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Global or embedded service work? the (limited) transnationalisation of the call-centre industry

Bibliographic Data

ID21189658
AuthorsUrsula Holtgrewe (0000-0001-8386-0249), Ursula Holtgrewe Ursula Holtgrewe, Jessica Longen, Jessica Longen Jessica Longen, Hannelore Mottweiler, Hannelore Mottweiler Hannelore Mottweiler, Annika Schönauer, Annika Schönauer Annika Schönauer
Year2009
Volume3
Issue1
Publication date2009-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueWork Organisation Labour & Globalisation (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1745-641X • E-ISSN: 1745-6428
PublisherPluto Journals (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.13169/workorgalaboglob.3.1.0009
OpenAlexW2756094866
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited19

This paper explores the amount of ‘real’ internationalisation in the call centre industry and looks at its effects on work organisation from two angles. First, we analyse the data from the Global Call Center Industry Project, with regard to the amount of internationalisation and the profiles of call centres serving an international market. Then, these industrywide findings are confronted with a case study of the customer service operation of a US-based electronics multinational. Overall, while global business service providers exist and shape the perception of the industry to a considerable extent, internationalisation is chiefly limited to younger, larger subcontracting companies with standardised work, although national patterns vary. While some services in some segments have certainly been internationalised (for example airline travel reservations and IT helplines), language and cultural proximity continue to matter

Business · Call centre · Industrial organization · International trade · Internationalization · Multinational corporation · Telecommunications · Emotional Labor in Professions · Engineering · Global trade, sustainability, and social impact · Labor Movements and Unions · Finance · Marketing

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Unique citing works3
Citations per year0,2
Citation span2011 - 2014 (4)
Citation velocityhistorical
Highly citedNo
Citation typesNeutral: 3
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