Software Sweatshop

On Thursday, the 27th of December, two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto was gunned down after a speech at a rally outside of Islamabad. The perpetrators and motives of this crime are not known for sure, but it is an event that has drawn Pakistan even more unwanted attention.

Some say that Pakistan, which could have been a real hot spot for IT and BPO services, is a real mess. No doubt, unstable political conditions, civil unrest, and an unpopular government have thwarted Pakistan's real potential. But as mentioned in a previous post (Doom and Gloom in Pakistan) true business people in all parts of the globe exhibit one key characteristic; resiliency. Consider this:

India: The Indian businessmen that pioneered the outsourcing phenomenon 20 years ago went to great lengths to get their companies off the ground. Socialist India made it very difficult for Indian businessmen to do something as simple as purchase a computer. Throughout the 90's India dealt with the threat of war with Pakistan over Kashmir, chilly relations with China, and an ugly spat of inter-religious riots. Through it all, India's visionary businessmen assured their frantic clients that all would be well. Today, the Indian government is more pro-business than ever and is THE desired outsourcing location for the entire world.

Russia: Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Eastern Europe has been plagued with crisis. The dramatic fall of the Ruble in the 90's rocked the Russian economy like never before. In more recent history we see the imprisonment of Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky under somewhat questionable charges of corruption. The brutal war in Checnya is another potential detractor for Western businesses considering Russia. Let's not forget about the mysterious death of former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko last year. Despite Vladimir Putin's KGB history Russia is an increasingly attractive alternative for highly complex software engineering.

 Ukraine: The growth of Ukraine's outsourcing industry has been incredible in the last few years. Let's not forget that  then Presidential hopeful, Victor Yushenko, was poisoned by parties suspected to be loyal to Russia (if not by the Russian government itself) If you haven't seen the pictures of the damage to his face caused by the poison, look here.

China: Despite lack of basic political freedom, a tainted human rights record, scandals involving tainted and defective children's products, China is gaining popularity as an outsourcing destination by reputable firms like IBM, Accenture, and EDS. What's even more surprising is China's contempt for intellectual property rights and international anti-piracy initiatives. And it's still an outsourcing hotspot?

Yes, Pakistan has a major image problem, but in life, unfortunate events do occur. It's the job of every business man to insulate his customers, employees, and vendors from these circumstances and do his best to work with the hand that he's dealt.