Quarterlytics / Technology / Information Technology Services / Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated

syke · NASDAQ Technology
Claim this profile
Ticker syke
Exchange NASDAQ
Sector Technology
Industry Information Technology Services
Employees 10,000+
← All annual reports
FY2011 Annual Report · Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated
Sign in to download
Loading PDF…
[                        ]

C O R P O R A T E   P R O F I L E

SYKES is a global leader in providing customer contact management solutions 

and services in the business process outsourcing (BPO) arena.  SYKES provides 

an array of sophisticated customer contact management solutions to Fortune 

1000 companies around the world, primarily in the communications, financial  

services, healthcare, technology and transportation and leisure industries. SYKES 

specializes in providing flexible, high quality customer support outsourcing 

solutions with an emphasis on inbound technical support and customer service.  

Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with customer contact management centers 

throughout the world, SYKES provides its services through multiple communication 

channels encompassing phone, e-mail, web, chat and social media. Utilizing its 

integrated onshore/offshore global delivery model, along with a virtual at-home 

agent platform, SYKES serves its clients through two geographic operating  

segments: the Americas (United States, Canada, Latin America, India and the Asia 

Pacific region) and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). SYKES also provides 

various enterprise support services in the Americas and fulfillment services in 

EMEA, which include multi-lingual sales order processing, payment processing, 

inventory control, product delivery and product returns handling. For additional 

information please visit www.sykes.com.

dear shareholders:

As 2011 began to unfold, no one could have predicted how profoundly it would mirror the events of 2010, when 

macro-economic turbulence seriously undermined the customer-contact management industry. As in 2010, 2011 

also started on an upbeat note. There were tentative signs that the U.S. and European economies were finally 

beginning to stabilize. Midway through the year, however, news of potential sovereign credit defaults in Europe — 

led by Greece — triggered fears of a potential double-dip recession in the U.S. These concerns reverberated 

throughout the customer-contact industry and, like many of our competitors, we faced a second consecutive year of 

erratic demand. Constant currency comparable revenue growth posted a decline of 1.2% (reported revenue growth 

was up 4.2% in 2011 versus 2010 as 2010 revenues included only 11-months of revenue contribution from the 

ICT acquisition), reflecting weak end-market demand for our clients’ products and services. And, despite the best 

efforts of our hard-working team members, the headwinds from unfavorable foreign exchange rates proved too 

considerable, significantly skewing our overall operating margin performance.

Yet, even amid the intense macroeconomic cross-currents, we rose to the challenge. We maintained our focus, 

protected our strong balance sheet and controlled our risk. We made meaningful progress in our revenue growth 

trajectory — moderating revenue declines to 1.2% in 2011 from a decline of 4.6% in 2010 — while delivering 

respectable adjusted operating margins of 7.1%* versus 

7.7%** (5.6% versus 3.4% on a reported basis) in 

the face of $11.2 million, or almost a 100 basis 

points, in foreign exchange headwinds. We 

generated record operating cash flows during 

the year of $102.6 million, more than 

double that of 2010, confirming the 

positive financial effects of the 

ICT Group acquisition. We also 

announced a five-million-share 

repurchase plan  — the largest in 

SYKES’ history — proclaiming 

our confidence in the Company’s 

long-term prospects. We followed 

CHARLES E. SYKES 
(left) President and Chief Executive Officer

W. MICHAEL KIPPHUT  
(right), Executive Vice President and  
Chief Financial Officer

[ 1 ]

sykes 2011 Annual Report through on several of the key initiatives discussed in our 2010 

letter to shareholders. And most crucially, rather than passively 

enduring the challenging macro-environment, we leveraged 

it  — transforming it into a catalyst for the refinement and 

implementation of specific targeted strategic initiatives that, 

we believe, will further sharpen our focus, strengthen our 

market position and maximize potential long-term returns 

for our shareholders. In the pages ahead, we will summarize 

the operating environment in 2011, discuss the actions we 

undertook in 2011, report our progress on 2010 strategic 

initiatives, and share our long-term outlook.

[              ]

SnAPSHOT OF 2011 
OPERATIng PERFORMAnCE

The operating environment in 2011 sent mixed signals. 
Among our portfolio of 200-plus clients — which span key 
markets that represent 80% to 90% of the end-market 
demand for customer contact management services and 
thus, in our view, are a better proxy for the broader state 
of demand in 2011— client demand was broadly uneven. 
Further compounding the demand environment was client 
program attrition. This was due to several factors, among 
them, product or service-support phase-outs, competitive 
dislocation of certain products, counter cyclical nature of 
certain programs (diminished need for soft collections of  
30-days past due payments as more customers paid their bills 
on time, as an example), client-driven shifts in customer 
support strategy in order to streamline supply chains and 
reduce the number of customer contact management vendors, 
and efforts to exit programs with sub-optimal returns. The 
ultimate result was revenue growth, which fluctuated from 
quarter to quarter throughout the year accompanied by a 
corresponding impact on margins. And the data bears that out.

As the year began, we posted low single-digit constant currency 
year-over-year revenue growth, which was driven not just by 

the financial services vertical, but, more surprisingly, by the 
discretionary technology vertical. Even adjusted operating 
margins in the first quarter came in at a respectable 6.7%*** 
(5.3% on a reported basis), partially helped by the EMEA 
region. While first quarter results offered signs of optimism, 
second quarter demand, although still up, fell short of 
expectations. This was particularly the case in the EMEA 
region where, unfortunately, we had begun ramping up in 
anticipation of healthy client demand. As that demand failed 
to materialize, combined with the lack of labor flexibility in 
the region, it created a significant drag on EMEA’s operating 
margins, which swung to an operating loss of $1.5 million**** 
on adjusted basis ($1.8 million on a reported basis), thereby 
dampening the overall operating margin momentum. In fact, 
by the second half of the year, we began to feel the effects 
of the macro-economic volatility, as revenue growth turned 
negative, weighing on operating margins. Growth drivers 
narrowed even further, with the financial services vertical 
providing the only consistent area of strength. And despite 
new client acquisitions and existing program expansions, 
it wasn’t enough to completely offset the attrition of client 
programs and sluggish demand.

[                  ]

STRATEgIC ACTIOnS & PROgRESS    
On On-gOIng InITIATIvES

Even though demand disappointed in 2011, the year did not 
amount to a lost opportunity. In fact, the tough macro-economic 
backdrop spurred us to take targeted strategic actions. 

One of the toughest balancing acts we face in leveraging our 
global delivery model is maintaining our value proposition 
of a global footprint and balancing that with our focus on 
maintaining profitable growth. While not mutually exclusive, 
meeting both goals requires that we invest our resources in 
geographies that pass the cost-benefit test and deliver the 
desired returns for our investors. To help ensure that our 

One of the toughest balancing acts we face in leveraging our global delivery model  

is maintaining our value proposition of a global footprint and balancing that with our focus  

on maintaining profitable growth. 

[ 2 ]

2011 Annual Report sykes  
 
 
In addition to capacity rationalization, we continued to leverage the success of our pure-play virtual 

at-home agent model in 2011. After winning our first at-home agent client — one of the leading 

telecom providers in Canada  — In 2010, we parlayed that success into additional momentum.

operations meet that criteria, we initiated a strategic review 
of our EMEA operations in 2011 — a region in which we 
have had a presence for more than 15 years — in an attempt 
to focus on core markets and delivery geographies that are 
strategic, have the highest potential of enhancing our long-
term revenue growth, improve our long-term profitability and 
generate the best returns for our shareholders. 

The result: We made the decision to exit certain non-strategic 
countries within EMEA, including South Africa and Ireland, 
while rationalizing capacity in the Netherlands. In addition, 
we put our operations in Spain up for sale. Altogether, these 
countries represented 2,000 seats in 2011 (out of roughly 
6,800 seats, or approximately 30% of EMEA’s capacity), 
with a combined revenue of $64 million and an operating 
loss of approximately $12.0 million. Because each of the 
aforementioned countries faced long-term demand and 
profitability issues due to changes in our clients’ customer 
service strategies and their preferences for other cost-effective 
delivery geographies — a trend exacerbated by the global 
economic downturn — it was a decision that, 
although tough, was necessary to ensure 
long-term success in the EMEA region. 

announced plans to eliminate approximately 1,200 seats (out 
of roughly 35,900 seats, or approximately 3% of Americas’ 
capacity). These seats were in smaller and underutilized centers, 
such that they were misaligned with the market opportunity 
and were inefficient in terms of delivering the kind of 
economies of scale that we typically realize in larger centers. 

In addition to capacity rationalization, we continued to 
leverage the success of our pure-play virtual at-home agent 
model in 2011. After winning our first at-home agent  
client — one of the leading telecom providers in Canada  — 
in 2010, we parlayed that success into additional momentum. 
We successfully cross-sold this capability into one of the 
leading telecom providers in the U.S., as well as a marquee 
technology client, thus further broadening our vertical 
markets penetration. What is especially encouraging is that 
the early adopters for our at-home agent model are established 
blue-chip clients. Although the adoption curve of the at-home 
agent model will likely be dictated by each company’s economics 
and business strategy, we believe early indications are promising. 

More importantly, these program wins with 

existing clients are incremental and are not 

expected to cannibalize existing business. 
And they should be incremental 

While the EMEA restructuring 
garnered most of the attention 
in 2011, and was well received 
by you, our shareholders, 
there were other actions 
undertaken in 2011. One 
of the key initiatives we 
outlined in our 2010 letter 
to shareholders was the 
rationalization of excess 
capacity associated with  
the integration of the ICT 
Group acquisition. We 
delivered on that front as we 

on a net basis over the long term 
as well, as the at-home agent 
delivery model broadens 
the addressable market 
opportunity. Ultimately, 
each win will serve to 
solidify our position in the 
marketplace as a multi-
channel customer contact 
management provider with 
a holistic set of delivery 
capabilities that address the 
needs and best interests of 
our clients. 

[ 3 ]

sykes 2011 Annual Report [       ] 

COnCLUSIOn

No question, 2011 was a rocky year for the customer contact 
management industry. In fact, the sluggish demand of the last 
two years could distort anyone’s perception of the industry. 
But it is worth remembering that the customer contact 
management industry is large — roughly $200 billion in 
size — and is only 20%-30% penetrated. Clients continue 
to outsource customer contact services as a way to turn their 
fixed costs into variable costs and improve their operating 
flexibility while focusing their resources and energies more 
effectively on their core business. While demand will always 
be driven by a certain measure of client-driven cyclicality, we 
don’t expect the outsourcing paradigm to change significantly. 
In fact, as we exited 2011, the demand trend in our sales 
pipeline looked promising, and the conversion rates were 
tracking slightly ahead of plan. Furthermore, the pricing 
environment on balance has remained favorable. And even 
though there are external risks — among them currencies, 
the regulatory environment, political headline risks, inflation 
expectations and disruptive technological shifts — we remain 
confident that despite our short-term cautious optimism we 
will get through this challenging environment and deliver on 
our long-term target operating margin range of 8% to 10%. 

We believe that the strategic actions taken in 2011 will deliver 
favorable returns, both short-term and long-term. In the short 
run, the combination of our bold restructuring actions in the 
EMEA region and the seat optimization in the U.S. associated 
with the ICT Group acquisition should begin to improve our 
operating margins in the latter part of 2012. Long-term, the 

above actions, coupled with investments in our at-home agent 
program and social media platform as well as a sustained focus 
on optimizing our business and increasing penetration in our 
core vertical markets (financial services, communications and 
technology), should bolster our market position. That is not 
to suggest that additional adjustments won’t be required in the 
future, especially if they are in the long-term strategic interests 
of the Company. For now, however, we believe the measures 
we have taken are properly aligned with our business mix and 
are in the interests of our clients and shareholders. 

In closing, however the new year plays out, we remain 
operationally focused on executing our strategy and have every 
confidence that we will emerge from this downturn as an even 
more formidable competitor. We would like to thank you — 
our shareholders, clients, employees and Board of Directors — 
for your enduring trust and support. 

Charles E. Sykes 
President and Chief Executive Officer

W. Michael Kipphut
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Adjusted basis is a supplemental measure of performance that is not required by, or presented in accordance with, U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Adjusted basis, however, is an 
important indicator of performance as this non-GAAP financial measure assists readers in further understanding the Company’s results of operations and trends from period-to-period exclusive of certain 
adjusting items, including the EMEA Restructuring, net gain on insurance settlement and disposal of property net of charitable contribution and corporate development costs. The term “adjusted basis”,  
as referenced in this shareholder letter, includes the ICT acquisition but excludes ICT acquisition-related costs such as those associated with capacity rationalization and facilities consolidation, coupled 
with other adjustments. 

*The Company’s 2011 operating margin was 5.6%. On an adjusted basis — excluding ICT severance and consulting engagement costs (0.0% of revenues), ICT depreciation and amortization 
of property and equipment and intangibles write-ups (1.0% of revenues), ICT merger and integration costs (0.1% of revenues), EMEA restructuring costs (0.5% of revenues), the net gain on insurance 
settlement and disposal of property net of charitable contribution and corporate development costs (0.1% of revenues), the Company’s 2011 operating margin was 7.1%.

  **The Company’s 2010 operating margin was 3.4%. On an adjusted basis — excluding ICT severance and consulting engagement costs (1.5% of revenues), ICT depreciation and amortization of property 
and equipment and intangibles write-ups (1.1% of revenues), ICT merger and integration costs (1.9% of revenues), and an insurance settlement (0.2% of revenues), the Company’s 2010 operating 
margin was 7.7%.

  ***The Company’s first quarter 2011 operating margin was 5.3%. On an adjusted basis — excluding ICT severance and consulting engagement costs (0.0% of revenues), ICT depreciation and amortization 
of property and equipment and intangibles write-ups (1.1% of revenues), ICT merger and integration costs (0.1% of revenues) as well as impairment of long-lived assets and insurance settlement (0.2% of 
revenues), the Company’s first quarter 2011 operating margin was 6.7%.

****The Company’s second quarter 2011 loss from operations in the EMEA region was $1.8 million. On an adjusted basis, excluding lease termination costs of $0.3 million, the Company’s second quarter 2011 

loss from operations in the EMEA region was $1.5 million.

[ 4 ]

2011 Annual Report sykes  
UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION  
Washington, D.C. 20549  
FORM 10-K  

[X]  Annual Report Pursuant To Section 13 Or 15(d) Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934 
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2011  
Or 
[  ]  Transition Report Pursuant To Section 13 Or 15(d) Of The Securities Exchange Act Of 1934 
For The Transition Period From           To            

Commission File Number 0-28274  
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated  
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)  

Florida  
(State or other jurisdiction of  
incorporation or organization)  

400 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 2800, Tampa, Florida  
(Address of principal executive offices)  

56-1383460  
(IRS Employer  
Identification No.)  

33602  
(Zip Code)  

(813) 274-1000  
(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)  

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: 

Title of Each Class  
Common Stock $.01 Par Value

Name of each exchange on which registered 
NASDAQ Stock Market, LLC 

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None  

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.  

Yes [  ]                           No [X] 

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Exchange Act.  

Yes [  ]                           No [X] 

Indicate  by  check  mark  whether  the  registrant  (1) has  filed  all  reports  required  to  be  filed  by  Section 13  or  15  (d) of  the  Securities 
Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), 
and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  

Yes [X]                           No [  ] 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its corporate Web site, if any, every Interactive 
Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 
months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). 

Yes [X]                           No [  ] 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be 
contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this 
Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  [X]  

Indicate  by  check  mark  whether  the  registrant  is  a  large  accelerated  filer,  an  accelerated  filer,  a  non-accelerated  filer  or  a  smaller 
reporting company. See the definitions of “accelerated filer,”  “large accelerated filer” and “smaller reporting company” in Rule 12b-2 of 
the Exchange Act (Check one):  
    Large accelerated filer   [X]          Accelerated filer   [ ]          Non-accelerated filer   [  ]          Smaller reporting company   [  ] 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act).  

Yes [  ]                           No [X] 

The aggregate market value of the shares of voting common stock held by non-affiliates of the Registrant computed by reference to the 
closing sales price of such shares on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on June 30, 2011, the last business day of the Registrant’s most 
recently completed second fiscal quarter, was $979,138,197. 

As of February 21, 2012, there were 44,097,423 outstanding shares of common stock. 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE: 

Documents .............................................................................................................. 
Portions of the Proxy Statement for the year 2012                                        
Annual Meeting of Shareholders .............................................................................

Form 10-K Reference 

Part III Items 10–14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Page No. 

PART I  
Item 1     Business  .................................................................................................................................. 
Item 1A  Risk Factors .............................................................................................................................. 
Item 1B  Unresolved Staff Comments ..................................................................................................... 
Item 2     Properties  ................................................................................................................................ 
Item 3     Legal Proceedings  ................................................................................................................... 
Item 4     Mine Safety Disclosures .......................................................................................................... 

PART II  
Item 5     Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer 
                    Purchases of Equity Securities............................................................................................. 
Item 6     Selected Financial Data ............................................................................................................ 
Item 7     Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations  .. 
Item 7A  Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk  ................................................. 
Item 8     Financial Statements and Supplementary Data  ....................................................................... 
Item 9     Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure  .. 
Item 9A  Controls and Procedures  .......................................................................................................... 
Item 9B  Other Information ..................................................................................................................... 

PART III  
Item 10   Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance ....................................................... 
Item 11   Executive Compensation  ......................................................................................................... 
Item 12   Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and  
                    Related Shareholder Matters ............................................................................................... 
Item 13   Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence  ........................ 
Item 14   Principal Accountant Fees and Services  ................................................................................. 

PART IV  
Item 15   Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules  ........................................................................... 

3 
11 
19 
20 
23 
23 

24 
26 
28 
47 
48 
48 
48 
51 

51 
51 

51 
51 
51 

52 

2 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Item 1. Business 

General  

PART I  

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and consolidated subsidiaries (“SYKES,” “our,” “us” or “we”) is a global leader in 
providing  outsourced  customer  contact  management  solutions  and  services  in  the  business  process  outsourcing 
(“BPO”)  arena.  We  provide  an  array  of  sophisticated  customer  contact  management  solutions  to  a  wide  range  of 
clients  including  Fortune  1000  companies,  medium-sized  businesses,  and  public  institutions  around  the  world, 
primarily in the communications, financial services, technology/consumer, transportation and leisure, healthcare and 
other  verticals.  We  serve  our  clients  through  two  geographic  operating  regions:  the  Americas  (United  States, 
Canada, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim) and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). Our 
Americas  and  EMEA  groups  primarily  provide  customer  contact  management  services  (with  an  emphasis  on 
inbound  technical  support  and  customer  service),  which  includes  customer  assistance,  healthcare  and  roadside 
assistance,  technical  support  and  product  sales  to  our  clients’  customers.  These  services  are  delivered  through 
multiple  communication  channels  including  phone,  e-mail,  Internet,  text  messaging  and  chat.  We  also  provide 
various  enterprise  support  services  in  the  United  States  that  include  services  for  our  clients’  internal  support 
operations, from technical staffing services to outsourced corporate help desk services. In Europe, we also provide 
fulfillment  services  including  multilingual  sales  order  processing  via  the  Internet  and  phone,  inventory  control, 
product  delivery  and  product  returns  handling.  (See  Note  27,  Segments  and  Geographic  Information,  of  the 
accompanying  “Notes  to  Consolidated  Financial  Statements”  for  further  information  on  our  segments.)  Our 
complete  service  offering  helps  our  clients  acquire,  retain  and  increase  the  lifetime  value  of  their  customer 
relationships. We have developed an extensive global reach with customer contact management centers across six 
continents, including North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. We deliver cost-effective 
solutions that enhance the customer service experience, promote stronger brand loyalty, and bring about high levels 
of performance and profitability. 

SYKES was founded in 1977 in North Carolina and we moved our headquarters to Florida in 1993. In March 1996, 
we changed our state of incorporation from North Carolina to Florida. Our headquarters are located at 400 North 
Ashley Drive, Suite 2800, Tampa, Florida 33602, and our telephone number is (813) 274-1000.  

In  November  2011,  we  announced  a  plan  to  rationalize  seats  in  certain  U.S.  sites  and  close  certain  locations  in 
EMEA in an ongoing effort to streamline excess capacity related to the acquisition of ICT Group, Inc. (“ICT”) and 
align  it  with  the  needs  of  the  market,  optimize  capacity  utilization  and  improve  overall  profitability.    The  costs 
associated with the plan include facility-related costs, impairments of long-lived assets, program transfer costs and 
anticipated severance-related costs. 

In November 2011, we committed to a plan to sell our operations in Spain. We have reflected the operating results 
related  to  the  operations  in  Spain  as  discontinued  operations  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations  for  all  periods  presented  and  the  assets  and  related  liabilities  as  held  for  sale  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011.  

In December 2010, we sold our Argentine operations pursuant to stock purchase agreements, dated December 16, 
2010  and  December  29,  2010.  We  have  reflected  the  operating  results  related  to  the  Argentine  operations  as 
discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented.  

On  February  2,  2010,  we  completed  the  acquisition  of  ICT,  a  Pennsylvania  corporation  and  a  leading  global 
provider of outsourced customer management and BPO solutions, pursuant to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, 
dated  October 5,  2009.  We  refer  to  such  acquisition  herein  as  the  “ICT  acquisition.”    We  have  reflected  the 
combined operating results in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 
31, 2011 and the period from February 2, 2010 to December 31, 2010.  

Our  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K,  Quarterly  Reports  on  Form  10-Q,  Current  Reports  on  Form  8-K,  and 
amendments to those reports, as well as our proxy statements and other materials which are filed with, or furnished 
to, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) are made available, free of charge, on or through our Internet 
website  at  www.sykes.com  (click  on  “Investor  Relations”  and  then  “SEC  Filings”  under  the  heading  “Financial 
Information”) as soon as reasonably practicable after they are filed with, or furnished to, the SEC.  

3

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Industry Overview  

We believe that growth for outsourced customer contact management solutions and services will be fueled by the 
trend  of  global  Fortune  1000  companies  and  medium-sized  businesses  turning  to  outsourcers  to  provide  high-
quality, cost-effective, value-added customer contact management solutions.  Businesses continue to move toward 
integrated solutions that consist of a combination of support from our onshore markets in the United States, Canada, 
Australia, Africa, and Europe and offshore markets in the Asia Pacific Rim and Latin America. 

In  today’s  ever-changing  marketplace,  companies  require  innovative  customer  contact  management  solutions  that 
allow  them  to  enhance  the  end  user’s  experience  with  their  products  and  services,  strengthen  and  enhance  their 
company  brands,  maximize  the  lifetime  value  of  their  customers,  efficiently  and  effectively  deliver  human 
interaction when customers value it most, and deploy best-in-class customer management strategies, processes and 
technologies.  

Global competition, pricing pressures, softness in the global economy and rapid changes in technology continue to 
make it difficult for companies to cost effectively maintain the in-house personnel necessary to handle all of their 
customer  contact  management  needs.  As  a  result,  companies  are  continuing  to  turn  to  outsourcers  to  perform 
specialized  functions  and  services  in  the  customer  contact  management  arena.  By  working  in  partnership  with 
outsourcers, companies can ensure that the crucial task of retaining and growing their customer base is addressed.  

Companies  outsource  customer  contact  management  solutions  for various  reasons,  including  the need  to  focus  on 
core competencies, to drive service excellence and execution, to achieve cost savings, to scale and grow geographies 
and niche markets, and to efficiently allocate capital within their organizations. 

To  address  these  needs,  we  offer  global  customer  contact  management  solutions  that  focus  on  proactively 
identifying and solving our clients’ business challenges.  We provide consistent high-value support for our clients’ 
customers  across  the  globe  in  a  multitude  of  languages,  leveraging  our  dynamic,  secure  communications 
infrastructure  and  our  global  footprint  that  reaches  across  23  countries  (which  excludes  Spain  as  a  result  of  the 
planned sale of those operations). This global footprint includes established operations in both onshore and offshore 
geographic markets where companies have access to high-quality customer contact management solutions at lower 
costs compared to other markets.  

Business Strategy 

Our goal is to proactively provide enhanced and value-added customer contact management solutions and services, 
acting  as  a  partner  in  our  clients’  business.  We  anticipate  trends  and  deliver  new  ways  of  growing  our  clients’ 
customer satisfaction and retention rates, and thus profit, through timely, insightful and proven solutions. 

Our  business  strategy  encompasses  building  long-term  client  relationships,  capitalizing  on  our  expert  worldwide 
response  team,  leveraging  our  depth  of  relevant  experience  and  expanding  both  organically  and  through 
acquisitions. The principles of this strategy include the following:  

Build  Long-Term  Client  Relationships  Through  Operational  Excellence.  We  believe  that  providing  high-value, 
high-quality service is critical in our clients’ decisions to outsource and in building long-term relationships with our 
clients. To ensure service excellence and consistency across each of our centers globally, we leverage a portfolio of 
techniques  including  SYKES  Science  of  Service®.  This  standard  is  a  compilation  of  more  than  30  years  of 
experience  and  best  practices.  Every  customer  contact  management  center  strives  to  meet  or  exceed  the  standard, 
which addresses leadership, hiring and training, performance management down to the agent level, forecasting and 
scheduling, and the client relationship including continuous improvement, disaster recovery plans and feedback.  

Capitalize on Our Worldwide Response Team. Companies are demanding a customer contact management solution 
that  is  global  in  nature  —  one  of  our  key  strengths.  In  addition  to  our  network  of  customer  contact  management 
centers  throughout  North  America,  Australia  and  Europe,  we  continue  to  develop  our  global  delivery  model  with 
offshore  and  near-shore  operations  in  The  Philippines,  The  Peoples  Republic  of  China,  India,  Costa  Rica,  El 
Salvador,  Mexico,  Brazil,  Egypt  and  Romania,  offering  our  clients  a  secure,  high-quality  solution  tailored  to  the 
needs of their diverse and global markets. 

4

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Maintain  a  Competitive  Advantage  Through  Technology  Solutions.  For  more  than  30  years,  we  have  been  an 
innovative  pioneer  in  delivering  customer  contact  management  solutions.  We  seek  to  maintain  a  competitive 
advantage and differentiation by utilizing technology to consistently deliver innovative service solutions, ultimately 
enhancing  the  client’s  relationship  with  its  customers  and  generating  revenue  growth.    This  includes  knowledge 
solutions  for  agents  and  end  customers,  automatic  call  distributors,  interactive  voice  response  systems,  intelligent 
call  routing  and  workforce  management  capabilities  based  on  agent  skill  and  availability,  call  tracking  software, 
quality  management  systems  and  computer-telephony  integration  (“CTI”).  CTI enables  our  customer  contact 
management centers to serve as transparent extensions for our clients, receive telephone calls and data directly from 
our  clients’  systems,  and  report  detailed  information  concerning  the  status  and  results  of  our  services  on  a  daily 
basis.   

Through  strategic  technology  relationships,  we  are  able  to  provide  fully  integrated  communication  services 
encompassing e-mail, chat, text messaging and Internet self-service platforms. In addition, we utilize Global Direct, 
our customer relationship management (“CRM”)/e-commerce application for our European fulfillment operations. 
Global Direct establishes a platform whereby our clients can manage all customer profile and contact information 
from every communication channel, making it a viable customer-facing infrastructure solution to support their CRM 
initiatives. 

We are also continuing to capitalize on sophisticated technological capabilities, including our current digital private 
network  that  provides  us  the  ability  to  manage  call  volumes  more  efficiently  by  load  balancing  calls  and  data 
between  customer  contact  management  centers  over  the  same  network.  Our  converged  voice  and  data  digital 
communications  network  provides  a  high-quality,  fault  tolerant  global  network  for  the  transport  of  Voice  Over 
Internet Protocol communications and fully integrates with emergent Internet Protocol telephony systems as well as 
traditional Time Domain Multiplexing telephony systems. Our flexible, secure and scalable network infrastructure 
allows us to rapidly respond to changes in client voice and data traffic and quickly establish support operations for 
new and existing clients.  

Continue  to  Grow  Our  Business  Organically  and  through  Acquisitions.  We  have  grown  our  customer  contact 
management outsourcing operations utilizing a strategy of both internal organic growth and external acquisitions.  

Our organic growth  strategy is  to  target  markets,  clients, verticals, delivery  geographies  and service mix  that  will 
expand our addressable market opportunity, and thus drive our organic growth.  Entry into Brazil, Romania, Egypt 
and El Salvador are examples of how we leveraged these delivery geographies to further penetrate our base of both 
existing and new clients, verticals and service mix in order to drive organic growth.   

Growth Strategy 

Applying the key principles of our business strategy, we execute our growth strategy by focusing on the following 
levers.  

Maximizing Capacity Utilization Rates and Strategically Adding Seat Capacity. The key driver of our revenues is 
increasing the capacity utilization rate in conjunction with seat capacity additions. We plan to sustain our focus on 
increasing the capacity utilization rate by further penetrating existing clients, adding new clients and rationalizing 
seat capacity as deemed necessary.  Additionally, we have the ability to expand our current seat capacity of 41,300 
through strategic acquisitions and organic expansion. 

Broadening Global Delivery Footprint. Just as increased capacity utilization rates and increased seat capacity are 
key drivers of our revenues, where we deploy the seat capacity geographically is also important. By broadening and 
continuously strengthening our brick-and-mortar global delivery footprint, we are able to meet both our existing and 
new clients’ customer contact management needs globally as they enter new markets. At the end of 2011, our global 
delivery footprint spanned 23 countries. As a multi-channel provider of phone, e-mail, Internet, text messaging and 
chat  customer  contact  management  services,  we  continue  to  invest  in  our  virtual  at-home  agent  offering,  which 
augments our existing brick-and-mortar global delivery footprint. Additionally, with the rapid emergence of on-line 
communities, examples of which are chat rooms, Facebook and Twitter, we continue to make on-going investments 
in our social media service offerings, which can be leveraged across both our brick-and-mortar and at-home agent 
delivery platforms. 

Increasing  Share  of  Seats  Within  Existing  Clients  and  Winning  New  Clients.  We  provide  customer  contact 
management support to numerous multinational companies. With this client list, we have the opportunity to grow 

5

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
our client base. We strive to achieve this by winning a greater share of our clients’ in-house seats as well as gain 
share from our competitors by providing consistently high-quality service. In addition, as we further leverage our 
knowledge of verticals and business lines, we plan to win new clients as a way to broaden our base of growth. 

Diversifying Verticals and Expanding Service Lines.  To mitigate the impact of any negative economic and product 
cycles  on  our  growth  rate,  we  continue  to  seek  ways  to  diversify  into  verticals  and  service  lines  that  have 
countercyclical  features  and  healthy  growth  rates.   We  are  targeting  the  following  verticals  for  growth:  
communications, financial services, technology/consumer, healthcare and transportation and leisure.  These verticals 
cover  various  business  lines,  including  wireless  services,  broadband,  retail  banking,  credit  card/consumer  fraud 
protection, content moderation, telemedicine and travel portals.  

Creating Value-Added Service Enhancements.  To improve both revenue and margin expansion, we will continue 
to introduce new service offerings and add-on enhancements.  Bilingual customer support and back office services 
are examples of horizontal service offerings, while data analytics and process improvement products are examples 
of add-on enhancements. 

Continuing  to  Focus  on  Expanding  the  Addressable  Market  Opportunities.    As  part  of our  growth strategy,  we 
continually seek to expand the number of markets we serve. The United States, Canada and Germany, for instance, 
are markets which are served by either in-country, from offshore regions or a combination thereof.  We continually 
seek ways to broaden the addressable market for our customer contact management services.  We currently operate 
in 17 markets, which exclude Spain as a result of the planned sale of those operations. 

Services 

We  specialize  in  providing  inbound  outsourced  customer  contact  management  solutions  in  the  BPO  arena  on  a 
global  basis.  Our  customer  contact  management  services  are  provided  through  two  operating  segments  —  the 
Americas  and  EMEA.  The  Americas  region,  representing  82%  of  consolidated  revenues  in  2011,  includes  the 
United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim. The sites within Latin America and the 
Asia Pacific Rim are included in the Americas region as they provide a significant service delivery vehicle for U.S. 
based  companies  that  are  utilizing  our  customer  contact  management  solutions  in  these  locations  to  support  their 
customer care needs. The EMEA region, representing 18% of consolidated revenues in 2011, includes Europe, the 
Middle  East  and  Africa.  See  Note  27,  Segments  and  Geographic  Information,  of  the  accompanying  “Notes  to 
Consolidated Financial Statements” for further information on our segments. The following is a description of our 
customer contact management solutions:  

Outsourced  Customer  Contact  Management  Services.  Our  outsourced  customer  contact  management  services 
represented approximately 98% of total 2011 consolidated revenues. Each year since 2008, we have handled over 
250 million customer contacts including phone, e-mail, Internet, text messaging and chat throughout the Americas 
and  EMEA  regions.  We  provide  these  services  utilizing  our  advanced  technology  infrastructure,  human  resource 
management skills and industry experience. These services include:  

(cid:131)  Customer  care  —  Customer  care  contacts  primarily  include  product  information  requests,  describing  product 
features, activating customer accounts, resolving complaints, cross-selling/up-selling, handling billing inquiries, 
changing  addresses,  claims  handling,  ordering/reservations,  prequalification  and  warranty  management, 
providing health information and roadside assistance; 

(cid:131)  Technical  support  —  Technical  support  contacts  primarily  include  handling  inquiries  regarding  hardware, 
software, communications services, communications equipment, Internet access technology and Internet portal 
usage; and 

(cid:131)  Acquisition — Our acquisition services are primarily focused on inbound up-selling of our client’s products and 

services. 

We  provide  these  services,  primarily  inbound  customer  calls,  through  our  extensive  global  network  of  customer 
contact  management  centers  in  a  multitude  of  languages.  Our  technology  infrastructure  and  managed  service 
solutions  allow  for  effective  distribution  of  calls  to  one  or  more  centers.  These  technology  offerings  provide  our 
clients and us with the leading edge tools needed to maximize quality and customer satisfaction while controlling 
and minimizing costs. 

Fulfillment  Services.  In  Europe,  we  offer  fulfillment  services  that  are  integrated  with  our  customer  care  and 
technical support services. Our fulfillment solutions include multilingual sales order processing via the Internet and 

6

 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
phone, payment processing, inventory control, product delivery and product returns handling.  

Enterprise  Support  Services.  In  the  United  States,  we  provide  a  range  of  enterprise  support  services  including 
technical staffing services and outsourced corporate help desk solutions.     

Operations  

Customer  Contact  Management  Centers.  We  operate  across  23  countries  in  77  customer  contact  management 
centers  (excluding  Spain),  which  breakdown  as  follows:  19  centers  across  Europe,  Egypt  and  South  Africa,  26 
centers  in  the  United  States,  10  centers  in  Canada,  3  centers  in  Australia  and  19  centers  offshore,  including  The 
Peoples Republic of China, The Philippines, Costa Rica, El Salvador, India, Mexico and Brazil.  

In an effort to stay ahead of industry offshoring trends, we opened our first offshore customer contact management 
centers  in  The  Philippines  and  Costa  Rica  over  ten  years  ago.  Since  then,  we  have  expanded  into  centers  in  The 
People’s Republic of China, India, El Salvador, Mexico and Brazil.  

We  utilize  a  sophisticated  workforce  management  system  to  provide  efficient  scheduling  of  personnel.  Our 
internally developed digital private communications network complements our workforce by allowing for effective 
call  volume  management  and  disaster  recovery  backup.  Through  this  network  and  our  dynamic  intelligent  call 
routing capabilities, we can rapidly respond to changes in client call volumes and move call volume traffic based on 
agent availability and skill throughout our network of centers, improving the responsiveness and productivity of our 
agents. We also can offer cost competitive solutions for taking calls to our offshore locations.  

Our  data  warehouse  captures  and  downloads  customer  contact  information  for  reporting on  a  daily,  real-time  and 
historical basis. This data provides our clients with direct visibility into the services that we are providing for them. 
The data warehouse supplies information for our performance management systems such as our agent scorecarding 
application, which provides management with the information required for effective management of our operations.  

Our  customer  contact  management  centers  are  protected  by  a  fire  extinguishing  system,  backup  generators  with 
significant capacity and 24 hour refueling contracts and short-term battery backups in the event of a power outage, 
reduced voltage or a power surge. Rerouting of call volumes to other customer contact management centers is also 
available in the event of a telecommunications failure, natural disaster or other emergency. Security measures are 
imposed to prevent unauthorized physical access. Software and related data files are backed up daily and stored off 
site  at  multiple  locations.  We  carry  business  interruption  insurance  covering  interruptions  that  might  occur  as  a 
result of certain types of damage to our business.  

Fulfillment  Centers.  We  currently  have  two  fulfillment  centers  located  in  Europe.  We  provide  our  fulfillment 
services primarily to certain clients operating in Europe who desire this complementary service in connection with 
outsourced customer contact management services.  

Enterprise Support Services Offices. Our two enterprise support services offices are located in metropolitan areas in 
the United States to provide a recruiting platform for high-end knowledge workers and to establish a local presence 
to service major accounts.  

