Forum posts to 'Forums'

The art of outsourcing

Doutzen Brooks — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 06:08:09 -0500

Outsourcing design, development and marketing projects or parts of projects has become a very commonplace process in the world of ecommerce - and you really don't need to be a Fortune 500 company with masses of cash to utilize and benefit from outsourcing.

Scenario: A client comes to you wanting a quote on a web site and it's the perfect job - apart from one element in the project - you aren't skilled in this particular web technology. This component is a crucial element in winning the contract, there's no way of getting around it. What do you do? You don't want to lose the contract, but you definitely can't afford to hire a new employee for this project - there are too many risks and associated headaches. Or what about a situation with your own site where you need some programming done and simply don't have time to do it, or the headspace to learn how to do it? Isn't your time better spent on your core competencies, the skills that generate cash for you? Another scenario is where you have so much work on at the time that you really don't have the resources for taking on and developing a full project. In these cases, small companies tend to refer the entire job on to others. But then you lose the client forever to the other company. Wouldn't it make more sense to secure the contract, outsource everything and oversee the development? That way if one of your current projects falls through, you will still have work and you will also more than likely gain future work from that client.

Most small web design and development companies naturally achieve great expertise in specific areas many of the projects are outsourced to web design company India - these project areas are the ones that they are not only particularly good at, but also the fastest in generating. We all build up our repertoire of "tricks of the trade" over time, and these are the elements of any contract that it makes the most sense to keep. Where are the bottlenecks in your development processes? If developing graphical elements for web sites is one of your challenges, then it only makes sense to outsource that work. You may feel that paying $80 an hour to an expert graphic artist is too steep considering your standard rate is only $50 an hour, but consider this example: A client wants a Flash element created and Flash isn't one of your stronger areas, so the length of time it will take you to create that element is a bit of an unknown - and you have already set the entire project price, which the client has agreed on. You end up spending 6 hours on designing the Flash animation to the clients’ satisfaction.

Posted to: The art of outsourcing

Re: Vacancies

christo yordanov — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 21:09:36 -0500

Hello Irena,

Thanks for the message, feel free to email us and we would love to see an online presentation of your best samples.

Best regards,
Cosmopolit Design Team

Posted to: Vacancies

Vacancies

irina s — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 05:27:16 -0500

Hi

I am a graduate graphic designer and illustrator willing to gain industry experience.

Do you have any entry level, freelance or work placement opportunities available at the moment?

Posted to: Vacancies

1437 miles away from London

christo yordanov — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 11:29:57 -0600

Posted to: 1437 miles away from London

a rainy day in London

christo yordanov — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 10:08:43 -0600

Posted to: a rainy day in London

Съвременното българско изкуство

christo yordanov — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:54:57 -0500

01.07.2009 21:27
Изложбата от конкурса за 2008 г. ще е от 10 юли до 10 август на особено място - в Магазия №7 на Пристанище Варна

Наградите за съвременно българско изкуство на М-Тел отново са с амбиция да станат най-мащабната визуална акция в България и тази година.

Изложбата ще е от 10 юли до 10 август отново - както и в Пловдивските тютюневи складове преди година - на нетрадиционно място.

Магазия №7 - бетонен склад построен преди половин век - на Пристанище Варна ще се превърне в галерия за съвременно изкуство. Там на 10 юли ще се открие - за четвърти пореден път - изложбата-конкурс за 2008 година.

„Годишни награди за съвременно българско изкуство на М-Тел" e мащабен проект, финансиран изцяло от най-голямата компания за мобилни комуникации в България. Съорганизатор на проекта е галерия „Витоша".

„В началото, проектът си се опита да представя на българска и чуждестранна публика избрани творби от най-интересните изложби на български художници. През последните години, конкурсът, еволюира и в момента, с помощта на М-Тел, голяма част от творците ще участват не с готови произведения, а с направени специално за изложбата.

Така от една страна имаме автори, които се чувстват свободни да направят каквото искат, а от друга страна произведения, които за първи път ще бъдат видени от посетителите на изложбата", обяснява кураторът на проекта Ирина Баткова.

Варна е известна с традиционно силната си група художници - ярко присъстваща във всички прояви на съвременното българско изкуство у нас и в чужбина. Това определи и избора на жури, което да номинира художниците за изложбата през 2009 г.

Освен постоянните членове Димитър Грозданов и Елисавета Мусакова, в него влизат и изкуствоведът Румен Серафимов - основен двигател и инициатор на варненския фестивал „Август в изкуството", Валери Чакалов - известен художник и участник в предишното издание на наградите и Цветан Кръстев, който освен художник е и един от съорганизаторите на започналия във Варна през миналата година фестивал „Видеохолика".

45 български художници, работещи в страната и в чужбина, ще изложат инсталации, скулптури, фотографии и картини на площ около 2 хил. кв.м. Тази година участват автори, които не се явяват често на българската арт сцена - Хубен Черкелов, Силвия Валентино и Даниел Божков от САЩ; Зеятин Нуриев от Турция; Рада Букова, Бистра Льошевалие, Нина Ковачева, Валентин Стефанов от Франция; Теди Лихо от Белгия; Иво Димчев от Холандия; Милен Кръстев от Германия.

