BEIJING, Nov. 11 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- J.D. Power and Associates, the world's best known marketing information service provider and a division of global information services company The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP), today announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese city of Dalian and Ambow Education for an assessment of Dalian's competitiveness and capabilities as a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) center through a first-of-its-kind Service Outsourcing Readiness Index.
J.D. Power will work closely with Ambow Education on the development of the index, leveraging Ambow's expertise in the area of professional development for BPO centers. Dalian will use J.D. Power's internationally respected, third-party analysis and Ambow's professional development expertise to advance its competitiveness as a BPO center and to drive continued economic development.
J.D. Power also is in discussions with the city of Kunshan and hopes to sign a similar agreement with Kunshan in the near future.
Harold McGraw III, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The McGraw-Hill Companies, announced the agreement at a press conference today in Beijing.
"A key driver of China's continued growth and position of leadership in the global economy is its transformation from manufacturer-based outsourcing to a services-based outsourcing model," said Mr. McGraw. "This innovative new index will help Dalian continue this successful evolution by providing valuable information and analysis that the city can use to enhance its capabilities and standing as a premier provider of business process services for multinational and domestic companies alike."
Created in 1991, Dalian High Tech Zone is an industrial zone located in Liaoning Province, northern China. Currently, more than 600 high technology companies, including 55 global 500 corporations, have offices in the park.
Dalian is one of the 20 cities designated by the Chinese government as BPO centers as part of its commitment to establishing the country's service outsourcing sector as a new high-growth area. More than half of U.S.- and European-based multinational companies are reported to have outsourced their software development and various business processing functions to overseas BPO centers, and China is taking aggressive steps to narrow the gap with India in terms of being the leading BPO destination in Asia.
The new index will measure such factors as financial performance, customer satisfaction, competitiveness of infrastructure, and human resources. Ambow will be responsible for developing the human resources component of the index. The data and analysis provided by the study will help cities highlight their strengths, identify and address areas for improvement, and better market themselves to corporations. J.D. Power and Ambow are engaged in active discussions about expanding the index to each of the 20 BPO centers.
Serving more than 10 industries in 60 countries, J.D. Power has unparalleled experience in market information and customer satisfaction measurement. This global reach, coupled with its 10 years of experience in China, will provide the insights and benchmarks the BPO industry needs to expand their international influence.
About Ambow Education:
Founded in 2000, Ambow Education is the leading provider of personalized education and training services in China. Ambow has education and training services to cater to every stage of life. Ambow Learning Centers are located throughout China, offering after-school tutoring programs, university entrance exam preparation, job-readiness training and corporate training. With its highly-effective 'learning engine' technology and responsive business model, Ambow has consistently set the standards of excellence to which others aspire in the personalized education services sector in China. A pioneer in the sector, Ambow remains its leading technological innovator, as well as the acknowledged trend-setter in the delivery of effective teaching and learning practices. With Ambow, students and professionals can create the career path and future they desire.
About J.D. Power and Associates:
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, Web intelligence and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies:
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, business intelligence and education markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, Platts, Capital IQ, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2008 were $6.4 billion. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.
Investor Relations: http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/investor_relations
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Release issued: November 11, 2009
SOURCE The McGraw-Hill Companies
Contact: Frank Briamonte, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, The McGraw-Hill Companies, +1-212-512-4145 (office) or +1-201-725-6133 (mobile), frank_briamonte@mcgraw-hill.com; or Syvetril Perryman, Specialist, Media Relations, J.D. Power and Associates, +1-805-418-8103 (office), media.relations@jdpa.com