of the BPO companies. They then used that data to target their victims, mostly elderly United States residents. As the activity flourished local companies were at risk of losing their contracts from overseas entities.

BPO services target offshore or near-shore back-office operations such as accounting, human resource management and customer service (call-centre facilities).

Meanwhile, President of the Business Processing Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ), Yoni Epstein confirmed that reports of scamming activities within the sector has fallen.

“The reality of it is it is on the decline. We have not heard of any instances, and to me more importantly, I haven’t heard any instances locally as the clients and prospective clients are asking about it less and less,” Epstein told the Observer West.

Both Epstein and Robinson were speaking to the Observer West following the historical signing of a deal between Columbus Communications and the BPIAJ to establish an incubator within the Montego Bay Freezone, which is expected to trigger growth, enhance market access and create new jobs.

The incubator, which is slated to be fully operational by December, will fast-track entry of new players into the business process outsourcing sector as well as facilitate short-term expansion for current investors.

The telecommunications firm — which trades as Flow and has been vigourously marketing its business brand Columbus Business Solutions (CBS) — will install, as part of its workstation solutions, screens and a combination of physical and so-called soft phones.

Columbus, which offers telephony, Internet and cable services, has ramped up its infrastructure to capitalise on businesses’ appetite for one-stop-shop, holistic technology solutions. “The partnership recognises the importance of the Business Process Industry to Jamaica‘s national development and is intended to provide a solution that fast tracks new entrants to the local market, a problem that has often been cited by the Government and Industry players alike” said Sean Latty, head of the communications giant.

The BPO sector is a fast-growing industry which local economists and Government officials see as having great potential for growth, as business confidence rises and investment opportunities emerge.

Currently, there are approximately 40 BPO companies in operations, accounting for approximately 14,000 jobs in Jamaica, according to Epstein.

“We believe that this is a small portion of what the industry is capable of and the partnership with CBS will ease one of the challenges that has stifled the sector’s growth,” Epstein said. Epstein’s point is supported by JAMPRO, the government’s trade and investment promotion agency, that has indicated the sector could create 15,000 new jobs over the next five years.

“The BPO sector represents the fastest growing growth sector in the economy right now and we commend Flow as a private sector partner for coming on board and supporting this initiative,” he added.

As Jamaica seeks to improve its rankings in global competitiveness and the ease-of-doing-business indices, CBS’s initiative will help to expedite the entry of new BPO entrepreneurs, making the industry more dynamic and innovative.

Epstein was upbeat over the soon-to-be established incubator.

“The incubator is a 200 seat call centre that will be developed in the Montego Bay Freezone. The goal of the incubator is to attract foreign investors as well as local investors to start up businesses. Its cheaper access to entry, lower barriers to entry and faster uptime to get started into business. We want to make it as easy as possible for investors to want to come to Jamaica as well as for local investors and entrepreneurs to start businesses,” Epstein told the Observer West.

Epstein added: “It is also going to foster growth in existing businesses because if we have the space and someone can’t build out fast. Enough they will have access to the incubator to start-up grow their business while they develop their existing spaces.”

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BPO sector celebrates reduction in illegal activity

Kanye West celebrates with bachelorette

File

Kanye

Kanye West gatecrashed a bachelorette party in New Orleans over the weekend.

The Yeezus rapper was seen having dinner at French-Creole eatery Galatoire’s in the city with a group of heavyweight names from the high-tech world, including Dropbox founder Drew Houston, when he noticed another group sitting a few tables away were busy celebrating an upcoming wedding.

The 37-year-old husband of Kim Kardashian West – with whom he has a child, North West – subsequently sent a bottle of champagne to the bride-to-be and her friends, the New York Post’s Page Six Column reports.

The ladies then made their way towards the table of Kanye and his friends, where the rapper “wished the bride well and said that getting married was ‘the best thing that’s happened to him’. ”

What’s more, Kanye was happy to pose for pictures with the women, some of whom sported eye-catching metallic temporary tattoos.Onlookers noted that Kanye was “really nice and soft-spoken”.

This comes shortly after Kanye and his wife sparked controversy at Paris Fashion Week by reportedly showing up 40 minutes late to Lanvin’s runway show.