При закриването на изложбата на 10 август, традиционно ще бъдат връчени три награди. Ще бъдат обявени имената на още шестима художници, чиито творби се купуват за колекцията на М-Тел.

Важна част от проекта е издаването на каталог с подробна информация за художниците, както и диск с допълнителни материали.

До сега лауреати на „Награди за съвременно българско изкуство на М-Тел" са били:
2005 г. - Живопис - Красимир Добрев, Скулптура - Стефан Лютаков, Графика - Антония Ангелова;
2006 г. - Живопис - Богдан Александров , Скулптура - Божидар Бончев, Графика - Севдалина Кочевска;
2007 - Ева Давидова, Сашо Стоицов, Симеон Стоилов

Източник: VESTI.bg
Снимки: Весела Статкова, Алла Георгиева,

Posted to: Съвременното българско изкуство

The Times - Bulgarians arrested for selling babies

Mladen Penev — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:13:57 -0500

AFP Published:Jun 17, 2009

a photo by Lilito

SOFIA, — Three Bulgarians, including two lawyers, have been arrested and charged with involvement in a child trafficking gang, the state agency for national security (DANS) said.

The three participated in the trafficking and sale of 16 newborns, including 13 to couples in Greece and three to parents in Bulgaria, over a one-year period, the agency said in a statement.

The group recruited pregnant women and convinced them to sell their babies in return for between 3,000 and 5,000 leva (1,530 and 2,550 euros, 2,125 and 3,540 dollars).

They later sold the babies to families in Greece who paid between 30,000 and 40,000 euros per child, with baby boys costing more, it said. Bulgarian couples paid 10,000 euros per child.

The Greek couples, most of whom were listed by the justice ministry as having legally applied to adopt a Bulgarian child, were told that all legal procedures for the adoptions had been met, DANS said.

They allegedly used a scheme under which the adoptive father turned up in hospital and recognised the child as his own.

Bulgarian law does not require DNA or other tests to prove paternity in such cases.

But couples were asked to pay for the child, which constitutes a crime punishable with jail terms of up to 10 years, the statement said.

The annual US Department of State Trafficking in Persons report issued Tuesday noted that around 15% of identified trafficking victims in Bulgaria were children.

Posted to: The Times - Bulgarians arrested for selling babies

Credit-crunch protests in Europe

Mladen Penev — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:10:07 -0500

7 / 22

Sofia, Bulgaria, 21 January 2009: Protesters wave the national flag and shout slogans during an anti-government protest in front of parliament in the capital. Bulgarians have held a rally to demand that the government resign because of alleged corruption and a deepening economic crisis
Photograph: Petar Petrov/AP

Posted to: Credit-crunch protests in Europe

EU keeps watch as authorities drag their feet over trial of alleged gangsters

Mladen Penev — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:05:26 -0500

Country may lose millions in funding if it fails to deal with crime and corruption
Helen Pidd in Sofia
The Guardian, Friday 19 September 2008

Relatives attend the funeral of Georgi Stoev, author of a series of books on the emergence of Bulgaria's underworld. Bulgaria is under EU pressure to clamp down on crime and corruption. Photograph: Oleg Popov/Reuters

When two of Bulgaria's most notorious alleged gangsters were arrested in October 2005 and charged with plotting three contract killings and running a money-laundering operation, it was exactly the kind of publicity the Balkan state needed as it nervously waited to be handed the keys to the European Union.

The arrests of Krasimir Marinov, now 44, and his younger brother Nikolay, 36, both former child wrestlers, were the perfect way for Bulgaria to show how seriously it was tackling the organised crime and corruption that had been the main barrier to EU membership.

Three years on, Bulgaria is safely in the EU, but the Marinovs are no longer behind bars. They are out on bail, after a series of events - including the abrupt death of a key witness, Nikola Damyanov, and mysterious illnesses that kept the brothers from the courtroom for long periods - led to the trial being postponed more than 20 times.

The next court hearing is set for November 3. Reports in the Bulgarian media this week say the Marinovs have spent the summer partying in the Black Sea resort of Sunny Beach. The tabloid newspaper Weekend last week claimed the prosecutor was likely to drop all charges against the Marinovs.

"This case is one of the 20 or so under the EU's watchlist so the European commission will use the case's progress to judge Bulgaria's progress in targeting corruption and organised crime," said Ruslan Stefanov, of the Centre for the Study of Democracy, a Sofia-based thinktank.

The European commission, which is responsible for the day to day running of the EU, is watching Bulgaria's courts closely after delivering a devastating assessment of the country's judicial system in a progress report in July.

The commission decided that high-level corruption and organised crime remained such a serious problem that it froze almost €1bn (about £792m) in pre-accession funding which was promised to the country to help it measure up to its EU neighbours.