Quality Assurance  

We  believe  that  providing  consistent  high-quality  service  is  critical  in  our  clients’  decision  to  outsource  and  in 
building  long-term  relationships  with  our  clients.  It  is  also  our  belief  and  commitment  that  quality  is  the 
responsibility  of  each  individual  at  every  level  of  the  organization.  To  ensure  service  excellence  and  continuity 
across  our  organization,  we  have  developed  an  integrated  Quality  Assurance  program  consisting  of  three  major 
components:  

(cid:131)  The  certification  of  client  accounts  and  customer  contact  management  centers  to  the  SYKES  Science  of 

Service®  and Site of Excellence programs; 

(cid:131)  The  application  of  continuous  improvement  through  application  of  our  Data  Analytics  and  Six  Sigma 

techniques; and 

(cid:131)  The application of process audits to all work procedures. 

The SYKES Science of Service® is a standard that was developed based on our more than 30 years of experience, 

7

 
 
 
 
 
     
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
and  best  practices  from  industry  standards  such  as  the  Malcolm  Baldrige  National  Quality  Award  and  Customer 
Operations  Performance  Center.  It  specifies  the  requirements  that  must  be  met  in  each  of  our  customer  contact 
management  centers  including  measured  performance  against  our  standard  operating  procedures.  It  has  a  well-
defined auditing process that ensures compliance with the SYKES’ standards. Our focus is on quality, predictability 
and consistency over time, not just point in time certification. 

The application of continuous improvement is based upon the five-step Six Sigma cycle, which we have fine-tuned 
to  apply  specifically  to  our  service  industry.  All  managers  are  responsible  for  continuous  improvement  in  their 
operations.  

Process audits are used to verify that processes and procedures are consistently executed as required by established 
documentation. Process audits are applicable to services being provided for the client and internal procedures.  

Sales and Marketing  

Our  sales  and  marketing  objective  is  to  leverage  our  expertise  and  global  presence  to  develop  long-term 
relationships with existing and future clients. Our customer contact management solutions have been developed to 
help our clients acquire, retain and increase the value of their customer relationships. Our plans for increasing our 
visibility  include  market-focused  advertising,  consultative  personal  visits,  participation  in  market-specific  trade 
shows and seminars, speaking engagements, articles and white papers, and our website. 

Our sales force is composed of business development managers who pursue new business opportunities and strategic 
account managers who manage and grow relationships with existing accounts. We emphasize account development 
to strengthen relationships with existing clients. Business development management and strategic account managers 
are  assigned  to  markets  in  their  area  of  expertise  in  order  to  develop  a  complete  understanding  of  each  client’s 
particular needs, to form strong client relationships and encourage cross-selling of our other service offerings. We 
have  inside  customer  sales  representatives  who  receive  customer  inquiries  and  who  provide  outbound  lead 
generation  for  the  business  development  managers.  We  also  have  relationships  with  channel  partners  including 
systems  integrators,  software  and  hardware  vendors  and  value-added  resellers,  where  we  pair  our  solutions  and 
services with their product offering or focus. We plan to maintain and expand these relationships as part of our sales 
and marketing strategy. 

As part of our marketing efforts, we invite existing and potential clients to visit our customer contact management 
centers, where we can demonstrate the expertise of our skilled staff in partnering to deliver new ways of growing 
clients’  customer  satisfaction  and  retention  rates,  and  thus  profit,  through  timely,  insightful  and  proven  solutions. 
During these visits, we demonstrate our ability to quickly and effectively support a new client or scale business from 
an existing client by emphasizing our systematic approach to implementing customer contact solutions throughout 
the world.  

Clients 

We provide service to clients from our locations in the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, the Asia 
Pacific Rim, Europe and Africa. These clients are Fortune 1000 corporations, medium-sized businesses and public 
institutions,  which  span  the  communications,  financial  services,  technology/consumer,  transportation  and  leisure, 
healthcare and other industries. Revenue by vertical market for 2011, as a percentage of our consolidated revenues, 
was 31% for communications, 29% for financial services, 19% for technology/consumer, 7% for transportation and 
leisure, 6% for healthcare, 6% for retail and 2% for all other vertical markets, including government and utilities. 
We believe our globally recognized client base presents opportunities for further cross marketing of our services.  

Total  consolidated  revenues  included  $132.7  million,  or  11.3%,  of  consolidated  revenues  for  2011,  from  AT&T 
Corporation, a major provider of communication services for which we provide various customer support services, 
compared to $154.1 million, or 13.7% for 2010. This included $129.4 million in revenues from the Americas and 
$3.3 million in revenues from EMEA for 2011 and $147.6 million in revenues from the Americas and $6.5 million 
in  revenues  from  EMEA  for  2010.    Our  top  ten  clients  accounted  for  approximately  45%  of  our  consolidated 
revenues in 2011, an increase from 42% in 2010. The loss of (or the failure to retain a significant amount of business 
with) any of our key clients could have a material adverse effect on our performance. Many of our contracts contain 
penalty provisions for failure to meet minimum service levels and are cancelable by the client at any time or on short 
notice. Also, clients may unilaterally reduce their use of our services under our contracts without penalty.  

8

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
 
Competition  

The  industry  in  which  we  operate  is  global  and,  therefore,  highly  fragmented  and  extremely  competitive.  While 
many  companies  provide  customer  contact  management  solutions  and  services,  we  believe  no  one  company  is 
dominant in the industry.  

In  most  cases,  our  principal  competition  stems  from  our  existing  and  potential  clients’  in-house  customer  contact 
management operations. When it is not the in-house operations of a client, our public and private direct competition 
includes  TeleTech,  Sitel,  Convergys,  West  Corporation,  Stream,  Aegis  BPO,  Sutherland,  24/7  Customer, 
vCustomer, StarTek, Atento, Teleperformance, and NCO Group as well as the customer care arm of such companies 
as Accenture, Wipro, Infosys and IBM. There are other numerous and varied providers of such services, including 
firms  specializing  in  various  CRM  consulting,  other  customer  management  solutions  providers,  niche  or  large 
market  companies,  as  well  as  product  distribution  companies  that  provide  fulfillment  services.  Some  of  these 
companies possess substantially greater resources, greater name recognition and a more established customer base 
than we do.  

We  believe  that  the  most  significant  competitive  factors  in  the  sale  of  outsourced  customer  contact  management 
services include service quality, tailored value-added service offerings, industry experience, advanced technological 
capabilities,  global  coverage,  reliability,  scalability,  security,  price  and  financial  strength.  As  a  result  of  intense 
competition,  outsourced  customer  contact  management  solutions  and  services  frequently  are  subject  to  pricing 
pressure.  Clients  also  require  outsourcers  to  be  able  to  provide  services  in  multiple  locations.  Competition  for 
contracts for many of our services takes the form of competitive bidding in response to requests for proposal.  

Intellectual Property 

We own and/or have applied to register numerous trademarks and service marks in the United States and/or in many 
additional  countries  throughout  the  world.  Our  registered  trademarks  and  service  marks  include  SYKES®,  REAL 
PEOPLE.  REAL  SOLUTIONS®,  SCIENCE  OF  SERVICE®,  CLEARCALL®, I  AM  SYKES.   HOW  FAR  WILL 
YOU LET ME TAKE YOU?  ®, ICT® and SOUND OF SERVICE®. The duration of trademark registrations varies 
from  country  to  country,  but  may  generally  be  renewed  indefinitely  as  long  as  they  are  in  use  and/or  their 
registrations are properly maintained.   

Employees 

As  of  January  31,  2012,  we  had  approximately  41,000  employees  worldwide,  including  38,100  customer  contact 
agents  handling  technical  and  customer  support  inquiries  at  our  centers,  2,600  in  management,  administration, 
information technology, finance, sales and marketing roles, 100 in enterprise support services, and 200 in fulfillment 
services. 

We  have  never  suffered  a  material  interruption  of  business  as  a  result  of  a  labor  dispute.  Due  to  laws  in  their 
respective countries, Brazil and Spain require that wages are subject to collective bargaining for approximately 200 
non-management  employees  in  Brazil  and  approximately  1,600  in  Spain.   The  negotiations  are  conducted 
irrespective of the individual employee’s membership status relative to the union.  We consider our relations with 
our employees worldwide to be satisfactory.  

We employ personnel through a continually updated recruiting network. This network includes a seasoned team of 
recruiters, competency-based selection standards and the sharing of global best practices in order to advertise and 
source qualified candidates through proven recruiting techniques. Nonetheless, demand for qualified professionals 
with  the  required  language  and  technical  skills  may  still  exceed  supply  at  times  as  new  skills  are  needed  to  keep 
pace  with  the  requirements  of  customer  engagements.  As  such,  competition  for  such  personnel  is  intense  and 
employee turnover in our industry is high. 

9

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
     
 
 
 
 
 
Executive Officers  

The following table provides the names and ages of our executive officers, and the positions and offices currently 
held by each of them:   

Name 
Charles E. Sykes  
W. Michael Kipphut   
James C. Hobby 
Jenna R. Nelson  
Daniel L. Hernandez  
David L. Pearson 
Lawrence R. Zingale  
James T. Holder 
William N. Rocktoff   

 Age 
49  
58 
62 
48  
45 
53 
56 
53 
49  

        Principal Position

President and Chief Executive Officer and Director 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer  
Executive Vice President, Global Operations  
Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources 
Executive Vice President, Global Strategy  
Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer 
Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Client Management 
Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary 
Global Vice President and Corporate Controller  

Charles  E.  Sykes  joined  SYKES  in  1986  and  was  named  President  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  Director  in 
August 2004.  From July 2003 to August 2004, Mr. Sykes was the Chief Operating Officer. From March 2000 to 
June 2001, Mr. Sykes was Senior Vice President, Marketing, and in June 2001, he was appointed to the position of 
General Manager, Senior Vice President — the Americas. From December 1996 to March 2000, he served as Vice 
President, Sales, and held the position of Regional Manager of the Midwest Region for Professional Services from 
1992 until 1996.  

W. Michael Kipphut, C.P.A., joined SYKES in March 2000 as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer and was 
named Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in June 2001. In May 2010, he was named Executive Vice 
President  and  Chief  Financial  Officer.  From  September 1998  to  February  2000,  Mr. Kipphut  held  the  position  of 
Vice  President  and  Chief  Financial  Officer  for  USA  Floral  Products,  Inc.,  a  publicly-held,  worldwide,  perishable 
products distributor. From September 1994 until September 1998, Mr. Kipphut held the position of Vice President 
and  Treasurer  for  Spalding  &  Evenflo  Companies,  Inc.,  a  global  manufacturer  of  consumer  products.  Previously, 
Mr. Kipphut  held  various  financial  positions,  including  Vice  President  and  Treasurer,  in  his  17 years  at  Tyler 
Corporation, a publicly-held, diversified holding company.  

James  C.  Hobby  joined  SYKES  in  August 2003  as  Senior  Vice  President,  the  Americas,  overseeing  the  daily 
operations, administration and development of SYKES’ customer care and enterprise support operations throughout 
North  America,  Latin  America,  the  Asia  Pacific  Rim  and  India,  and  was  named  Senior  Vice  President,  Global 
Operations,  in  January  2005.  In  May  2010,  he  was  named  Executive  Vice  President,  Global  Operations.  Prior  to 
joining SYKES, Mr. Hobby held several positions at Gateway, Inc., most recently serving as President of Consumer 
Customer  Care  since  August 1999.  From  January  1999  to  August 1999,  Mr. Hobby  served  as  Vice  President  of 
European  Customer  Care  for  Gateway,  Inc.  From  January 1996  to  January 1999,  Mr. Hobby  served  as  the  Vice 
President  of  European  Customer  Service  Centers  at  American  Express.  Prior  to  January 1996,  Mr. Hobby  held 
various senior management positions in customer care at FedEx Corporation since 1983, mostly recently serving as 
Managing Director, European Customer Service Operations. 

Jenna  R.  Nelson  joined  SYKES  in  August 1993  and  was  named  Senior  Vice  President,  Human  Resources,  in 
July 2001. In May 2010, she was named Executive Vice President, Global Human Resources. From January 2001 
until July 2001, Ms. Nelson held the position of Vice President, Human Resources. In August 1998, Ms. Nelson was 
appointed  Vice  President,  Human  Resources,  and  held  the  position  of  Director,  Human  Resources  and 
Administration, from August 1996 to July 1998. From August 1993 until July 1996, Ms. Nelson served in various 
management positions within SYKES, including Director of Administration.  

Daniel  L.  Hernandez  joined  SYKES  in  October 2003  as  Senior  Vice  President,  Global  Strategy  overseeing 
marketing, public relations, operational strategy and corporate development efforts worldwide. In May 2010, he was 
named Executive Vice President, Global Strategy. Prior to joining SYKES, Mr. Hernandez served as President and 
Chief Executive Officer of SBC Internet Services, a division of SBC Communications Inc., since March 2000. From 
February 1998  to  March 2000,  Mr. Hernandez  held  the  position  of  Vice  President/General  Manager,  Internet  and 
System Operations, at Ameritech Interactive Media Services. Prior to February 1998, Mr. Hernandez held various 
management positions at US West Communications since joining the telecommunications provider in 1990.  

10

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
David L. Pearson joined SYKES in February 1997 as Vice President, Engineering, and was named Vice President, 
Technology  Systems  Management,  in  2000  and  Senior  Vice  President  and  Chief  Information  Officer  in  August 
2004.  In May 2010, he was named Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer. Prior to SYKES, Mr. 
Pearson held various engineering and technical management roles over a fifteen year period, including eight years at 
Compaq Computer Corporation and five years at Texas Instruments.  

Lawrence  R.  Zingale  joined  SYKES  in  January  2006  as  Senior  Vice  President,  Global  Sales  and  Client 
Management. In May 2010, he was named Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Client Management. Prior to 
joining SYKES, Mr. Zingale served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of StarTek, Inc. since 
2002. From December 1999 until November 2001, Mr. Zingale served as President of the Americas at Stonehenge 
Telecom, Inc. From May 1997 until November 1999, Mr. Zingale served as President and Chief Operating Officer 
of International Community Marketing. From February 1980 until May 1997, Mr. Zingale held various senior level 
positions at AT&T.  

James T. Holder, J.D., joined SYKES in December 2000 as General Counsel and was named Corporate Secretary 
in January 2001, Vice President in January 2004 and Senior Vice President in December 2006. In May 2010, he was 
named  Executive  Vice  President.  From  November  1999  until  November  2000,  Mr.  Holder  served  in  a  consulting 
capacity  as  Special  Counsel  to  Checkers  Drive-In  Restaurants,  Inc.,  a  publicly  held  restaurant  operator  and 
franchisor.  From  November  1993  until  November  1999,  Mr.  Holder  served  in  various  capacities  at  Checkers 
including Corporate Secretary, Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President and General Counsel.  

William N. Rocktoff, C.P.A., joined SYKES in August 1997 as Corporate Controller and was named Treasurer and 
Corporate  Controller  in  December  1999  and  Vice  President  and  Corporate  Controller  in  March  2002.  In  January 
2011, he was named Global Vice President and Corporate Controller. From November 1989 to August 1997, Mr. 
Rocktoff held various financial positions, including Corporate Controller, at Kimmins Corporation, a publicly-held 
contracting company.  

Item 1A. Risk Factors 

Factors Influencing Future Results and Accuracy of Forward-Looking Statements 

This  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K  contains  forward-looking  statements  (within  the  meaning  of  the  Private 
Securities  Litigation  Reform  Act  of  1995)  that  are  based  on  current  expectations,  estimates,  forecasts,  and 
projections  about  us,  our  beliefs,  and  assumptions  made  by  us.  In  addition,  we  may  make  other  written  or  oral 
statements,  which  constitute  forward-looking  statements,  from  time  to  time.  Words  such  as  “may,”  “expects,” 
“projects,” “anticipates,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” variations of such words, and similar 
expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Similarly, statements that describe our future 
plans,  objectives  or  goals  also  are  forward-looking  statements.  These  statements  are  not  guarantees  of  future 
performance and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including those discussed below and elsewhere 
in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Our actual results may differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted 
in  such  forward-looking  statements,  and  undue  reliance  should  not  be  placed  on  such  statements.  All  forward-
looking statements are made as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update any forward-looking 
statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  

Factors  that  could  cause  actual  results  to  differ  materially  from  what  is  expressed  or  forecasted  in  such  forward-
looking statements include, but are not limited to: the marketplace’s continued receptivity to our terms and elements 
of services offered under our standardized contract for future bundled service offerings; our ability to continue the 
growth  of  our  service  revenues  through  additional  customer  contact  management  centers;  our  ability  to  further 
penetrate into vertically integrated markets; our ability to expand revenues within the global markets; our ability to 
continue to establish a competitive advantage through sophisticated technological capabilities, and the following risk 
factors:  

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry 

Unfavorable general economic conditions could negatively impact our operating results and financial condition. 

Unfavorable general economic conditions could negatively affect our business. While it is often difficult to predict 
the impact of general economic conditions on our business, these conditions could adversely affect the demand for 
some of our clients’ products and services and, in turn, could cause a decline in the demand for our services. Also, 

11

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
our  clients  may  not  be  able  to  obtain  adequate  access  to  credit,  which  could  affect  their  ability  to  make  timely 
payments to us. If that were to occur, we could be required to increase our allowance for doubtful accounts, and the 
number of days outstanding for our accounts receivable could increase. In addition, we may not be able to renew our 
revolving credit facility at terms that are as favorable as those terms available under our current credit facility. Also, 
the  group  of  lenders  under  our  credit  facility  may  not  be  able  to  fulfill  their  funding  obligations,  which  could 
adversely  impact  our  liquidity.  For  these  reasons,  among  others,  if  the  current  economic  conditions  persist  or 
decline, this could adversely affect our revenues, operating results and financial condition, as well as our ability to 
access debt under comparable terms and conditions.  

Our business is dependent on key clients, and the loss of a key client could adversely affect our business and 
results of operations.  

We  derive  a  substantial  portion  of  our  revenues  from  a  few  key  clients.  Our  top  ten  clients  accounted  for 
approximately 45% of our consolidated revenues in 2011.  The loss of (or the failure to retain a significant amount 
of business with) any of our key clients could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and 
results of operations. Many of our contracts contain penalty provisions for failure to meet minimum service levels 
and are cancelable by the client at any time or on short-term notice. Also, clients may unilaterally reduce their use of 
our services under these contracts without penalty. Thus, our contracts with our clients do not ensure that we will 
generate a minimum level of revenues.  

Cyber attacks as well as improper disclosure or control of personal information could result in liability and harm 
our reputation, which could adversely affect our business and results of operations.  

Our business is heavily dependent upon our computer and voice technologies, systems and platforms.  Internal or 
external  attacks  on  any  of  those  could disrupt  the normal  operations of our  call  centers  and  impede our  ability  to 
provide  critical  services  to  our  clients,  thereby  subjecting  us  to  liability  under  our  contracts.    Additionally,  our 
business involves the use, storage and transmission of information about our employees, our clients and customers 
of our clients. While we take measures to protect the security of, and unauthorized access to our systems, as well as 
the privacy of personal and proprietary information, it is possible that our security controls over our systems, as well 
as other security practices we follow, may not prevent the improper access to or disclosure of personally identifiable 
or proprietary information. Such disclosure could harm our reputation and subject us to liability under our contracts 
and laws that protect personal data, resulting in increased costs or loss of revenue. Further, data privacy is subject to 
frequently changing rules and regulations, which sometimes conflict among the various jurisdictions and countries 
in which we provide services. Our failure to adhere to or successfully implement processes in response to changing 
regulatory requirements in this area could result in legal liability or impairment to our reputation in the marketplace, 
which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

Our business is subject to substantial competition. 

The markets for many of our services operate on a commoditized basis and are highly competitive and subject to 
rapid change. While many companies provide outsourced customer contact management services, we believe no one 
company  is  dominant  in  the  industry.  There  are  numerous  and  varied  providers  of  our  services,  including  firms 
specializing in call center operations, temporary staffing and personnel placement, consulting and integration firms, 
and niche providers of outsourced customer contact management services, many of whom compete in only certain 
markets. Our competitors include both companies who possess greater resources and name recognition than we do, 
as  well  as  small  niche  providers  that  have  few  assets  and  regionalized  (local)  name  recognition  instead  of  global 
name recognition. In addition to our competitors, many companies who might utilize our services or the services of 
one of our competitors may utilize in-house personnel to perform such services. Increased competition, our failure to 
compete successfully, pricing pressures, loss of market share and loss of clients could have a material adverse effect 
on our business, financial condition and results of operations.  

Many  of  our  large  clients  purchase  outsourced  customer  contact  management  services  from  multiple  preferred 
vendors. We have experienced and continue to anticipate significant pricing pressure from these clients in order to 
remain  a  preferred  vendor.  These  companies  also  require  vendors  to  be  able  to  provide  services  in  multiple 
locations. Although we believe we can effectively meet our clients’ demands, there can be no assurance that we will 
be  able  to  compete  effectively  with  other  outsourced  customer  contact  management  services  companies  on  price. 
We  believe  that  the  most  significant  competitive  factors  in  the  sale  of  our  core  services  include  the  standard 
requirements of service quality, tailored value-added service offerings, industry experience, advanced technological 
capabilities, global coverage, reliability, scalability, security, price and financial strength. 

12

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The concentration of customer support centers in certain geographies poses risks to our operations which could 
adversely affect our financial condition. 

Although we have call centers in many locations throughout the world, we have a concentration of centers in certain 
geographies outside of the U.S. and Canada, specifically The Philippines and Latin America.  Our concentration of 
operations  in  those  geographies  is  a  result  of  our  ability  to  access  significant  numbers  of  employees  with  certain 
language and other skills at costs that are advantageous.  However, the concentration of business activities in any 
geographical  area  creates  risks  which  could  harm  operations  and  our  financial  condition.    Certain  risks,  such  as 
natural disasters, armed conflict and military or civil unrest, political instability and disease transmission, as well as 
the risk of interruption to our delivery systems, is magnified when the realization of these, or any other risks, would 
effect a large portion of our business at once, which may result in a disproportionate increase in operating costs.     

Our business is dependent on the trend toward outsourcing.  

Our  business  and  growth  depend  in  large  part  on  the  industry  trend  toward  outsourced  customer  contact 
management services. Outsourcing means that an entity contracts with a third party, such as us, to provide customer 
contact services rather than perform such services in-house. There can be no assurance that this trend will continue, 
as  organizations  may  elect  to  perform  such  services  themselves.  A  significant  change  in  this  trend  could  have  a 
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Additionally, there can be no 
assurance that our cross-selling efforts will cause clients to purchase additional services from us or adopt a single-
source outsourcing approach.  

We are subject to various uncertainties relating to future litigation.  

We  cannot  predict  whether  any  material  suits,  claims,  or investigations may  arise  in  the  future.  Regardless of  the 
outcome  of  any  future  actions,  claims,  or  investigations,  we  may  incur  substantial  defense  costs  and  such  actions 
may  cause  a  diversion  of  management  time  and  attention.  Also,  it  is  possible  that  we  may  be  required  to  pay 
substantial damages or settlement costs which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and 
results of operations.  

Our industry is subject to rapid technological change which could affect our business and results of operations.   

Rapid  technological  advances,  frequent  new  product  introductions  and  enhancements,  and  changes  in  client 
requirements  characterize  the  market  for  outsourced  customer  contact  management  services.  Technological 
advancements  in  voice  recognition  software,  as  well  as  self-provisioning  and  self-help  software,  along  with  call 
avoidance  technologies,  have  the  potential  to  adversely  impact  call  volume  growth  and,  therefore,  revenues.  Our 
future  success  will  depend  in  large  part  on  our  ability  to  service  new  products,  platforms  and  rapidly  changing 
technology.  These  factors  will  require  us  to  provide  adequately  trained  personnel  to  address  the  increasingly 
sophisticated, complex  and  evolving  needs of our  clients. In  addition, our  ability  to  capitalize  on  our acquisitions 
will depend on our ability to continually enhance software and services and adapt such software to new hardware 
and  operating  system  requirements.  Any  failure  by  us  to  anticipate  or  respond  rapidly  to  technological  advances, 
new  products  and  enhancements,  or  changes  in  client  requirements  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our 
business, financial condition and results of operations.  

Our business relies heavily on technology and computer systems, which subjects us to various uncertainties.  

We have invested significantly in sophisticated and specialized communications and computer technology and have 
focused on the application of this technology to meet our clients’ needs. We anticipate that it will be necessary to 
continue to invest in and develop new and enhanced technology on a timely basis to maintain our competitiveness. 
Significant capital expenditures may be required to keep our technology up-to-date. There can be no assurance that 
any of our information systems will be adequate to meet our future needs or that we will be able to incorporate new 
technology  to  enhance  and  develop  our  existing  services.  Moreover,  investments  in  technology,  including  future 
investments  in  upgrades  and  enhancements  to  software,  may  not  necessarily  maintain  our  competitiveness.  Our 
future success will also depend in part on our ability to anticipate and develop information technology solutions that 
keep pace with evolving industry standards and changing client demands.  

13

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Emergency interruption of customer contact management center operations could affect our business and results 
of operations.  

Our  operations  are  dependent  upon  our  ability  to  protect  our  customer  contact  management  centers  and  our 
information databases against damage that may be caused by fire, earthquakes, severe weather and other disasters, 
power  failure,  telecommunications  failures,  unauthorized  intrusion,  computer  viruses  and  other  emergencies.  The 
temporary  or  permanent  loss  of  such  systems  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  financial 
condition and results of operations. Notwithstanding precautions taken to protect us and our clients from events that 
could interrupt delivery of services, there can be no assurance that a fire, natural disaster, human error, equipment 
malfunction  or  inadequacy,  or  other  event  would  not  result  in  a  prolonged  interruption  in  our  ability  to  provide 
services to our clients. Such an event could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and 
results of operations.  

Our operating results will be adversely affected if we are unable to maximize our facility capacity utilization. 

Our  profitability  is  significantly  influenced  by  our  ability  to  effectively  manage  our  contact  center  capacity 
utilization.  The  majority  of  our  business  involves  technical  support  and  customer  care  services  initiated  by  our 
clients’ customers, and as a result, our capacity utilization varies and demands on our capacity are, to some degree, 
beyond  our  control.    In  order  to  create  the  additional  capacity  necessary  to  accommodate  new  or  expanded 
outsourcing projects, we may need to open new contact centers.  The opening or expansion of a contact center may 
result,  at  least  in  the  short  term,  in  idle  capacity  until  we  fully  implement  the  new  or  expanded  program.  
Additionally, the occasional need to open customer contact centers fully, or primarily, dedicated to a single client, 
instead of spreading the work among existing facilities with idle capacity, negatively affects capacity utilization. We 
periodically assess the expected long-term capacity utilization of our contact centers. As a result, we may, if deemed 
necessary,  consolidate,  close  or  partially  close  under-performing  contact  centers  to  maintain  or  improve  targeted 
utilization and margins. There can be no guarantee that we will be able to achieve or maintain optimal utilization of 
our contact center capacity. 

As part of our effort to consolidate our facilities, we may seek to sell or sublease a portion of our surplus contact 
center space, if any, and recover certain costs associated with it. Failure to sell or sublease such surplus space will 
negatively impact results of operations. 

Increases in the cost of telephone and data services or significant interruptions in such services could adversely 
affect our business. 

Our business is significantly dependent on telephone and data service provided by various local and long distance 
telephone companies. Accordingly, any disruption of these services could adversely affect our business.  We have 
taken steps to mitigate our exposure to service disruptions by investing in redundant circuits, although there is no 
assurance  that  the  redundant  circuits  would  not  also  suffer  disruption.    Any  inability  to  obtain  telephone  or  data 
services at favorable rates could negatively affect our business results.  Where possible, we have entered into long-
term contracts with various providers to mitigate short term rate increases and fluctuations.  There is no obligation, 
however, for the vendors to renew their contracts with us, or to offer the same or lower rates in the future, and such 
contracts are subject to termination or modification for various reasons outside of our control. A significant increase 
in  the  cost  of  telephone  services  that  is  not  recoverable  through  an  increase  in  the  price  of  our  services  could 
adversely affect our business. 

Our  profitability  may  be  adversely  affected  if  we  are  unable  to  maintain  and  find  new  locations  for  customer 
contact centers in countries with stable wage rates. 

Our business is labor-intensive and therefore wages, employee benefits and employment taxes constitute the largest 
component of our operating expenses. As a result, expansion of our business is dependent upon our ability to find 
cost-effective  locations  in  which  to  operate,  both  domestically  and  internationally.  Some  of  our  customer  contact 
management  centers  are  located  in  countries  that  have  experienced  inflation  and  rising  standards  of  living,  which 
requires us to increase employee wages. In addition, collective bargaining is being utilized in an increasing number 
of  countries  in  which  we  currently,  or  may  in  the  future,  desire  to  operate.    Collective  bargaining  may  result  in 
material  wage  and  benefit  increases.    If  wage  rates  and  benefits  increase  significantly  in  a  country  where  we 
maintain customer contact management centers, we may not be able to pass those increased labor costs on to our 
clients, requiring us to search for other cost effective delivery locations.  There is no assurance that we will be able 

14

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
  
 
 
to  find  such  cost-effective  locations,  and  even  if  we  do,  the  costs  of  closing  delivery  locations  and  opening  new 
customer contact management centers can adversely affect our financial results. 

Risks Related to Our International Operations 

Our international operations and expansion involve various risks.  

We intend to continue to pursue growth opportunities in markets outside the United States. At December 31, 2011, 
our international operations were conducted from 34 customer contact management centers located in Sweden, the 
Netherlands,  Finland,  Germany,  Egypt,  South  Africa,  Scotland,  Ireland,  Denmark,  Norway,  Hungary,  Romania, 
Slovakia, The Philippines, The Peoples Republic of China, India and Australia. Revenues from these international 
operations  for  the  years  ended  December 31,  2011,  2010,  and  2009,  were  43%,  42%,  and  53%  of  consolidated 
revenues, respectively. We also conduct business from 17 customer contact management centers located in Canada, 
Costa  Rica,  El  Salvador,  Mexico  and  Brazil.  International  operations  are  subject  to  certain  risks  common  to 
international activities, such as changes in foreign governmental regulations, tariffs and taxes, import/export license 
requirements, the imposition of trade barriers, difficulties in staffing and managing international operations, political 
uncertainties,  longer  payment  cycles,  possible  greater  difficulties  in  accounts  receivable  collection,  economic 
instability as well as political and country-specific risks.   

Additionally, we have been granted tax holidays in The Philippines, Costa Rica, El Salvador and India which expire 
at varying dates from 2012 through 2023. In some cases, the tax holidays expire without possibility of renewal. In 
other  cases,  we  expect  to  renew  these  tax  holidays,  but  there  are  no  assurances  from  the  respective  foreign 
governments that they will renew them. This could potentially result in adverse tax consequences. Any one or more 
of  these  factors  could  have  an  adverse  effect  on  our  international  operations  and,  consequently,  on  our  business, 
financial condition and results of operations. 

As of December 31, 2011, we had cash balances of approximately $163.9 million held in international operations, 
most of which would be subject to additional taxes if repatriated to the United States.  

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released the “General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 
Revenue Proposals” in February 2012. These proposals represent a significant shift in international tax policy, which 
may  materially  impact  U.S.  taxation  of  international  earnings.    We  continue  to  monitor  these  proposals  and  are 
currently  evaluating  their  potential  impact  on  our  financial  condition,  results  of  operations,  and  cash  flows. 
Determination of any unrecognized deferred tax liability for temporary differences related to investments in foreign 
subsidiaries that are essentially permanent in nature is not practicable.   

We conduct business in various foreign currencies and are therefore exposed to market risk from changes in foreign 
currency exchange rates and interest rates, which could impact our results of operations and financial condition. We 
are  also  subject  to  certain  exposures  arising  from  the  translation  and  consolidation  of  the  financial  results  of  our 
foreign subsidiaries. We enter into foreign currency forward and option contracts to hedge against the effect of our 
foreign currency exchange exposure. However, there can be no assurance that we will take any actions to mitigate 
such  exposure  in  the  future,  and  if  taken,  that  such  actions  will  be  successful  or  that  future  changes  in  currency 
exchange rates will not have a material adverse impact on our future operating results. A significant change in the 
value  of  the  U.S.  Dollar  against  the  currency  of  one  or  more  countries  where  we  operate  may  have  a  material 
adverse  effect  on  our  financial  condition  and  results  of  operations.  Additionally,  our  hedging  exposure  to 
counterparty  credit  risks  is  not  secured  by  any  collateral.  Although  each  of  the  counterparty  financial  institutions 
with which we place hedging contracts are investment grade rated by the national rating agencies as of the time of 
the  placement,  we  can  provide  no  assurances  as  to  the  financial  stability  of  any  of  our  counterparties.    If  a 
counterparty to one or more of our hedge transactions were to become insolvent, we would be an unsecured creditor 
and our exposure at the time would depend on foreign exchange rate movements relative to the contracted foreign 
exchange rate and whether any gains result that are not realized due to a counterparty default. 

The fundamental shift in our industry toward global service delivery markets presents various risks to our 
business. 

Clients  continue  to  require  blended  delivery  models  using  a  combination  of  onshore  and  offshore  support.    Our 
offshore delivery locations include The Philippines, The Peoples Republic of China, India, Costa Rica, El Salvador 
Mexico and Brazil, and while we have operated in global delivery markets since 1996, there can be no assurance 
that we will be able to successfully conduct and expand such operations, and a failure to do so could have a material 

15

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations. The success of our offshore operations 
will be subject to numerous contingencies, some of which are beyond our control, including general and regional 
economic conditions, prices for our services, competition, changes in regulation and other risks. In addition, as with 
all of our operations outside of the United States, we are subject to various additional political, economic and market 
uncertainties (see “Our international operations and expansion involve various risks”). Additionally, a change in the 
political environment in the United States or the adoption and enforcement of legislation and regulations curbing the 
use  of  offshore  customer  contact  management  solutions  and  services  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our 
business, financial condition and results of operations.  

Our global operations expose us to numerous legal and regulatory requirements. 

We provide services to our clients’ customers in 23 countries around the world, excluding Spain as a result of the 
planned  sale  of  those  operations.    Accordingly,  we  are  subject  to  numerous  legal  regimes  on  matters  such  as 
taxation,  government  sanctions,  content  requirements,  licensing,  tariffs,  government  affairs,  data  privacy  and 
immigration  as  well  as  internal  and  disclosure  control  obligations.  In  the  U.S.,  as  well  as  several  of  the  other 
countries in which we operate, some of our services must comply with various laws and regulations regarding the 
method  and  timing  of  placing  outbound  telephone  calls.    Violations  of  these  various  laws  and  regulations  could 
result  in  liability  for  monetary  damages,  fines  and/or  criminal  prosecution  and  unfavorable  publicity.  Changes  in 
U.S. federal,  state  and  international  laws  and  regulations,  specifically  those  relating  to  the  outsourcing  of  jobs  to 
foreign countries as well as recently enacted statutory and regulatory requirements related to derivative transactions, 
may adversely affect our ability to perform our services at our overseas facilities or could result in additional taxes 
on such services, or impact our flexibility to execute strategic hedges, thereby threatening or limiting our ability or 
the financial benefit to continue to serve certain markets at offshore locations, or the risks associated therewith. 

Risks Related to Our Employees 

Our operations are substantially dependent on our senior management. 

Our  success  is  largely  dependent upon  the efforts,  direction  and guidance  of  our  senior  management.  Our growth 
and success also depend in part on our ability to attract and retain skilled employees and managers and on the ability 
of  our  executive  officers  and  key  employees  to  manage  our  operations  successfully.  We  have  entered  into 
employment and non-competition agreements with our executive officers. The loss of any of our senior management 
or key personnel, or the inability to attract, retain or replace key management personnel in the future, could have a 
material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.   

Our inability to attract and retain experienced personnel may adversely impact our business.  

Our business is labor intensive and places significant importance on our ability to recruit, train, and retain qualified 
technical and consultative professional personnel. We generally experience high turnover of our personnel and are 
continuously required to recruit and train replacement personnel as a result of a changing and expanding work force. 
Additionally,  demand  for  qualified  technical  professionals  conversant  in  multiple  languages,  including  English, 
and/or certain technologies may exceed supply, as new and additional skills are required to keep pace with evolving 
computer  technology.  Our  ability  to  locate  and  train  employees  is  critical  to  achieving  our  growth  objective.  Our 
inability  to  attract  and  retain  qualified  personnel  or  an  increase  in  wages  or  other  costs  of  attracting,  training,  or 
retaining qualified personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of 
operations.   

Health epidemics could disrupt our business and adversely affect our financial results. 

Our customer contact centers typically seat hundreds of employees in one location.  Accordingly, an outbreak of a 
contagious  infection  in  one  or  more  of  the  markets  in  which  we  do  business  may  result  in  significant  worker 
absenteeism, lower asset utilization rates, voluntary or mandatory closure of our offices and delivery centers, travel 
restrictions on our employees, and other disruptions to our business. Any prolonged or widespread health epidemic 
could  severely  disrupt  our  business  operations  and  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  our  business,  financial 
condition and results of operations. 