However, the married couple insisted it was only because they were backstage with the brand’s designer, Alber Elbaz.

Kanye responded to the criticism by saying: “Don’t boo us. Alber asked to see us. Don’t boo us. We’re not late. We’re not late.”

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Kanye West celebrates with bachelorette

Kanye West celebrates with bachelorette

File

Kanye

Kanye West gatecrashed a bachelorette party in New Orleans over the weekend.

The Yeezus rapper was seen having dinner at French-Creole eatery Galatoire’s in the city with a group of heavyweight names from the high-tech world, including Dropbox founder Drew Houston, when he noticed another group sitting a few tables away were busy celebrating an upcoming wedding.

The 37-year-old husband of Kim Kardashian West – with whom he has a child, North West – subsequently sent a bottle of champagne to the bride-to-be and her friends, the New York Post’s Page Six Column reports.

The ladies then made their way towards the table of Kanye and his friends, where the rapper “wished the bride well and said that getting married was ‘the best thing that’s happened to him’. ”

What’s more, Kanye was happy to pose for pictures with the women, some of whom sported eye-catching metallic temporary tattoos.Onlookers noted that Kanye was “really nice and soft-spoken”.

This comes shortly after Kanye and his wife sparked controversy at Paris Fashion Week by reportedly showing up 40 minutes late to Lanvin’s runway show.

However, the married couple insisted it was only because they were backstage with the brand’s designer, Alber Elbaz.

Kanye responded to the criticism by saying: “Don’t boo us. Alber asked to see us. Don’t boo us. We’re not late. We’re not late.”

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Kanye West celebrates with bachelorette

Guyana celebrates Independence - country committed to regional unity

Guyana’s President Donald Ramotar says his country must continue to take the lead in promoting regional unity and work within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to strengthen the bonds of integration.

In his message to mark Guyana’s 48th anniversary of independence on Monday, Ramotar said the country is marking the milestone of its political history in a world that has grown more complex, more interconnected, but, unfortunately, one which still remains very unequal between the developing South and the developed North.“International relations today are still dominated and determined by a handful of rich countries.  Many of the institutions established, particularly the international financial institutions mostly geared to serve the interest of the most rich and powerful countries.”He said developing countries have to manage the affairs of their states in a great disadvantageous situation and this is reflected in the growing inequality in relation to access to resources and the huge income gap between the rich and poor countries of the world.Ramotar said that the richest 85 persons in the world are worth more than the poorest 3.5 billion persons and that almost a half of the world’s wealth is owned by just one per cent of the population.“The struggle, therefore, for socio-economic justice and a more equitable world, continues.  One of the major issues is the need to democratise international relations. It is patently evident that the vast majority of countries in the world and by extension the peoples of those countries do not have enough influence on international politics and economics.”Ramotar said the situation demands that Guyana continues to build greater solidarity among the developing world while it works in alliance with those developed countries interested in genuine partnership.

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Guyana celebrates Independence - country committed to regional unity

Supreme Venturers Limited celebrates anniversary with "Top Draw"

Supreme Ventures Limited (SVL) will celebrate its 13th anniversary today with the roll-out of a new lottery game.

The game, Top Draw, will give players a chance to win up to a million dollars every day. The starting jackpot each day will be $200,000 and the jackpot will roll by $200,000 after each draw, if there is no winner. The company has five game draws each day (at 8:30 a.m.; 10:30 a.m.; 1 p.m.; 5 p.m. and 8:25 p.m.), so the daily jackpot could climb to as high as $1 million, if there is no winner for draws one to four.

Sonia Davidson, SVL’s Vice President of Group Corporate Communications said, “Top Draw offers quick returns of minimum $200,000 each draw, for an investment of just $50 per wager. We look forward to the public’s participation when we roll out the game…”

In the Top Draw game, players simply choose five numbers from one to 22. The lottery will draw five numbers and players matching all five numbers will win the jackpot for the draw. Players who match four and three numbers will also win subsidiary prizes. The game is pari-mutuel, so all prizes levels are shared among the number of winners. If there is no jackpot winner for the draw, the jackpot will roll by $200,000 to the next draw that day. Once the jackpot is hit, the next draw starts at $200,000.

Top Draw represents the ninth online game offered by SVL. The company has over 1,100 lottery retailers islandwide.

