Sears inks $1.6B IT outsourcing services deal with CSC

[UpInArms]

http://www.computerworld.com/managementtopics/outsourcing/story/0,10801,93581,00.html

(COMPUTERWORLD) - Sears Roebuck and Co. has finalized a $1.6 billion, 10- year IT outsourcing deal with Computer Sciences Corp. that covers desktop, server, voice and data network support, as well as systems services for Sears- related Web sites.

In an announcement yesterday, El Segundo, Calif.-based CSC said a majority of the 200 Sears IT employees affected by the deal will begin work for CSC starting June 12.

Sears will retain responsibility for its overall technology standards, architecture and service policies, as well as for its mainframes and core retail systems, which it will maintain in-house. The company's mainframes are already supported by IBM under an existing outsourcing contract.

The separate IT operations of catalog retailer Lands' End Inc., which Sears acquired in 2002, will also not be affected by the deal.

...more...

here's a possibility about CSC that is not mentioned in the above article:

http://in.country.csc.com/en/mcs/mcs39/338.shtml

Facts about CSC in India

CSC in India is an offshore development site of CSC.

We began operations as PMSI in May 1997.

Since 2000, we have consistently achieved an annual growth rate of over 70% and today operate with a strength of over 1400 employees across our four centres.

We are setting up another development centre in Hyderabad.

We are one of the fastest growing software services company in India.

The Indore centre and one centre in Noida have been assessed at CMM Level 5.

CSC's Indore centre has been assessed and rated at People CMM(Version 2) Level 3 on October 1, 2003

We have won the Best Software Exporter Award in Central India for three years consecutively in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000.

CSC in India has successfully completed hundreds of projects for CSC.

[mhr]

1. Flash - Let Frodo Know That More Americans Will Be Losing Their Jobs

He needs to update his charts!

[Frodo]

2. Sigh.

Why is every report of 100 jobs or 1000 jobs evidence of downward movement to you? Are you under the laughable impression that there was ANY time in our history that you couldn't find these kinds of articles? If I can find a report of 1,000 people being laid off in 1961 does that mean the job market was declining then?


Besides, it said those people were switching from one company to another. It didn't even say India was involved.

[mhr]

9. Indications That Massive Layoffs Continue Only Confirm The Recovery

is meaningless for those of us unemployed.

[Frodo]

11. Really?

But there ARE no indications of "massive layoffs". THIS article certainly didn't mention any and the layoff figures are nowhere NEAR what they were in '01-'02, so they can't be said to "continue". They're also pretty consistent with previouos years that most people thought were pretty solid.


Here's a question for you. Does the recovery become "real" the day you get a job you like? You don't suppose it's possible for you to find a great job in a really sh1ty economy?

[mhr]

10. Besides, The Economy Has Only Added 31,000 New Jobs Since The Recssion

Bottom.

Only 31,000 Jobs Added in 29 Months!
Comstock Funds
May 13, 2004

Nothing can illustrate the fragility of the current recovery more than the fact that even after two solid monthly increases in payroll employment, the economy has added a grand total of only 31,000 jobs in the 29 months since the official November 2001 trough. This amounts to an increase of only 0.02 percent. In other words, in a period covering 29 months of recovery, there are basically no more people working than when the last recession ended.

In the first 29 months of the last seven cyclical expansions employment rose by an average of 7.2 percent including one cycle that peaked at 24 months. If, in the current expansion, employment had increased at the 7.2 percent past average, there would be 9.4 million more jobs in April than the number reported by the BLS. In order to reach that level, jobs, on average, would have had to rise by 324,000 per month for all of the 29 months of this expansion. It actually exceeded this number in only one month—March of this year.

The lack of new jobs is reflected in a similar weakness in wage and salary gains. In the first 28 months of the five prior recoveries, the rise in wages and salaries averaged 68 percent of the increase in disposable personal income (DPI). In the current cycle the portion of DPI growth accounted for by wage and salary increases is only 29 percent.

Snip ......

http://www.comstockfunds.com/index.cfm/act/newsletter.cfm/category/market%20commentary/menuitemid/29/MenuGroup/Home/NewsLetterID/1098/startrow/6.htm

[Frodo]

12. I'm sorry, which is it?

"Massive layoffs continue"? or "miniscule increases are not nearly good enough"?

Because rating things here as a +1 on a scale from -10 to +10 makes you a bush pumper. And recognizing that things have moved from "-10 to +1" implies "improvement" that is inconvenient for some.

[Voltaire99]

14. Depends, doesn't it?

The unemployment rate hit a nine-year high only 11 months ago, driven largely by massive layoffs over the previous two years in manufacturing.