Corruption in Bulgaria is a way of life for many of its 7.5 million citizens. According to a report by the Centre for the Study of Democracy in early 2007, the average number of corruption transactions a month in 2006 that citizens were involved in was 110,000-115,000. Over 30% of people said they had been put under pressure to engage in corruption, such as paying a bribe, when going to the doctor, 14% when dealing with prosecutors and 11.7% with judges.

It has got to the point where Bulgarians expect officials to be corrupt, according to one diplomat. "Expecting Bulgarian officials not to be corrupt is like expecting them to stop breathing," he told the Guardian.
Roads controversy

A controversy that led to the freezing of the €723m earmarked to improve Bulgaria's dilapidated roads - part of the €1bn package - came earlier this year, when an investigation by the newspaper Kapital showed that Vesselin Georgiev, head of the state-owned National Road Infrastructure Fund, had awarded contacts worth tens of millions of pounds to companies run by two of his brothers.

When the story broke the Bulgarian authorities initially maintained there was no conflict of interest. But media pressure eventually led to Georgiev's resignation. He is due to stand trial for corruption, but the journalist who broke the story, Ivan Mihalev, told the Guardian he had no confidence that Georgiev would ever be convicted.

"No high ranking person has ever been convicted of large-scale corruption, so why should he be any different?"

Working as an investigative journalist in Bulgaria is a risky business. According to a report this year by Reporters Without Borders, journalists are regularly threatened for uncovering corruption. Stanimir Vaglenov, who has been writing about organised crime for the daily national paper 24 Hours for over a decade, compares his job to that of a miner.

"Every day they are going underground and they risk everything. It's the same with us. If you are a professional and you know what to do and what not to do, if you are careful, you have a good chance of surviving."

To demonstrate the dangers, he fires up his computer and calls up pictures of bloody crime scenes, showing the dead victims of bomb plots and assassinations, all thought to be committed by the Bulgarian mafia. Then he shows another set of photographs, taken at football matches and glamorous parties, showing alleged gangsters side by side with high-ranking politicians.

Vaglenov has been threatened many times, but says he does not worry too much about being killed. "You may have nothing to fear physically, but they can destroy your life with court cases. I've been sued over a period of six-and-a-half years three times, one after another. I won all of them but it was an awful period."
Smuggling route

Even the most defensive Bulgarian politicians admit the country is facing huge problems. Mihail Mikov, the interior minister, said that combating corruption was his "No 1 priority". But he said that other EU members underestimated the difficulties Bulgaria faced because of its geographical position. Surrounded by non-EU countries, it has become a route for drug, arms and people smuggling from the former Yugoslav countries, Moldova, and beyond.

Sofia's outspoken mayor, Boyko Borisov, a former karate champion and bodyguard tipped to be Bulgaria's next prime minister, is scathing about how the current administration is dealing with corruption. But, like many people, he rejects the notion that his country is the most corrupt in the EU.

"We're just the only ones who admit that we have a problem," he said.

If Bulgaria does not get its house in order there are other steps the EU could take. It could refuse to recognise Bulgarian court decisions, bar the country from entering the Schengen zone - which has no border controls - or adopting the euro, and also withhold structural funds, which add up to far more than the €1bn in the freezer.

It is a dangerous proposition, as one diplomat told the Guardian. "If they don't sort things out, we could find ourselves in a situation where the EU's poorest state is a net contributor, which isn't good at all."

Posted to: EU keeps watch as authorities drag their feet over trial of alleged gangsters

600 workers from Rousse shipyards go on protest

Mladen Penev — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:57:46 -0500

a photo by Gradin Kolenkov

More than 600 workers from Rousse Shipyards refused to go to work on June 29.

Syndicate leader Hristo Yordanov's official explanation is that this is a protest against two months' unpaid salaries, Dnevnik has reported.

"You can interpret this as employees' unrest if you want," Yordanov said. "We have undertaken all measures for this to be a proper strike, in accordance with regulations. However, workers have had delayed payments for months now, and they simply can't take the pressure anymore."

Negotiations are currently being conducted with the company's management, whereas the syndicate leaders will meet on June 30 with the owners of Rousse Shipyards. Yordanov has revealed that there was a proposal by management poised to provide a resolution to the problem but this was subsequently rejected by the workers and the syndicate.

Rousse Shipyards released its entire workforce in April 2009 on a 10-day unpaid leave. The temporary halt in operations was put down to the postponement of delivery in raw materials to the company. At the time, employees also protested because, in addition to the unpaid leave, they claim they had not been paid for previous months.

On April 27, the company announced that 800 people are directly employed by the shipyard, but, in total, more than 1200 people will be affected – including auxiliary services and companies, support and logistical personnel.

The shipyard, Rousse Shipyard Beteiligungsgesellschaft GmbH, is a German-owned firm. One of the company's executives, Johan Breme, arrived in Rousse on April 16 in an attempt to defuse the escalating tension that arose from unpaid salaries. According to unofficial information, the trouble emerged for the first time at the turn of 2009 because of a failed bank credit.

It appears that Johan Breme was unable to resolve the issues in April and the tension in the company continues.

Mon, Jun 29 2009 11:31 CET by Nick Iliev | sofiaecho.com

Posted to: 600 workers from Rousse shipyards go on protest