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The software and information services sector is a dynamic and
diverse industry. Advances in ICT and its business applications,
together with the increasing globalization of the world economy,
have led to the rapid internationalization of information
technology-enabled services (ITES), including business process
outsourcing. The world market for outsourcing software and
information services is dominated by the U.S. and Europe, with
revenues expected to reach more than $1 trillion by 2004.
The
fact that the software and information services sector shows a high
industry growth rate and that many U.S and European companies are
looking for flexible capacity and strategic alliances provides an
opportunity for Bangladesh. Securing even a small fraction of this
market could result in a substantial number of jobs and meaningful
export diversification for the country. JOBS has made substantial
contributions to the development and promotion of small businesses
offering software and information services in Bangladesh by
providing assistance to build the capacity of these ICT SMEs through
the following activities:
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Assessing Bangladesh’s competitiveness to participate in the
international ITES market. The findings were disseminated in a
workshop titled
Bangladesh and the
International Market for Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES):
Opportunities and Challenges,
sponsored by the MOSICT and USAID and organized by the Carana
Corporation and JOBS in April 2002. This workshop provided
industry stakeholders an opportunity to propose a number of
recommendations
to
help expand the ITES market in Bangladesh.
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Promoting local market access by
cosponsoring the first BASIS Soft Expo in October 2002 at which 41
Bangladeshi software companies showcased their products and
services for the 15,000 people who visited the exposition.
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Promoting international market access by
providing technical support to BASIS participating companies at
two international trade fairs – COMDEX, held in the U.S. in
November 2002, and CeBIT, held in Germany in March 2003 – to gain
market share in the U.S. and Europe. Six companies visited COMDEX,
where JOBS provided them with an American market consultant to
assist networking with outsourcing agencies and to help attract
new clients. At CeBIT, JOBS provided the five participating
companies with a European consultant from CBI.
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To develop the
Software and IT services sector, JOBS plans to work directly with
the private sector to build its market potential – penetrate new
markets and capture unrealized opportunities for the Small and
Medium sized exporters (SMEs) working in this sector. In this
regard JOBS recently has undertaken “”. The objectives of this
program are to assist the firms in developing their business
planning skills, and ultimately to help them gain access to U.S.
IT markets.
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Strengthening the institutional capacity of Bangladesh’s ICT
associations by assisting BCS, BASIS, and ISPAB to develop
effective policy work plans and procedures through an IT Mentor
Alliance program developed in collaboration with the World
Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) and USAID/Washington.
The three associations were assessed to identify assistance needed
in the areas of policy advocacy and association development. WITSA
Vice President for Global Affairs Allen Miller visited
Dhaka in June 2003 to develop a policy advocacy work plan for each
association and to identify specific areas where WITSA could
support the associations. Consultants Patricia and James Hudson
also provided technical support on institutional strengthening,
developed procedure manuals, organization charts, annual plans,
and operating budgets for the associations, and recommended
follow-up activities.
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