16

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Risks Related to Our Growth Strategy 

Our strategy of growing through selective acquisitions and mergers involves potential risks.  

We evaluate opportunities to expand the scope of our services through acquisitions and mergers. We may be unable 
to  identify  companies  that  complement  our  strategies,  and  even  if  we  identify  a  company  that  complements  our 
strategies,  we  may  be  unable  to  acquire  or  merge  with  the  company.  In  addition,  a  decrease  in  the  price  of  our 
common stock could hinder our growth strategy by limiting growth through acquisitions funded with SYKES’ stock.  

Our acquisition strategy involves other potential risks. These risks include:  

(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 

(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 

the inability to obtain the capital required to finance potential acquisitions on satisfactory terms; 
the diversion of our attention to the integration of the businesses to be acquired; 
the  risk  that  the  acquired  businesses  will  fail  to  maintain  the  quality  of  services  that  we  have  historically 
provided; 
the need to implement financial and other systems and add management resources; 
the risk that key employees of the acquired business will leave after the acquisition; 
potential liabilities of the acquired business; 
unforeseen difficulties in the acquired operations; 
adverse short-term effects on our operating results; 
lack of success in assimilating or integrating the operations of acquired businesses within our business; 
the dilutive effect of the issuance of additional equity securities; 
the impairment of goodwill and other intangible assets involved in any acquisitions; 
the businesses we acquire not proving profitable; and 
potentially incurring additional indebtedness. 

We may not succeed in our continued efforts to fully integrate the operations of ICT into our own, which may 
adversely affect the value of our common stock. 

It  is  possible  that  the  integration  of  the  operations  of  ICT  into  our  own  could  result  in  the  disruption  of  ongoing 
businesses or identify inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect our ability 
to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers, distributors, creditors and lessors, or to achieve the full level of  
anticipated benefits of the acquisition. 

Specifically, issues addressed in completing the integration of the operations of ICT into our own operations in order 
to realize the anticipated benefits of the acquisition include, among other things: 

(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 

integrating our information technology systems with those of ICT; 
conforming standards, controls, procedures and policies, business cultures and compensation structures between 
the companies; 
consolidating corporate and administrative infrastructures; 
retaining existing customers and attracting new customers; 
identifying and eliminating redundant and underperforming operations and assets; 
coordinating geographically dispersed organizations; 

(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131) 
(cid:131)  managing tax costs or inefficiencies associated with integrating the operations of the combined company; and 
(cid:131)  making any necessary modifications to operating control standards to comply with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 

2002 and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder. 

Integration efforts between the two companies at times may divert management attention and resources. An inability 
to realize the full extent of, or any of, the anticipated benefits of the acquisition, as well as any delays encountered in 
the integration process, could have an adverse effect on our business and results of operations, which may affect the 
value of the shares of our common stock. 

In  addition,  the  actual  integration  may  result  in  additional  and  unforeseen  expenses,  and  the  full  amount  of 
anticipated  benefits  of  the  integration  plan  may  not  be  realized.  If  we  are  not  able  to  adequately  address  these 
challenges,  we  may  be  unable  to  fully  integrate  ICT’s  operations  into  our  own,  or  to  realize  the  full  amount  of 
anticipated benefits of the integration of the two companies. 

17

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
We  may  incur  significant  cash  and  non-cash  costs  in  connection  with  the  continued  rationalization  of  assets 
resulting from acquisitions. 

We may incur a number of non-recurring cash and non-cash costs associated with the continued rationalization of 
assets resulting from acquisitions relating to the closing of facilities and disposition of assets.   

We have substantial goodwill and if it becomes impaired, then our profits would be significantly reduced or 
eliminated and shareholders’ equity would be reduced.  

We recorded goodwill as a result of the ICT acquisition. On  at least an annual basis, we assess whether there has 
been  an  impairment  in  the  value  of  goodwill.  If  the  carrying  value  of  goodwill  exceeds  its  estimated  fair  value, 
impairment is deemed to have occurred and the carrying value of goodwill is written down to fair value. This would 
result in a charge to our operating earnings. 

Risks Related to Our Common Stock 

Our organizational documents contain provisions that could impede a change in control.   

Our  Board  of  Directors  is  divided  into  three  classes  serving  staggered  three-year  terms.  The  staggered  Board  of 
Directors and the anti-takeover effects of certain provisions contained in the Florida Business Corporation Act and 
in  our  Articles  of  Incorporation  and  Bylaws,  including  the  ability  of  the  Board  of  Directors  to  issue  shares  of 
preferred  stock  and  to  fix  the  rights  and  preferences  of  those  shares  without  shareholder  approval,  may  have  the 
effect of delaying, deferring or preventing an unsolicited change in control. This may  adversely affect the  market 
price of our common stock or the ability of shareholders to participate in a transaction in which they might otherwise 
receive a premium for their shares.  

The volatility of our stock price may result in loss of investment.  

The trading price of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to wide fluctuations over short and 
long periods of time. We believe that market prices of outsourced customer contact management services stocks in 
general  have  experienced  volatility,  which  could  affect  the  market  price  of  our  common  stock  regardless  of  our 
financial  results  or  performance.  We  further  believe  that  various  factors  such  as  general  economic  conditions, 
changes  or  volatility  in  the  financial  markets,  changing  market  conditions  in  the  outsourced  customer  contact 
management  services  industry,  quarterly  variations  in  our  financial  results,  the  announcement  of  acquisitions, 
strategic  partnerships,  or  new  product  offerings,  and  changes  in  financial  estimates  and  recommendations  by 
securities analysts could cause the market price of our common stock to fluctuate substantially in the future.  

Failure to adhere to laws, rules and regulations applicable to public companies operating in the U.S. may have 
an adverse effect on our stock price. 

Because we are a publicly traded company, we are subject to certain evolving and expensive federal, state and other 
rules and regulations relating to, among other things, assessment and maintenance of internal controls and corporate 
governance.    Section 404  of  the  Sarbanes-Oxley  Act  of  2002,  together  with  rules  and  regulations  issued  by  the 
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) require us to furnish, on an annual basis, a report by our management 
(included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K) regarding the effectiveness of our internal control over 
financial  reporting.  The  report  includes,  among  other  things,  an  assessment  of  the  effectiveness  of  our  internal 
controls over financial reporting as of the end of our fiscal year and a statement as to whether or not our internal 
controls  over  financial  reporting  are  effective.  We  must  include  a  disclosure  of  any  material  weaknesses  in  our 
internal  control  over  financial  reporting  identified  by  management  during  the  annual  assessment.  We  have  in  the 
past discovered, and may potentially in the future discover, areas of internal control over financial reporting which 
may require improvement. If at any time we are unable to assert that our internal controls over financial reporting 
are  effective, or  if  our  auditors are unable  to  express  an opinion on  the  effectiveness of our  internal  controls,  our 
investors could lose confidence in the accuracy and/or completeness of our financial reports, which could have an 
adverse effect on our stock price. 

Additionally, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”) enacted in 
2010  subjects  us  to  significant  additional  executive  compensation  and  corporate  governance  requirements  and 
disclosures,  some  of  which have  yet  to  be  implemented  by  the  SEC.  Compliance  with  their  requirements  may  be 
costly and adversely affect our business.  The Dodd-Frank Act also anticipates the enactment of regulations that may 
affect  the  ability  of  financial  institutions  to  offer  credit  and  hedging  instruments  without  significant  additional 

18

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
capital or other costs to them.  This may make it more difficult for us to have access to foreign exchange hedging 
transactions  on  favorable  terms,  which  may  limit  the  predictability  of  cash  flows  from  operations  and  result  in 
increased operating expenses.   

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments  

There are no material unresolved written comments that were received from the SEC staff 180 days or more before 
the year ended December 31, 2011 relating to our periodic or current reports filed under the Securities Exchange Act 
of 1934.  

19

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Item 2. Properties  

Our principal executive offices are located in Tampa, Florida. This facility currently serves as the headquarters for 
senior  management  and  the  financial,  information  technology  and  administrative  departments.  We  believe  our 
existing facilities are adequate to meet current requirements, and that suitable additional or substitute space will be 
available  as  needed  to  accommodate  any  physical  expansion  or  any  space  required  due  to  expiring  leases  not 
renewed. We operate from time to time in temporary facilities to accommodate growth before new customer contact 
management centers are available. During 2011, our customer contact management centers, taken as a whole, were 
utilized  at  average  capacities  of  approximately  74%  and  were  capable  of  supporting  a  higher  level  of  market 
demand. The following table sets forth additional information concerning our facilities:  

Properties 
AMERICAS LOCATIONS 

Tampa, Florida 
Nogales, Arizona
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Malvern, Arkansas 
Morrilton, Arkansas
Sterling, Colorado 
Lakeland, Florida
Bardstown, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Morganfield, Kentucky (1)
Perry County, Kentucky 
Wilton, Maine
Amherst, New York
Bismarck, North Dakota 
Ponca City, Oklahoma 
Milton-Freewater, Oregon 
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Bloomburg, Pennsylvania
Langhorn, Pennsylvania
Langhorn, Pennsylvania
Langhorn, Pennsylvania
Lockhaven, Pennsylvania
Newtown, Pennsylvania (2)
Greenwood, South Carolina 
Greenwood, South Carolina 
Kingstree, South Carolina 
Sumter, South Carolina 
Sumter, South Carolina 
Sumter, South Carolina 
Buchanan  County, Virginia 
Wise, Virginia 
Spokane, Washington
Maitland, Australia

General Usage

Square Feet

Lease Expiration/  
Company Owned

Corporate headquarters 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Headquarters
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center

June 2016
January 2015

67,645
44,402
40,622 April 2021
32,287 May 2019
July 2016
23,850
34,000 Company owned 
July 2014
50,000
35,813
September 2019
36,860 May 2012
42,000 Company owned 
42,000 Company owned 
30,000 April 2012
26,296 May 2013
42,000 Company owned 
42,000 Company owned 
42,000 Company owned 
21,115
21,800
21,641 March 2017
14,060 March 2017
1,396
June 2012
23,610
June 2012
February 2017
102,000
25,000 December 2012
15,000 December 2018
35,000 March 2028
25,000 April 2014
17,141
2,141 March 2012
42,700 Company owned 
42,000 Company owned 
July 2013
50,000
September 2012
10,613

September 2013
July 2014

September 2013

(1) Closed in June, 2011.
(2) Customer contact management center closed in December, 2011.  Excess capacity subleased.

20

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Properties 
AMERICAS LOCATIONS  (continued)

Rhodes (Sydney), Australia
Robina, Australia
Curitiba, Brazil
London, Ontario, Canada 
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada (3)
North Bay, Ontario, Canada (3)
Sudbury, Ontario, Canada (3)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada (3)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Cornerbrook, New Foundland Labrador, Canada
Lindsay, Ontario, Canada
Miramichi, New Brunswick, Canada
Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada
Sherebrook, Quebec, Canada
St. John, New Brunswick, Canada
St. John, New Foundland Labrador, Canada
Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
Hatillo, San Jose, Costa Rica
LaAurora, Heredia, Costa Rica (two)
Moravia, San Jose, Costa Rica
Barranquilla, Colombia
San Salvador, El Salvador 
Hyderabad, India
Mexico City, Mexico
Guangzhou, The Peoples Republic of China
Shanghai, The Peoples Republic of China
Cebu City, The Philippines 
Makati City, The Philippines  
Makati City, The Philippines  
Mandaluyong, The Philippines
Mandaluyong, The Philippines
Marikina City, The Philippines
Marikina City, The Philippines
Pasig City, The Philippines
Pasig City, The Philippines
Quezon City, The Philippines 
Chesterfield, Missouri (4)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Bangalore, India
Makati City, The Philippines   
Pasig City, The Philippines

General Usage

Square Feet

Lease Expiration/  
Company Owned

g

Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Headquarters
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management centers
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center  
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Office
Office
Office
Office
Office

June 2012
June 2021
June 2016
February 2014

September 2012
9,363
February 2013
9,364
25,658
July 2012
50,000 Company owned 
12,714 December 2016
5,371 May 2013
4,150 December 2015
14,600
4,170
15,151
15,338
30,000 May 2012
January 2016
17,409
June 2014
49,017
January 2017
26,764
25,000
February 2015
49,000 December 2015
February 2016
27,200
July 2021
49,138
September 2023
131,912
38,481
July 2027
23,121 May 2032
119,514 November 2024 
16,000
59,503 November 2014
12,971 March 2012
February 2016
70,474
149,404 December 2026
68,610 March 2023
68,268
138,716 April 2022
82,150 December 2021
74,525 March 2012
87,275
117,597 November 2023 
September 2012
73,873
September 2024 
84,250
January 2016
3,618
July 2012
7,782
January 2014
1,500
1,497 May 2013
1,917 August 2012

September 2013

June 2012

June 2014

(3) Considered part of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada customer contact management center.
(4) Enterprise support services location.

21

 
 
 
 
 
Properties 
EMEA LOCATIONS 

Odense, Denmark
Cairo, Egypt
Turku, Finland  
Berlin, Germany
Bochum, Germany   
Pasewalk, Germany
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Budapest, Hungary 
Dublin, Ireland (5)
Shannon, Ireland
Bergen, Norway
Bodo, Norway
Cluj, Romania
Edinburgh, Scotland   

Kosice, Slovakia 
Johannesburg, South Africa 
La Coruña, Spain (6)
Lugo, Spain (6)
Ponferrada, Spain (6)
Ed, Sweden 
Sveg, Sweden 
Amsterdam, The Netherlands 
Galashiels, Scotland 
Rosersberg, Sweden 
Frankfurt, Germany  
Madrid, Spain (6)

General Usage

Square Feet

Lease Expiration/  
Company Owned

Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center/ 
Office/Headquarters
Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 

January 2016
13,606
January 2013
27,936
February 2013 
12,508
60,278
February 2020
41,334 December 2013
46,070
February 2013 
46,000 November 2012
14,300 August 2012
23,961 March 2013
9,845 March 2014
66,000
January 2013 
8,654 August 2015
January 2017
4,004
32,055 April 2030

35,870
September 2019 
40,023 December 2024
21,692

July 2012

Customer contact management center

10,314 December 2012

Customer contact management center 

21,442

June 2012

Customer contact management center
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center 
Customer contact management center
Fulfillment center 
Fulfillment center and Sales office 
Sales office 
Office

16,146 December 2028
September 2019
44,061
June 2013
34,975
33,089
September 2012
126,700 Company owned 
43,056
1,701
127

February 2013
September  2012
February 2013

(5) Closed in December, 2010.
(6) Classified as discontinued operations in December, 2011.

22

 
 
 
 
Item 3. Legal Proceedings  

From time to time, we are involved in legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. With respect to these 
matters,  we  believe  that  we  have  adequate  legal  defenses  and/or  when  possible  and  appropriate,  have  provided 
adequate accruals related to those matters such that the ultimate outcome will not have a material adverse effect on 
our future financial position or results of operations. 

We  have  previously  disclosed  pending  matters  involving  regulatory  sanctions  assessed  against  our  Spanish 
subsidiary,  which  is  classified  as  discontinued  operations.  All  of  these  matters  relate  to  the  alleged  inappropriate 
acquisition  of  personal  information  in  connection  with  two  outbound  client  contracts.  Based  upon  the  opinion  of 
legal  counsel  regarding  the  likely  outcome  of  these  matters,  we  accrued  a  $1.3  million  liability  under  ASC  450 
“Contingencies”  because  management  believed  that  a  loss  was  probable  and  the  amount  of  the  loss  could  be 
reasonably estimated. Due to the favorable rulings by the Spanish Supreme Court, we reversed $0.4 million and $0.5 
million of the accrued liability during the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively.  The remaining 
accrued  liability  of  $0.4  million  is  included  in  “Liabilities  held  for  sale  –  discontinued  operations”  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2011.  As of December 31, 2010, the accrued liability 
of $0.8 million was included in “Other accrued expenses and current liabilities” in the accompanying Consolidated 
Balance Sheet.  The final claim was finally decided against us on procedural grounds, but subsequent to year end, 
the assessed fine associated with that claim was settled at no cost to us. 

In connection with the appeal of one of these claims, we  issued a bank guarantee, which is included as restricted 
cash of $0.4 million in “Deferred charges and other assets” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets as of 
December 31, 2010.  Due to the favorable ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court mentioned above, we released the 
bank guarantee during the three months ended December 31, 2011. 

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 

Not Applicable.  

23

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      
 
 
 
 
PART II  

Item 5. Market for the Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Shareholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of 
Securities 

Our common stock is quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol SYKE. The following table 
sets forth, for the periods indicated, certain information as to the high and low sale prices per share of our common 
stock as quoted on the NASDAQ Global Select Market.  

High

Low

Year Ended December 31, 2011:
Fourth Quarter ……………………………… 18.96
Third Quarter ……………………………… 22.69
Second Quarter ……………………………… 22.88
First Quarter ………………………………… 21.11

$     

$     

13.16
10.56
18.74
17.82

Year Ended December 31, 2010:
Fourth Quarter ……………………………… 21.68
Third Quarter ……………………………… 16.70
Second Quarter ……………………………… 23.46
First Quarter ………………………………… 26.26

$     

$     

13.49
10.85
14.21
22.59  

Holders  of  our  common  stock  are  entitled  to  receive  dividends  out  of  the  funds  legally  available  when  and  if 
declared by the Board of Directors. We have not declared or paid any cash dividends on our common stock in the 
past and do not anticipate paying any cash dividends in the foreseeable future.  

As  of  February  24,  2012,  there  were  985  holders  of  record  of  the  common  stock.  We  estimate  there  were 
approximately 5,000 beneficial owners of our common stock.  

Below is a summary of stock repurchases for the quarter ended December 31, 2011 (in thousands, except average 
price per share). 

Period

October 1, 2011 - October 31, 2011 ………

November 1, 2011 - November 30, 2011 …

December 1, 2011 - December 31, 2011 ……

Total ……………………………………

Total 
Number of 
S hares 
Purchased (1)
-

275

219

494

Average 
Price 
Paid Per 
S hare

-

14.63

14.95

Total Number of 
S hares Purchased 
as Part of Publicly 
Announced Plans 
or Programs

Maximum Number 
of S hares That May 
Yet Be Purchased 
Under Plans or 
Programs

-

275

219

494

3,000

2,725

2,506

2,506

(1)

All shares purchased as part of the repurchase plan publicly announced on August 8, 2011. T otal number of shares 
approved for repurchase under the 2011 Repurchase Plan was 5.0 million with no expiration date.  All of the available 
shares available under the repurchase plan publicly announced on August 5, 2002 have been repurchased.  

24

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                   
           
                           
                         
                
     
                        
                         
                
     
                        
                         
                
                        
                         
 
 
 
 
Five-Year Stock Performance Graph 

The  following  graph  presents  a  comparison  of  the  cumulative  shareholder  return  on  the  common  stock  with  the 
cumulative  total  return  on  the  NASDAQ  Computer  and  Data  Processing  Services  Index,  the  NASDAQ 
Telecommunications Index, the Russell 2000 Index, the S&P Small Cap 600 and the SYKES Peer Group (as defined 
below). The SYKES Peer Group is comprised of publicly traded companies that derive a substantial portion of their 
revenues  from  call  center,  customer  care  business,  have  similar  business  models  to  SYKES,  and  are  those  most 
commonly compared to SYKES by industry analysts following SYKES. This graph assumes that $100 was invested 
on December 31, 2006 in SYKES common stock, the NASDAQ Computer and Data Processing Services Index, the 
NASDAQ  Telecommunications  Index,  the  Russell 2000 Index,  the  S&P  Small  Cap  600  and SYKES  Peer Group, 
including reinvestment of dividends.  

Comparison of Five-Year Cumulative Total Return 

$200 

SYKES

NASDAQ Computer & 
Data Processing Services 
Stocks

$150 

NASDAQ 
Telecommunications 
Stocks

$100 

Russell 2000® Index

S&P Small Cap 600 Index

SYKES Peer Group

$50 

$0 

SYKES

NASDAQ Computer & Data Processing 
Services Stocks

NASDAQ Telecommunications Stocks

Russell 2000® Index

S&P Small Cap 600 Index

SYKES Peer Group

2006

$100 

$100 

$100 

$100 

$100 

$100 

2007

$102 

$122 

$109 

$97

$99

$77

2008

$108 

$65 

$62 

$63

$67

$31

2009

$144 

$111

$92 

$79 

$83 

$63 

2010

$115 

$130 

$96 

$99

$104

$63 

2011

$89

$131 

$84

$94

$104

$50 

SYKES Peer Group 
Convergys Corp. 
StarTek, Inc. 
TeleTech Holdings, Inc. 

Ticker Symbol 
CVG 
SRT 
TTEC 

There was a change to the SYKES Peer Group with respect to APAC Customer Service, Inc. (“APAC”), which was 
acquired by One Equity Partners, the private investment firm owned by JP Morgan Chase & Co. in October 2011. 
With the acquisition of APAC, the Peer Group excludes the share price performance of APAC for the past 5 years as 
APAC shares no longer trade on NASDAQ. 

25

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
There can be no assurance that SYKES’ stock performance will continue into the future with the same or similar 
trends  depicted  in  the  graph  above.  SYKES  does  not  make  or  endorse  any  predictions  as  to  the  future  stock 
performance. 

The information contained in the Stock Performance Graph section shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” 
or “filed” or incorporated by reference in future filings with the SEC, or subject to the liabilities of Section 18 of the 
Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  except  to  the  extent  that  we  specifically  incorporate  it  by  reference  into  a 
document filed under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. 

Item 6. Selected Financial Data  

Selected Financial Data  

The following selected financial data has been derived from our Consolidated Financial Statements.  

During 2011, we committed to a plan to sell our operations in Spain. Also, we sold our Argentine operations during 
2010. Accordingly, we have reclassified the selected financial data for all periods presented to reflect these results as 
discontinued operations in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification 205-20 “Discontinued Operations”.  

The  information  below  should  be  read  in  conjunction  with  “Management’s  Discussion  and  Analysis  of  Financial 
Condition and Results of Operations,” and the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements and related notes 
thereto.  

26

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(in thousands, except per share data)
Income S tatement Data: (1)

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Revenues ………………………………………………………… 1,169,267
Income from continuing operations (2,4,6,7,8,9) ……………………… 65,535
Income from continuing operations, net of taxes (2,4,6,7,8,9) ………… 52,314
(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes (3) ……..….…..
(4,532)
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of taxes (5) ……
559
Net income (loss) ………………………………………………… 48,341

$ 

$ 

1,121,911

$    

769,353

$    

749,004

$    

662,033

37,981
26,115
(12,893)

(23,495)
(10,273)

71,172
44,667
(1,456)

-
43,211

64,942
60,490
71

-
60,561

55,632
44,461
(4,602)

-
39,859

Net Income (Loss) Per Common S hare: (1)

Basic:

Continuing operations (2,4,6,7,8,9)…………………………………
Discontinued operations (3,5) …………………………………
Net income (loss) per common share …………………………

1.15
(0.09)
1.06

$          

$          

$          

$          

$          

0.57
(0.79)
(0.22)

1.10
(0.04)
1.06

1.49
0.00
1.49

1.10
(0.11)
0.99

$          

$         

$          

$          

$          

Diluted:  

Continuing operations (2,4,6,7,8,9)…………………………………
Discontinued operations (3,5) …………………………………
Net income (loss) per common share …………………………

$          

1.15

(0.09)
1.06

$          

$          

0.57

$          

1.09

$          

1.48

$          

1.09

(0.79)
(0.22)

$         

(0.04)
1.05

$          

0.00
1.48

$          

(0.11)
0.98

$          

Weighted Average S hares: (1)

Basic ……………………………………………………………… 45,506
Diluted ……………………………………………………………
45,607

46,030

46,133

40,707

41,026

40,618

40,961

40,387

40,699

Balance S heet Data: (1,10)

Total assets ……………………………………………………… 769,130
Shareholders' equity ……………………………………………… 573,566

$    

$    

794,600
583,195

$    

672,471
450,674

$    

529,542
384,030

$    

505,475
365,321

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

T he amounts for 2011 and 2010 include the ICT  acquisition complet ed on February 2, 2010.
T he amounts for 2011 include $11.8 million in ICT  acquisition-related costs, a $3.7 million net  gain on the sale of t he land and building in 
Minot , North Dakota, a $1.7 million impairment of long-lived assets and a $0.5 million net gain on insurance settlement.
T he amounts for all periods presented include the operations in Spain, which were classified as held for sale as of December 31, 2011, and the 
Argentine operat ions, which were sold in 2010.

T he amounts for 2011 includes $5.8 million related to the Fourt h Quarter 2011 Exit  Plan.

T he amounts for 2011 and 2010 include the gain (loss) on sale of the Argentine operations.

T he amounts for 2010 include $46.3 million in ICT  acquisition-related costs, a $3.3 million impairment of long-lived assets, a $2.0 million net 
gain on insurance settlement and a $0.4 million impairment of goodwill and intangibles.

T he amounts for 2009 include $3.3 million in  ICT  acquisition-related costs and a $1.9 million impairment of goodwill and intangibles.

T he amounts for 2009 include a $14.7 million charge to provision for income t axes related to our change of intent in the fourth quarter of 
2009 regarding the permanent reinvestment of foreign subsidiaries' accumulated and undist ributed earnings and a $2.1 million impairment  loss on 
our investment in SHPS.  

T he amounts for 2007 include a $1.3 million provision for regulatory penalties related to privacy claims associated with t he alleged 
inappropriate acquisition of personal bank account information in our Spanish subsidiary.  T he amounts for 2011 and 2010 each include a $0.4 
million recovery of these regulat ory penalt ies.

(10) SYKES has not declared cash dividends per common share for any of the five years presented.

27

 
 
 
 
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      
       
       
       
           
           
           
            
           
           
           
           
            
           
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations  

This discussion  should be  read  in  conjunction  with  the  accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements  and  the 
notes  thereto  that  appear  elsewhere  in  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K.  The  following  discussion  and  analysis 
compares the year ended December 31, 2011 (“2011”) to the year ended December 31, 2010 (“2010”), and 2010 to 
the year ended December 31, 2009 (“2009”).  

The following discussion and analysis and other sections of this document contain forward-looking statements that 
involve  risks  and uncertainties.  Words  such  as  “may,”  “expects,”  “projects,”  “anticipates,”  “intends,”  “plans,” 
“believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” variations of such words, and similar expressions are intended to identify such 
forward-looking  statements.  Similarly,  statements  that  describe  our  future  plans,  objectives,  or  goals  also  are 
forward-looking  statements.  Future  events  and  actual  results  could  differ  materially  from  the  results  reflected  in 
these forward-looking statements, as a result of certain of the factors set forth below and elsewhere in this analysis 
and in this Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011 in Item 1.A., “Risk Factors.”  

Overview  

We provide an array of sophisticated customer contact management solutions to a wide range of clients including 
Fortune  1000  companies,  medium-sized  businesses,  and  public  institutions  around  the  world,  primarily  in  the 
communications,  financial  services,  technology/consumer,  transportation  and  leisure,  healthcare  and  other 
industries.  We  serve  our  clients  through  two  geographic  operating  regions:  the  Americas  (United  States,  Canada, 
Latin America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim) and EMEA (Europe, the Middle East and Africa). Our Americas 
and  EMEA  groups  primarily  provide  customer  contact  management  services  (with  an  emphasis  on  inbound 
technical  support  and  customer  service),  which  include  customer  assistance,  healthcare  and  roadside  assistance, 
technical support and product sales to our clients’ customers. These services, which represented 98% of consolidated 
revenues  in  2011,  are  delivered  through  multiple  communication  channels  encompassing  phone,  e-mail,  Internet, 
text  messaging  and  chat.  We  also  provide  various  enterprise  support  services  in  the  United  States  (“U.S.”)  that 
include services for our clients’ internal support operations, from technical staffing services to outsourced corporate 
help desk services. In Europe, we also provide fulfillment services including multilingual sales order processing via 
the Internet and phone, payment processing, inventory control, product delivery, and product returns handling. Our 
complete  service  offering  helps  our  clients  acquire,  retain  and  increase  the  lifetime  value  of  their  customer 
relationships. We have developed an extensive global reach with customer contact management centers throughout 
the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, the Asia Pacific Rim, Europe and Africa.  

Revenues from these services is recognized as the services are performed, which is based on either a per minute, per 
hour,  per  call  or  per  transaction  basis,  under  a  fully  executed  contractual  agreement,  and  we  record  reductions  to 
revenues for contractual penalties and holdbacks for a failure to meet specified minimum service levels and other 
performance based contingencies. Revenue recognition is limited to the amount that is not contingent upon delivery 
of  any  future  product  or  service  or  meeting  other  specified  performance  conditions.  Product  sales,  accounted  for 
within our fulfillment services, are recognized upon shipment to the customer and satisfaction of all obligations. 

Direct  salaries  and  related  costs  include  direct  personnel  compensation,  severance,  statutory  and  other  benefits 
associated with such personnel and other direct costs associated with providing services to customers. General and 
administrative  costs  include  administrative,  sales  and  marketing,  occupancy,  depreciation  and  amortization,  and 
other costs.  

The  net  gain  (loss)  on  disposal  of  property  and  equipment  includes  the  net  gain  on  sale  in  2011  of  the  land  and 
building located in Minot, North Dakota. 

The net gain on insurance settlement in 2011 and 2010 includes the insurance proceeds received for typhoon damage 
to one of our customer contact management centers in The Philippines. 

The  impairment  of  goodwill  and  intangibles  in  2010  is  primarily  related  to  customer  relationships  in  the  ICT-
acquired United Kingdom operations.  The impairment of goodwill and intangibles in 2009 is related to the March 
2005  acquisition  of  Kelly,  Luthmer  &  Associates  Limited  (“KLA”),  our  Employee  Assistance  and  Occupational 
Health operations in Calgary, Alberta Canada.  

The impairment of long-lived assets, primarily leasehold improvements and equipment, in the Americas and EMEA 
segments  in  2011  and  2010  were  related  to  an  ongoing  effort  to  streamline  excess  capacity  related  to  the  ICT 

28

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
     
 
 
 
 
 
acquisition and align it with the needs of the market, optimize capacity utilization and improve overall profitability.   

Interest income primarily relates to interest earned on cash and cash equivalents and foreign tax refunds.  Interest 
expense  primarily  includes  commitment  fees  charged  on  the  unused  portion  of  our  revolving  credit  facility  and 
interest  on  borrowings  in  2010  related  to  the  ICT  acquisition,  as  more  fully  described  in  this  Item  7,  under 
“Liquidity and Capital Resources.” 

Impairment (loss) on investment in SHPS represents the estimated fair value adjustment and subsequent liquidation 
of our noncontrolling interest in SHPS by converting our SHPS common stock into cash for $0.000001 per share.   

Other  (expense)  includes  gains  and  losses  on  foreign  currency  derivative  instruments  not  designated  as  hedges, 
foreign currency transaction gains and losses and other miscellaneous income (expense). 

Our effective tax rate for the periods presented includes the effects of state income taxes, net of federal tax benefit, 
tax  holidays,  valuation  allowance  changes,  foreign  rate  differentials,  foreign  withholding  and  other  taxes,  and 
permanent differences.  

Discontinued Operations 

In November 2011, we committed to a plan to sell our operations in Spain. We have reflected the operating results 
related  to  the  operations  in  Spain  as  discontinued  operations  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations for all periods presented.  The assets and related liabilities of Spain are presented as held for sale in the 
accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011. This business was historically reported as part 
of the EMEA segment.  

In December 2010, we sold our Argentine operations pursuant to stock purchase agreements, dated December 16, 
2010  and  December  29,  2010.  We  have  reflected  the  operating  results  related  to  the  Argentine  operations  as 
discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented. This 
business was historically reported as part of the Americas segment.  

See “Results of Operations – Discontinued Operations” later in this Item 7 for more information.  Unless otherwise 
noted, discussions below pertain only to our continuing operations. 

Acquisition of ICT 

On February 2, 2010, we completed the acquisition of ICT Group, Inc. (“ICT”), a Pennsylvania corporation and a 
leading global provider of outsourced customer management and BPO solutions. We refer to such acquisition herein 
as the “ICT acquisition.”   

As a result of the ICT acquisition on February 2, 2010,  

•  each outstanding share of ICT’s common stock, par value $0.01 per share, was converted into the right to 
receive  $7.69  in  cash,  without  interest,  and  0.3423  of  a  share  of  SYKES  common  stock,  par  value 
$0.01 per share;   

•  each outstanding ICT stock option, whether or not then vested and exercisable, became fully vested and 
exercisable immediately prior to, and then was canceled at, the effective time of the acquisition, and 
the holder of such option became entitled to receive an amount in cash, without interest and less any 
applicable taxes to be withheld, equal to (i) the excess, if any, of (1) $15.38 over (2) the exercise price 
per share of ICT common stock subject to such ICT stock option, multiplied by (ii) the total number of 
shares  of  ICT  common  stock  underlying  such  ICT  stock  option,  with  the  aggregate  amount  of  such 
payment rounded up to the nearest cent.  If the exercise price was equal to or greater than $15.38, then 
the stock option was canceled without any payment to the stock option holder; and  

•  each outstanding ICT restricted stock unit (“RSU”) became fully vested and then was canceled and the 
holder of such vested awards became entitled to receive $15.38 in cash, without interest and less any 
applicable  taxes  to  be  withheld,  in  respect  of  each  share  of  ICT  common  stock  into  which  the  RSU 
would otherwise have been convertible.  

29

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The total aggregate purchase price of the transaction of $277.8 million was comprised of $141.1 million in cash and 
5.6  million  shares  of  SYKES  common  stock  valued  at  $136.7  million.  The  transaction  was  funded  through 
borrowings  consisting  of  a  $75  million  short-term  loan  from  KeyBank  National  Association  (“KeyBank”)  in 
December  2009,  due  March  31,  2010,  and  a  $75  million  term  loan  from  a  syndicate  of  banks  due  in  varying 
installments through February 1, 2013. Both of these loans were repaid during 2010 and are no longer available for 
borrowings. See “Liquidity & Capital Resources” later in this Item 7 for further information.   

The results of operations of ICT have been reflected in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for 
the year ended December 31, 2011 and the period from February 2, 2010 to December 31, 2010. 

Results of Operations  

The  following  table  sets  forth,  for  the  periods  indicated,  the  percentage  of  revenues  represented  by  certain  items 
reflected in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations:  

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

Percentage of Revenue:

Revenues …………………………………………………
Direct salaries and related costs ……………………………
General and administrative …………………………………
Net (gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment …
Net (gain) on insurance settlement …………………………
Impairment of goodwill and intangibles……………………
Impairment of long-lived assets ……………………………
Income from continuing operations ………………………
Interest income ……………………………………………
Interest (expense) …………………………………………
Impairment (loss) on investment in SHPS…………………
Other (expense)……………………………………………
Income from continuing operations before income taxes …
Income taxes ………………………………………………
Income from continuing operations, net of taxes …………
(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes …………
Net income (loss) …………………………………………

100.0%
65.3
29.2
(0.3)
-
-
0.1
5.7
0.1
(0.1)
-
(0.2)
5.5
1.0
4.5
(0.3)
4.2%

100.0%
63.8
32.7
0.0
(0.2)
-
0.3
3.4
0.1
(0.4)
-
(0.5)
2.6
0.2
2.4
(3.2)
(0.8)%

100.0%
62.6
27.8
-
-
0.2
-
9.4
0.3
-
(0.3)
-
9.4
3.4
6.0
(0.2)
5.8%

30

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
             
             
             
             
             
             
            
               
                   
                   
            
                   
                   
                   
               
               
               
                   
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
            
                   
                   
                   
            
            
            
                   
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
            
            
 
 
 
 
The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, certain data derived from the accompanying Consolidated 
Statements of Operations (in thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

$     

$        

$     

Revenues ………………………………………………… 1,169,267
Direct salaries and related costs …………………………… 763,930
General and administrative ………………………………… 341,586
Net (gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment …
(3,021)
Net (gain) on insurance settlement …………………………
(481)
Impairment of goodwill and intangibles……………………
-
Impairment of long-lived assets ……………………………
1,718
Income from continuing operations ………………………
65,535
Interest income ……………………………………………
1,352
Interest (expense) …………………………………………
(1,132)
Impairment (loss) on investment in SHPS…………………
-
Other (expense)……………………………………………
(2,099)
Income from continuing operations before income taxes …
63,656
Income taxes ………………………………………………
11,342
Income from continuing operations, net of taxes …………
52,314
(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes …………
(3,973)
Net income (loss) …………………………………………
48,341

$          

1,121,911
715,571
366,565
143
(1,991)
362
3,280
37,981
1,201
(4,963)
-
(5,907)
28,312
2,197
26,115
(36,388)
(10,273)

769,353
481,823
214,255
195
-
1,908
-
71,172
2,287
(302)
(2,089)
(283)
70,785
26,118
44,667
(1,456)
43,211

$         

$          

The following table summarizes our revenues for the periods indicated, by reporting segment (in thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Americas …………………………

$                

963,142

82.4%

$      

934,329

83.3%

$      

565,022

EM EA …………………………

206,125

17.6%

187,582

16.7%

204,331

73.4%

26.6%

Consolidated …………………

$             

1,169,267

100.0%

$   

1,121,911

100.0%

$      

769,353

100.0%

31

 
 
 
 
 
         
         
         
         
                
                
            
                   
                
             
             
                   
           
           
             
             
            
               
                   
            
            
               
           
           
             
           
           
           
 
 
 
                
       
       
 
 
 
 
The following table summarizes certain amounts and percentages of revenues for the periods indicated, by reporting 
segment (in thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Direct salaries and related costs:

Americas …………………………………………… 611,783

$      

63.5%

$      

580,741

62.2%

$      

341,681

EM EA ………………………………………..……

152,147

73.8%

134,830

71.9%

140,142

Consolidated …………………………….………

$      

763,930

65.3%

$      

715,571

63.8%

$      

481,823

General and administrative:

Americas …………………………………………… 237,899

$      

24.7%

$      

244,213

26.1%

$      

119,998

EM EA ………………………………………..……

57,241

27.8%

Corporate …………………………………………… 46,446

-

57,714

64,638

30.8%

-

50,756

43,501

60.5%

68.6%

62.6%

21.2%

24.8%

-

Consolidated …………………………….………

$      

341,586

29.2%

$      

366,565

32.7%

$      

214,255

27.8%

Net (gain) loss on disposal of property and 
equipment:

0.0%

0.1%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

0.3%

0.0%

0.2%

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

Americas ……………………………………………

$         

(3,030)

-0.3%

$               

78

EM EA ………………………………………..……

9

0.0%

65

Consolidated …………………………….………

$         

(3,021)

-0.3%

$             

143

Net (gain) on insurance settlement:

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

$               

48

147

$             

195

Americas ……………………………………………

$            

(481)

EM EA ………………………………………..……

-

Consolidated …………………………….………

$            

(481)

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

$         

(1,991)

-0.2%

$                

-  

-

0.0%

-

$         

(1,991)

-0.2%

$                

-  

Impairment of goodwill and intangibles:

Americas ……………………………………………

$                  
-

EM EA ………………………………………..……

-

Consolidated …………………………….………

$                  
-

0.0%

0.0%

0.0%

$                

-  

362

$             

362

0.0%

0.2%

0.0%

$          

1,908

-

$          

1,908

Impairment of long-lived assets:

0.1%

0.2%

0.1%

$          

3,121

159

$          

3,280

0.3%

0.1%

0.3%

$                

-  

-

$                

-  

Americas ……………………………………………

$          

1,244

EM EA ………………………………………..……

474

Consolidated …………………………….………

$          

1,718

32

 
 
 
 
 
 
       
       
       
         
         
         
         
          
         
          
         
          
                  
                
              
                
                
                
                
              
                
              
              
                
 
 
 
 
2011 Compared to 2010 

Revenues  

For  2011,  we  recognized  consolidated  revenues  of  $1,169.3 million,  an  increase  of  $47.4 million  or  4.2%,  from 
$1,121.9 million in 2010.   

On  a  geographic  segment  basis,  revenues  from  the  Americas  region,  including  the  United  States,  Canada,  Latin 
America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim, represented 82.4%, or $963.1 million, for 2011 compared to 83.3%, or 
$934.3 million, for the comparable period in 2010. Revenues from the EMEA region, including Europe, the Middle 
East and Africa, represented 17.6%, or $206.2 million, for the year ended December 31, 2011 compared to 16.7%, 
or $187.6 million, for the comparable period in 2010.  

America’s  revenues  increased  $28.8  million,  including  the  positive  foreign  currency  impact  of  $10.8  million,  for 
2011  from  2010,  principally  due  to  higher  acquisition-related  revenues  of  $4.2  million,  new  client  programs  and 
higher volumes within new and certain existing clients. Revenues from our offshore operations represented 47.8% of 
Americas’  revenues,  compared  to  47.7%  in  2010.  While  operating  margins  generated  offshore  are  generally 
comparable  to  those  in  the  United  States,  our  ability  to  maintain  these  offshore  operating  margins  longer  term  is 
difficult to predict due to potential increased competition for the available workforce, the trend of higher occupancy 
costs and costs of functional currency fluctuations in offshore markets.  We weight these factors in our focus to re-
price or replace certain sub-profitable target client programs.  

EMEA’s revenues increased $18.6 million, including the positive foreign currency impact of $9.9 million, for the 
year  ended  December 31,  2011  from  the  comparable  period  in  2010,  principally  due  to  new  client  programs  and 
higher volumes within new and certain existing clients.  This $18.6 million increase is net of a $1.2 million decrease 
in revenues due to the closure of certain sites in connection with the Fourth Quarter 2010 Exit Plan. 

Direct Salaries and Related Costs  

Direct salaries and related costs increased $48.4 million, or 6.7%, to $763.9 million for 2011 from $715.5 million in 
2010.  

On a reporting segment basis, direct salaries and related costs from the Americas segment increased $31.1 million, 
including  the negative foreign  currency  impact  of  $16.9  million,  for  2011  from  2010.    Direct  salaries  and  related 
costs  from  the  EMEA  segment  increased  $17.3  million,  including  the  negative  foreign  currency  impact  of  $7.2 
million, for 2011 from 2010.  

In the Americas segment, as a percentage of revenues, direct salaries and related costs increased to 63.5% for 2011 
from  62.2%  in  2010.  This  increase  of  1.3%,  as  a  percentage  of  revenues,  was  primarily  attributable  to  higher 
compensation  costs  of  1.4%  (principally  related  to  lower  volumes  within  certain  existing  clients  without  a 
commensurate  reduction  in  labor  costs)  and  higher  other  costs  of  0.1%,  partially  offset  by  lower  communication 
costs of 0.2%.  

In  the  EMEA segment,  as  a percentage  of revenues, direct  salaries  and  related  costs  increased  to 73.8% for 2011 
from  71.9%  in  2010.  This  increase  of  1.9%,  as  a  percentage  of  revenues,  was  primarily  attributable  to  higher 
severance  costs  of  0.7%  due  to  the  closure  of  certain sites  in  connection with  the Fourth Quarter 2011  Exit  Plan, 
higher compensation costs of 0.6%, higher fulfillment shipping material costs of 0.4%, higher communication costs 
of  0.2%,  higher  automobile-related  costs  of  0.2%  and  higher  other  costs  of  0.1%,  partially  offset  by  lower  travel 
costs of 0.3%. 

General and Administrative 

General  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  $25.0  million,  or  6.8%,  to  $341.6  million  for  2011  from  $366.6 
million in 2010.  

On  a  reporting  segment  basis,  general  and  administrative  expenses  from  the  Americas  segment  decreased  $6.3 
million,  including  the  negative  foreign  currency  impact  of  $5.3  million,  for  2011  from  2010.    General  and 
administrative  expenses from the EMEA segment decreased $0.5 million, including the negative foreign currency 
impact of $2.5 million, for 2011 from 2010.  Corporate general and administrative expenses decreased $18.2 million 

33

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
                                    
 
 
 
 
for 2011 from 2010. This decrease of $18.2 million was primarily attributable to lower merger and acquisition costs 
of $22.9 million, partially offset by higher legal and professional fees of $1.4 million, higher charitable contributions 
of  $1.3  million,  higher  software  maintenance  of  $0.6  million,  higher  compensation  costs  of  $0.6  million,  higher 
consulting costs of $0.2 million, higher training costs of $0.2 million and higher other costs of $0.4 million. 

In the Americas segment, as a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses decreased to 24.7% for 
2011 from 26.1% in 2010.  This decrease of 1.4%, as a percentage of revenues, was primarily attributable to lower 
merger and acquisition costs of 0.9%, lower depreciation of 0.3% and lower other taxes of 0.2%.  

In  the  EMEA  segment,  as  a  percentage  of  revenues,  general  and  administrative  expenses  decreased  to  27.8%  for 
2011 from 30.8% in 2010.  This decrease of 3.0%, as a percentage of revenues, was primarily attributable to lower 
compensation costs of 1.2%, lower merger and acquisition costs of 1.0%, lower facility-related costs of 0.6%, lower 
travel  costs of  0.3%,  lower  legal  and  professional fees  of  0.3%  and  lower  other  costs of 0.4%, partially  offset  by 
higher severance costs of 0.8% primarily due to the closure of certain sites in connection with the Fourth Quarter 
2011 Exit Plan. 

Net (Gain) Loss on Disposal of Property and Equipment 

Net (gain) on disposal of property and equipment was $(3.0) million during 2011, primarily due to the gain on the 
sale of land and a building located in Minot, North Dakota.  Net loss on disposal of property and equipment was 
$0.1 million during 2010. 

Net (Gain) on Insurance Settlement 

Net  (gain)  on  insurance  settlement  of  $(0.5)  million  and  $(2.0)  million  in  2011  and  2010,  respectively,  primarily 
relates to funds received for flood damage from Typhoon Ondoy to the building and contents of one of our customer 
contact management centers located in Marikina City, The Philippines (acquired as part of the ICT acquisition).  The 
damaged property and equipment had been written down by ICT prior to the ICT acquisition in February 2010.  No 
additional funds are expected related to the Typhoon Ondoy insurance claim. 

Impairment of Goodwill and Intangibles 

We make certain estimates and assumptions, including, among other things, an assessment of market conditions and 
projections of cash  flows,  investment  rates  and  cost  of capital  and  growth  rates when  estimating  the  value  of  our 
intangibles. Based on actual and forecasted operating results and deterioration of the related customer base in our 
ICT-acquired United Kingdom operations, the EMEA segment recorded a $0.4 million impairment of goodwill and 
intangibles, primarily customer relationships, during 2010 (none in 2011). 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 

During  2011,  we  recorded  a  $1.7  million  impairment  of  long-lived  assets,  primarily  leasehold  improvements  and 
equipment,  consisting  of  $1.2  million  in  the  Americas  segment  and  $0.5  million  in  the  EMEA  segment.    During 
2010, we recorded a $3.3 million impairment of long-lived assets, primarily leasehold improvements and equipment, 
consisting  of  $3.1  million  in  the  Americas  segment  and  $0.2  million  in  the  EMEA  segment.    The  impairments 
represented the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeded the estimated fair value of those assets 
which cannot be redeployed to other locations. 

Interest Income 

Interest income was $1.4 million for 2011, compared to $1.2 million in 2010. The increase of $0.2 million reflects 
higher average balances of interest bearing investments in cash and cash equivalents. 

Interest (Expense) 

Interest  (expense) was $(1.1) million  for 2011,  compared to $(4.9)  million  in  2010.   The decrease of  $3.8 million 
reflects interest and fees on higher average levels of borrowings in 2010 related to the ICT acquisition. 

Other (Expense) 

Other  (expense),  net,  was  $(2.1) million  for  2011,  compared  to  $(5.9) million  in  2010.  The  net  decrease  in  other 

34

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
(expense), net, of $3.8 million was primarily attributable to a decrease of $3.1 million in forward currency contract 
losses  (which  were  not  designated  as  hedging  instruments)  and  a  decrease  of  $1.4 million  in  foreign  currency 
transaction  losses,  net  of  gains,  partially  offset  by  a  decrease  of  $0.7  million  in  other  miscellaneous  income,  net. 
Other  (expense) excludes  the  cumulative  translation  effects  and  unrealized  gains  (losses) on  financial  derivatives 
that  are  included  in  “Accumulated  other  comprehensive  income”  in  shareholders'  equity  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Balance Sheets. 

Income Taxes  

The  provision  for  income  taxes  of  $11.3  million  for  2011  was  based  upon  pre-tax  income  of  $63.7  million, 
compared to the provision for income taxes of $2.2 million for 2010 based upon pre-tax income of $28.3 million.  
The effective tax rate was 17.8% for 2011, compared to an effective tax rate of 7.8% for 2010.   

The  increase  in  the  effective  tax  rate  of  10.0%  resulted  primarily  from  the  shift  of  earnings  to  higher  tax 
jurisdictions, partially offset by a favorable foreign tax rate differential, changes in uncertain tax positions due to the 
favorable settlements of tax audits and expiring statutes of limitation, in conjunction with 2010 tax benefits related 
to the ICT legal entity reorganization.  

On  December  17,  2010  the  Tax  Relief,  Unemployment  Insurance  Reauthorization,  and  Job  Creation  Act  of  2010 
(the  “Tax  Relief  Act”)  was  enacted.  Included  in  the  Tax  Relief  Act  is  the  extension  until  December  31,  2011  of 
Internal Revenue Code Section 954(c)(6).  As a result of this extension, we changed our intent to distribute current 
earnings from various foreign operations to their foreign parents.  These tax provisions permit continued tax deferral 
through  2011  on  such  distributions  that  would  otherwise  be  taxable  immediately  in  the  United  States.    While  the 
distributions  are  not  taxable  in  the  United  States,  related  withholding  taxes  of  $2.7  million  are  included  in  the 
provision for income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for 2011. 

Prior to the passage of the Tax Relief Act, we determined that we intended to distribute all of the current year and 
future years’ earnings of a non-U.S. subsidiary to its foreign parent.  Withholding taxes of $0.9 million related to 
this  distribution  are  included  in  the  provision  for  income  taxes  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of 
Operations for 2011. 

(Loss) from Discontinued Operations 

In November 2011, we committed to a plan to sell our Spanish operations.  Also, in December 2010, we sold our 
Argentine  operations.  Accordingly,  we  have  reflected  the  operating  results  related  to  these  operations  as 
discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented.  The 
(loss)  from  discontinued  operations,  net  of  taxes,  totaled  $(4.6)  million  and  $(12.9)  million  for  2011  and  2010, 
respectively.    The  gain  (loss)  on  sale,  net  of  taxes,  of  the  Argentine  operations  totaled  $0.5  million  and  $(23.5) 
million  for  2011  and  2010,  respectively.   The  gain  on  sale  during  2011  resulted  from  the  reversal  of  the  accrued 
liability  related  to  the  expiration  of  the  indemnification  to  the  purchaser  for  the  possible  loss  of  a  specific  client 
business. 

Net Income (Loss)  

As a result of the foregoing, we reported income from continuing operations for 2011 of $65.5 million, an increase 
of  $27.6  million  from  2010.  This  increase  was  principally  attributable  to  a  $47.4  million  increase  in  revenues,  a 
$25.0 million decrease in general and administrative costs, a $3.1 million increase in net gain on disposal of property 
and equipment, a $1.6 million decrease in impairment of long-lived assets and a decrease in impairment of goodwill 
and intangibles of $0.4 million, partially offset by a $48.4 million increase in direct salaries and related costs and a 
$1.5 million decrease in net gain on insurance settlement.  In addition to the $27.6 million increase in income from 
continuing operations, we experienced a $3.8 million decrease in other expense, net, a decrease in interest expense 
of  $3.8  million,  a  $0.2  million  increase  in  interest  income,  a  decrease  of  $8.3  million  in  loss  from  discontinued 
operations and a $24.0 million decrease in loss on sale of discontinued operations, partially offset by an increase of 
$9.1  million  in  the  tax  provision,  resulting  in  net  income  of  $48.3  million  for  2011,  an  increase  of  $58.6  million 
compared to 2010.  

35

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2010 Compared to 2009 

Revenues  

In  2010,  we  recognized  consolidated  revenues  of  $1,121.9 million,  an  increase  of  $352.5 million  or  45.8%,  from 
$769.4 million in 2009. Excluding the ICT revenues of $362.7 million, revenues decreased $10.2 million for 2010 
compared to 2009. 

On  a  geographic  segment  basis,  revenues  from  the  Americas  region,  including  the  United  States,  Canada,  Latin 
America, Australia and the Asia Pacific Rim, represented 83.3%, or $934.3 million, for 2010 compared to 73.4%, or 
$565.0  million,  for  2009.  Revenues  from  the  EMEA  region,  including  Europe,  the  Middle  East  and  Africa, 
represented 16.7%, or $187.6 million, for 2010 compared to 26.6%, or $204.4 million, for 2009.  

Americas’ revenues increased $369.3 million, including the positive foreign currency impact of $36.2 million, for 
2010  from  2009,  principally  due  to  higher  acquisition-related  revenues  of  $361.5  million,  partially  offset  by 
expiration of certain client programs and lower than forecasted demand within certain clients. Revenues from our 
offshore  operations  represented  47.7%  of  Americas’  revenues  for  2010,  compared  to  57.5%  in  2009.  While 
operating margins generated offshore are generally comparable to those in the United States, our ability to maintain 
these  offshore  operating  margins  longer  term  is  difficult  to  predict  due  to  potential  increased  competition  for  the 
available workforce, the trend of higher occupancy costs and costs of functional currency fluctuations in offshore 
markets.  We weight these factors in our focus to re-price or replace certain sub-profitable target client programs.     

EMEA’s revenues decreased $16.8 million, including the negative foreign currency impact of $3.2 million, for 2010 
from 2009, principally due largely to client program expirations, near-shore migration to lower cost geographies in 
Egypt,  Romania  and  Germany  and  sustained  weakness  in  the  technology  and  communication  verticals.    This 
decrease is partially offset by a $1.2 million increase in acquisition-related revenues. 

Direct Salaries and Related Costs  

Direct salaries and related costs increased $233.7 million, or 48.5%, to $715.5 million for 2010 from $481.8 million 
in 2009. This increase includes ICT direct salaries and related costs of $230.1 million for 2010. 

On a reporting segment basis, direct salaries and related costs from the Americas segment increased $239.0 million, 
including  the negative foreign  currency  impact  of  $26.4  million,  for  2010  from  2009.    Direct  salaries  and  related 
costs  from  the  EMEA  segment  decreased  $5.3  million,  including  the  positive  foreign  currency  impact  of  $2.6 
million, for 2010 from 2009.  

In the Americas segment, as a percentage of revenues, direct salaries and related costs increased to 62.2% for 2010 
from  60.5%  in  2009.  This  increase  of  1.7%,  as  a  percentage  of  revenues,  was  primarily  attributable  to  higher 
compensation costs of 2.8% (related to lower than forecasted demand within certain clients without a commensurate 
reduction in labor costs and wage increases in certain geographies), higher communication costs of 0.6% and higher 
billable supply costs of 0.3%, partially offset by lower automobile tow claim costs of 1.4%, lower travel costs of 
0.2%, lower bonus award costs of 0.1% and lower other costs of 0.3%. 

In  the  EMEA segment,  as  a percentage  of revenues, direct  salaries  and  related  costs  increased  to 71.9% for 2010 
from  68.6%  in  2009.  This  increase  of  3.3%,  as  a  percentage  of  revenues,  was  primarily  attributable  to  higher 
compensation costs of 1.7% (related to near-shore migration to new facilities in Egypt, Romania and Germany and 
the  corresponding  termination  and  duplicative  costs),  higher  severance  costs  of  0.8%,  higher  recruiting  costs  of 
0.3%, higher communication costs of 0.2%, higher travel costs of 0.2% and higher other costs of 0.1%. 

General and Administrative 

General and administrative expenses increased $152.3 million, or 71.1%, to $366.6 million for 2010 from $214.3 
million in 2009.  This increase includes ICT general and administrative costs of $139.6 million for 2010. 

On  a  reporting  segment  basis,  general  and  administrative  expenses  from  the  Americas  segment  increased  $124.2 
million,  including  the  negative  foreign  currency  impact  of  $8.3  million,  for  2010  from  2009.    General  and 
administrative  expenses  from  the  EMEA  segment  increased  $7.0  million,  including  the  positive  foreign  currency 
impact of $1.3 million, for 2010 from 2009.  Corporate general and administrative expenses increased $21.1 million 
for 2010 from 2009. This increase of $21.1 million was primarily attributable to higher merger and acquisition costs 

36

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                    
 
 
 
 
of  $20.9  million,  higher  compensation  costs  of  $0.6  million,  higher  travel  costs  of  $0.4  million,  higher  dues  and 
subscriptions  of  $0.3  million  and  higher  training  costs  of  $0.3  million,  partially  offset  by  lower  legal  and 
professional fees of $0.9 million and lower business development costs of $0.4 million and lower other costs of $0.1 
million. 

In the Americas segment, as a percentage of revenues, general and administrative expenses increased to 26.1% for 
2010 from 21.2% in 2009.  This increase of 4.9%, as a percentage of revenues, was primarily attributable to higher 
depreciation costs of 1.9%, higher facility-related costs of 1.3%, higher merger and acquisition costs of 0.9%, higher 
equipment and maintenance costs of 0.7% and higher compensation costs of 0.5%, partially offset by lower bad debt 
expense of 0.2% and lower other costs of 0.2%. 

In  the  EMEA  segment,  as  a  percentage  of  revenues,  general  and  administrative  expenses  increased  to  30.8%  for 
2010 from 24.8% in 2009.  This increase of 6.0%, as a percentage of revenues, was primarily attributable to higher 
facility-related costs of 1.9%, higher compensation costs of 0.9% (related to near-shore migration to new facilities in 
Egypt, Romania and Germany in 2010 and the corresponding termination and duplicative costs), higher merger and 
acquisition  costs  of  0.9%,  higher  travel  costs  of  0.6%,  higher  legal  and  professional  fees  of  0.5%,  higher 
depreciation costs of 0.4%, higher equipment and maintenance costs of 0.2%, higher communications costs of 0.2% 
and higher other costs of 0.4%. 

Net (Gain) Loss on Disposal of Property and Equipment 

Net loss on disposal of property and equipment was $0.1 million during 2010, compared to $0.2 million in 2009, a 
decrease of $0.1 million. 

Net (Gain) on Insurance Settlement 

Net  (gain)  on  insurance  settlement  of  $(2.0)  million  in  2010  (none  in  2009)  relates  to  funds  received  for  flood 
damage  from  Typhoon  Ondoy  to  the  building  and  contents  of  one  of  our  customer  contact  management  centers 
located  in  Marikina  City,  The  Philippines  (acquired  as  part  of  the  ICT  acquisition).    The  damaged  property  and 
equipment had been written down by ICT prior to the ICT acquisition in February 2010.  

Impairment of Goodwill and Intangibles 

We make certain estimates and assumptions, including, among other things, an assessment of market conditions and 
projections of cash  flows,  investment  rates  and  cost  of capital  and  growth  rates when  estimating  the  value  of  our 
intangibles. Based on actual and forecasted operating results and deterioration of the related customer base in our 
ICT-acquired United Kingdom operations, the EMEA segment recorded a $0.4 million impairment of goodwill and 
intangibles,  primarily  customer  relationships,  during  2010.  The  Americas  segment  recorded  a  $1.9  million 
impairment of goodwill and intangibles during 2009 related to the March 2005 acquisition of KLA. 

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 

During  2010,  we  recorded  a  $3.3  million  impairment  of  long-lived  assets,  primarily  leasehold  improvements  and 
equipment,  consisting  of  $3.1  million  in  the  Americas  segment  and  $0.2  million  in  the  EMEA  segment  (none  in 
2009).  The impairments represented the amount by which the carrying value of the assets exceeded the estimated 
fair value of those assets which cannot be redeployed to other locations. 

Interest Income 

Interest  income  was  $1.2 million  during  2010,  compared  to  $2.3  million  in  2009.    The  decrease  of  $1.1  million 
reflects  lower  average  rates  earned  on  lower  average  balances  of  interest  bearing  investments  in  cash  and  cash 
equivalents. 

Interest (Expense) 

Interest (expense) was $(4.9) million during 2010, compared to $(0.2) million in 2009.  The increase of $4.7 million 
reflecting interest and fees on higher average levels of borrowings in 2010 related to the ICT acquisition. 

37

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
Impairment (Loss) on Investment in SHPS 

In the Americas segment, we recorded an impairment of $2.1 million on our entire investment in SHPS during 2009 
(none in 2010). 

Other (Expense) 

Other (expense), net, was $(5.9) million during 2010, compared to $(0.3) million in 2009. The net increase in other 
(expense), net, of $5.6 million was primarily attributable to an increase of $2.6 million in forward currency contract 
losses  (which  were  not  designated  as  hedging  instruments),  an  increase  of  $2.6 million  in  foreign  currency 
transaction  losses,  net  of  gains,  and  a  decrease  of  $0.4  million  in  other  miscellaneous  income,  net.  Other 
(expense) excludes the cumulative translation effects and unrealized gains (losses) on financial derivatives that are 
included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income” in shareholders' equity in the accompanying Consolidated 
Balance Sheets. 

Income Taxes  

The provision for income taxes of $2.2 million for 2010 was based upon pre-tax income of $28.3 million, compared 
to  the  provision  for  income  taxes  of  $26.1  million  for  2009  based  upon  pre-tax  income  of  $70.8  million.    The 
effective tax rate was 7.8% for 2010 compared to an effective tax rate of 36.9% for 2009.   

The decrease in the effective tax rate of 29.1% resulted primarily from the proportionately higher income under tax 
holiday jurisdictions, the foreign tax rate differential, a favorable change in uncertain tax positions due to a favorable 
settlement  of  a  tax  audit,  expiring  statutes  of  limitation  and  tax  benefits  related  to  the  ICT  legal  entity 
reorganization, and the absence of an unfavorable impact related to the $85.0 million change of intent to repatriate 
foreign earnings in 2009, partially offset by the lack of a release of valuation allowances and a higher proportion of 
withholding taxes in 2010.  

On  December  17,  2010  the  Tax  Relief  Act  was  enacted.  Included  in  the  Tax  Relief  Act  is  the  extension  until 
December  31,  2011  of  Internal  Revenue  Code  Section  954(c)(6).    As  a  result  of  this  extension,  we  changed  our 
intent to distribute current earnings from various foreign operations to their foreign parents.  These tax provisions 
permit continued tax deferral on such distributions that would otherwise be taxable immediately in the United States.  
While the distributions are not taxable in the United States, related withholding taxes of $1.7 million are included in 
the provision for income taxes in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for 2010. 

Prior to the passage of the Tax Relief Act, we determined that we intended to distribute all of the current year and 
future years’ earnings of a non-U.S. subsidiary to its foreign parent.  Withholding taxes of $0.9 million related to 
this  distribution  are  included  in  the  provision  for  income  taxes  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of 
Operations for 2010. 

(Loss) from Discontinued Operations 

In November 2011, we committed to a plan to sell our Spanish operations.  Also, in December 2010, we sold our 
Argentine  operations.  Accordingly,  we  have  reflected  the  operating  results  related  to  these  operations  as 
discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for all periods presented.  The 
(loss)  from  discontinued  operations,  net  of  taxes,  totaled  $(12.9)  million  and  $(1.5)  million  for  2010  and  2009, 
respectively.  The (loss) on sale, net of taxes, of the Argentine operations totaled $(23.5) million for 2010 (none in 
2009). 

Net Income (Loss)  

As a result of the foregoing, we reported income from continuing operations for 2010 of $38.0 million, a decrease of 
$33.2  million  from  2009.  This  decrease was  principally  attributable  to  a  $233.7  million  increase  in  direct  salaries 
and  related  costs,  a  $152.3  million  increase  in  general  and  administrative  costs  and  a  $3.3  million  impairment  of 
long-lived  assets,  partially  offset  by  a  $352.5  million  increase  in  revenues,  a  $2.0  million  net  gain  on  insurance 
settlement, a decrease in impairment of goodwill and intangibles of $1.5 million and a $0.1 million decrease in net 
loss  on  disposal  of  property  and  equipment.  In  addition  to  the  $33.2  million  decrease  in  income  from  continuing 
operations,  we  experienced  a  $5.6  million  increase  in  other  expense,  net,  an  increase  in  interest  expense  of  $4.7 
million, a $1.1 million decrease in interest income, an increase of $11.4 million of loss from discontinued operations 
and a $23.5 million loss on sale of discontinued operations, partially offset by a decrease of $2.1 million due to the 

38

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
impairment loss on investment in SHPS in 2009 and a $23.9 million lower tax provision, resulting in a net loss of 
$10.3 million for 2010, a decrease of $53.5 million compared to 2009.  

Quarterly Results  

The following information presents our unaudited quarterly operating results from continuing operations for 2011 
and  2010.  During  2011,  we  committed  to  a  plan  to  sell  our  operations  in  Spain.  Also,  we  sold  our  Argentine 
operations  during  2010.  Accordingly,  we  have  reclassified  the  selected  financial  data  for  all  periods  presented  to 
reflect  these  results  as  discontinued  operations  in  accordance  with  Accounting  Standards  Codification  205-20 
“Discontinued Operations”. The data has been prepared on a basis consistent with the accompanying Consolidated 
Financial  Statements  included  elsewhere  in  this  Annual  Report  on  Form  10-K,  and  includes  all  adjustments, 
consisting of normal recurring accruals, that we consider necessary for a fair presentation thereof.  

39

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
(in thousands, except per share data)

12/31/2011

9/30/2011

6/30/2011

3/31/2011

12/31/2010

9/30/2010

6/30/2010

3/31/2010

$   

293,310

$   

300,273

$   

299,450

$    

300,422

$   

286,499

$   

280,377

$   

254,613

Revenues (1) …………………………………………………………… 276,234
Operating expenses:

$    

Direct salaries and related costs (1,2) ………………………………… 181,978
General and administrative (1,3,4) …………………………………… 82,086
Net (gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment (5) …………
411
Net (gain) on insurance settlement …………………………………

-

Impairment of goodwill and intangibles ……………………………

Impairment of long-lived assets ……………………………………

-

954

189,082

82,553

(8)

(437)

-

38

198,779

88,370

(3,611)

-

-

-

194,091

88,577

187

(44)

-

726

Total operating expenses ………………………………………… 265,429

Income (loss) from continuing operations ………………………… 10,805

271,228

22,082

283,538

16,735

283,537

15,913

Other income (expense):

Interest income ………………………………………………………
Interest (expense) (6) ………………………………………………
Other income (expense) ……………………………………………

Total other income (expense) ……………………………………

405

(305)

173

273

Income (loss) from continuing operations before income taxes ……..

11,078

Income taxes …………………………………………………………… 5,118

Income (loss) from continuing operations, net of taxes  ………………
5,960
(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes (7) ………………… (1,441)
Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of taxes (8) ………
559
Net income (loss) ……………………………………………………… 5,078

$        

Net income (loss) per common share (9) :

Basic:

Continuing operations ……………………………………………

$          

0.14

357

(272)

(329)

(244)

21,838

2,969

18,869

310

(288)

(378)

(356)

16,379

2,683

13,696

(755)

(1,725)

-

-

280

(267)

(1,565)

(1,552)

14,361

572

13,789

(611)

-

191,517

94,978

143

(1,991)

-

177

284,824

15,598

393

(209)

(348)

(164)

15,434

3,965

11,469

(4,925)

(23,495)

182,825

85,288

180,118

88,237

161,111

98,062

-

-

362

3,103

271,578

14,921

308

(1,214)

(589)

(1,495)

13,426

(2,267)

15,693

(2,047)

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

268,355

12,022

259,173

(4,560)

272

(1,364)

(3,553)

(4,645)

7,377

966

6,411

(3,866)

-

228

(2,176)

(1,417)

(3,365)

(7,925)

(467)

(7,458)

(2,055)

-

$     

18,114

$     

11,971

$     

13,178

$     

(16,951)

$     

13,646

$       

2,545

$      

(9,513)

$         

0.42

$         

0.30

$         

0.29

$          

0.24

$         

0.33

$         

0.13

$        

(0.16)

Discontinued operations …………………………………………

(0.02)

(0.02)

(0.04)

(0.01)

(0.61)

(0.04)

(0.08)

(0.05)

Net income (loss) per common share ……………………………

$          

0.12

Diluted:

Continuing operations ……………………………………………

$          

0.14

$         

0.40

$         

0.26

$         

0.28

$         

(0.37)

$         

0.29

$         

0.05

$        

(0.21)

$         

0.42

$         

0.30

$         

0.29

$          

0.24

$         

0.33

$         

0.13

$        

(0.16)

Discontinued operations …………………………………………

(0.02)

(0.02)

(0.04)

(0.01)

(0.61)

(0.04)

(0.08)

(0.05)

Net income (loss) per common share ……………………………

$          

0.12

$         

0.40

$         

0.26

$         

0.28

$         

(0.37)

$         

0.29

$         

0.05

$        

(0.21)

Weighted average shares:

Basic ……………………………………………………………… 43,659

Diluted …………………………………………………………… 43,847

45,557

45,653

46,241

46,293

46,409

46,577

46,451

46,563

46,468

46,559

46,601

46,648

44,590

44,766

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

(7)

(8)

(9)

The amounts for each of the quarters include the results of ICT as a result of the acquisition completed on February 2, 2010.

The quarter ended December 31, 2011 includes $3.5 million related to the Fourth Quarter 2011 Exit Plan.

The quarter ended December 31, 2011 includes $2.3 million related to the Fourth Quarter 2011 Exit Plan.

The quarters ended December 31, 2011, September 30, 2011, June 30, 2011, and M arch 31, 2011 include $1.9 million, $3.0 million, $3.5 million and $3.4 million, respectively,
in ICT acquisition-related costs. The quarters ended December 31, 2010, September 30, 2010, June 30, 2010, and M arch 31, 2010 include $10.8 million, $6.3 million, $6.0
million and $23.2 million, respectively, in ICT acquisition-related costs.

The quarter ended June 30, 2011 includes a $3.7 million net gain on sale of the land and building located in M inot, North Dakota.

The quarters ended September 30, 2010, June 30, 2010, and M arch 31, 2010 include interest and amortization of deferred loan fees related to the $75 million Term Loan, the
$75 million revolving credit facility and the $75 million Bermuda Credit Agreement. The Term Loan and the Bermuda Credit Agreement were paid off in September 2010 and
M arch 2010, respectively.  See Note 20, Borrowings, of the accompanying "Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements".

The amounts for each of the quarters for 2011 and 2010 include the results of our operations in Spain. The amounts for each of the quarters in 2010 include the results of our
Argentine operations, which was sold in 2010.
The quarters ended December 31, 2011 and 2010 include a gain (loss) on the sale of our Argentine operations.

Net income (loss) per basic and diluted common share is computed independently for each of the quarters presented and, therefore, may not sum to the total for the year.

40

 
 
 
 
    
    
     
    
    
    
       
      
      
      
       
      
      
      
              
           
            
              
              
              
          
            
        
              
              
              
              
              
              
               
           
              
              
             
              
           
            
        
              
              
           
           
           
            
           
           
           
          
          
          
           
       
       
       
          
          
       
           
          
       
       
        
           
         
       
           
          
      
      
       
      
        
       
          
       
          
        
       
       
       
              
              
              
      
              
              
              
          
         
         
         
          
         
         
         
          
         
         
         
          
         
         
         
       
      
      
      
       
      
      
      
       
      
      
      
       
      
      
      
 
  
 
 
Liquidity and Capital Resources  

Our  primary  sources  of  liquidity  are  generally  cash  flows  generated  by  operating  activities  and  from  available 
borrowings  under  our  revolving  credit  facility.  We  utilize  these  capital  resources  to  make  capital  expenditures 
associated primarily with our customer contact management services, invest in technology applications and tools to 
further  develop  our  service  offerings  and  for  working  capital  and  other  general  corporate  purposes,  including 
repurchase of our common stock in the open market and to fund possible acquisitions. In future periods, we intend 
similar uses of these funds. 

On August 5, 2002, our Board authorized us to purchase up to 3.0 million shares of our outstanding common stock 
(the  “2002  Share  Repurchase  Program”)  and  on  August  18,  2011,  our  Board  authorized  us  to  purchase  up  to  5.0 
million  shares  of  our  outstanding  common  stock  (the  “2011  Share  Repurchase  Program”).    During  2011,  we 
repurchased a total of 3.3 million shares of common stock under these plans.  

During  2011,  we  repurchased  0.8  million  common  shares  under  the  2002  Share  Repurchase  Program  at  prices 
ranging from $12.46 to $18.53 per share for a total cost of $12.3 million. During 2010, we repurchased 0.3 million 
common shares at prices ranging from $16.92 to $17.60 per share for a total cost of $5.2 million.  During 2009, we 
repurchased 0.2 million common shares at prices ranging from $13.72 to $14.75 per share for a total cost of $3.2 
million.  All available shares under the 2002 Share Repurchase Program have been repurchased.   

During  2011,  we  repurchased  2.5  million  common  shares  under  the  2011  Share  Repurchase  Program  at  prices 
ranging from $14.18 to $16.10 per share for a total cost of $37.7 million. The shares are purchased, from time to 
time, through open market purchases or in negotiated private transactions, and the purchases are based on factors, 
including but not limited to, the stock price and general market conditions. The 2011 Share Repurchase Program has 
no expiration date.  We may make additional discretionary stock repurchases under this program in 2012. 

During 2011, cash increased $102.6 million from operating activities, proceeds from sale of property and equipment 
of $4.0 million, proceeds from an insurance settlement of $1.7 million and proceeds from issuance of stock of $0.3 
million. Further, we used $50.0 million on the repurchase of our stock, $29.9 million for capital expenditures, $1.2 
million to repurchase stock for minimum tax withholding on equity awards, $0.2 million to refund grants and $0.1 
million  investment  in  restricted  cash  resulting  in  a  $21.3 million  increase  in  available  cash  (including  the 
unfavorable effects of international currency exchange rates on cash of $5.9 million). 

Net cash flows provided by operating activities for 2011 were $102.6 million, compared to $45.1 million provided 
by operating activities for 2010.  The $57.5 million increase in net cash flows from operating activities was due to a 
$58.6 million increase in net income and a net increase of $15.0 million in cash flows from assets and liabilities, 
partially offset by a $16.1 million decrease in non-cash reconciling items such as the loss on sale of discontinued 
operations,  depreciation  and  amortization,  net  gain  on  disposal  of  property  and  equipment,  impairment  charges, 
valuation allowance on deferred tax assets and stock-based compensation.  The $15.0 million increase in cash flows 
from assets and liabilities was principally a result of a $19.6 million decrease in receivables, a $4.0 million increase 
in deferred revenue and a $1.7 million increase in income taxes payable, partially offset by a $6.0 million decrease 
in other liabilities and a $4.3 million increase in other assets.  The increase in cash flows from assets and liabilities 
primarily  relates  to  the  timing  of  receivables’  billings  and  subsequent  payments  of  those  billings,  coupled  with  a 
reduction in revenues in the fourth quarter in 2011 over the comparable period in 2010. 

During  2011,  we  committed  to  a  plan  to  sell  our  operations  in  Spain.    During  2010,  we  sold  our  Argentine 
operations.  Cash flows from discontinued operations were as follows (in millions):  

2011

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

Cash provided by (used for) operating activities of discontinued operations ……
Cash provided by (used for) investing activities of discontinued operations ………

$                       

(4.7)
(0.3)

$                       

(6.6)
(13.5)

$                        

2.2
(1.7)

Cash  provided  by  (used for) operating  activities  of  discontinued  operations  represents  the  cash  provided  by (used 
for)  the  Spanish  and  Argentine  operations  in  2011,  2010  and  2009.  Cash  (used  for)  investing  activities  of 
discontinued  operations  represents  capital  expenditures  in  2011  and  2009.    Cash  (used  for)  investing  activities  of 
discontinued operations  in  2010  primarily  represents  cash  on  the  balance  sheet  of  the  Argentine  operations  at  the 
time of the sale. The sale of the Argentine operations resulted in a pre-tax loss of $29.9 million, or a $23.5 million 
loss,  net  of  tax.    We  do  not  expect  the  absence  of  the  cash  flows  from  our  discontinued  operations  in  Spain  to 
materially affect our future liquidity and capital resources. 

41

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                         
                       
                         
 
 
Capital  expenditures,  which  are  generally  funded  by  cash  generated  from  operating  activities,  available  cash 
balances  and  borrowings  available  under  our  credit  facilities,  were  $29.9  million  for  2011,  compared  to  $28.5 
million  for  2010,  an  increase  of  $1.4  million.  In  2012,  we  anticipate  capital  expenditures  in  the  range  of  $33.0 
million to $35.0 million, primarily for maintenance and systems infrastructure. 

On  February  2,  2010,  we  entered  into  a  Credit  Agreement  (the  “Credit  Agreement”)  with  a  group  of  lenders  and 
KeyBank, as Lead Arranger, Sole Book Runner and Administrative Agent. The Credit Agreement provides for a $75 
million  revolving  credit  facility,  which  is  subject  to  certain  borrowing  limitations  and  includes  certain  customary 
financial and restrictive covenants.  At December 31, 2011, we were in compliance with all loan requirements of the 
Credit Agreement and had no outstanding borrowings under the facility. 

The $75 million revolving credit facility provided under the Credit Agreement includes a $40 million multi-currency 
sub-facility, a $10 million swingline sub-facility and a $5 million letter of credit sub-facility, which may be used for 
general corporate purposes including strategic acquisitions, share repurchases, working capital support, and letters of 
credit, subject to certain limitations. We are not currently aware of any inability of our lenders to provide access to 
the full commitment of funds that exist under the revolving credit facility, if necessary.  However, there can be no 
assurance  that  such  facility  will  be  available  to  us,  even  though  it  is  a  binding  commitment.  The revolving  credit 
facility will mature on February 1, 2013.  

Borrowings  under  the  Credit  Agreement  bear  interest  at  either  LIBOR  or  the  base  rate  plus,  in  each  case,  an 
applicable  margin  based  on  our  leverage  ratio.  The  applicable  interest  rate  is  determined  quarterly  based  on  our 
leverage  ratio  at  such  time.  The  base  rate  is  a  rate  per  annum  equal  to  the  greatest  of  (i) the  rate  of  interest 
established by KeyBank, from time to time, as its “prime rate”; (ii) the Federal Funds effective rate in effect from 
time to time, plus 1/2 of 1% per annum; and (iii) the then-applicable LIBOR rate for one month interest periods, plus 
1.00%. Swingline loans bear interest only at the base rate plus the base rate margin. In addition, we are required to 
pay  certain  customary  fees,  including  a  commitment  fee  of  up  to  0.75%,  which  is  due  quarterly  in  arrears  and 
calculated on the average unused amount of the revolving credit facility.   

The Credit Agreement is guaranteed by all of our existing and future direct and indirect material U.S. subsidiaries 
and secured by a pledge of 100% of the non-voting and 65% of the voting capital stock of all of our direct foreign 
subsidiaries and those of the guarantors. 

As of December 31, 2011, we had $211.1 million in cash and cash equivalents, of which approximately 77.6% or 
$163.9  million,  was  held  in  international  operations  and  may  be  subject  to  additional  taxes  if  repatriated  to  the 
United States, including withholding tax applied by the country of origin and an incremental U.S. income tax, net of 
allowable foreign tax credits. There are circumstances where we may be unable to repatriate some of the cash and 
cash equivalents held by our international operations due to country restrictions.  

We believe that our current cash levels, accessible funds under our credit facilities and cash flows generated from 
future  operations  will  be  adequate  to  meet  anticipated  working  capital  needs,  any  future  debt  repayment 
requirements,  continued  expansion  objectives,  funding  of  potential  acquisitions,  anticipated  levels  of  capital 
expenditures and contractual obligations for the next twelve months and any stock repurchases. Our cash resources 
could also be affected by various risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to the risks detailed in Item 1A, 
Risk Factors.  

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements and Other  

At  December 31,  2011,  we  did  not  have  any  material  commercial  commitments,  including  guarantees  or  standby 
repurchase obligations, or any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, including entities 
often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities or variable interest entities, which would have been 
established  for  the  purpose  of  facilitating  off-balance  sheet  arrangements  or other  contractually  narrow  or  limited 
purposes.  

From  time  to  time,  during  the  normal  course  of  business,  we  may  make  certain  indemnities,  commitments  and 
guarantees under which we may be required to make payments in relation to certain transactions. These include, but 
are not limited to: (i) indemnities to clients, vendors and service providers pertaining to claims based on negligence 
or  willful  misconduct  and  (ii)  indemnities  involving  breach  of  contract,  the  accuracy  of  representations  and 
warranties, or other liabilities assumed by us in certain contracts. In addition, we have agreements whereby we will 

42

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
indemnify  certain  officers  and  directors  for  certain  events  or  occurrences  while  the  officer  or  director  is,  or  was, 
serving  at  our  request  in  such  capacity.  The  indemnification  period  covers  all  pertinent  events  and  occurrences 
during the officer’s or director’s lifetime. The maximum potential amount of future payments we could be required 
to  make  under  these  indemnification  agreements  is  unlimited;  however,  we  have  director  and  officer  insurance 
coverage that limits our exposure and enables us to recover a portion of any future amounts paid. We believe the 
applicable  insurance  coverage  is  generally  adequate  to  cover  any  estimated  potential  liability  under  these 
indemnification agreements. The majority of these indemnities, commitments and guarantees do not provide for any 
limitation of the maximum potential for future payments we could be obligated to make. We have not recorded any 
liability  for  these  indemnities,  commitments  and  other  guarantees  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Balance 
Sheets.  In addition, we have some client contracts that do not contain contractual provisions for the limitation of 
liability,  and  other  client  contracts  that  contain  agreed  upon  exceptions  to  limitation  of  liability.  We  have  not 
recorded any liability in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets with respect to any client contracts under 
which we have or may have unlimited liability. 

Contractual Obligations  

The  following  table  summarizes  our  contractual  cash  obligations  at  December 31,  2011,  and  the  effect  these 
obligations are expected to have on liquidity and cash flow in future periods (in thousands):  

Total

Less Than 
1 Year

Operating leases (1) …………………………………………
54,255
Purchase obligations and other (2) …………………………… 23,659
Accounts payable (3) ………………………………………
23,109
Accrued employee compensation and benefits (3) …………
62,430
Other accrued expenses and current liabilities (4) …………… 20,421
Long-term tax liabilities (5) …………………………………
26,475
Other long-term liabilities (6) ………………………………… 5,080

$       

$       

25,338
15,450
23,109
62,430
20,421
14,300
-

Payments Due By Period

1 - 3 Years
12,878
$       
8,209
-
-
-
-
1,838

3 - 5 Years
7,385
$         
-
-
-
-
-
1,372

After 5 
Years

$         

8,654
-
-
-
-
-
1,870

Other
-
$                 
-
-
-
-
12,175
-

$     

215,429

$     

161,048

$       

22,925

$         

8,757

$       

10,524

$       

12,175

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

(6)

Amounts represent the expected cash payments of our operating leases as discussed in Note 24 to the accompanying Consolidated Financial
Statements.
Purchase obligations include agreements to purchase goods or services that are enforceable and legally binding on us and that specify all significant
terms, including: fixed or minimum quantities to be purchased; fixed, minimum or variable price provisions; and the approximate timing of the
transaction.  Purchase obligations exclude agreements that are cancelable without penalty. 

Accounts payable and accrued employee compensation and benefits (See Note 16 to the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements), which
represent amounts due vendors and employees payable within one year.

Other accrued expenses and current liabilties, which exclude deferred grants, include amounts as disclosed in Note 18 to the accompanying
Consolidated Financial Statements, primarily related to restructuring costs, legal and professional fees, telephone charges, rent, derivative contracts
and other accruals.

Long-term tax liabilities include uncertain tax positions and related penalties and interest as discussed in Note 22 to the accompanying Consolidated
Financial Statements. We cannot make reasonably reliable estimates of the cash settlement of $12.2 million of the long-term liabilities with the
taxing authority; therefore, amounts have been excluded from payments due by period.

Other long-term liabilities, which exclude deferred income taxes and other non-cash long-term liabilities, represent the expected cash payments due
under restructuring accruals (primarily lease obligations) and pension obligations. See Notes 4 and 25 to the accompanying Consolidated Financial
Statements.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates  

The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in 
the United States requires estimations and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and 
the disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of 
revenues  and  expenses  during  the  reporting  period.  These  estimates  and  assumptions  are  based  on  historical 
experience and various other factors that are believed to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could 
differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.  

We believe the following accounting policies are the most critical since these policies require significant judgment 
or involve complex estimations that are important to the portrayal of our financial condition and operating results.  
Unless we need to clarify a point to readers, we will refrain from citing specific section references when discussing 
the application of accounting principles or addressing new or pending accounting rule changes.  

43

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Recognition of Revenue 

We recognize revenue in accordance with ASC 605 “Revenue Recognition”. 

We primarily recognize revenues from services as the services are performed, which is based on either a per minute, 
per call or per transaction basis, under a fully executed contractual agreement and record reductions to revenues for 
contractual  penalties  and  holdbacks  for  failure  to  meet  specified  minimum  service  levels  and  other  performance 
based contingencies. Revenue recognition is limited to the amount that is not contingent upon delivery of any future 
product or service or meeting other specified performance conditions.  

Product  sales,  accounted  for  within  our  fulfillment  services,  are  recognized  upon  shipment  to  the  customer  and 
satisfaction of all obligations.  

In  accordance  with  ASC  605-25  (“ASC  605-25”)  “Revenue  Recognition  –  Multiple-Element  Arrangements”, 
revenue from contracts with multiple-deliverables is allocated to separate units of accounting based on their relative 
fair  value,  if  the  deliverables  in  the  contract(s)  meet  the  criteria  for  such  treatment.  Certain  fulfillment  services 
contracts  contain  multiple-deliverables.  Separation  criteria  includes  whether  a  delivered  item  has  value  to  the 
customer on a stand-alone basis, whether there is objective and reliable evidence of the fair value of the undelivered 
items and, if the arrangement includes a general right of return related to a delivered item, whether delivery of the 
undelivered  item  is  considered  probable  and  in  our  control.  Fair  value  is  the  price  of  a  deliverable  when  it  is 
regularly sold on a stand-alone basis, which generally consists of vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value. If 
there is no evidence of the fair value for a delivered product or service, revenue is allocated first to the fair value of 
the undelivered product or service and then the residual revenue is allocated to the delivered product or service. If 
there  is  no  evidence  of  the  fair  value  for  an  undelivered  product  or  service,  the  contract(s)  is  accounted  for  as  a 
single  unit  of  accounting,  resulting  in  delay  of  revenue  recognition  for  the  delivered  product  or  service  until  the 
undelivered product  or  service  portion  of  the  contract  is  complete.  We  recognize  revenues  for  delivered  elements 
only when the fair values of undelivered elements are known, uncertainties regarding client acceptance are resolved, 
and  there  are no  client-negotiated  refund  or  return rights affecting  the  revenue recognized  for delivered  elements. 
Once  we  determine  the  allocation  of  revenues  between  deliverable  elements,  there  are  no  further  changes  in  the 
revenue allocation.  If the separation criteria are met, revenues from these services are recognized as the services are 
performed  under  a  fully  executed  contractual  agreement.  If  the  separation  criteria  are  not  met  because  there  is 
insufficient  evidence  to  determine  fair  value  of  one  of  the  deliverables,  all  of  the  services  are  accounted  for  as  a 
single combined unit of accounting. For deliverables with insufficient evidence to determine fair value, revenue is 
recognized  on  the  proportional  performance  method  using  the  straight-line  basis  over  the  contract  period,  or  the 
actual number of operational seats used to serve the client, as appropriate.  As of December 31, 2011, our fulfillment 
contracts  with  multiple-deliverables  met  the  separation  criteria  as  outlined  in  ASC  605-25  and  the  revenue  was 
accounted for accordingly.  We have no other contracts that contain multiple-deliverables as of December 31, 2011. 

In October 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board amended the accounting standards for certain multiple-
deliverable  revenue  arrangements.  We  adopted  this  guidance  on  a  prospective  basis  for  applicable  transactions 
originated or materially  modified  since  January  1, 2011,  the  adoption date.  Since  there  were  no  such  transactions 
executed or materially modified since adoption on January 1, 2011, there was no impact on our financial condition, 
results of operations and cash flows. The amended standard: 

• 

• 

• 

updates guidance on whether multiple deliverables exist, how the deliverables in an arrangement should be 
separated, and how the consideration should be allocated; 
requires  an  entity  to  allocate  revenue  in  an  arrangement  using  the  best  estimated  selling  price  of 
deliverables  if  a  vendor  does  not  have  vendor-specific  objective  evidence  of  selling  price  or  third-party 
evidence  of selling price; and  
eliminates the use of the residual method and requires an entity to allocate revenue using the relative selling 
price method.  

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts 

We  maintain  allowances  for  doubtful  accounts,  $4.3  million  as  of  December 31,  2011,  or  1.9%  of  trade  account 
receivables,  for  estimated  losses  arising  from  the  inability  of  our  customers  to  make  required  payments.  Our 
estimate  is  based  on  qualitative  and  quantitative  analyses,  including  credit  risk  measurement  tools  and 
methodologies using the publicly available credit and capital market information, a review of the current status of 
our  trade  accounts receivable  and historical  collection  experience of our clients.  It  is  reasonably  possible  that  our 

44

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
estimate  of  the  allowance  for  doubtful  accounts  will  change  if  the  financial  condition  of  our  customers  were  to 
deteriorate, resulting in a reduced ability to make payments. 

Income Taxes 

We reduce deferred tax assets by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, both positive 
and negative, for each respective tax jurisdiction, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of such deferred 
tax assets will not be realized. The valuation allowance for a particular tax jurisdiction is allocated between current 
and noncurrent deferred tax assets for that jurisdiction on a pro rata basis. Available evidence which is considered in 
determining the amount of valuation allowance required includes, but is not limited to, our estimate of future taxable 
income  and  any  applicable  tax-planning  strategies.  Establishment  or  reversal  of  certain  valuation  allowances  may 
have a significant impact on both current and future results. 

As of December 31, 2011, we determined that a total valuation allowance of $38.5 million was necessary to reduce 
U.S. deferred tax assets by $4.7 million and foreign deferred tax assets by $33.8 million, where it was more likely 
than not that some portion or all of such deferred tax assets will not be realized.  The recoverability of the remaining 
net deferred tax asset of $22.8 million as of December 31, 2011 is dependent upon future profitability within each 
tax jurisdiction. As of December 31, 2011, based on our estimates of future taxable income and any applicable tax-
planning strategies within various tax jurisdictions, we believe that it is more likely than not that the remaining net 
deferred tax assets will be realized. 

A  provision  for  income  taxes  has  not  been  made  for  the  undistributed  earnings  of  foreign  subsidiaries  of 
approximately  $333.1  million  as  of  December 31,  2011,  as  the  earnings  are  indefinitely  reinvested  in  foreign 
business operations.  If these earnings are repatriated or otherwise become taxable in the U.S, we would be subject 
to  an  incremental  U.S.  tax  expense  net  of  any  allowable  foreign  tax  credits,  in  addition  to  any  applicable  foreign 
withholding tax expense.  Determination of any unrecognized deferred tax liability for temporary differences related 
to investments in foreign subsidiaries that are essentially permanent in nature is not practicable.   

The U.S. Department of the Treasury released the “General Explanations of the Administration’s Fiscal Year 2013 
Revenue  Proposals”  in  February  2012.    These  proposals  represent  a  significant  shift  in  international  tax  policy, 
which may materially impact U.S. taxation of international earnings.  We continue to monitor these proposals and 
are  currently  evaluating  their  potential  impact  on  our  financial  condition,  results  of  operations,  and  cash  flows. 
Determination of any unrecognized deferred tax liability for temporary differences related to investments in foreign 
subsidiaries that are essentially permanent in nature is not practicable.   

We evaluate tax positions that have been taken or are expected to be taken in our tax returns, and record a liability 
for uncertain tax positions in accordance with ASC 740. The calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with 
uncertainties in the application of complex tax regulations. ASC 740 contains a two-step approach to recognizing 
and  measuring  uncertain  tax  positions.  First,  tax  positions  are  recognized  if  the  weight  of  available  evidence 
indicates that it is more likely than not that the position will be sustained upon examination, including resolution of 
related  appeals  or  litigation  processes,  if  any.    Second,  the  tax  position  is  measured  as  the  largest  amount  of  tax 
benefit that has a greater than 50% likelihood of being realized upon settlement. We reevaluate these uncertain tax 
positions on a quarterly basis. This evaluation is based on factors including, but not limited to, changes in facts or 
circumstances, changes in tax law, effectively settled issues under audit, and new audit activity. Such a change in 
recognition  or  measurement  would  result  in  the  recognition  of  a  tax  benefit  or  an  additional  charge  to  the  tax 
provision.  

As of December 31, 2011, we had $17.1 million of unrecognized tax benefits, a net decrease of $3.9 million from 
$21.0 million as of December 31, 2010. This decrease results primarily from the expiration of statutes of limitations 
on certain foreign subsidiaries and the resolution of a tax audit in the current year.  Had we recognized these tax 
benefits,  approximately  $17.1  million  and  $21.0  million  and  the  related  interest  and  penalties  would  favorably 
impact  the  effective  tax  rate  in  2011  and  2010,  respectively.  We  believe  it  is  reasonably  possible  that  our 
unrecognized  tax  benefits  will  decrease  or  be  recognized  in  the  next  twelve  months  by  up  to  $0.6  million  due  to 
expiration of statutes of limitations, audit or appeal resolution in various tax jurisdictions. 

Our provision for income taxes is subject to volatility and is impacted by the distribution of earnings in the various 
domestic and international jurisdictions in which we operate. Our effective tax rate could be impacted by earnings 
being  either  proportionally  lower  or  higher  in  foreign  countries  where  we  have  tax  rates  lower  than  the  U.S.  tax 
rates.  In  addition,  we  have  been  granted  tax  holidays  in  several  foreign  tax  jurisdictions,  which  have  various 

45

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
expiration  dates  ranging  from  2012  through  2023.  If  we  are  unable  to  renew  a  tax  holiday  in  any  of  these 
jurisdictions,  our  effective  tax  rate  could  be  adversely  impacted.  In  some  cases,  the  tax  holidays  expire  without 
possibility of renewal. In other cases, we expect to renew these tax holidays, but there are no assurances from the 
respective  foreign  governments  that  they  will  permit  a  renewal.  Our  effective  tax  rate  could  also  be  affected  by 
several  additional  factors,  including  changes  in  the  valuation  of  our  deferred  tax  assets  or  liabilities,  changing 
legislation,  regulations,  and  court  interpretations  that  impact  tax  law  in  multiple  tax  jurisdictions  in  which  we 
operate,  as  well  as  new  requirements,  pronouncements  and  rulings  of  certain  tax,  regulatory  and  accounting 
organizations. 

Impairment of Goodwill, Intangibles and Other Long-Lived Assets 

We  review  long-lived  assets,  which  had  a  carrying  value  of  $256.9  million  as  of  December 31,  2011,  including 
goodwill,  intangibles  and  property  and  equipment  for  impairment  whenever  events  or  changes  in  circumstances 
indicate that the carrying value of an asset may not be recoverable and at least annually for impairment testing of 
goodwill.  An  asset  is  considered  to  be  impaired  when  the  carrying  amount  exceeds  the  fair  value.  Upon 
determination  that  the  carrying  value  of  the  asset  is  impaired,  we  would  record  an  impairment  charge,  or  loss,  to 
reduce  the  asset  to  its  fair  value.  Future  adverse  changes  in  market  conditions  or  poor  operating  results  of  the 
underlying  investment  could  result  in  losses  or  an  inability  to  recover  the  carrying  value  of  the  investment  and, 
therefore, might require an impairment charge in the future. 

New Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted 

In  May  2011,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  (the  “FASB”)  issued  Accounting  Standards  Update 
(“ASU”) 2011-04 (“ASU 2011-04”) “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) – Amendments to Achieve Common Fair 
Value  Measurement and  Disclosure  Requirements  in U.S.  GAAP and IFRSs”.    The  amendments  in ASU 2011-04 
result  in  common  fair  value  measurement  and  disclosure  requirements  in  U.S.  GAAP  and  International  Financial 
Reporting  Standards  (“IFRS”).  Consequently,  the  amendments  change  the  wording  used  to  describe  many  of  the 
requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements.  
Some  of  the  amendments  clarify  the  FASB’s  intent  about  the  application  of  existing  fair  value  measurement 
requirements.  Other  amendments  change  a  particular  principle  or  requirement  for  measuring  fair  value  or  for 
disclosing  information  about  fair  value  measurements.    The  amendments  in  ASU  2011-04  are  to  be  applied 
prospectively and are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011.  The adoption 
of  ASU  2011-04  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not  have  a  material  impact  on  our  financial  condition,  results  of 
operations and cash flows. 

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05 (“ASU 2011-05”) “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation 
of Comprehensive Income”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-05 require that all nonowner changes in stockholders’ 
equity  be  presented  either  in  a  single  continuous  statement  of  comprehensive  income  or  in  two  separate  but 
consecutive  statements.  In  the  two-statement  approach,  the  first  statement  should  present  total  net  income  and  its 
components followed consecutively by a second statement that should present total other comprehensive income, the 
components  of  other  comprehensive  income,  and  the  total  of  comprehensive  income.    The  amendments  in  ASU 
2011-05  are  to  be  applied  retrospectively  and  are  effective  during  interim  and  annual  periods  beginning  after 
December 15, 2011, and may be early adopted.  As this standard impacts presentation only, the adoption of ASU 
2011-05 as of January 1, 2012 did not impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

In  September  2011,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2011-08  (“ASU  2011-08”)  “Intangibles  –  Goodwill  and  Other  (Topic 
350) Testing Goodwill for Impairment”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-08 provide entities with the option to first 
assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that 
it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the 
totality  of  events  or  circumstances,  an  entity  determines  it  is  not  more  likely  than  not  that  the  fair  value  of  a 
reporting  unit  is  less  than  its  carrying  amount,  then  performing  the  two-step  impairment  test  is  unnecessary. 
However, if an entity concludes otherwise, then it is required to perform the first step of the two-step impairment 
test by calculating the fair value of the reporting unit and comparing the fair value with the carrying amount of the 
reporting unit. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, then the entity is required to perform 
the  second  step  of  the  goodwill  impairment  test  to  measure  the  amount  of  the  impairment  loss,  if  any.  Under  the 
amendments in ASU 2011-08, an entity has the option to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit in 
any period and proceed directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test. An entity may 
resume  performing  the  qualitative  assessment  in  any  subsequent  period.    The  amendments  in  ASU  2011-08  are 
effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 

46

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2011,  and  may  be  early  adopted.    The  adoption  of  ASU  2011-08  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not  have  a  material 
impact on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

In  December  2011,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2011-11  (“ASU  2011-11”)  “Balance  Sheet  (Topic  210)  –  Disclosures 
about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-11 will enhance disclosures by requiring 
improved  information  about  financial  and  derivative  instruments  that  are  either  1)  offset  (netting  assets  and 
liabilities)  in  accordance  with  Section 210-20-45  or  Section 815-10-45  of  the  FASB  Accounting  Standards 
Codification or 2) subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement.  The amendments in 
ASU 2011-11 are effective for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those 
years.  An  entity  should  provide  the  disclosures  required by  those  amendments  retrospectively  for  all  comparative 
periods  presented.  We  do  not  expect  the  adoption  of  ASU  2011-11  to  materially  impact  our  financial  condition, 
results of operations and cash flows. 

In  December  2011,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2011-12  (“ASU  2011-12”)  “Comprehensive  Income  (Topic  220)  –  
Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated 
Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-12 
defer  the  requirement  to  present  reclassification  adjustments  for  each  component  of  accumulated  other 
comprehensive income in both net income and other comprehensive income on the face of the financial statements.  
The amendments in ASU 2011-12 are effective at the same time as ASU 2011-05 so that entities will not be required 
to comply with the presentation requirements in ASU 2011-05 that ASU 2011-05 is deferring. The amendments in 
ASU 2011-12 are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 
2011.  As  ASU  2011-12  impacts  presentation  only,  the  adoption  of  ASU  2011-12  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not 
impact our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

U.S. Healthcare Reform Acts 

In March 2010, the President of the United States signed into law comprehensive healthcare reform legislation under 
the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act (the "Acts"). 
The Acts contain provisions that could materially impact our healthcare costs in the future, thus adversely affecting 
our profitability.  We are currently evaluating the potential impact of the Acts, if any, on our financial condition, 
results of operations and cash flows.  Preliminary analyses indicate that the increased cost of providing healthcare 
benefits in the future may not materially affect our profitability; however, there are many provisions of the Acts that 
have yet to be defined and which may be affected by the 2012 national elections.  The effect on our healthcare costs 
in the future may not be known for some time. 

Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk  

Foreign Currency Risk  

Our earnings and cash flows are subject to fluctuations due to changes in currency exchange rates.  We are exposed 
to  foreign  currency  exchange  rate  fluctuations  when  subsidiaries  with  functional  currencies  other  than  the  U.S. 
Dollar (“USD”) are translated into our USD consolidated financial statements. As exchange rates vary, those results, 
when translated, may vary from expectations and adversely impact profitability. The cumulative translation effects 
for  subsidiaries  using  functional  currencies  other  than  the  U.S.  Dollar  are  included  in  “Accumulated  other 
comprehensive income (loss)” in shareholders’ equity. Movements in non-U.S. Dollar currency exchange rates may 
negatively  or  positively  affect  our  competitive  position,  as  exchange  rate  changes  may  affect  business  practices 
and/or pricing strategies of non-U.S. based competitors.  

We employ a foreign currency risk management program that periodically utilizes derivative instruments to protect 
against  unanticipated  fluctuations  in  earnings  and  cash  flows  caused  by  volatility  in  foreign  currency  exchange 
(“FX”) rates. Option and forward derivative contracts are used to hedge intercompany receivables and payables, and 
other transactions initiated in the United States, that are denominated in a foreign currency. Additionally, we may 
employ FX contracts to hedge net investments in foreign operations.   

We  serve  a number  of U.S.-based  clients using  customer  contact  management  center  capacity  in  The  Philippines, 
Canada and Costa Rica, which are within our Americas segment. Although the contracts with these clients are priced 
in  USDs,  a  substantial  portion  of  the  costs  incurred  to  render  services  under  these  contracts  are  denominated  in 
Philippine  Pesos  (“PHP”),  Canadian  Dollars  (“CAD”)  and  Costa  Rican  Colones  (“CRC”),  which  represent  FX 
exposures.  

47

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In  order  to  hedge  a  portion  of  our  anticipated  cash  flow  requirements  denominated  in  PHP  and  CRC,  we  had 
outstanding  forward  contracts  and  options  as  of  December  31,  2011  with  counterparties  through  September  2012 
with  notional  amounts  totaling  $127.5  million.  As  of  December  31,  2011,  we  had  net  total  derivative  assets 
associated with these contracts with a fair value of $0.2 million, which will settle within the next 12 months. If the 
USD was to weaken against the PHP and CRC by 10% from current period-end levels, we would incur a loss of 
approximately $9.3 million on the underlying exposures of the derivative instruments. However, this loss would be 
mitigated by corresponding gains on the underlying exposures. 

We also entered into forward exchange contracts that are not designated as hedges. The purpose of these derivative 
instruments is to protect against FX volatility pertaining to intercompany receivables and payables, and other assets 
and liabilities that are denominated in currencies other than our subsidiaries’ functional currencies.  As of December 
31, 2011, the fair value of these derivatives was a net payable of $0.3 million.  The potential loss in fair value at 
December 31, 2011, for these contracts resulting from a hypothetical 10% adverse change in the foreign currency 
exchange rates is approximately $2.6 million. However, this loss would be mitigated by corresponding gains on the 
underlying exposures. 

We evaluate the credit quality of potential counterparties to derivative transactions and only enter into contracts with 
those considered to have minimal credit risk. We periodically monitor changes to counterparty credit quality as well 
as our concentration of credit exposure to individual counterparties. 

We  do  not  use  derivative  financial  instruments  for  speculative  trading  purposes,  nor  do  we  hedge  our  foreign 
currency exposure in a manner that entirely offsets the effects of changes in foreign exchange rates.  

As a general rule, we do not use financial instruments to hedge local currency denominated operating expenses in 
countries  where  a natural  hedge  exists.  For  example,  in many  countries,  revenue  from  the  local  currency  services 
substantially offsets the local currency denominated operating expenses.  

Interest Rate Risk 

Our exposure to interest rate risk results from variable debt outstanding under the revolving credit facility under our 
Credit Agreement. We pay interest on outstanding borrowings at interest rates that fluctuate based upon changes in 
various base rates. During the year ended December 31, 2011, we had no debt outstanding under the revolving credit 
facility.   

We have not historically used derivative instruments to manage exposure to changes in interest rates.  

Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data  

The financial statements and supplementary data required by this item are located beginning on page 58 and page 39 
of this report, respectively.  

Item 9. Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure  

None.  

Item 9A. Controls and Procedures  

Disclosure Controls and Procedures 

Our management, with the participation of our Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer, has evaluated 
the  effectiveness  of  our  disclosure  controls  and  procedures,  as  defined  in  Rules 13a-15(e)  and  15d-15(e)  of  the 
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as of December 31, 2011. Based on that evaluation, our Chief Executive Officer 
and Chief Financial Officer concluded that our disclosure controls and procedures were effective as of December 31, 
2011.  

Management’s Report on Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

Management  is  responsible  for  establishing  and  maintaining  adequate  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  (as 
defined  in  Rule 13a-15(f)  under  the  Securities  Exchange  Act  of  1934,  as  amended).  Because  of  its  inherent 

48

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
limitations,  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  may  not  prevent  or  detect  misstatements.  Projections  of  any 
evaluation of effectiveness to future periods are subject to the risk that controls may become inadequate because of 
changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate. 

We assessed the effectiveness of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2011. In making 
this assessment, we used the criteria established in Internal Control-Integrated Framework issued by the Committee 
of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  Based on our assessment, management believes that, as 
of December 31, 2011, our internal control over financial reporting was effective.  

Attestation Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm 

Our  independent  registered  public  accounting  firm  has  issued  an  attestation  report  on  our  internal  control  over 
financial reporting. This report appears on page 50. 

Changes to Internal Control Over Financial Reporting 

There were no changes in our internal control over financial reporting during the quarter ended December 31, 2011 
that  have  materially  affected,  or  are  reasonably  likely  to  materially  affect,  our  internal  controls  over  financial 
reporting. 

49

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 
Tampa, Florida  

We  have  audited  the  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  of  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  and  subsidiaries 
(the  "Company")  as  of  December  31,  2011,  based  on  criteria  established  in  Internal  Control  —  Integrated 
Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission.  The Company's 
management is responsible for maintaining effective internal control over financial reporting and for its assessment 
of the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting, included in the accompanying Management’s Report 
on Internal Control over Financial Reporting.  Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company's internal 
control over financial reporting based on our audit. 

We  conducted  our  audit  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight  Board 
(United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about 
whether  effective  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  was  maintained  in  all  material  respects.   Our  audit 
included  obtaining  an  understanding  of  internal  control  over  financial  reporting,  assessing  the  risk  that  a  material 
weakness  exists,  testing  and  evaluating  the  design  and  operating  effectiveness  of  internal  control  based  on  the 
assessed risk, and performing such other procedures as we considered necessary in the circumstances.  We believe 
that our audit provides a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

A  company's  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  is  a  process  designed  by,  or  under  the  supervision  of,  the 
company's principal executive and principal financial officers, or persons performing similar functions, and effected 
by the company's board of directors, management, and other personnel to provide reasonable assurance regarding 
the reliability of financial reporting and the preparation of financial statements for external purposes in accordance 
with generally accepted accounting principles.  A company's internal control over financial reporting includes those 
policies and procedures that (1) pertain to the maintenance of records that, in reasonable detail, accurately and fairly 
reflect  the  transactions  and  dispositions  of  the  assets  of  the  company;  (2)  provide  reasonable  assurance  that 
transactions  are  recorded  as  necessary  to  permit  preparation  of  financial  statements  in  accordance  with  generally 
accepted  accounting  principles,  and  that  receipts  and  expenditures  of  the  company  are  being  made  only  in 
accordance with authorizations of management and directors of the company; and (3) provide reasonable assurance 
regarding prevention or timely detection of unauthorized acquisition, use, or disposition of the company's assets that 
could have a material effect on the financial statements. 

Because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion 
or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or 
detected  on  a  timely  basis.   Also,  projections  of  any  evaluation  of  the  effectiveness  of  the  internal  control  over 
financial  reporting  to  future  periods  are  subject  to  the  risk  that  the  controls  may  become  inadequate  because  of 
changes in conditions, or that the degree of compliance with the policies or procedures may deteriorate.  

In our opinion, the Company maintained, in all material respects, effective internal control over financial reporting 
as of December 31, 2011, based on the criteria established in Internal Control — Integrated Framework issued by 
the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission. 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States),  the  consolidated  financial  statements  and  financial  statement  schedule  as  of  and  for  the  year  ended 
December 31, 2011 of the Company and our report dated February 29, 2012 expressed an unqualified opinion on 
those financial statements and financial statement schedule. 

Certified Public Accountants  
Tampa, Florida 

February 29, 2012

50

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Item 9B. Other Information  

None.  

Items 10. through 14.  

PART III 

All  information  required  by  Items  10  through  14,  with  the  exception  of  information  on  Executive  Officers  which 
appears  in  this  report  in  Item  1  under  the  caption  “Executive  Officers”,  is  incorporated  by  reference  to  SYKES’ 
Proxy Statement for the 2012 Annual Meeting of Shareholders.  

51

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
PART IV  

Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 

The following documents are filed as part of this report: 

(1)  Consolidated Financial Statements 

The Index to Consolidated Financial Statements is set forth on page 58 of this report.  

(2)  Financial Statements Schedule 

Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts is set forth on page 116 of this report. 

Other schedules have been omitted because they are not required or applicable or the information is 
included in the Consolidated Financial Statements or notes thereto. 

(3)  Exhibits:  

Exhibit 
Number 

Exhibit Description 

2.1 

2.2 

2.3 

2.4 

2.5 

2.6 

3.1 

3.2 

3.3 

4.1 

10.1 

10.2 

10.3 

10.4 

10.5 

10.6 

10.7 

10.8 

Articles  of  Merger  between Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  a  North  Carolina  Corporation, 
and Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, a Florida Corporation, dated March 1, 1996. (1) 

Articles of Merger between Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Sykes Realty, Inc. (1) 

Shareholder  Agreement  dated  December 11,  1997,  by  and  among  Sykes  Enterprises, 
Incorporated and HealthPlan Services Corporation. (2) 

Stock  Purchase  Agreement,  dated  September 1,  1998,  between  Sykes  Enterprises, 
Incorporated and HealthPlan Services Corporation. (4) 

Merger Agreement, dated as of June 9, 2000, among Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, SHPS, 
Incorporated,  Welsh  Carson  Anderson  and  Stowe,  VIII,  LP  (“WCAS”)  and  Slugger 
Acquisition Corp. (9) 

Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of October 5, 2009, among ICT Group, Inc., Sykes 
Enterprises, Incorporated, SH Merger Subsidiary I, Inc., and SH Merger Subsidiary II, LLC 
(26) 

Articles of Incorporation of Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, as amended. (5) 

Articles  of  Amendment  to  Articles  of  Incorporation  of  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  as 
amended. (6) 

Bylaws of Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated, as amended. (17) 

Specimen certificate for the Common Stock of Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated. (1) 

1996 Employee Stock Option Plan. (1)* 

Amended and Restated 1996 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan. (10)* 

1996 Non-Employee Directors’ Fee Plan. (1)*  
2004 Non-Employee Directors’ Fee Plan. (15)* 

First Amended and Restated 2004 Non-Employee Director’s Fee Plan. (23)* 

Second Amended and Restated 2004 Non-Employee Director’s Fee Plan. (25)* 

Third Amended and Restated 2004 Non-Employee Director’s Fee Plan. (27)* 

Fourth Amended and Restated 2004 Non-Employee Director Fee Plan. (35)* 

52

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Exhibit 
Number 
10.9 

10.10 

10.11 

10.12 

10.13 

10.14 

10.15 

10.16 

10.17 

10.18 

10.19 

10.20 

10.21 

10.22 

10.23 

10.24 

10.25 

10.26 

10.27 

10.28 

10.29 

10.30 

10.31 

10.32 

10.33 

Exhibit Description 
Form of Split Dollar Plan Documents. (1)* 

Form of Split Dollar Agreement. (1)* 

Form  of  Indemnity  Agreement  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  and  directors  & 
executive officers. (1) 

1997 Management Stock Incentive Plan. (3)* 

1999 Employees’ Stock Purchase Plan. (7)* 

2000 Stock Option Plan. (8)* 

2001 Equity Incentive Plan. (11)* 

Deferred Compensation Plan. (17)* 

2004 Non-Employee Director Stock Option Plan. (14)* 

Form of Restricted Share And Stock Appreciation Right Award Agreement dated as of March 
29, 2006. (18)* 

Form of Restricted Share And Bonus Award Agreement dated as of March 29, 2006. (18)* 

Form of Restricted Share Award Agreement dated as of May 24, 2006. (19)* 

Form  of  Restricted  Share  And  Stock  Appreciation  Right  Award  Agreement  dated  as  of 
January 2, 2007. (21)* 

Form of Restricted Share Award Agreement dated as of January 2, 2007. (21)* 

Form of Restricted Share and Stock Appreciation Right Award Agreement dated as of January 
2, 2008. (22)* 

2011 Equity Incentive Plan. (36)* 

Founder’s  Retirement  and  Consulting  Agreement  dated  December  10,  2004  between  Sykes 
Enterprises, Incorporated and John H. Sykes. (16)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  30,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Charles E. Sykes. (28)* 

Stock Option Agreement dated as of March 15, 2002 between Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 
and Charles E. Sykes. (13)* 

Stock  Option  Agreement  (Performance  Accelerated  Option)  dated  as  of  March 15,  2002 
between Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Charles E. Sykes. (13)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  30,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and W. Michael Kipphut. (28)* 

Stock  Option  Agreement  dated  as  of  October 1,  2001,  between  Sykes  Enterprises, 
Incorporated and W. Michael Kipphut. (12)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Jenna R. Nelson. (28)* 

Stock Option Agreement dated as of March 11, 2002 between Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 
and Jenna R. Nelson. (13)* 

Stock  Option  Agreement  dated  as  of  October 1,  2001,  between  Sykes  Enterprises, 
Incorporated and James T. Holder. (12)* 

53

 
 
 
 
 
Exhibit 
Number 
10.34 

10.35 

10.36 

10.37 

10.38 

10.39 

10.40 

10.41 

10.42 

10.43 

10.44 

10.45 

10.46 

10.47 

10.48 

10.49 

10.50 

Exhibit Description 
Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and James T. Holder. (28)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and William N. Rocktoff. (28)* 

Stock Option Agreement dated as of March 18, 2002 between Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 
and William Rocktoff. (13)* 

Stock Option Agreement dated as of March 18, 2002 between Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 
and William Rocktoff. (13)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and James Hobby, Jr. (28)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Daniel L. Hernandez. (28)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and David L. Pearson. (28)* 

Amended  and  Restated  Employment  Agreement,  dated  as  of  December  29,  2008  between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Lawrence R. Zingale. (28)* 

Credit  Agreement,  dated  March  30,  2009,  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  the 
lenders party thereto and KeyBank National Association, as Lead Arranger, Sole Book Runner 
and Administrative Agent (29) 

First  Amendment  Agreement,  dated  as  of  December  11,  2009,  to  Credit  Agreement,  dated 
March  30,  2009,  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  the  lenders  party  thereto  and 
KeyBank  National  Association,  as  Lead  Arranger,  Sole  Book  Runner  and  Administrative 
Agent (30) 

Credit  Agreement  between  Sykes  (Bermuda)  Holdings  Limited  and  KeyBank  National 
Association, dated December 11, 2009 (30) 

Guaranty  of  Payment  of  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  in  favor  of  KeyBank  National 
Association, dated December 11, 2009 (30) 

Credit  Agreement,  dated  February  2,  2010,  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  the 
lenders party thereto and KeyBank National Association, as Lead Arranger, Sole Book Runner 
and Administrative Agent  (31) 

First  Amendment  Agreement,  dated  April  23,  2010,  to  Credit  Agreement,  dated  February  2, 
2010,  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  the  lenders  party  thereto  and  KeyBank 
National Association, as Lead Arranger, Sole Book Runner and Administrative Agent. (32) 

Second Amendment Agreement, dated July 16, 2010, to Credit Agreement, dated February 2, 
2010,  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated,  the  lenders  party  thereto  and  KeyBank 
National Association, as Lead Arranger, Sole Book Runner and Administrative Agent. (32) 

Lease  Agreement,  dated  January 25,  2008,  Lease  Amendment  Number  One  and  Lease 
Amendment  Number  Two  dated  February 12,  2008  and  May 28,  2008 respectively, between 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and Kingstree Office One, LLC. (24) 

Continuing  Services  Agreement  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  and  JHS  Equity, 
LLC, dated May 28, 2008. (24) 

54

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Exhibit 
Number 
10.51 

10.52 

14.1 

21.1 

23.1 

24.1 

31.1 

31.2 

32.1 

32.2 

Exhibit Description 
Stock  Purchase  Agreement  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  (not  as  a  Seller),  SEI 
International  Services  S.a.r.l.  (as  Seller),  Sykes  Enterprises  Incorporated  Holdings,  BV  (as 
Seller)  and  Antonio  Marcelo  Cid,  Humberto  Daniel  Sahade  as  Buyers,  dated  December  13, 
2010. (33) 

Stock  Purchase  Agreement  between  Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  (not  as  a  Seller),  ICT 
Group  Netherlands  B.V.  (as  Seller),  ICT  Group  Netherlands  Holdings,  B.V.  (as  Seller)  and 
Carolina  Gaito,  Claudio  Martin,  Fernando  A.  Berrondo,  Gustavo  Rosetti  as  Buyers,  dated 
December 24, 2010. (34) 

Code of Ethics. (37) 

List of subsidiaries of Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated. 

Consent of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm. 

Power of Attorney relating to subsequent amendments (included on the signature page of this 
report). 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Rule 13a-14(a). 

Certification of Chief Executive Officer, pursuant to Section 1350. 

Certification of Chief Financial Officer, pursuant to Section 1350. 

101.INS 

XBRL Instance Document (38) 

101.SCH 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Schema Document (38) 

101.CAL 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Calculation Linkbase Document (38) 

101.LAB 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Label Linkbase Document (38) 

101.PRE 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Presentation Linkbase Document (38) 

101.DEF 

XBRL Taxonomy Extension Definition Linkbase Document (38) 

* 
(1) 

(2) 

(3) 

(4) 

(5) 

(6) 

(7) 

(8) 

(9) 

(10) 

Indicates management contract or compensatory plan or arrangement. 
Filed  as  an  Exhibit  to  the  Registrant’s  Registration  Statement  on  Form  S-1  (Registration 
No. 333-2324) and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 2.12  to  the  Registrant’s  Form  10-K  filed  with  the  Commission  on  March 16, 
1998, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 10.14  to  the  Registrant’s  Form  10-Q  filed  with  the  Commission  on  July 28, 
1998, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission 
on September 25, 1998, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 3.1  to  the  Registrant’s  Registration  Statement  on  Form  S-3  filed  with  the 
Commission on October 23, 1997, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 3.2  to  the  Registrant’s  Form  10-K  filed  with  the  Commission  on  March 29, 
1999, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 10.19  to  the  Registrant’s  Form 10-K  filed  with  the  Commission  on  March 29, 
1999, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 10.23  to  the  Registrant’s  Form 10-K  filed  with  the  Commission  on  March 29, 
2000, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as Exhibit 2.1 to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission 
on July 17, 2000, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  Exhibit 10.12  to  Registrant’s  Form  10-Q  filed  with  the  Commission  on  May 7,  2001, 
and incorporated herein by reference. 

55

 
 
 
 
 
 
(11) 

(12) 

(13) 

(14) 

(15) 

(16) 

(17) 

(18) 

(19) 

(20) 

(21) 

(22) 

(23) 

(24) 

(25) 

(26) 

(27) 

(28) 

(29) 

(30) 

(31) 

(32) 

(33) 

(34) 

(35) 

(36) 

(37) 

(38) 

Filed as Exhibit 10.32 to Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 7, 2001, and 
incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  an  Exhibit  to  Registrant’s  Form  10-K  filed  with  the  Commission  on  March 19,  2002, 
and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 10, 2002, and 
incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2004 annual meeting of shareholders 
filed with the Commission April 6, 2004. 
Filed as an Exhibit to Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on August 9, 2004, and 
incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
December 16, 2004, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed  as  an  Exhibit  to  Registrant’s  Form  10-K  filed  with  the  Commission  on  March 22,  2005, 
and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
April 4, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
May 31, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
July 10, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
December 28, 2006, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
January 8, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on May 7, 2008, 
and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
May 29, 2008, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Form 10-Q filed with the Commission on November 5, 
2008, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
October 9, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Proxy Statement for the 2009 annual meeting of 
shareholders filed with the Commission on April 22, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Commission 
on March 10, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
April 1, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
December 14, 2009, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
February 2, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the 
Commission on August 4, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
December 22, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Commission on 
December 30, 2010, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the 
Commission on August 9, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Filed as an Exhibit to the Registrant’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the 
Commission on November 8, 2011, and incorporated herein by reference. 
Available on the Registrant’s website at www.sykes.com, by clicking on “Investor Relations” and 
then “Corporate Governance” under the heading “Corporate Governance.” 
Filed herewith. 

56

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Signatures  

    Pursuant to the requirements of Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Registrant has duly caused this 
report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized, in the City of Tampa, and State of Florida, on this 
29th day of February 2012.  

SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED 
(Registrant) 

By: 

/s/ W. Michael Kipphut 
W. Michael Kipphut, 
Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer 
(Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) 

   Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, this report has been signed below by the following persons 
on behalf of the Registrant and in the capacities and on the dates indicated. Each person whose signature appears below constitutes 
and appoints W. Michael Kipphut his true and lawful attorney-in-fact and agent, with full power of substitution and revocation, for 
him and in his name, place and stead, in any and all capacities, to sign any and all amendments to this report and to file the same, 
with all exhibits thereto, and other documents in connection therewith, with the Securities and Exchange Commission, granting unto 
said attorney-in-fact and agents, and each of them, full power and authority to do and perform each and every act and thing requisite 
and necessary to be done in connection therewith, as fully to all intents and purposes as he might or should do in person, thereby 
ratifying and confirming all that said attorneys-in-fact and agents, or either of them, may lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue 
hereof.  

Signature  
/s/ Paul L. Whiting 
Paul L. Whiting 

/s/ Charles E. Sykes 
Charles E. Sykes 

  Title  
  Chairman of the Board  

  Date  
  February 29, 2012

  President and Chief Executive Officer and  
  Director (Principal Executive Officer) 

  February 29, 2012

/s/ Furman P. Bodenheimer, Jr.  
Furman P. Bodenheimer, Jr. 

/s/ Mark C. Bozek  
Mark C. Bozek 

  Director  

  Director  

/s/ Lt. Gen. Michael P. Delong (Ret.)  
Lt. Gen. Michael P. Delong (Ret.) 

  Director  

/s/ H. Parks Helms  
H. Parks Helms 

/s/ Iain A. Macdonald  
Iain A. Macdonald  

/s/ James S. MacLeod  
James S. MacLeod 

  Director  

  Director  

  Director  

/s/ Linda F. McClintock-Greco M.D.  
Linda F. McClintock-Greco M.D. 

  Director  

/s/ William J. Meurer  
William J. Meurer 

/s/ James K. Murray, Jr.  
James K. Murray, Jr. 

/s/ W. Michael Kipphut 
W. Michael Kipphut 

  Director  

  Director  

  February 29, 2012

   February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  February 29, 2012

  Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer   February 29, 2012
  (Principal Financial and Accounting Officer) 

57

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Table of Contents 

Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm  ........................................................................... .. 

Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2011 and 2010  ...................................................................  

Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009  ...................  

Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 
and 2009 ............................................................................................................................................................  

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009  .................  

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements  ....................................................................................................  

Page No.

59 

60 

61 

62 

63 

65 

58

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
REPORT OF INDEPENDENT REGISTERED PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRM 

To the Board of Directors and Shareholders of 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 
Tampa, Florida  

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and subsidiaries 
(the "Company") as of December 31, 2011 and 2010, and the related consolidated statements of operations, changes 
in  shareholders'  equity,  and  cash  flows  for  each  of  the  three  years  in  the  period  ended  December  31,  2011.   Our 
audits also included the financial statement schedule listed in the Index at Item 15.  These financial statements and 
financial statement schedule are the responsibility of the Company's management.  Our responsibility is to express 
an opinion on the financial statements and financial statement schedule based on our audits. 

We  conducted  our  audits  in  accordance  with  the  standards  of  the  Public  Company  Accounting  Oversight  Board 
(United States).  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about 
whether  the  financial  statements  are  free  of  material  misstatement.   An  audit  includes  examining,  on  a  test  basis, 
evidence supporting the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes assessing the 
accounting  principles  used  and  significant  estimates  made  by  management,  as  well  as  evaluating  the  overall 
financial statement presentation.  We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion. 

In our opinion, such consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of 
Sykes  Enterprises,  Incorporated  and  subsidiaries  as  of  December  31,  2011  and  2010,  and  the  results  of  their 
operations and their cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2011, in conformity 
with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.  Also, in our opinion, such financial 
statement  schedule,  when  considered  in  relation  to  the  basic  consolidated  financial  statements  taken  as  a  whole, 
presents fairly, in all material respects, the information set forth therein. 

We have also audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United 
States),  the  Company's  internal  control  over  financial  reporting  as  of  December  31,  2011,  based  on  the  criteria 
established in Internal Control—Integrated Framework issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the 
Treadway Commission and our report dated February 29, 2012 expressed an unqualified opinion on the Company's 
internal control over financial reporting. 

Certified Public Accountants  
Tampa, Florida 

February 29, 2012 

59

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES 
Consolidated Balance Sheets 

(in thousands, except per share data)

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Assets
Current assets:

$                   

$                   

Cash and cash equivalents ………………………………………………………
Receivables, net …………………………………………………………………
Prepaid expenses …………………………………………………………………
Other current assets ………………………………………………………………
Assets held for sale, discontinued operations ……………………………………
Total current assets ……………………………………………………………
Property and equipment, net ………………………………………………………
Goodwill ……………………………………………………………………………
Intangibles, net ………………………………………………………………………
Deferred charges and other assets …………………………………………………

Liabilities and S hareholders' Equity
Current liabilities:

Accounts payable  ………………………………………………………………
Accrued employee compensation and benefits …………………………………
Current deferred income tax liabilities ……………………………………………
Income taxes payable ……………………………………………………………
Deferred revenue …………………………………………………………………
Other accrued expenses and current liabilities ……………………………………
Liabilities held for sale, discontinued operations …………………………………
Total current liabilities…………………………………………………………

Deferred grants ……………………………………………………………………
Long-term income tax liabilities ……………………………………………………
Other long-term liabilities …………………………………………………………

Total liabilities…………………………………………………………………

Commitments and loss contingency (Note 24)

Shareholders' equity:

Preferred stock, $0.01 par value, 10,000 shares

$                   

$                   

$                     

211,122
229,702
11,540
20,120
9,590
482,074
91,080
121,342
44,472
30,162
769,130

23,109
62,452
663
423
34,319
21,191
7,128
149,285
8,563
26,475
11,241
195,564

189,829
248,842
10,704
22,913
-
472,288
113,703
122,303
52,752
33,554
794,600

$                     

30,635
65,267
3,347
2,605
31,255
25,621
-
158,730
10,807
28,876
12,992
211,405

authorized; no shares issued and outstanding …………………………………

-

-

Common stock, $0.01 par value, 200,000 shares authorized;

44,306 and 47,066 shares issued, respectively ………………………………
Additional paid-in capital ………………………………………………………
Retained earnings …………………………………………………………………
Accumulated other comprehensive income ………………………………………
Treasury stock at cost: 299 shares and 81 shares, respectively …………………
Total shareholders' equity ……………………………………………………

443
281,157
291,803
4,436
(4,273)
573,566
769,130

471
302,911
265,676
15,108
(971)
583,195
794,600

$                   

$                   

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. 

60

 
 
 
 
 
                   
                     
                     
                       
                             
                   
                   
                   
                   
                     
                     
                       
                       
                     
                     
                     
                             
                   
                   
                     
                     
                     
                     
                   
                   
                             
                          
                   
                   
                   
                       
                     
                         
                   
                   
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES 
Consolidated Statements of Operations 

(in thousands, except per share data)

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Revenues ……………………………………………………………… 1,169,267

$     

$     

1,121,911

$        

769,353

Operating expenses:

Direct salaries and related costs ……………………………………

General and administrative …………………………………………

Net (gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment ……………

Net (gain) on insurance settlement …………………………………

Impairment of goodwill and intangibles………………………………

Impairment of long-lived assets ……………………………………

763,930

341,586

(3,021)

(481)

-

1,718

Total operating expenses ………………………………………… 1,103,732

Income from continuing operations …………………………………

65,535

Other income (expense):

Interest income ………………………………………………………

Interest (expense) ……………………………………………………

Impairment (loss) on investment in SHPS……………………………

Other (expense)………………………………………………………

Total other income (expense) ……………………………………

Income from continuing operations before income taxes ………………

Income taxes ……………………………………………………………

Income from continuing operations, net of taxes  ………………………

(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes ……………………

Gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of taxes ……………

1,352

(1,132)

-

(2,099)

(1,879)

63,656

11,342

52,314

(4,532)

559

715,571

366,565

143

(1,991)

362

3,280

1,083,930

37,981

1,201

(4,963)

-

(5,907)

(9,669)

28,312

2,197

26,115

(12,893)

(23,495)

481,823

214,255

195

-

1,908

-

698,181

71,172

2,287

(302)

(2,089)

(283)

(387)

70,785

26,118

44,667

(1,456)

-

Net income (loss) ………………………………………………………

$          

48,341

Net income (loss) per share common share:

Basic:

Continuing operations …………………………………………

$              

1.15

$         

(10,273)

$          

43,211

$              

0.57

$              

1.10

Discontinued operations ………………………………………

(0.09)

(0.79)

(0.04)

Net income (loss) per common share …………………………

$              

1.06

$             

(0.22)

$              

1.06

Diluted:

Continuing operations …………………………………………

$              

1.15

$              

0.57

$              

1.09

Discontinued operations ………………………………………

(0.09)

(0.79)

(0.04)

Net income (loss) per common share …………………………

$              

1.06

$             

(0.22)

$              

1.05

Weighted average shares:

Basic ……………………………………………………………

Diluted …………………………………………………………

45,506

45,607

46,030

46,133

40,707

41,026

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. 

61

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
         
                
                
               
            
                   
                   
                
             
             
             
                   
             
             
             
            
            
               
                   
                   
            
            
            
               
             
           
           
           
              
              
              
              
              
              
           
           
           
           
           
           
 
 
 
 
SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES 
Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity 

S hares 
(in thousands)
Issued
Balance at January 1, 2009 ………… 41,271

Amount
$       
413

Common S tock

Additional
Paid-in 
Capital
$  
158,216

Retained 
Earnings
$    
237,188

Accumulated 
Other
Comprehensive 
Income (Loss)
$            

(10,683)

Treasury 
S tock

$        

(1,104)

Total
384,030

$      

Issuance of common stock  ……………
Stock-based compensation expense  …
Excess tax benefit from stock-

based compensation  ………………

Vesting of common stock and

restricted stock under equity award
plans  ………………………………
Repurchase of common stock …………
Comprehensive income ………………

291
-

-

255
-
-

2
-

-

3
-
-

3,166
5,158

878

(904)
-
-

-
-

-

-
-

43,211

Balance at December 31, 2009 ……… 41,817

418

166,514

280,399

Issuance of common stock  ……………
Stock-based compensation expense  …
Excess tax benefit from stock-

based compensation  ………………

Vesting of common stock and

restricted stock under equity award
plans  ………………………………
Repurchase of common stock …………
Retirement of treasury stock …………
Issuance of common stock for 

2
-

-

204
-
(558)

business acquisition ………………… 5,601
-

Comprehensive income (loss) …………

Balance at December 31, 2010 ……… 47,066

Issuance of common stock  ……………
Stock-based compensation expense  …
Excess tax (provision) from stock-

based compensation  ………………

Vesting of common stock and

33
-

-

restricted stock under equity award
plans  ………………………………
Repurchase of common stock …………
Retirement of treasury stock ………… (3,086)
Comprehensive income (loss) …………

293
-

-

-
-

-

2
-
(6)

57
-

471

-
-

-

3
-
(31)
-

37
4,935

354

(1,083)
-
(4,462)

136,616
-

302,911

311
3,582

(8)

(979)
-

(24,660)

-

-
-

-

-
-
(4,450)

-

(10,273)

265,676

-
-

-

-
-

(22,214)
48,341

-
-

-

-
-

18,502

7,819

-
-

-

-
-
-

-
7,289

15,108

-
-

-

-
-
-

(10,672)

-
-

-

(179)
(3,193)
-

(4,476)

-
-

-

(201)
(5,212)
8,918

-
-

3,168
5,158

878

(1,080)
(3,193)
61,713

450,674

37
4,935

354

(1,282)
(5,212)
-

136,673
(2,984)

(971)

583,195

-
-

-

(214)
(49,993)
46,905
-

311
3,582

(8)

(1,190)
(49,993)

-
37,669

Balance at December 31, 2011 ……… 44,306

$       

443

$  

281,157

$    

291,803

$                

4,436

$        

(4,273)

$      

573,566

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements. 

62

 
 
 
 
 
    
         
             
        
                
                       
                 
            
            
            
        
                
                       
                 
            
            
            
           
                
                       
                 
               
         
             
          
                
                       
             
          
            
            
              
                
                       
          
          
            
            
              
        
                
                 
          
    
         
    
      
                  
          
        
             
            
             
                
                       
                 
                 
            
            
        
                
                       
                 
            
            
            
           
                
                       
                 
               
         
             
       
                
                       
             
          
            
            
              
                
                       
          
          
        
            
       
         
                       
            
                 
      
           
    
                
                       
                 
        
            
            
              
       
                  
                 
          
    
         
    
      
                
             
        
           
            
           
                
                       
                 
               
            
            
        
                
                       
                 
            
            
            
              
                
                       
                 
                 
         
             
          
                
                       
             
          
            
            
              
                
                       
        
        
     
          
     
       
                       
          
                 
            
            
              
        
              
                 
          
    
 
SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 

(in thousands)
Cash flows from operating activities:

Net income (loss) …………………………………………………………………
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash provided by 
operating activities:

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

$            

48,341

$          

(10,273)

$          

43,211

Depreciation and amortization, net  ……………………………………………
Impairment losses ………………………………………………………………
Unrealized foreign currency transaction (gains) losses, net  ………………
Stock-based compensation expense  …………………………………………
Excess tax (benefit) provision from stock-based compensation  …………
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision ………………………………………
Net (gain) loss on disposal of property and equipment ……………………
Bad debt expense ………………………………………………………………
Unrealized (gains) losses on financial instruments, net  ……………………
(Recovery) of regulatory penalties ……………………………………………
Increase (decrease) in valuation allowance on deferred tax assets  ………
Amortization of deferred loan fees ……………………………………………
Net (gain) on insurance settlement ……………………………………………
(Gain) loss on sale of discontinued operations ………………………………
Other ………………………………………………………………………………

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of acquisition:

Receivables  ………………………………………………………………………
Prepaid expenses  ………………………………………………………………
Other current assets  ……………………………………………………………
Deferred charges and other assets  ……………………………………………
Accounts payable  ………………………………………………………………
Income taxes receivable / payable ……………………………………………
Accrued employee compensation and benefits  ……………………………
Other accrued expenses and current liabilities  ………………………………
Deferred revenue  ………………………………………………………………
Other long-term liabilities  ………………………………………………………

53,467
2,561
1,216
3,582
8
(3,955)
(3,035)
532
4,138
(407)
-
585
(481)
(559)
773

8,927
(1,042)
(3,442)
1,630
(6,898)
(4,529)
2,450

(2,855)
4,243
(2,636)

57,932
4,324
(4,918)
4,935
(354)
(17,142)
232
170
(1,479)
(418)
102
2,918
(1,991)
29,901
326

(10,716)
3,465
(4,797)
2,740
(2,174)
(6,180)
(6,601)

9,329
258
(4,527)

28,323
3,997
4,372
5,158
(878)
10,165
197
1,022
(437)
-
(5,807)
268
-
-
441

(9,262)
(719)
46
(2,045)
(2,186)
6,462
2,654

1,336
(679)
1,973

Net cash provided by operating activities  …………………………………

102,614

45,062

87,612

Cash flows from investing activities:

Capital expenditures  ………………………………………………………………
Cash paid for business acquisition, net of cash acquired  ……………………
Proceeds from sale of property and equipment  ………………………………
Investment in restricted cash  ……………………………………………………
Release of restricted cash  …………………………………………………………
Cash divested on sale of discontinued operations ……………………………
Proceeds from insurance settlement ……………………………………………

(29,890)
-
3,973
(494)
396
-
1,654

Net cash (used for) investing activities  ……………………………………

(24,361)

(28,516)
(77,174)
49
(187)
80,000
(14,462)
1,991

(38,299)

(30,277)
-
216
(80,002)
839
-
-

(109,224)

63

 
 
 
 
 
                 
                
                   
           
        
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows 
(Continued) 

(in thousands)
Cash flows from financing activities:

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

Payment of long-term debt  ………………………………………………………
Proceeds from issuance of long-term debt  ……………………………………
Proceeds from issuance of stock  …………………………………………………
Excess tax benefit (provision) from stock-based compensation  ……………
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock  ……………………………………
Proceeds from (refunds of) grants  ………………………………………………
Proceeds from short-term debt  …………………………………………………
Payments on short-term debt  ……………………………………………………
Shares repurchased for minimum tax withholding on equity awards …………
Cash paid for loan fees related to debt …………………………………………

Net cash (used for) provided by financing activities  ……………………

-
-
311
(8)
(49,993)
(225)
-
-
(1,190)
-

(51,105)

Effects of exchange rates on cash  …………………………………………………

(5,855)

Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents  …………………………

Cash and cash equivalents – beginning  …………………………………………

21,293

189,829

Cash and cash equivalents – ending  ………………………………………………

$          

211,122

Supplemental disclosures of cash flow information:

Cash paid during period for interest ……………………………………………
Cash paid during period for income taxes ………………………………………

$              
$            

1,065
24,631

Non-cash transactions:

Property and equipment additions in accounts payable ………………………
Unrealized gain on postretirement obligation in accumulated other

$              

2,434

(75,000)
75,000
37
354
(5,212)
148
-
(85,000)
(1,282)
(3,035)

(93,990)

(2,797)

(90,024)

279,853

-
-
3,168
878
(3,193)
3,491
75,000
-
(1,080)
(1,427)

76,837

5,578

60,803

219,050

$         

189,829

$        

279,853

$             
$           

2,924
20,577

$            
$          

1,008
14,660

$             

2,317

$            

1,612

comprehensive income (loss) …………………………………………………
Issuance of common stock for business acquisition …………………………

113
$                 
$                      
-

$                  
$         

70
136,673

$               
276
$                    
-

See accompanying Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements.  

64

 
 
 
 
 
           
           
 
 
 
SYKES ENTERPRISES, INCORPORATED AND SUBSIDIARIES 

Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements 

Note 1. Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies  

Business — Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated and consolidated subsidiaries (“SYKES” or the “Company”) provides 
outsourced  customer  contact  management  solutions  and  services  in  the  business  process  outsourcing  arena  to 
companies,  primarily  within  the  communications,  financial  services,  technology/consumer,  transportation  and 
leisure,  healthcare  and  other  industries.  SYKES  provides  flexible,  high-quality  outsourced  customer  contact 
management  services  (with  an  emphasis  on  inbound  technical  support  and  customer  service),  which  includes 
customer assistance, healthcare and roadside assistance, technical support and product sales to its clients’ customers. 
Utilizing SYKES’ integrated onshore/offshore global delivery model, SYKES provides its services through multiple 
communication channels encompassing phone, e-mail, Internet, text messaging and chat. SYKES complements its 
outsourced customer contact management services with various enterprise support services in the United States that 
encompass  services  for  a  company’s  internal  support  operations,  from  technical  staffing  services  to  outsourced 
corporate help desk services. In Europe, SYKES also provides fulfillment services including multilingual sales order 
processing via the Internet and phone, payment processing, inventory control, product delivery and product returns 
handling.  The  Company  has  operations  in  two  reportable  segments  entitled  (1) the  Americas,  which  includes  the 
United  States,  Canada,  Latin  America,  India  and  the  Asia  Pacific  Rim,  in  which  the  client  base  is  primarily 
companies in the United States that are using the Company’s services to support their customer management needs; 
and (2) EMEA, which includes Europe, the Middle East and Africa. 

Acquisition — On February 2, 2010, the Company completed the acquisition of ICT Group, Inc. (“ICT”), pursuant 
to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated October 5, 2009. The Company has reflected the operating results in the 
Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations  since  February  2,  2010.  See  Note 2,  Acquisition  of  ICT,  for  additional 
information on the acquisition of this business. 

Discontinued  Operations  —  In  November  2011,  the  Company,  authorized  by  the  Finance  Committee  of  the 
Company’s Board of Directors, decided to pursue a buyer for its operations located in Spain (“Spanish operations”) 
as these operations are no longer consistent with the Company’s strategic direction. These operations met the held 
for sale criteria as of December 31, 2011, therefore, the Company reflected the assets and liabilities of the Spanish 
operations as “Assets held for sale, discontinued operations” and “Liabilities held for sale, discontinued operations” 
in the accompanying Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011. The Company reflected the operating results related 
to  the  Spanish  operations  as  discontinued  operations  in  the  Consolidated  Statements  of  Operations  for  the  years 
ended  December  31,  2011,  2010  and  2009.  Cash  flows  from  discontinued  operations  are  included  in  the 
Consolidated  Statements  of  Cash  Flows  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2011,  2010  and  2009.  See  Note 3, 
Discontinued Operations, for additional information on the plan to sell the Spanish operations.   

In  December  2010,  the  Company  sold  its  Argentine  operations,  pursuant  to  stock  purchase  agreements,  dated 
December 16, 2010 and December 29, 2010. The Company reflected the operating results related to the Argentine 
operations as discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 
31, 2010 and 2009. Cash flows from discontinued operations are included in the Consolidated Statements of Cash 
Flows  for  the  years  ended  December  31,  2010  and  2009.    See  Note 3,  Discontinued  Operations,  for  additional 
information on the sale of the Argentine operations. 

Principles  of  Consolidation  —  The  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  include  the  accounts  of  SYKES  and  its 
wholly-owned  subsidiaries  and  controlled  majority-owned  subsidiaries.  All  significant  intercompany  transactions 
and balances have been eliminated in consolidation.   

Use of Estimates — The preparation of consolidated financial statements in conformity with accounting principles 
generally accepted in the United States of America requires the Company to make estimates and assumptions that 
affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of 
the  financial  statements  and  the  reported  amounts  of  revenues  and  expenses  during  the  reporting  period.  Actual 
results could differ from those estimates.  

65

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
   
 
 
 
 
 
Subsequent Events — Subsequent events or transactions have been evaluated through the date and time of issuance 
of  the  consolidated  financial  statements.  There  were  no  material  subsequent  events  that  required  recognition  or 
disclosure in the Consolidated Financial Statements. 

Recognition  of  Revenue  —  We  recognize  revenue  in  accordance  with  ASC  605  “Revenue  Recognition”.  We 
primarily recognize revenues from services as the services are performed, which is based on either a per minute, per 
call  or  per  transaction  basis,  under  a  fully  executed  contractual  agreement  and  record  reductions  to  revenues  for 
contractual  penalties  and  holdbacks  for  failure  to  meet  specified  minimum  service  levels  and  other  performance 
based contingencies. Revenue recognition is limited to the amount that is not contingent upon delivery of any future 
product or service or meeting other specified performance conditions.  

Product  sales,  accounted  for  within  our  fulfillment  services,  are  recognized  upon  shipment  to  the  customer  and 
satisfaction of all obligations.  

In  accordance  with  ASC  605-25  (“ASC  605-25”)  “Revenue  Recognition  –  Multiple-Element  Arrangements”, 
revenue from contracts with multiple-deliverables is allocated to separate units of accounting based on their relative 
fair  value,  if  the  deliverables  in  the  contract(s)  meet  the  criteria  for  such  treatment.  Certain  fulfillment  services 
contracts  contain  multiple-deliverables.  Separation  criteria  includes  whether  a  delivered  item  has  value  to  the 
customer on a stand-alone basis, whether there is objective and reliable evidence of the fair value of the undelivered 
items and, if the arrangement includes a general right of return related to a delivered item, whether delivery of the 
undelivered  item  is  considered  probable  and  in  our  control.  Fair  value  is  the  price  of  a  deliverable  when  it  is 
regularly sold on a stand-alone basis, which generally consists of vendor-specific objective evidence of fair value. If 
there is no evidence of the fair value for a delivered product or service, revenue is allocated first to the fair value of 
the undelivered product or service and then the residual revenue is allocated to the delivered product or service. If 
there  is  no  evidence  of  the  fair  value  for  an  undelivered  product  or  service,  the  contract(s)  is  accounted  for  as  a 
single  unit  of  accounting,  resulting  in  delay  of  revenue  recognition  for  the  delivered  product  or  service  until  the 
undelivered product  or  service  portion  of  the  contract  is  complete.  We  recognize  revenues  for  delivered  elements 
only when the fair values of undelivered elements are known, uncertainties regarding client acceptance are resolved, 
and  there  are no  client-negotiated  refund  or  return rights affecting  the  revenue recognized  for delivered  elements. 
Once  we  determine  the  allocation  of  revenues  between  deliverable  elements,  there  are  no  further  changes  in  the 
revenue allocation.  If the separation criteria are met, revenues from these services are recognized as the services are 
performed  under  a  fully  executed  contractual  agreement.  If  the  separation  criteria  are  not  met  because  there  is 
insufficient  evidence  to  determine  fair  value  of  one  of  the  deliverables,  all  of  the  services  are  accounted  for  as  a 
single combined unit of accounting. For deliverables with insufficient evidence to determine fair value, revenue is 
recognized  on  the  proportional  performance  method  using  the  straight-line  basis  over  the  contract  period,  or  the 
actual number of operational seats used to serve the client, as appropriate.  As of December 31, 2011, our fulfillment 
contracts  with  multiple-deliverables  met  the  separation  criteria  as  outlined  in  ASC  605-25  and  the  revenue  was 
accounted for accordingly.  We have no other contracts that contain multiple-deliverables as of December 31, 2011. 

In October 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board amended the accounting standards for certain multiple-
deliverable  revenue  arrangements.  We  adopted  this  guidance  on  a  prospective  basis  for  applicable  transactions 
originated or materially  modified  since  January  1, 2011,  the  adoption date.  Since  there  were  no  such  transactions 
executed or materially modified since adoption on January 1, 2011, there was no impact on our financial condition, 
results of operations and cash flows. The amended standard: 

• 

• 

• 

updates guidance on whether multiple deliverables exist, how the deliverables in an arrangement should be 
separated, and how the consideration should be allocated; 
requires  an  entity  to  allocate  revenue  in  an  arrangement  using  the  best  estimated  selling  price  of 
deliverables  if  a  vendor  does  not  have  vendor-specific  objective  evidence  of  selling  price  or  third-party 
evidence  of selling price; and  
eliminates the use of the residual method and requires an entity to allocate revenue using the relative selling 
price method.  

Cash and Cash Equivalents — Cash and cash equivalents consist of cash and highly liquid short-term investments. 
Cash  in  the  amount  of  $211.1 million  and  $189.8 million  at  December 31,  2011  and  2010,  respectively,  was 
primarily held in interest bearing investments, which have original maturities of less than 90 days. Cash and cash 
equivalents  of  $163.9  million  and  $173.9  million  at  December 31,  2011  and  2010,  respectively,  were  held  in 
international operations and may be subject to additional taxes if repatriated to the United States.  

66

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Restricted  Cash  –  Restricted  cash  includes  cash  whereby  the  Company’s  ability  to  use  the  funds  at  any  time  is 
contractually  limited  or  is  generally  designated  for  specific  purposes  arising  out  of  certain  contractual  or  other 
obligations.    Restricted  cash  is  included  in  “Other  current  assets”  and  “Deferred  charges  and  other  assets”  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. 

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts — The Company  maintains allowances for doubtful accounts on trade account 
receivables  for  estimated  losses  arising  from  the  inability  of  its  customers  to  make  required  payments.  The 
Company’s estimate is based on factors surrounding the credit risk of certain clients, historical collection experience 
and a review of the current status of trade accounts receivable. It is reasonably possible that the Company’s estimate 
of the allowance for doubtful accounts will change if the financial condition of the Company’s customers were to 
deteriorate, resulting in a reduced ability to make payments.  

Assets and Liabilities Held for Sale — The Company classifies its assets and related liabilities as held for sale when 
management commits to a plan to sell the assets, the assets are ready for immediate sale in their present condition, 
an  active  program  to  locate  buyers  and  other  actions  required  to  complete  the  plan  to  sell  the  assets  has  been 
initiated, the sale of the assets is probable and expected to be completed within one year, the assets are marketed at 
reasonable prices in relation to their fair value and it is unlikely that significant changes will be made to the plan to 
sell the assets. 

The Company measures the value of assets held for sale at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value, less costs 
to  sell.  Assets  and  the  related  liabilities  held  for  sale  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Balance  Sheet  as  of 
December 31, 2011 pertain to the applicable assets and liabilities of the Company’s Spanish operations. See Note 3, 
Discontinued Operations, for additional information. 

Property  and  Equipment  —  Property  and  equipment  is  recorded  at  cost  and  depreciated  using  the  straight-line 
method over the estimated useful lives of the respective assets. Improvements to leased premises are amortized over 
the shorter of the related lease term or the estimated useful lives of the improvements. Cost and related accumulated 
depreciation on  assets  retired  or disposed  of  are  removed  from  the  accounts  and  any resulting  gains  or  losses  are 
credited  or  charged  to  income.    The  Company  capitalizes  certain  costs  incurred,  if  any,  to  internally  develop 
software  upon  the  establishment  of  technological  feasibility.  Costs  incurred  prior  to  the  establishment  of 
technological feasibility are expensed as incurred.   

The carrying value of property and equipment to be held and used is evaluated for impairment whenever events or 
changes  in  circumstances  indicate  that  the  carrying  amount  may  not  be  recoverable  in  accordance  with  ASC  360 
“Property, Plant and Equipment.” For purposes of recognition and measurement of an impairment loss, assets are 
grouped at the lowest levels for which there are identifiable cash flows (the “reporting unit”).  An asset is considered 
to be impaired when the sum of the undiscounted future net cash flows expected to result from the use of the asset 
and  its  eventual  disposition  does  not  exceed  its  carrying  amount.  The  amount  of  the  impairment  loss,  if  any,  is 
measured as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its estimated fair value, which is generally 
determined based on appraisals or sales prices of comparable assets. Occasionally, the Company redeploys property 
and equipment from under-utilized centers to other locations to improve capacity utilization if it is determined that 
the  related  undiscounted  future  cash  flows  in  the  under-utilized  centers  would  not  be  sufficient  to  recover  the 
carrying  amount  of  these  assets.  Except  as  discussed  in  Note  5,  Fair  Value,  the  Company  determined  that  its 
property and equipment were not impaired as of December 31, 2011. 

Rent Expense —The Company has entered into operating lease agreements, some of which contain provisions for 
future rent increases, rent free periods, or periods in which rent payments are reduced. The total amount of the rental 
payments due over the lease term is being charged to rent expense on the straight-line method over the term of the 
lease in accordance with ASC 840 “Leases.” 

Investment in SHPS — The Company held a noncontrolling interest in SHPS, Inc. (“SHPS”), which was accounted 
for  at  cost  of  approximately  $2.1  million  as  of  December  31,  2008.    In  June  2009,  the  Company  received  notice 
from SHPS that the shareholders of SHPS had approved a merger agreement between SHPS and SHPS Acquisition, 
Inc., pursuant to which the common stock of SHPS, including the common stock owned by the Company, would be 
converted into the right to receive $0.000001 per share in cash. SHPS informed the Company that it believed the 
estimated fair value of the SHPS common stock to be equal to such per share amount. As a result of this transaction 
and evaluation of the Company’s legal options, the Company believed it was more likely than not that it would not 
be able to recover the $2.1 million carrying value of the investment in SHPS. Therefore, due to the decline in value 
that  is  other  than  temporary,  management  recorded  a  non-cash  impairment  loss  of  $2.1  million  included  in 

67

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Impairment  loss  on  investment  in  SHPS”  during  2009.    Subsequent  to  the  recording  of  the  impairment  loss,  the 
Company  liquidated  its  noncontrolling  interest  in  SHPS  by  converting  its  SHPS  common  stock  into  cash  for 
$0.000001 per share during 2009. 

Investments Held in Rabbi Trust for Former ICT Chief Executive Officer —Securities held in a rabbi trust for a 
nonqualified plan trust agreement dated February 1, 2010 (the “Trust Agreement”) with respect to severance payable 
to John Brennan, the former chief executive officer of ICT, include the fair market value of debt securities, primarily 
United States (“U.S.”) Treasury Bills.  See Note 13, Investments Held in Rabbi Trusts, for further information.  The 
fair market value of these debt securities, classified as trading securities in accordance with ASC 320 “Investment – 
Debt and Equity Securities”, is determined by quoted market prices and is adjusted to the current market price at the 
end  of  each  reporting  period.  The  net  realized  and  unrealized  gains  and  losses  on  trading  securities,  which  are 
included  in  “Other  income  and  expense”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statements  of  Operations,  are  not 
material for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010. For purposes of determining realized gains and losses, 
the cost of securities sold is based on specific identification. 

The  “Accrued  employee  compensation  and  benefits”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Balance  Sheet  as  of 
December 31, 2010 includes a $0.1 million obligation for severance payable to the former executive due in varying 
installments in accordance with the Trust Agreement.  Final payment was made in January 2011. 

Goodwill  —  The  Company  accounts  for  goodwill  and  other  intangible  assets  under  ASC  350  (“ASC  350”) 
“Intangibles  –  Goodwill  and  Other.”  The  Company  expects  to  receive  future  benefits  from  previously  acquired 
goodwill over an indefinite period of time.  Goodwill and other intangible assets with indefinite lives are not subject 
to  amortization,  but  instead  must  be  reviewed  at  least  annually,  and  more  frequently  in  the  presence  of  certain 
circumstances, for impairment by applying a fair value based test. Fair value for goodwill is based on discounted 
cash flows, market multiples and/or appraised values, as appropriate, and an analysis of our market capitalization. 
Under ASC 350, the carrying value of assets is calculated at the reporting unit. If the fair value of the reporting unit 
is less than its carrying value, goodwill is considered impaired and an impairment loss is recorded to the extent that 
the fair value of the goodwill within the reporting unit is less than its carrying value. 

The Company completed its annual goodwill impairment test during the three months ended September 30, 2011, 
which included the consideration of certain economic factors and determined that the carrying amount of goodwill 
was not impaired, except as discussed in Note 5, Fair Value.   

Intangible  Assets  —  Intangible  assets,  primarily  customer  relationships,  trade  names,  existing  technologies  and 
covenants  not  to  compete,  are  amortized  using  the  straight-line  method  over  their  estimated  useful  lives  which 
approximate  the  pattern  in  which  the  economic  benefits  of  the  assets  are  consumed.  The  Company  periodically 
evaluates  the  recoverability  of  intangible  assets  and  takes  into  account  events  or  changes  in  circumstances  that 
warrant revised estimates of useful lives or that indicate that impairment exists. Fair value for intangible assets is 
based on discounted cash flows, market  multiples and/or appraised values as appropriate.  The Company does not 
have intangible assets with indefinite lives. See Note 5, Fair Value, for further information regarding the impairment 
of intangible assets. 

Value Added Tax Receivables — The Philippine operations are subject to value added tax (“VAT”) which is usually 
applied  to  all  goods  and  services  purchased  throughout  The  Philippines.    Upon  validation  and  certification  of  the 
VAT  receivables  by  the  Philippine  government,  the  resulting  value  added  tax  certificates  (“certificates”)  can  be 
either  used  to  offset  current  tax  obligations  or  offered  for  sale  to  the  Philippine  government.    The  Philippine 
government  previously  allowed  companies  to  sell  the  certificates  to  third  parties,  but  this  option  was  eliminated 
during the three months ended September 30, 2011.  The VAT receivables balance is recorded at its net realizable 
value. 

Income  Taxes  —  The  Company  accounts  for  income  taxes  under  ASC  740  (“ASC  740”)  “Income  Taxes”  which 
requires recognition of deferred tax assets and liabilities to reflect tax consequences of differences between the tax 
bases of assets and liabilities and their reported amounts in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements. 
Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance if, based on the weight of available evidence, both positive 
and negative, for each respective tax jurisdiction, it is more likely than not that the deferred tax assets will not be 
realized in accordance with the criteria of ASC 740. Valuation allowances are established against deferred tax assets 
due  to  an  uncertainty  of  realization.  Valuation  allowances  are  reviewed  each  period  on  a  tax  jurisdiction  by  tax 
jurisdiction basis to analyze whether there is sufficient positive or negative evidence, in accordance with criteria of 
ASC  740,  to  support  a  change  in  judgment  about  the  realizability  of  the  related  deferred  tax  assets.  Uncertainties 

68

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
regarding expected future income in certain jurisdictions could affect the realization of deferred tax assets in those 
jurisdictions.    

The Company evaluates tax positions that have been taken or are expected to be taken in its tax returns, and records 
a  liability  for  uncertain  tax  positions  in  accordance  with  ASC  740.  ASC  740  contains  a  two-step  approach  to 
recognizing  and  measuring  uncertain  tax  positions.  First,  tax  positions  are  recognized  if  the  weight  of  available 
evidence  indicates  that  it  is  more  likely  than  not  that  the  position  will  be  sustained  upon  examination,  including 
resolution  of  related  appeals  or  litigation  processes,  if  any.  Second,  the  tax  position  is  measured  as  the  largest 
amount  of  tax  benefit  that  has  a  greater  than  50%  likelihood  of  being  realized  upon  settlement.  The  Company 
recognizes  interest  and  penalties  related  to  unrecognized  tax  benefits  in  the  provision  for  income  taxes  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.  

Self-Insurance  Programs  —  The  Company  self-insures  for  certain  levels  of  workers'  compensation  and,  as  of 
January  1,  2011,  began  self-funding  the  medical,  prescription  drug  and  dental  benefit  plans  in  the  United  States.  
Estimated  costs  of  this  self-insurance  program  are  accrued  at  the  projected  settlements  for  known  and  anticipated 
claims.  Amounts  related  to  this  self-insurance  program  are  included  in  “Accrued  employee  compensation  and 
benefits” and “Other long-term liabilities” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. 

Deferred Grants — Recognition of income associated with grants for land and the acquisition of property, buildings 
and equipment (together, “property grants”) is deferred until after the completion and occupancy of the building and 
title has passed to the Company, and the funds have been released from escrow. The deferred amounts for both land 
and  building  are  amortized  and  recognized  as  a  reduction  of  depreciation  expense  included  within  general  and 
administrative costs over the corresponding useful lives of the related assets. Amounts received in excess of the cost 
of the building are allocated to the cost of equipment and, only after the grants are released from escrow, recognized 
as  a  reduction  of  depreciation  expense  over  the  weighted  average  useful  life  of  the  related  equipment,  which 
approximates five years. Upon sale of the related facilities, any deferred grant balance is recognized in full and is 
included in the gain on sale of property and equipment. 

The  Company  receives  government  employment  grants  as  an  incentive  to  create  and  maintain  permanent 
employment positions for a specified time period. The grants are repayable, under certain terms and conditions, if 
the  Company's  relevant  employment  levels  do  not  meet  or  exceed  the  employment  levels  set  forth  in  the  grant 
agreements.  Accordingly,  grant  monies  received  are  deferred  and  amortized  using  the  proportionate  performance 
model over the required employment period. 

Deferred  Revenue  —  The  Company  receives  up-front  fees  in  connection  with  certain  contracts.  The  deferred 
revenue  is  earned  over  the  service  periods  of  the  respective  contracts,  which  range  from  30  days  to  seven  years. 
Deferred revenue included in current liabilities in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets includes the up-
front fees associated with services to be provided over the next ensuing twelve month period and the up-front fees 
associated  with  services  to  be  provided  over  multiple  years  in  connection  with  contracts  that  contain  cancellation 
and  refund  provisions,  whereby  the  manufacturers  or  customers  can  terminate  the  contracts  and  demand  pro-rata 
refunds of the up-front fees with short notice. Deferred revenue included in current liabilities in the accompanying 
Consolidated Balance Sheets also includes estimated penalties and holdbacks for failure to meet specified minimum 
service levels in certain contracts and other performance based contingencies.  

Stock-Based Compensation — The Company has three stock-based compensation plans: the 2011 Equity Incentive 
Plan  (for  employees  and  certain  non-employees),  the  2004  Non-Employee  Director  Fee  Plan  (for  non-employee 
directors), approved by the shareholders, and the Deferred Compensation Plan (for certain eligible employees). All 
of  these  plans  are  discussed  more  fully  in  Note  26,  Stock-Based  Compensation.  Stock-based  awards  under  these 
plans  may  consist  of  common  stock,  common  stock  units,  stock  options,  cash-settled  or  stock-settled  stock 
appreciation rights, restricted stock and other stock-based awards. The Company issues common stock and treasury 
stock to satisfy stock option exercises or vesting of stock awards. 

In accordance with ASC 718 (“ASC 718”) “Compensation – Stock Compensation”, the Company recognizes in its 
Consolidated  Statements  of  Operations  the  grant-date  fair  value  of  stock  options  and  other  equity-based 
compensation issued to employees and directors. Compensation expense for equity-based awards is recognized over 
the requisite service period, usually the vesting period, while compensation expense for liability-based awards (those 
usually settled in cash rather than stock) is re-measured to fair value at each balance sheet date until the awards are 
settled.   

69

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fair  Value  of  Financial  Instruments  —  The  following  methods  and  assumptions  were  used  to  estimate  the  fair 
value of each class of financial instruments for which it is practicable to estimate that value:  

•  Cash, Short-Term and Other Investments, Investments Held in Rabbi Trusts and Accounts Payable - The 
carrying  values  for  cash,  short-term  and  other  investments,  investments  held  in  rabbi  trusts  and  accounts 
payable approximate their fair values. 

•  Forward  Currency  Forward  Contracts  and  Options  -  Forward  currency  forward  contracts  and  options, 
including  premiums  paid  on  options,  are  recognized  at  fair  value  based  on  quoted  market  prices  of 
comparable instruments or, if none are available, on pricing models or formulas using current market and 
model assumptions, including adjustments for credit risk. 

Fair Value Measurements - ASC 820 (“ASC 820”) “Fair Value Measurements and Disclosures” defines fair value, 
establishes a framework for measuring fair value in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and 
expands  disclosures  about  fair  value  measurements.  ASC  820-10-20  clarifies  that  fair  value  is  an  exit  price, 
representing the amount that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction 
between market participants.  

ASC 825 (“ASC 825”) “Financial Instruments” permits an entity to measure certain financial assets and financial 
liabilities at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in earnings each period. The Company has not elected 
to use the fair value option permitted under ASC 825 for any of its financial assets and financial liabilities that are 
not already recorded at fair value.   

A description of the Company’s policies regarding fair value measurement is summarized below.  

Fair  Value  Hierarchy  –  ASC  820-10-35  requires  disclosure  about  how  fair  value  is  determined  for  assets  and 
liabilities  and  establishes  a  hierarchy  for  which  these  assets  and  liabilities  must  be  grouped,  based  on  significant 
levels  of  observable  or  unobservable  inputs.  Observable  inputs  reflect  market  data  obtained  from  independent 
sources,  while  unobservable  inputs  reflect  the  Company’s  market  assumptions.  This  hierarchy  requires  the  use  of 
observable market data when available. These two types of inputs have created the following fair value hierarchy:  

•    Level 1  –  Quoted prices for identical instruments in active markets. 
•    Level  2  –  Quoted  prices  for  similar  instruments  in  active  markets;  quoted  prices  for 
identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active; and model-derived valuations 
in  which  all  significant  inputs  and  significant  value  drivers  are  observable  in  active 
markets.  

•    Level 3 – Valuations derived from valuation techniques in which one or more significant

inputs or significant value drivers are unobservable.  

Determination of Fair Value - The Company generally uses quoted market prices (unadjusted) in active markets for 
identical assets or liabilities that the Company has the ability to access to determine fair value, and classifies such 
items in Level 1. Fair values determined by Level 2 inputs utilize inputs other than quoted market prices included in 
Level  1  that  are  observable  for  the  asset  or  liability,  either  directly  or  indirectly.  Level  2  inputs  include  quoted 
market prices in active markets for similar assets or liabilities, and inputs other than quoted market prices that are 
observable  for  the  asset  or  liability.  Level  3  inputs  are  unobservable  inputs  for  the  asset  or  liability,  and  include 
situations where there is little, if any, market activity for the asset or liability.  

If quoted market prices are not available, fair value is based upon internally developed valuation techniques that use, 
where possible, current market-based or independently sourced market parameters, such as interest rates, currency 
rates, etc. Assets or liabilities valued using such internally generated valuation techniques are classified according to 
the lowest level input or value driver that is significant to the valuation. Thus, an item may be classified in Level 3 
even though there may be some significant inputs that are readily observable.  

The following section describes the valuation methodologies used by the Company to measure fair value, including 
an indication of the level in the fair value hierarchy in which each asset or liability is generally classified.  

70

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
  
Money  Market  and  Open-End  Mutual  Funds  -  The  Company  uses  quoted  market  prices  in  active  markets  to 
determine  the  fair  value  of  money  market  and  open-end  mutual  funds,  which  are  classified  in  Level  1  of  the  fair 
value hierarchy.  

Foreign Currency Forward Contracts and Options - The Company enters into foreign currency forward contracts 
and options over the counter and values such contracts using quoted market prices of comparable instruments or, if 
none  are  available,  on  pricing  models  or  formulas  using  current  market  and  model  assumptions,  including 
adjustments for credit risk. The key inputs include forward or option foreign currency exchange rates and interest 
rates. These items are classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy.  

Investments Held in Rabbi Trusts — The investment assets of the rabbi trusts are valued using quoted market prices 
in active markets, which are classified in Level 1 of the fair value hierarchy. For additional information about the 
deferred  compensation  plan,  refer  to  Note  13,  Investments  Held  in  Rabbi  Trusts,  and  Note  26,  Stock-Based 
Compensation. 

Guaranteed Investment Certificates — Guaranteed investment certificates, with variable interest rates linked to the 
prime rate, approximate fair value due to the automatic ability to re-price with changes in the market; such items are 
classified in Level 2 of the fair value hierarchy. 

Foreign Currency Translation — The assets and liabilities of the Company’s foreign subsidiaries, whose functional 
currency is other than the U.S. Dollar, are translated at the exchange rates in effect on the reporting date, and income 
and expenses are translated at the weighted average exchange rate during the period. The net effect of translation 
gains and losses is not included in determining net income, but is included in “Accumulated other comprehensive 
income (loss)” (“AOCI”), which is reflected as a separate component of shareholders’ equity until the sale or until 
the complete or substantially complete liquidation of the net investment in the foreign subsidiary. Foreign currency 
transactional  gains  and  losses  are  included  in  “Other  income  (expense)” in  the  accompanying  Consolidated 
Statements of Operations.  

Foreign Currency and Derivative Instruments — The Company accounts for financial derivative instruments under 
ASC  815  (“ASC  815”)  “Derivatives  and  Hedging”.    The  Company  generally  utilizes  non-deliverable  forward 
contracts and options expiring within one to 24 months to reduce its foreign currency exposure due to exchange rate 
fluctuations  on  forecasted  cash  flows  denominated  in  non-functional  foreign  currencies  and  net  investments  in 
foreign operations. In using derivative financial instruments to hedge exposures to changes in exchange rates, the 
Company exposes itself to counterparty credit risk.  

The Company designates derivatives as either (1) a hedge of a forecasted transaction or of the variability of cash 
flows  to  be  received  or  paid  related  to  a  recognized  asset  or  liability  (“cash  flow”  hedge);  (2)  a  hedge  of  a  net 
investment  in  a  foreign  operation;  or  (3)  a  derivative  that  does  not  qualify  for  hedge  accounting.    To  qualify  for 
hedge  accounting  treatment,  a  derivative  must  be  highly  effective  in  mitigating  the  designated  risk  of  the  hedged 
item. Effectiveness of the hedge is formally assessed at inception and throughout the life of the hedging relationship. 
Even  if  a  derivative  qualifies  for  hedge  accounting  treatment,  there  may  be  an  element  of  ineffectiveness  of  the 
hedge. 

Changes in the fair value of derivatives that are highly effective and designated as cash flow hedges are recorded in 
AOCI, until the forecasted underlying transactions occur. Any realized gains or losses resulting from the cash flow 
hedges  are  recognized  together  with  the  hedged  transaction  within  “Revenues”.    Changes  in  the  fair  value  of 
derivatives that are highly effective and designated as a net investment hedge are recorded in cumulative translation 
adjustment in AOCI, offsetting the change in cumulative translation adjustment attributable to the hedged portion of 
the Company’s net investment in the foreign operation.  Any realized gains and losses from settlements of the net 
investment  hedge  remain  in  AOCI  until  partial  or  complete  liquidation  of  the  net  investment.    Ineffectiveness  is 
measured  based  on  the  change  in  fair  value  of  the  forward  contracts  and  options  and  the  fair  value  of  the 
hypothetical derivatives with terms that match the critical terms of the risk being hedged. Hedge ineffectiveness is 
recognized  within  “Revenues”  for  cash  flow  hedges  and  within  “Other  income  (expense)”  for  net  investment 
hedges.  Cash  flows  from  the  derivative  contracts  are  classified  within  the  operating  section  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.  

The Company formally documents all relationships between hedging instruments and hedged items, as well as its 
risk management objective and strategy for undertaking various hedging activities. This process includes linking all 
derivatives  that  are  designated  as  cash  flow  hedges  to  forecasted  transactions.  Hedges  of  a  net  investment  in  a 

71

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
foreign  operation  are  linked  to  the  specific  foreign  operation.    The  Company  also  formally  assesses,  both  at  the 
hedge’s inception and on an ongoing basis, whether the derivatives that are used in hedging transactions are highly 
effective on a prospective and retrospective basis. When it is determined that a derivative is not highly effective as a 
hedge or that it has ceased to be a highly effective hedge or if a forecasted hedge is no longer probable of occurring, 
the  Company  discontinues  hedge  accounting  prospectively.  At  December  31,  2011  and  2010,  all  hedges  were 
determined to be highly effective.  

The Company also periodically enters into forward contracts that are not designated as hedges as defined under ASC 
815. The purpose of  these derivative  instruments  is  to  reduce  the  effects  from  fluctuations  caused by  volatility  in 
currency  exchange  rates  on  the  Company’s  operating  results  and  cash  flows.  All  changes  in  the  fair  value  of  the 
derivative  instruments  are  included  in  “Other  income  (expense)”.    See  Note  12,  Financial  Derivatives,  for  further 
information on financial derivative instruments. 

New Accounting Standards Not Yet Adopted 

In  May  2011,  the  Financial  Accounting  Standards  Board  (the  “FASB”)  issued  Accounting  Standards  Update 
(“ASU”) 2011-04 (“ASU 2011-04”) “Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820) – Amendments to Achieve Common Fair 
Value  Measurement and  Disclosure  Requirements  in U.S.  GAAP and IFRSs”.    The  amendments  in ASU 2011-04 
result  in  common  fair  value  measurement  and  disclosure  requirements  in  U.S.  GAAP  and  International  Financial 
Reporting  Standards  (“IFRS”).  Consequently,  the  amendments  change  the  wording  used  to  describe  many  of  the 
requirements in U.S. GAAP for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements.  
Some  of  the  amendments  clarify  the  FASB’s  intent  about  the  application  of  existing  fair  value  measurement 
requirements.  Other  amendments  change  a  particular  principle  or  requirement  for  measuring  fair  value  or  for 
disclosing  information  about  fair  value  measurements.    The  amendments  in  ASU  2011-04  are  to  be  applied 
prospectively and are effective during interim and annual periods beginning after December 15, 2011.  The adoption 
of  ASU  2011-04  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not  have  a  material  impact  on  the  financial  condition,  results  of 
operations and cash flows of the Company. 

In June 2011, the FASB issued ASU 2011-05 (“ASU 2011-05”) “Comprehensive Income (Topic 220) – Presentation 
of Comprehensive Income”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-05 require that all nonowner changes in stockholders’ 
equity  be  presented  either  in  a  single  continuous  statement  of  comprehensive  income  or  in  two  separate  but 
consecutive  statements.  In  the  two-statement  approach,  the  first  statement  should  present  total  net  income  and  its 
components followed consecutively by a second statement that should present total other comprehensive income, the 
components  of  other  comprehensive  income,  and  the  total  of  comprehensive  income.    The  amendments  in  ASU 
2011-05  are  to  be  applied  retrospectively  and  are  effective  during  interim  and  annual  periods  beginning  after 
December 15, 2011, and may be early adopted.  As this standard impacts presentation only, the adoption of ASU 
2011-05  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not  impact  the  financial  condition,  results  of  operations  and  cash  flows  of  the 
Company. 

In  September  2011,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2011-08  (“ASU  2011-08”)  “Intangibles  –  Goodwill  and  Other  (Topic 
350) Testing Goodwill for Impairment”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-08 provide entities with the option to first 
assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that 
it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount. If, after assessing the 
totality  of  events  or  circumstances,  an  entity  determines  it  is  not  more  likely  than  not  that  the  fair  value  of  a 
reporting  unit  is  less  than  its  carrying  amount,  then  performing  the  two-step  impairment  test  is  unnecessary. 
However, if an entity concludes otherwise, then it is required to perform the first step of the two-step impairment 
test by calculating the fair value of the reporting unit and comparing the fair value with the carrying amount of the 
reporting unit. If the carrying amount of a reporting unit exceeds its fair value, then the entity is required to perform 
the  second  step  of  the  goodwill  impairment  test  to  measure  the  amount  of  the  impairment  loss,  if  any.  Under  the 
amendments in ASU 2011-08, an entity has the option to bypass the qualitative assessment for any reporting unit in 
any period and proceed directly to performing the first step of the two-step goodwill impairment test. An entity may 
resume  performing  the  qualitative  assessment  in  any  subsequent  period.    The  amendments  in  ASU  2011-08  are 
effective for annual and interim goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 
2011,  and  may  be  early  adopted.    The  adoption  of  ASU  2011-08  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not  have  a  material 
impact on the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company. 

In  December  2011,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2011-11  (“ASU  2011-11”)  “Balance  Sheet  (Topic  210)  –  Disclosures 
about Offsetting Assets and Liabilities”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-11 will enhance disclosures by requiring 
improved  information  about  financial  and  derivative  instruments  that  are  either  1)  offset  (netting  assets  and 
liabilities)  in  accordance  with  Section 210-20-45  or  Section 815-10-45  of  the  FASB  Accounting  Standards 

72

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Codification or 2) subject to an enforceable master netting arrangement or similar agreement.  The amendments in 
ASU 2011-11 are effective for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2013, and interim periods within those 
years.  An  entity  should  provide  the  disclosures  required by  those  amendments  retrospectively  for  all  comparative 
periods  presented.  The  Company  does  not  expect  the  adoption  of  ASU  2011-11  to  materially  impact  its  financial 
condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

In  December  2011,  the  FASB  issued  ASU  2011-12  (“ASU  2011-12”)  “Comprehensive  Income  (Topic  220)  –  
Deferral of the Effective Date for Amendments to the Presentation of Reclassifications of Items Out of Accumulated 
Other Comprehensive Income in Accounting Standards Update No. 2011-05”.  The amendments in ASU 2011-12 
defer  the  requirement  to  present  reclassification  adjustments  for  each  component  of  accumulated  other 
comprehensive income in both net income and other comprehensive income on the face of the financial statements.  
The amendments in ASU 2011-12 are effective at the same time as ASU 2011-05 so that entities will not be required 
to comply with the presentation requirements in ASU 2011-05 that ASU 2011-05 is deferring. The amendments in 
ASU 2011-12 are effective for fiscal years, and interim periods within those years, beginning after December 15, 
2011.  As  ASU  2011-12  impacts  presentation  only,  the  adoption  of  ASU  2011-12  as  of  January  1,  2012  did  not 
impact the financial condition, results of operations and cash flows of the Company. 

Note 2. Acquisition of ICT 

On  February  2,  2010,  the  Company  acquired 100%  of  the  outstanding  common  shares  and voting  interest  of ICT 
through  a  merger  of  ICT  with  and  into  a  subsidiary  of  the  Company.  ICT  provided  outsourced  customer 
management  and  business  process  outsourcing  solutions  with  its  operations  located  in  the  United  States,  Canada, 
Europe, Latin America, India, Australia and The Philippines.  The results of ICT’s operations have been included in 
the  Company’s  Consolidated  Financial  Statements  since  its  acquisition  on  February  2,  2010.    The  Company 
acquired  ICT  to  expand  and  complement  its  global  footprint,  provide  entry  into  additional  vertical  markets,  and 
increase revenues to enhance its ability to leverage the Company’s infrastructure to produce improved sustainable 
operating margins.  This resulted in the Company paying a substantial premium for ICT resulting in recognition of 
goodwill.     

The  acquisition  date  fair  value  of  the  consideration  transferred  totaled  $277.8  million,  which  consisted  of  the 
following (in thousands):   

Total

Cash ………………………………………………………
Common stock  ……………………………………………

$             

141,161
136,673
277,834

$             

The fair value of the 5.6 million common shares issued was determined based on the Company’s closing share price 
of $24.40 on the acquisition date. 

The cash portion of the acquisition was funded through borrowings consisting of a $75 million short-term loan from 
KeyBank and a $75 million Term Loan, which were paid off in March 2010 and July 2010, respectively.  See Note 
20, Borrowings, for further information. 

73

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
              
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  Company  accounted  for  the  acquisition  in  accordance  with  ASC  805  “Business  Combinations”,  whereby  the 
purchase price paid was allocated to the tangible and identifiable intangible assets acquired and liabilities assumed 
from  ICT  based  on  their  estimated  fair  values  as  of  the  closing  date.  The  Company  finalized  its  purchase  price 
allocation  during  the  three  months  ended  December 31,  2010.  The  following  table  summarizes  the  estimated 
acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and liabilities assumed, the measurement period adjustments that 
occurred during the three months ended December 31, 2010 and the final purchase price allocation as of February 2, 
2010 (in thousands):   

Cash and cash equivalents   …………………………………
Receivables …………………………………………………
Income tax receivable ………………………………………
Prepaid expenses ……………………………………………
Other current assets ………………………………………

Total current assets ………………………………………
Property and equipment ……………………………………
Goodwill ……………………………………………………
Intangibles …………………………………………………
Deferred charges and other assets …………………………

Short-term debt ……………………………………………
Accounts payable …………………………………………
Accrued employee compensation and benefits ……………
Income taxes payable ………………………………………
Other accrued expenses and current liabilities ……………

Total current liabilities……………………………………

Deferred grants ……………………………………………
Long-term income tax liabilities ……………………………
Other long-term liabilities (1) ………………………………

February 2, 2010 
(As initially 
reported)

$               

Measurement 
Period 
Adjustments
$                         
-

-
(1,941)
-
149

(1,792)
-
7,647
-
(3,965)

-
(168)
(1,309)
2,013
(464)

72

-
(19,924)
17,962
$                         
-

February 2, 
2010 (As 
adjusted)

$             

63,987
75,890
903
4,846
5,099

150,725
57,910
97,770
60,310
4,013

(10,000)
(12,580)
(25,182)
(438)
(11,415)

(59,615)
(706)
(25,497)
(7,076)
277,834

$           

63,987
75,890
2,844
4,846
4,950

152,517
57,910
90,123
60,310
7,978

(10,000)
(12,412)
(23,873)
(2,451)
(10,951)

(59,687)
(706)
(5,573)
(25,038)
277,834

$             

(1) Includes primarily long-term deferred tax liabilities.

The above fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed were based on the information that was available as 
of the acquisition date to estimate the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed. The measurement period 
adjustments  relate  primarily  to  unrecognized  tax  benefits  and  related  offsets,  tax  liabilities  relating  to  the 
determination  as  of  the  date  of  the  ICT  acquisition  that  the  Company  intended  to  distribute  a  majority  of  the 
accumulated  and  undistributed  earnings  of  the  ICT  Philippine  subsidiary  and  its  direct  parent,  ICT  Group 
Netherlands B.V. to SYKES, its ultimate U.S. parent, and certain accrual adjustments related to labor and benefit 
costs in Argentina. The measurement period adjustments were completed as of December 31, 2010.  

The  $97.8  million  of  goodwill  was  assigned  to  the  Company’s  Americas  and  EMEA  operating  segments  in  the 
amount  of  $97.7  million  and  $0.1  million,  respectively.    The  goodwill  recognized  is  attributable  primarily  to 
synergies  the  Company  expects  to  achieve  as  the  acquisition  increases  the  opportunity  for  sustained  long-term 
operating margin expansion by leveraging general and administrative expenses over a larger revenue base.  Pursuant 
to federal income tax regulations, the ICT acquisition was considered to be a non-taxable transaction; therefore, no 
amount  of  intangibles  or  goodwill  from  this  acquisition  will  be  deductible  for  tax  purposes.    The  fair  value  of 
receivables  acquired  was  $75.9  million,  with  the  gross  contractual  amount  being  $76.4  million,  of  which  $0.5 
million was not expected to be collected.     

74

 
 
 
 
 
                
                      
              
                  
                 
                   
                  
                      
                
                  
                     
                
              
                 
            
                
                      
              
                
                  
              
                
                      
              
                  
                 
                
               
                      
             
               
                    
             
               
                 
             
                 
                  
                  
               
                    
             
                     
               
                       
             
                    
                      
                  
                 
               
             
               
                
               
 
 
 
 
 
Total  net  assets  acquired  (liabilities  assumed)  by  operating  segment  as  of  February  2,  2010,  the  acquisition  date, 
were as follows (in thousands): 

Net assets (liabilities)  ………………………………………

$             

278,703

Americas

EMEA
$                   

(869)

Other
$                       
-

Consolidated
277,834

$           

Fair values are based on management’s estimates and assumptions including variations of the income approach, the 
cost approach and the market approach.  The following table presents the Company’s purchased intangibles assets as 
of February 2, 2010, the acquisition date (in thousands): 

Customer relationships ……………………………………
Trade name …………………………………………………
Proprietary software ………………………………………
Non-compete agreements …………………………………

Amount 
Assigned

$               

57,900
1,000
850
560
60,310

$               

Weighted 
Average 
Amortization 
Period (years)
8
3
2
1
8

After  the  ICT  acquisition  in  February,  2010,  the  Company  paid  off  the  $10.0  million  outstanding  balance  plus 
accrued  interest  of  the  ICT  short-term  debt  assumed  upon  acquisition.  The  related  interest  expense  included  in 
“Interest  expense”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations  for  the  year  ended  December  31, 
2010 was not material.  

The Company’s Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2010 includes ICT revenues 
from continuing operations of $362.7 million and the ICT loss from continuing operations, net of taxes, of $(26.9) 
million from the February 2, 2010 acquisition date through December 31, 2010. 