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Supreme Venturers Limited celebrates anniversary with "Top Draw"

El Salvador celebrates patron saint

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El Salvador celebrates patron saint

VIDEO: Pope celebrates final Brazil Mass

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VIDEO: Pope celebrates final Brazil Mass

World celebrates Mandela’s 95th birthday on Thursday

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Nelson Mandela has made “dramatic progress,” and may be going home “anytime soon,” said his daughter Zindzi on the eve of his 95th birthday.

“I visited him yesterday and he was watching television with headphones,” said Zindzi Mandela in an interview with Britain’s Sky TV. “He gave us a huge smile and raised his hand … He responds with his eyes and his hands.”Mandela is gaining “energy and strength,” said his daughter. “I should think he will be going home anytime soon.”The latest description by Zindzi — who is one of Mandela’s daughters by his second wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela — is a significant improvement from court documents filed by the family earlier this month which said he was on life support and near death.Mandela has been in a Pretoria hospital since June 8 and officials say his condition is critical but stable.The news of the improvement in Mandela’s health will boost his supporters in South Africa and around the world who are preparing to celebrate his 95th birthday on Thursday, a day declared by the United Nations as a way to recognise the Nobel Prize winner’s contribution to reconciliation.Interest in Nelson Mandela International Day has ignited as a result of the former South African president’s hospitalisation in Pretoria and people find ways to honour his ideals.A Johannesburg-based foundation named after Mandela and numerous other groups have asked people to volunteer 67 minutes to charity to match what they say are the 67 years that Mandela served his community. Mandela led South Africa through a tense transition from apartheid to democracy and became president in the country’s first all-race elections in 1994.President Jacob Zuma will mark the birthday by overseeing the donation of houses to poor white families in the Pretoria area, in line with his Cabinet’s theme to commemorate Mandela’s birthday this year by focusing on food security, shelter and literacy.In Cape Town, labour activists are holding an event at St George’s Cathedral on Thursday, in remembrance of Mandela’s years of service and to encourage people to donate food to charity while leaving messages of support for the former leader’s family.Mandela, who is in critical but stable condition, has been hospitalised since June 8, and hundreds of well-wishers have left prayers and messages of hope at his Johannesburg home and at the hospital where he is being treated. Legal documents have said Mandela’s breathing is machine-assisted.The anti-apartheid leader has also inspired artists and graphic designers who celebrate his life through paintings and posters.A group of young South African designers created a poster project to offer a global perspective of Mandela with submissions from around the world. The group whittled down 700 posters submitted by designers from more than 70 countries, to 95 for each year of Mandela’s life.The posters will be unveiled Wednesday and a single special edition auctioned off to raise money for a proposed children’s hospital that will be named after Mandela, the group said.“He carries across this concept of humanity and selflessness,” said Mohammed Jogie, co-founder of the project.South African artists John Adams and Paul Blomkamp have painted two of the largest Mandela paintings to honor the man who spent 27 years imprisoned during the system of white minority rule known as apartheid.Blomkamp said his painting was inspired by Mandela’s energy, which he described as exceptional. Blomkamp said an image of his painting will be featured in a display in New York’s Times Square Thursday in honour of Mandela’s birthday.

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World celebrates Mandela’s 95th birthday on Thursday

Mystic Mountain celebrates five years

News

Monday, July 08, 2013

HUNDREDS of patrons turned out for Mystic Mountain’s fifth anniversary celebration, proceeds of which will go towards supporting the Great Faith Basic School in Exchange, St Ann, which has been adopted by the attraction.The event, dubbed Appleton Mystic Fantasies, was all about fun and excitement.Mike Drakulich, managing director, said it took approximately 15 years for the idea for Mystic Mountains to be developed, 10 years for the facility to be completed and now five years in operation.Drakulich who was speaking at a press launch, held prior to the anniversary party, said he was happy with the response received from persons visiting the facility, many of whom have described to the attraction as “First-World”.Persons who bought a ticket to the party are also able to enjoy the attraction as each ticket purchased guarantees free admission to Mystic Mountain.Staff members of Mystic Mountain and sponsors of the Appleton Mystic Fantasies pose for a photo.

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Mystic Mountain celebrates five years