ABSTRACT
A call center in Reno, Ohio, employs 250 individuals to answer phones for clients such as the
online travel agency Expedia. The call center is owned by an outsourcing company called
Tata Group based in Mumbai, India. Most of Tata Group’s employees are Indian, but the
company recently chose to move some of its operations to the United States. One reason for
this decision was that the contractual arrangements that Tata Group has with certain US
firms such as Expedia require that call-center employees have a firm grasp of US geography.
In addition, Tata managers have discovered that many US callers respond more positively to
the voice of other US residents. Furthermore, the wages that Tata has to pay in the market
