Yesterday I was pleased to interview Richard Payne, Head of Finance Operations at the BBC (you can listen to the podcast here). Following the recording, Richard – who chaired the panel debates at November’s Shared Services Exchange – and I had a good chat about the future of finance at the BBC at what is evidently a critical time for broadcasting the world over.
During that chat I was struck by two things: first, how it seems that almost every industry seems to be reaching or have reached an inflexion point of sorts at the same time, and how fascinating this is, and how without wanting to be too pretentious – moi? – this could represent a real, fundamental change in the way we operate (you don’t have to be a tree-hugger to see some degree of poetry in the fact that governments the world over are suggesting heavy investment in green technology as a way out of the economic slump), and if it doesn’t we really are in trouble; and second, that budget-planning for the world’s biggest broadcaster can’t be the easiest job. Hats off to the man.
Upon my return to the office, deep in thought, I was greeted by more developments in the unfolding Satyam scandal – your comments on which are of course more than welcome – and then, much more happil, the following, which represents my return to light-hearted matters in time for the weekend. The Times of India put out a story this week on “the new web sex language of Brits”. Apparently (poly?)amorous Britons have developed a new code to be used when arranging liaisons over the internet. So much for the old WLTM (“would like to meet”) and GSOH (“good sense of humour”) of dating agencies past: now it’s all about ONS (“one-night stands”), W2T (“willing to travel”) and W2SI (“willing to slum it”).
What is the relevance of such sordid jargon to a defiantly high-brow shared services and outsourcing network, you ask? Well, it’s an inflexion point in itself. We’re witnessing a fundamental change in process. “BPO” used to stand for “business process outsourcing”, but no longer: now it’s “beautiful people only”… Oh, and be careful when you hire your next MBA: you might end up with someone “married but available”…
Have a good weekend… Whatever you get up to…
PS No Weekly Wrap this week: it returns next Friday.
Tags: 2009, crisis, downturn, economic, Outsourcing, recession, Satyam, Shared Services, sharedservices, sourcing, SSON, Weekly Wrap