In the last quarter minuscule job growth proved not nearly enough to compensate for the millions of jobs lost under Bush. Adding insult to injury, the growth was chiefly in temporary and service sector jobs. Neither offer Americans a living wage. Both are illusory forms of growth: they produce a vast class of the under-employed.

Other criteria, like soaring home foreclosures and increases in food stamp applications, attest to the erosion of the middle class.

So such improvement is pretty shallow. We have little to celebrate other than the fact that our downward spiral has slowed.

What might have helped, and what might still be necessary if the economy cannot rebound in the face of rising oil prices, is massive public jobs investment. Instead, shortsighted as ever, we have poured $200 billion (and rising) down the crapper in Iraq.

[donsu]

3. Sears must be rightwing - their women's clothing are BORING

and anal

[progressivebydesign]

8. Yeah.. they never got it when it came to clothes..

.. like some other retailers, the clothes are just so damn ugly and boring, and they wonder why they lose money. Hello? The buyers and designer need to walk through a successful store once in a while and see what is popular now in this century.

[Justitia]

4. I heard a positive rumor about Sears

can't remember where in my collective unconscious I heard it, but I distinctly remember hearing that Sears had committed to making up the pay difference for all their reservist employees that were called up for duty.

Can anyone else confirm or debunk?

If so, I would like to give praise where due.

[Frodo]

6. True.

They maintain all pay and benefits for up to two years.

No telling whether getting killed ends the support period.


www.breakthechain.org/exclusives/shopsears.html

When Operation Iraqi Freedom began on March 26, 2003, Sears announced they would extend their supplementation period from 30 days to two years. They will also maintain their company share of medical, dental and life insurance benefits as well (the employee or his or her family must still pay the employee share to keep benefits current). Finally, Sears is also offering a 401K "make-up" plan, so that reservists will not lose their retirement benefits.

[BlueEyedSon]

5. CSC owns DynCorp, a major supplier of mercenaries for the USA

War Profiteers: CSC/ DynCorp

The world's premier rent-a-cop business runs the security show in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the US-Mexico border. They also run the coca crop-dusting business in Colombia, and occasional sex trafficking sorties in Bosnia. But what can you expect from a bunch of mercenaries?

CEO: Paul V. Lombardi
Military contracts 2003: $2.5 billion

The U.S. State Department awarded DynCorp a multimillion-dollar contract to advise the Iraqi government on setting up effective law enforcement, judicial and correctional agencies. DynCorp will arrange for up to 1,000 U.S. civilian law enforcement experts to travel to Iraq to help locals "assess threats to public order" and mentor personnel at the municipal, provincial and national levels. The company will also provide any logistical or technical support necessary for this peacekeeping project. DynCorp estimates it could recoup up to $50 million for the first year of the contract.

More: http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?list=type&type=18

[dand]

7. As a Sears retiree, I can positively attest to the fact

that it is a dying company that sells shoddy goods at ridiculous prices, and should have gone out of business 20 years ago. Sears employees were well paid with benefits up until the discounters almost put them under in the early 90's, now it only hires part timers, no benefits, except for the management, they rely on the interest on their credit card to make their profits, only the mafia has a higher rate.

[Voltaire99]

13. Shoddy goods? Ridiculous prices? Not my experience

Funny, our Sears-bought Kenmore washer and dryer are both still going strong four years later. We got an inexpensive plan that entitles us to yearly check-ups and adjustments, and we take advantage of it.

For that matter, the electric lawn mower we bought is going fine three years later.

The air conditioner is still working without complaint after two years.

We compared prices before making these purchases. Wal-Mart had them slightly cheaper. But so what? Who the fuck would shop at Wal-Mart, given its Bush politics, destructive commercial impact, and labor polices?

No, no complaints with Sears here. Sure, it's hardly a hip place, and these are the only things we've bought from it. But a supplier of name brand appliances is all I need it to be.

[Frodo]

18. Very true.

I suspect that you (like me) use Sears not for "the softer side", but for Craftsman tools, appliances, some electronics, etc.

I haven't a clue if the ladies clothing section or the sheet sets are up to snuff, but the "harder" side of Sears suits me just fine. < /sexism>

[madrchsod]

19. the softer side of sears

is losing money..big time compared to the hard side of sears. sears building smaller hard good stores in small markets is paying off...

[Skittles]

15. my Tombo works for CSC

it sucks

[arwalden]

16. My Mike Works For CSC

it keeps us fed. Their stock value isn't as good as it once was, but things look secure for us for now.

But yeah... there are a lot of things about it that could use some improvement.

[Skittles]

17. Allen!

:hi:

[arwalden]

20. Skittles!

:hi: