ABSTRACT

The globalised economy has profoundly changed the way we live and work today, partly by ushering in unprecedented globally distributed research and development, manufacturing, assembling and customer services. It is all but uncommon for computers sold in the South American market to contain chips made in Taiwan, motherboard made in China, user manuals and online help systems written or designed in the US and translated or localised by contract translation companies in South America. When a PC customer encounters technical problems and calls the service hotline, he or she may talk with someone in India, where the services have been outsourced.