WASHINGTON
PTI, APRIL 29, 2004

:The rhetoric by politicians, labour unions and media against outsourcing of jobs to countries like India is having the opposite effect , as the campaign has opened the eyes of small businesses to the possibilities of offshoring, according to industry experts.

Prashant P Kothari, whose Washington-based String Information Services helps small businesses that do not do work overseas on their own, said that a year ago, he spent much of his time explaining the basics of offshoring.

Potential cutomers often wanted to know if people in India can speak English but now they come in with a basic understanding of the process--thanks to the publicity and propaganda against outsourcing

"The comfort level has definitely increaed," Kothari was quoted as saying by the Washington Post.

"The media attention is raising their (small business) awareness about outsourcing in India. It is raising on their radar." Many companies with a few employers here are now taking advantage of outsourcing, matching US companies with development centres abroad