You get what you pay for! (English idiom meaning if you invest in quality you get quality, if you pay little, you get nothing of value!)

Dear Reader,

We were recently asked a very simple, direct and straightforward question, why should I pay for the Abacus web courses when there is so much free stuff on the web?

There are lots of reasons. Here are some of the most obvious ones.

Students will

become more effective communicators in the target language;
score higher in international examinations such as TOEIC, BEC, IELTS, FCE, CAE;

Teachers know that

the courses are based on latest research into learning and language theory;
they are designed by a team of language experts;
they can monitor students progress using the Learning Management tools;
they can create new resources to add to the existing libraries;
Abacus delivers in-service training programmes to enable the teacher to exploit the resources successfully;

Administrators/School Owners can

monitor teacher and student activity using the multilingual Learner Management tools;
customise the language libraries to suit their needs;
localise the resources to suits their requirements;
generate additional income for their organisation;

Companies know that

the language libraries can be integrated into their Learning Management Systems;
staff are more productive;
the company is more competitive;
the company generates more profit;

Abacus assurances

Abacus courses are designed to the highest international technical and pedagogical standards;
All of our courses are recognised by the National Training Agency http://www.fas.ie.

We recommend that you download a document from http://www.abacus-communications.com/downloads/Abacus%20Web%20Evaluation%20Checklist.rtf which will allow you to evaluate the Abacus Let's Do Business resources successfully.

Sincerely,

Stephen Byrne
MA (App Ling), HDip in Ed., Dip RSA TEFLA, MIITD

Philippines - English language Proficiency

President Arroyo has not been having a good year on the political front. But she can perhaps take comfort from the economy's performance. This will mean average annual growth of about 5.5 per cent over President Arroyo's term in office.

Another area in which the Philippines has been enjoying considerable growth goes by the alternative names of 'offshoring', 'international outsourcing' or 'business process outsourcing'. These labels cover activities which are undertaken on behalf of foreign companies from rich countries, in the Philippines case especially the USA. The specific activities include call centres, legal and medical transcription services, financial services such as 'backroom' accounting and bookkeeping, animation and software development.

But the unexpectedly rapid growth has highlighted a problem, which may hold back the outsourcing boom. The problem is a shortage of suitably qualified recruits, a matter which itself raises questions about the efficacy of the Philippine education system and the continued predilection of Filipinos to go abroad in search of work. The once much-vaunted Philippine education system has come under considerable scrutiny and criticism. English proficiency is a key requirement in call centres and even in other professional areas, but according to a Business World report there is a 'deteriorating aptitude for the language' in Philippine schools, colleges and universities and a declining quality of graduates. The proliferation of educational institutions providing poor quality education has also been identified as a potential obstacle to growth while the education system has been slow to react to the outsourcing industry's needs. The government has moved more swiftly to address the industry's concerns and has allocated US$9.8 million for outsourcing training. However, this only serves to emphasise the overall problems of declining quality in the Philippine education system, a situation if not arrested and reversed will have adverse consequences not only for outsourcing, but for the economy as a whole.

Source Asean Focus Group

Asian Analysis is published by Asean Focus Group in cooperation with the Faculty of Asian Studies at The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.

www.aseanfocus.com
www.anu.edu.au/asianstudies/

Interested in Irish (Gaelic) Language Resources?

www.Oideas-Gael.com

Gaeilge agus laethanta saoire cultúrtha
Irish language courses & cultural activity holidays

www.Beo.ie

Iris Ghaeilge ar líne - Online Irish language magazine
Iris idirlín do lucht na Gaelige in Éireann agus ar fud na cruinne
Internet magazine for Irish Speakers in Ireland and worldwide.

About Abacus

Abacus was established in 1996 by a group of teachers interested in exploiting developments in technology to deliver high quality language learning programmes. Abacus Communications designs, develops and delivers world-class CD-ROM and web-based language training resources. These resources are used extensively in self-learning and classroom environments. All Abacus courses are approved by the National Training Agency http://www.fas.ie. Our Organisation Registration Number is 902707.