Cultural Advantage
Much of today's outsourcing focuses on commodity products and services, where the cost disparity can determine whether a company makes a profit or incurs a loss. When it comes to the outsourcing of higher value added services and products, the process often becomes very complex. Cultural differences can make communications difficult, which, in turn, can hinder business dealings between companies. On the other hand, certain differences can be harnessed in order to provide a more pleasant business environment. At DataArt, we believe that the Russian culture is an asset that can greatly benefit our dealings with Western companies.
Russia's culture - its people, music, painting and literature - represents a remarkable strength and has immense potential for truly global reach.
Russian music, art, literature, fashion, and lifestyle have European roots. This cultural similarity helps Russian firms establish honest and easy-going business relationships with US and European customers.
The Russian cultural scene remains vibrant. Famous theatres and museums may receive the most press, but the "informal" cultural sector - composed of talented dancers, beautiful models, and classically-trained musicians bustling through the streets of Russian cities - makes the Russian culture truly unique.
St. Petersburg has become the hub of offshore outsourcing in Russia for the following reasons:
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Regional Infrastructure and Geography:St. Petersburg has a strong infrastructure that has been vastly improved over the past 4 years in preparation for the city's 300th anniversary. The city has an extensive public transit system, reliable, stable electricity, well-developed telecommunications and data communications infrastructure, and convenient means of transportation (whether by land, sea, or air) to all major cities in Europe and North America.
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Language Capabilities:English language is widely used and is the "official" language of DataArt. All internal memos and documentation are prepared in English.
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Creativity and Innovation:Russians are a creative people used to 'making do' and developing creative, cost-effective solutions to solve difficult problems. Our innovation and advanced scientific research are well-known all over the world. IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, and Intel have spread to Russia not only for market presence, but for complex R&D services. The creative aspect of the Russian mentality enables Russians to devise innovative new methods of dealing with the ever-growing number of problems associated with new technologies in today's business scene.
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Time Difference:In many cases, the time difference between Russia and other countries can be a distinct advantage. For example, problems discovered in the USA during the day can be solved overnight for immediate presentation in the morning. Furthermore, since the time difference between Western Russia and Europe is typically 3 hours at most, workdays are generally synchronized.
DataArt is the first outsourcing company to take full advantage of the Russian culture by establishing a set of cultural management practices and allocating a culture advisor to each of the projects.Our Cultural Advisors are responsible for hospitality, site-seeing, and logistical assistance for DataArt's visitors.
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