The  following  table  presents  the  unaudited  pro  forma  combined  revenues  and  net  earnings  as  if  ICT  had  been 
included in the consolidated results of the Company for the entire year for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 
2009.    The  pro  forma  financial  information  is  not  indicative  of  the  results  of  operations  that  would  have  been 
achieved if the acquisition and related borrowings had taken place on January 1, 2010 and 2009 (in thousands):   

Revenues ……………………………………………………

$          

Years Ended December 31,
2010
1,162,040

2009
1,154,516

$          

Income from continuing operations, net of taxes …………

$               

48,504

$               

44,571

Income from continuing operations per common share:

Basic ……………………………………………………

$                   

1.04

$                   

0.96

Diluted …………………………………………………

$                   

1.04

$                   

0.96

These  amounts  have  been  calculated  to  reflect  the  additional  depreciation,  amortization,  and  interest  expense  that 
would  have  been  incurred  assuming  the  fair  value  adjustments  and  borrowings  occurred  on  January  1,  2010, 
together  with  the  consequential  tax  effects.    In  addition,  these  amounts  exclude  costs  incurred  which  are  directly 
attributable  to  the  acquisition,  and  which  do  not  have  a  continuing  impact  on  the  combined  companies  operating 
results.  Included in these costs are severance, advisory and legal costs, net of the consequential tax effects. 

75

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                         
                  
                         
                     
                         
                     
                         
                         
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The  following  table  presents  acquisition-related  costs  included  in  “General  and  administrative”  costs  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

2011

Severance costs:

Americas …………………………………………………
EM EA ……………………………………………………
Corporate ………………………………………………

$                      
-
-
126
126

$                

1,234
185
14,928
16,347

$                      
-
-
-
-

Lease termination and other costs: (1)

Americas …………………………………………………
EM EA ……………………………………………………

Transaction and integration costs:

Corporate ………………………………………………

Depreciation and amortization: (2)

Americas …………………………………………………
EM EA ……………………………………………………

(277)
(206)
(483)

13
13

12,168
-
12,168

7,220
1,654
8,874

9,302
9,302

11,770
25
11,795

-
-
-

3,349
3,349

-
-
-

Total acquisition-related costs ……………………………

$              

11,824

$              

46,318

$                

3,349

(1)

(2)

Amounts related to the Third Quarter 2010 Exit Plan and the Fourth Quarter 2010 Exit Plan.  See Note 4.
Depreciation resulted from the adjustment to fair values of the acquired property and equipment and amortization 
of the fair values of the acquired intangibles.

Note 3. Discontinued Operations 

The results of discontinued operations, which consist of the Spanish and Argentine operations, were as follows (in 
thousands): 

Revenues:

2011

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

Spain ……………………………………………………………………………
Argentina ………………………………………………………………………

$                  

39,341
-

$                  

36,806
40,676

$                

44,221
32,467

Income (loss) from discontinued operations before income taxes:

$                  

39,341

$                  

77,482

$                

76,688

Spain ……………………………………………………………………………

$                   

(4,532)

$                   

(6,417)

$                  

1,475

Argentina ………………………………………………………………………

-

(4,532)

(6,476)

(12,893)

(2,931)

(1,456)

Income taxes: (1)

Spain ……………………………………………………………………………

Argentina ………………………………………………………………………

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes:

Spain ……………………………………………………………………………

Argentina ………………………………………………………………………

(4,532)

-

(6,417)

(6,476)

1,475

(2,931)

$                   

(4,532)

$                 

(12,893)

$                 

(1,456)

(1)

There were no income taxes on the loss from discontinued operations as any tax benefit from the losses would be offset by a valuation 
allowance.

76

 
 
 
 
 
                        
                     
                        
                     
                
                        
                     
                
                        
                    
                  
                        
                    
                  
                        
                    
                  
                        
                       
                  
                  
                       
                  
                  
                
                
                        
                        
                       
                        
                
                
                        
 
 
 
 
                            
                    
                  
                            
                     
                   
                     
                   
                   
                            
                            
                          
                            
                            
                          
                            
                            
                          
                     
                     
                    
                            
                     
                   
 
 
 
 
Spanish Operations Held for Sale 

In November 2011, the Finance Committee of the Board of Directors of the Company authorized management to 
pursue  the  sale  of  the  Company’s  Spanish  operations.  Management  concluded  the  operations  were  no  longer 
consistent with the Company’s strategic direction.  These operations met the held for sale criteria as of December 
31, 2011; therefore, the Company reflected the assets and related liabilities of the Spanish operations as “Assets held 
for  sale,  discontinued  operations”  and  “Liabilities  held  for  sale,  discontinued  operations”  in  the  accompanying 
Balance  Sheet  as  of  December  31,  2011.  The  Company  reflected  the  operating  results  related  to  the  Spanish 
operations as discontinued operations in the Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years ended December 
31, 2011, 2010 and 2009. Cash flows from discontinued operations are included in the Consolidated Statements of 
Cash Flows for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009. This business was historically reported by the 
Company as part of the EMEA segment. 

The  assets  and  liabilities  of  the  Spanish  operations  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Balance  Sheets  were  as 
follows (in thousands): 

Assets (1)
Current assets:

December 31, 

2011

2010

Cash and cash equivalents …………………………………………………
Receivables, net ……………………………………………………………
Prepaid expenses …………………………………………………………
Total current assets ……………………………………………………
Property and equipment, net …………………………………………………
Deferred charges and other assets ……………………………………………
Total assets (2) …………………………………………………………

-
$                             
8,970
23
8,993
-
597

$                     

1,245
15,397
-
16,642
1,183
736

9,590

18,561

Liabilities (1)
Current liabilities:

Accounts payable …………………………………………………………
Accrued employee compensation and benefits ……………………………
Deferred revenue …………………………………………………………
Other accrued expenses and current liabilities ……………………………
Total current liabilities (3) ………………………………………………
Total net assets………………………………………………………

$                     

1,191
4,592
335
1,010
7,128
2,462

1,576
2,301
258
1,993
6,128
12,433

$                   

(1)

(2)

(3)

Classifed and included in the respective line items in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 
31, 2010.
Classifed as current and included in "Assets held for sale, discontinued operations" in the accompanying 
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011, as the Spanish operations are expected to be sold within the 
next 12 months.

Classified as current and included in "Liabilities held for sale, discontinued operations" in the accompanying 
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011, as the Spanish operations are expected to be sold within the 
next 12 months.

During the three months ended December 31, 2011, the Company recorded an impairment of $0.8 million related to 
the write-down of property and equipment, primarily leasehold improvements and software, in conjunction with the 
classification of the Spanish operations as held for sale. The impairment charges represented the amount by which 
the carrying value exceeded the fair value of these assets, as defined in ASC 820, and are included in discontinued 
operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2011. 

Sale of Argentine Operations in 2010 

On December 16, 2010, the Board of Directors (the “Board”) of SYKES, upon the recommendation of its Finance 
Committee,  sold  its  Argentina  operations,  which  were  operated  through  two  Argentine  subsidiaries:  Centro 
Interaccion  Multimedia  S.A.  (“CIMSA”)  and  ICT  Services  of  Argentina,  S.A.  (“ICT  Argentina”),  together  the 
“Argentine operations.” CIMSA and ICT Argentina were offshore contact centers providing contact center services 

77

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                      
                    
                           
                              
                      
                    
                              
                      
                         
                         
                      
                    
                      
                      
                      
                      
                         
                         
                      
                      
                      
                      
 
 
 
 
through a total of three centers in Argentina to clients in the United States and in the Republic of Argentina. The 
decision  to  exit  Argentina  was  made  due  to  surging  costs,  primarily  chronic  wage  increases,  which  dramatically 
reduced  the  appeal  of  the Argentina footprint  among  the Company’s  existing and  new  global  clients  and  thus  the 
overall future profitability of the Argentine operations.  

On December 13, 2010, the Company entered a stock purchase agreement, and pursuant thereto, the Company sold 
all  of  the  shares  of  capital  stock of  CIMSA  to  individual purchasers for  a  nominal  price.  Pursuant  to  the  CIMSA 
stock purchase agreement, immediately prior to closing, the Company made a capital contribution of $9.5 million to 
CIMSA  to  cover  a  portion  of  CIMSA’s  liabilities.  Immediately  after  closing,  the  purchasers  made  a  capital 
contribution  to  CIMSA  of  $1.0 million,  and  CIMSA  repaid  a  loan  of  $1.0 million  to  one  of  the  Company’s 
subsidiaries. As this was a stock transaction, the Company has no future obligation with regard to CIMSA and there 
are no material post closing obligations.  

Additionally, on December 22, 2010, the Company entered into a letter of intent (the “ICT Letter of Intent”) to sell 
all of the shares of capital stock of ICT Argentina to a group of individual purchasers for a nominal purchase price. 
Pursuant to the ICT Letter of Intent, immediately prior to closing, the Company funded ICT Argentina with a capital 
contribution  of  $3.5 million  to  cover  a  portion  of  ICT  Argentina’s  liabilities.    Also  on  December  24, 2010,  the 
Company entered into the stock purchase agreement, and pursuant thereto, completed the sale transaction.  As this 
was  a  stock  transaction,  the  Company  has  no  future  obligation  with  regard  to  ICT  Argentina  and  there  are  no 
material post closing obligations. 

The loss on the sale of the Argentine operations amounted to $29.9 million pre-tax and $23.5 million after tax at 
December 31, 2010. The sale of Argentine operations was a taxable transaction that resulted in a $6.4 million tax 
benefit.  The  effective  tax  rate  on  the  loss  on  the  sale  of  Argentina  of  21.4%  differs  from  the  expected  35.0% 
statutory rate due to a valuation allowance established on the foreign deferred tax asset recognized as a result of the 
sale,  partially  offset  by  a  reduction  in  U.S.  taxes  related  to  foreign  earnings  distributions  and  the  write  off  of 
intercompany receivables resulting in tax benefits of $2.9 million and $3.5 million, respectively.  During the three 
months  ended  December  31,  2011,  the  Company  reversed  the  accrued  liability  related  to  the  expiration  of  the 
indemnification to the purchaser for the possible loss of a specific client business, which reduced the net loss on sale 
of the Argentine operations by $0.6 million. There was no related income tax effect. 

As  a  result  of  the  sale  of  the  Argentine  operations,  the  operating  results  related  to  the  Argentine  operations  have 
been reflected as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations for the years 
ended  December  31,  2010  and  2009.  This  business  was  historically  reported  by  the  Company  as  part  of  the 
Americas segment. 

During 2010, the Company recorded an impairment of $0.7 million related to the write-down of long-lived assets in 
Argentina,  primarily  leasehold  improvements  and  software,  which  were  no  longer  recoverable.  The  impairment 
charge represented the amount by which the carrying value exceeded the fair value of these assets which cannot be 
redeployed  to  other  locations  and  are  included  in  discontinued  operations  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated 
Statement of Operations for 2010. 

Note 4. Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities 

Fourth Quarter 2011 Exit Plan 

During the three months ended December 31, 2011, the Company announced a plan to rationalize seats in certain 
U.S.  sites  and close  certain  locations  in  EMEA  (the  “Fourth  Quarter 2011  Exit  Plan”).    The details  are  described 
below, by segment. 

Americas 

During  the  three  months  ended  December 31,  2011,  as  part  of  an  on-going  effort  to  streamline  excess  capacity 
related to the integration of the ICT acquisition and align it with the needs of the market, the Company announced a 
plan  to  rationalize  approximately  1,200  seats  in  the  U.S.,  some  of  which  are  revenue  generating,  with  plans  to 
migrate the associated revenues to other locations within the U.S. Approximately 500 employees are expected to be 
affected and the Company expects to complete the actions associated with the Americas plan on or before October 
31, 2012.  

78

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The major costs estimated to be incurred as a result of these actions are program transfer costs, facility-related costs 
(primarily  consisting  of  those  costs  associated  with  the  real  estate  leases),  and  impairments  of  long-lived  assets 
(primarily leasehold improvements and equipment) estimated at $1.0 million. The Company recorded $0.5 million 
of  the  costs  associated  with  these  actions  as  non-cash  impairment  charges  included  in  “Impairment  of  long-lived 
assets”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations  for  the  year  ended  December  31,  2011,  while 
approximately  $0.5  million  represents  cash  expenditures  for  program  transfer  and  facility-related  costs,  including 
obligations under the leases, the last of which ends in January 2013.  There is no accrual as no actions have taken 
place to transfer programs or close the facilities as of December 31, 2011.  No cash has been paid through December 
31, 2011 for the program transfer costs or facility-related costs. 

EMEA 

During the three months ended December 31, 2011, in an effort to improve the Company’s overall profitability in 
the EMEA region, the Company committed to close a customer contact management center in South Africa and a 
customer  contact  management  center  in  Ireland,  as  well  as  some  capacity  rationalization  in  the  Netherlands,  all 
components of the EMEA segment. Through these actions, the Company expects to improve its cost structure in the 
EMEA  region  by  optimizing  its  capacity  utilization.    While  the  Company  plans  to  migrate  approximately  $3.2 
million  of  annualized  call  volumes  of  the  Ireland  facility  to  other  facilities  within  EMEA,  the  Company  does not 
anticipate  the  remaining  call  volume  in  Ireland  or  any  of  the  annualized  revenue  from  the  Netherlands  or  South 
Africa facilities, which was $18.8 million, will be captured and migrated to other facilities within the region. The 
number of seats anticipated for rationalization across the EMEA region approximates 900 with an anticipated total 
of  approximately  500  employees  affected  by  the  actions.    The  Company  expects  to  close  these  facilities  by  July 
2012 and substantially complete the actions associated with the EMEA plan on or before September 30, 2012.   

The major costs estimated to be incurred as a result of these actions are facility-related costs (primarily consisting of 
those  costs  associated  with  the  real  estate  leases),  impairments  of  long-lived  assets  (primarily  leasehold 
improvements  and  equipment)  and  anticipated  severance-related  costs  estimated  at  $7.6  million.  The  Company 
recorded  $0.5  million  of  the  costs  associated  with  these  actions  as  non-cash  impairment  charges  included  in 
“Impairment  of  long-lived  assets”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations  for  the  year  ended 
December  31,  2011,  while  approximately  $7.1  million  will  be  cash  expenditures  for  severance-related  costs  and 
facility-related costs, primarily rent obligations to be paid through the remainder of the noncancelable term of the 
leases, the last of which ends in March 2013.  The Company has paid $0.7 million in cash through December 31, 
2011 of the severance-related and legal-related costs. 

The following table summarizes the accrued liability associated with EMEA’s Fourth Quarter 2011 Exit Plan’s exit 
or disposal activities and related charges (none in 2010 or 2009) (in thousands): 

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2011

Charges 
(Reversals) for 
the Year Ended 
December 31, 
2011 (1)

Cash 
Payments

Other Non-
Cash 
Changes (2)

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2011

S hort-term (3)

Long-term

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….

$                   

-    

$                  

587

$                   

-    

$                

(10)

$                  

577

$                  

577

$                   

-    

Severance and related costs …………….....……..

-

5,185

(653)

(62)

4,470

4,470

-

Legal-related costs …………….....……………….

$                   

-
-    

21
5,793

$               

$                 

(8)
(661)

$                

-
(72)

13
5,060

$               

13
5,060

$               

$                   

-
-    

(1)

(2)

(3)

During 2011, the Company recorded charges related to the initiation of the Fourth Quarter 2011 Exit Plan.
Effect of foreign currency translation.

Included in "Other accrued expenses and current liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Fourth Quarter 2010 Exit Plan 

During  the  quarter  ended  December 31,  2010,  in  furtherance  of  the  Company’s  long-term  goals  to  manage  and 
optimize capacity utilization, the Company committed to and closed a customer contact management center in the 
United Kingdom and a customer contact management center in Ireland, both components of the EMEA segment (the 
"Fourth  Quarter  2010  Exit  Plan").  These  actions  further  enabled  the  Company  to  reduce  operating  costs  by 
eliminating additional redundant space and to optimize capacity utilization rates where overlap exists. These actions 
were  substantially  completed  by  January 31,  2011.  None  of  the  revenues  from  the  United  Kingdom  or  Ireland 
facilities,  which  were  approximately  $1.3 million  on  an  annualized  basis,  were  captured  and  migrated  to  other 
facilities  within  the  region.  Loss  from  operations  of  the  United  Kingdom  and  Ireland  are  not  material  to  the 
consolidated income (loss) from continuing operations; therefore, their results of operations have not been presented 
as discontinued operations in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations. 

79

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                       
                
                 
                 
                
                
                       
                       
                     
                     
                     
                     
                     
                       
 
The major costs incurred as a result of these actions were facility-related costs (primarily consisting of those costs 
associated  with  the  real  estate  leases),  impairments  of  long-lived  assets  (primarily  leasehold  improvements  and 
equipment) and severance-related costs totaling $2.2 million as of December 31, 2011 ($2.1 million as of December 
31,  2010).  This  increase  of  $0.1  million  included  in  “General  and  administrative”  costs  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Statement of Operations during the year ended December 31, 2011 is primarily due to the change in 
estimate  of  lease  termination  costs.  The  Company  recorded  $0.2  million  of  the  costs  associated  with  the  Fourth 
Quarter  2010  Exit  Plan  as  non-cash  impairment  charges  (see  Note  3,  Discontinued  Operations,  for  further 
information).  Approximately  $1.8 million  represents  cash  expenditures  for  facility-related  costs,  primarily  rent 
obligations  to  be  paid  through  the  remainder  of  the  lease  terms,  the  last  of  which  ends  in  March 2014,  and 
$0.2 million represents cash expenditures for severance-related costs. The Company has paid $1.1 million in cash 
through December 31, 2011 of the facility-related and severance-related costs. 

The  following  table  summarizes  the  accrued  liability  associated  with  the  Fourth  Quarter  2010  Exit  Plan’s  exit  or 
disposal activities and related charges (none in 2009) (in thousands): 

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….
Severance and related costs  …………….....…....

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2011
$               

1,711
-
1,711

Charges 
(Reversals) for 
the Year Ended 
December 31, 
2011 (1)
$                    

Cash 
Payments

$                 

(886)
-
(886)

70
-
70

$               

$                    

$                 

$                  

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….
Severance and related costs  …………….....…....

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2010

-    
$                   
-
$                   
-    

Charges 
(Reversals) for 
the Year Ended 
December 31, 
2010 (1)
$               

1,711
185
1,896

Cash 
Payments
$                   

-    
(185)
(185)

$               

$                 

$               

Other Non-
Cash 
Changes (2)
(60)
$               
-
(60)

$               

Other Non-
Cash 
Changes (2)
-    
$               
-
$               
-    

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2011
$                  

835
-
835

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2010

$               

1,711
-
1,711

S hort-term (3)
398
$                  
-
398

$                  

Long-term (4)
437
$                  
-
437

$                  

S hort-term (3)
941
$                  
-
941

$                  

Long-term (4)
770
$                  
-
770

$                  

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

During 2011, the Company recorded additional lease termination costs, which are included in "General and administrative" costs in the accompanying Consolidated Statement 
of Operations.  During 2010, the Company recorded charges related to the initiation of the Fourth Quarter 2010 Exit Plan.

Effect of foreign currency translation.

Included in "Other accrued expenses and current liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Included in "Other long-term liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

See Note 3, Discontinued Operations, for impairment charges recorded in 2010 related to the Company’s Argentine 
operations, which were sold in December 2010. 

Third Quarter 2010 Exit Plan 

During  the  quarter  ended  September 30,  2010,  consistent  with  the  Company’s  long-term  goals  to  manage  and 
optimize capacity utilization, the Company closed or committed to close four customer contact management centers 
in  The  Philippines  and  consolidated  or  committed  to  consolidate  leased  space  in  our  Wilmington,  Delaware  and 
Newtown,  Pennsylvania  locations  (the  "Third  Quarter  2010  Exit  Plan").  These  actions  were  in  response  to  the 
facilities consolidation and capacity rationalization related to the ICT acquisition, enabling the Company to reduce 
operating costs by eliminating redundant space and to optimize capacity utilization rates where overlap exists. There 
were no employees affected by the Third Quarter 2010 Exit Plan.  These actions were substantially completed by 
January 31, 2011.  

The  major  costs  incurred  as  a  result  of  these  actions  were  impairments  of  long-lived  assets  (primarily  leasehold 
improvements) and facility-related costs (primarily consisting of those costs associated with the real estate leases) 
estimated at $10.5 million as of December 31, 2011 ($10.0 million as of December 31, 2010), all of which are in the 
Americas segment. The increase of $0.5 million during the year ended December 31, 2011 is primarily due to the 
change  in  assumptions  related  to  the  redeployment  of  property  and  equipment  and  a  change  in  estimate  of  lease 
termination costs. The Company recorded $3.8 million of the costs associated with the Third Quarter 2010 Exit Plan 
as  non-cash  impairment  charges,  of  which  $0.7  million  is  included  in  “Impairment  of  long-lived  assets”  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations for the year ended December 31, 2011 (see Note 5, Fair Value, 
for further information). The remaining $6.7 million represents cash expenditures for facility-related costs, primarily 

80

 
 
 
 
 
                       
                       
                       
                    
                       
                       
                       
                   
                   
                 
                
                   
                   
                   
 
 
 
 
rent obligations to be paid through the remainder of the lease terms, the last of which ends in February 2017.  The 
Company has paid $3.2 million in cash through December 31, 2011 related to these facility-related costs. 

The  following  table  summarizes  the  accrued  liability  associated  with  the  Third  Quarter  2010  Exit  Plan’s  exit  or 
disposal activities and related charges (none in 2009) (in thousands): 

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2011
$               

6,141

Charges 
(Reversals) for 
the Year Ended 
December 31, 
2011 (1)
$                 

(276)

Cash 
Payments

$              

(2,443)

Other Non-
Cash 
Changes (2)
$                    
5

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2011

$               

3,427

S hort-term (3)
$                  
843

Long-term (4)
$               
2,584

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2010

Charges 
(Reversals) for 
the Year Ended 
December 31, 
2010 (1)

Cash 
Payments

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….

$                   

-    

$               

6,944

$                 

(803)

Other Non-
Cash 
Changes (2)
$                 
-    

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2010

$               

6,141

S hort-term (3)
$               
2,199

Long-term (4)
$               
3,942

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

During 2011, the Company reversed accruals related to lease termination costs due to an unanticipated sublease at one of the sites, which reduced "General and administrative" 
costs in the accompanying Consolidated Statement of Operations.  This amount was partially offset by additional lease termination costs for one of the sites.  During 2010, the 
Company recorded charges related to the initiation of the Third Quarter 2010 Exit Plan.

Effect of foreign currency translation.
Included in "Other accrued expenses and current liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Included in "Other long-term liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.

ICT Restructuring Plan 

As of February 2, 2010, the Company assumed the liabilities of ICT, including restructuring accruals in connection 
with ICT’s plans to reduce its overall cost structure and adapt to changing economic conditions by closing various 
customer contact management centers in Europe and Canada prior to the end of their existing lease terms (the “ICT 
Restructuring Plan”). These remaining restructuring accruals, which related to ongoing lease and other contractual 
obligations, were paid in December 2011. Since acquiring ICT in February 2010, the Company has paid $1.9 million 
in cash through December 31, 2011 related to the ICT Restructuring Plan. 

The following tables summarize the accrued liability associated with the ICT Restructuring Plan’s exit or disposal 
activities (none in 2009) (in thousands):  

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2011
$               

1,462

Charges 
(Reversals) for 
the Year Ended 
December 31, 
2011 (1)
$                 

(276)

Cash 
Payments

$              

(1,139)

Other Non-
Cash       
Changes (2)
$                   

(47)

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2011

$                   

-    

S hort-term (3)
$                   
-    

Long-term (4)
$                   
-    

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….

Lease obligations and facility exit costs ……….

$                   

-    

Beginning 
Accrual at 
January 1, 
2010

Accrual 
assumed upon 
acquisition of 
ICT on 
February 2, 
2010 (1)
$               

2,197

Cash 
Payments

$                 

(735)

Other Non-
Cash       

Changes
$                   

-    

Ending Accrual 
at December 
31, 2010

$               

1,462

S hort-term (3)
$               
1,462

Long-term (4)
$                   
-    

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

During 2011, the Company reversed accruals related to the final settlement of termination costs, which reduced "General and administrative" costs in the accompanying 
Consolidated Statement of Operations.  During 2010, upon acquisition of ICT on February 2, 2010, the Company assumed ICT's restructuring accruals.
Effect of foreign currency translation.

Included in "Other accrued expenses and current liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.
Included in "Other long-term liabilities" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.

81

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 5. Fair Value  

The Company's assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2011 subject to 
the requirements of ASC 820 consist of the following (in thousands):  

Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2011 Using:

Quoted Prices 
in Active 
Markets For 
Identical Assets
Level (1)

S ignificant 
Other 
Observable 
Inputs
Level (2)

S ignificant 
Unobservable 
Inputs
Level (3)

 Balance at 
December 31, 2011

Assets:

M oney market funds and open-end mutual

funds included in "Cash and cash equivalents" ……(1)

$                    

68,651

$               

68,651

$                     

-    

$                    

-    

M oney market funds and open-end mutual

funds in "Deferred charges and other assets" ………(1)
Foreign currency forward contracts ………………… (2)

Foreign currency option contracts ……………………(2)
Equity investments held in a rabbi trust 

12
536

174

12
-

-

for the Deferred Compensation Plan ………………(3)

2,817

2,817

-
536

174

-

-
-

-

-

Debt investments held in a rabbi trust 

for the Deferred Compensation Plan ………………(3)
Guaranteed investment certificates ……………………(4)

Liabilities:

Foreign currency forward contracts ………………… (5)

1,365
65
73,620

$                    

1,365
-
72,845

$               

-
65
775

$                    

-
-
$                    
-

$                         
$                         

752
752

$                    
-    
$                    
-

$                    
$                    

752
752

$                    
-    
$                    
-

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

In the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  
Included in “ Other current assets”  in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 12.
Included in “ Other current assets” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 13.
Included in “ Deferred charges and other assets” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.   See Note 15.
Included in “ Other accrued expenses and current liabilities” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 18.

82

 
 
 
 
     
 
                            
                      
                     
                     
                          
                     
                     
                     
                          
                     
                     
                     
                       
                 
                     
                     
                       
                 
                     
                     
                            
                     
                       
                     
  
 
 
 
 
The Company's assets and liabilities measured at fair value on a recurring basis as of December 31, 2010 subject to 
the requirements of ASC 820 consist of the following (in thousands):    

Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2010 Using:

Quoted Prices 
in Active 
Markets For 
Identical Assets
Level (1)

S ignificant 
Other 
Observable 
Inputs
Level (2)

S ignificant 
Unobservable 
Inputs
Level (3)

 Balance at 
December 31, 2010

Assets:

M oney market funds and open-end mutual

funds included in "Cash and cash equivalents" ……(1)

$                      

5,893

$                 

5,893

$                    

-    

$                    

-    

M oney market funds and open-end mutual

funds in "Deferred charges and other assets" ………(1)
Foreign currency forward contracts ………………… (2)
Foreign currency option contracts ……………………(2)
Equity investments held in a rabbi trust 

for the Deferred Compensation Plan ………………(3)

Debt investments held in a rabbi trust 

for the Deferred Compensation Plan ………………(3)

U.S. Treasury Bills held in a rabbi trust for the

former ICT chief executive officer …………………(3)

Guaranteed investment certificates ……………………(4)

Liabilities:

Foreign currency forward contracts ………………… (5)

747
1,283
4,951

2,647

789

118

747
-
-

2,647

789

118

-
1,283
4,951

-

-

-

-
-
-

-

-

-

$                    

53
16,481

-
10,194

$               

$                 

53
6,287

-
$                    
-

$                         
$                         

735
735

$                        
-
$                        
-

$                    
$                    

735
735

$                    
-    
$                    
-

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

(5)

In the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  
Included in “ Other current assets”  in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 12.
Included in “ Other current assets” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 13.
Included in “ Deferred charges and other assets” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 15.
Included in “ Other accrued expenses and current liabilities” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  See Note 18.

83

 
 
 
 
 
                          
                    
                     
                     
                       
                     
                 
                     
                       
                     
                 
                     
                       
                 
                     
                     
                          
                    
                     
                     
                          
                    
                     
                     
                            
                     
                      
                     
  
 
 
 
 
Certain assets, under certain conditions, are measured at fair value on a nonrecurring basis utilizing Level 3 inputs as 
described in Note 1, Overview and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, like those associated with acquired 
businesses, including goodwill and other intangible assets and other long-lived assets. For these assets, measurement 
at fair value in periods subsequent to their initial recognition would be applicable if one or more of these assets was 
determined to be impaired.  The following table summarizes the adjusted carrying values for assets measured at fair 
value on a nonrecurring basis (no liabilities) subject to the requirements of ASC 820 (in thousands):  

Americas:

December 31, 

2011

2010

$           

122,303
52,752
-
99,089

-
-
14,614

-
1,183

Goodwill ………………..…...........................................
Intangibles, net …………………………...………………
Investment in SHPS …..………………….……..…………
Property and equipment, net …..…………………………

$           

121,342
44,472
-
79,874

EM EA:

Goodwill ………………..…...........................................
Intangibles, net …………………………...………………
Property and equipment, net …..…………………………

Discontinued Operations:

Americas - Property and equipment, net …..……………
EM EA - Property and equipment, net …..………………

-
-
11,206

-
-

84

 
 
 
 
 
 
              
              
                   
                    
              
              
                   
                    
                   
                    
              
              
                   
                    
                   
                
 
 
 
The  following  table  summarizes  the  total  impairment  losses  related  to  nonrecurring  fair  value  measurements  of 
certain assets (no liabilities) subject to the requirements of ASC 820 (in thousands): 

Americas:

Goodwill (1) ………………..…......................................
Intangibles, net (1)…………………………...……………

-    
$                   
-

-    
$                   
-

$                 

(629)
(1,279)

Total Impairment (Losses)
Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

2011

Investment in SHPS (2) …..………………...………………
Property and equipment, net (3) …..………………………

EM EA:

Goodwill (3) ………………..…........................................
Intangibles, net (3)…………………………………………

Property and equipment, net (3) …..………………………

Discontinued Operations:

Americas - Property and equipment, net (3), (4) …..………
EM EA - Property and equipment, net (3), (4) …..…………

-

-
-

(474)

(1,718)

-
(843)

-

-

-

-

(1,244)

(3,121)

(1,908)

(2,089)

-

-

-
-
-

(84)

(278)
(362)
(159)

(3,642)

(3,997)

(682)
-

-
-

$              

(2,561)

$              

(4,324)

$              

(3,997)

(1)

(2)

(3)

See this Note 5 for additional information regarding the KLA fair value measurement.

See Note 1 for additional information regarding the SHPS fair value measurement.

See Note 1 for additional information regarding the fair value measurement.

(4) See Note 3 for additional information regarding the impairments related to discontinued operations.

Impairment of Long-Lived Assets 

During  2011,  in  connection  with  the  Fourth  Quarter  2011  Exit  Plan,  as  discussed  more  fully  in  Note  4,  Costs 
Associated  with  Exit  or  Disposal  Activities,  the  Company  recorded  impairment  charges  of  $0.5 million  in  the 
Americas segment and $0.5 million in the EMEA segment, related to the write-down of long-lived assets, primarily 
leasehold improvements and equipment. 

During 2011, in connection with the Third Quarter 2010 Exit Plan within the Americas segment, as discussed more 
fully in Note 4, Costs Associated with Exit or Disposal Activities, the Company recorded an impairment charge of 
$0.7 million, resulting from a change in assumptions related to the redeployment of property and equipment. 

During 2010, in connection with a plan to close and consolidate facilities within the EMEA segment, as discussed 
more  fully  in  Note  4,  Costs  Associated  with  Exit  or  Disposal  Activities,  the  Company  recorded  an  impairment 
charge of $0.2 million, related to the impairment of long-lived assets for leasehold improvements and equipment in 
certain of its underutilized customer contact management centers in the United Kingdom and Ireland.  In addition, 
during 2010, based on actual and forecasted operating results and deterioration of the related customer base in the 
Company's United Kingdom operations, the EMEA segment recorded a $0.1 million impairment loss on goodwill 
and a $0.3 million impairment loss on intangibles (primarily customer relationships). 

During 2010, in connection with a plan to close and consolidate facilities within the Americas segment, as discussed 
more  fully  in  Note  4,  Costs  Associated  with  Exit  or  Disposal  Activities,  the  Company  recorded  an  impairment 
charge of $3.1 million, comprised of a $2.9 million impairment of long-lived assets for leasehold improvements in 
certain of its underutilized customer contact management centers in The Philippines and a $0.2 million impairment 
of long-lived assets for leasehold improvements related to a plan to consolidate corporate leased space in the United 
States. 

85

 
 
 
 
 
 
                   
                    
               
                   
                    
               
                   
                    
               
              
               
                        
                   
                    
                    
                   
                  
                    
                   
                  
                    
                 
                  
                    
              
               
               
                   
                  
                    
                 
                    
                    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
During 2009, the Company committed to a plan to sell or close its Employee Assistance and Occupational Health 
operations  in  Calgary,  Alberta,  Canada,  which  was  originally  acquired  on  March  1,  2005  when  the  Company 
purchased the shares of Kelly, Luthmer & Associates Limited (“KLA”).  As a result of KLA’s actual and forecasted 
operating  results  for  2009,  deterioration  of  the  KLA  customer  base  and  loss  of  key  employees,  the  Company 
determined to sell or close the Calgary operations on or before December 31, 2009 for less than its current carrying 
value.  This decline in value was other than temporary, therefore, the Company recorded a non-cash impairment loss 
of $1.3 million related to intangible assets (primarily customer relationships) and $0.6 million related to goodwill 
included in “Impairment loss on goodwill and intangibles” during 2009.  The accompanying Consolidated Statement 
of  Operations  for  2009  includes  “Impairment  loss  on  goodwill  and  intangibles”  of  $1.9  million  related  to  the 
Calgary operations (none in 2010 or 2008).  As of December 31, 2010, $0.3 million and $0.2 million were included 
in  “Other  accrued  expenses  and  current  liabilities”  and  “Other  long-term  liabilities”,  respectively,  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet related to the lease obligation, net of the underlying sublease amounts.  
This lease obligation is expected to be paid through the remainder of the lease term ending July 2012.  In addition, in 
2009, the Company paid $0.1 million in one-time employee termination benefits.  The loss from operations for KLA 
for 2009 was $3.4 million, which was not material to the consolidated income from continuing operations; therefore, 
the  results  of  operations  of  KLA  have  not  been  presented  as  discontinued  operations  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Statement of Operations. 

Additionally, during 2009 the Company recorded an impairment loss of $2.1 million on its investment in SHPS. 

Note 6.  Goodwill and Intangible Assets  

The following table presents the Company’s purchased intangible assets as of December 31, 2011 (in thousands): 

Customer relationships ……………………………
Trade name ………………………………………
Non-compete agreements …………………………
Proprietary software ………………………………

Gross 
Intangibles

$             

58,027
1,000
560
850
60,437

Accumulated 
Amortization
(14,056)
$           
(639)
(560)
(710)
(15,965)

$           

Net 
Intangibles

$             

43,971
361
-
140
44,472

$             

$             

Weighted 
Average 
Amortization 
Period (years)
8
3
1
2
8

The following table presents the Company’s purchased intangible assets as of December 31, 2010 (in thousands): 

Customer relationships ……………………………
Trade name ………………………………………
Non-compete agreements …………………………
Proprietary software ………………………………

Gross 
Intangibles

$             

58,471
1,000
560
850
60,881

Accumulated 
Amortization
(6,839)
$             
(306)
(513)
(471)
(8,129)

$             

Net 
Intangibles

$             

51,632
694
47
379
52,752

$             

$             

Weighted 
Average 
Amortization 
Period (years)
8
3
1
2
8

The  following  table  presents  amortization  expense,  related  to  the  purchased  intangible  assets  resulting  from 
acquisitions  (other  than  goodwill),  included  in  “General  and  administrative”  costs  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Statements of Operations (in thousands): 

Amortization expense ………………………

2011
$             

7,961

Years Ended December 31,
2010
$             

7,879

2009

$                

100

86

 
 
 
 
 
 
   
 
                          
               
                 
                  
                          
                  
                 
                   
                          
                  
                 
                  
                          
                          
 
 
 
                          
               
                 
                  
                          
                  
                 
                    
                          
                  
                 
                  
                          
                          
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Company’s estimated future amortization expense for the succeeding years relating to the purchased intangible 
assets resulting from acquisitions completed prior to December 31, 2011, is as follows (in thousands): 

Years Ending December 31,
2012 …………………………………………………………………………
2013…………………………………………………………………………
2014 …………………………………………………………………………
2015 …………………………………………………………………………
2016 …………………………………………………………………………
2017 and thereafter …………………………………………………………

Amount

$               

7,684
7,285
7,223
7,220
7,220
7,840

Changes in goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2011 consist of the following (in thousands): 

Americas: 

Gross Amount

Accumulated 
Impairment 
Losses

Net Amount

Balance at January 1, 2011 ……………………………
Foreign currency translation ……………………………
Balance at December 31, 2011 ………………………

$           

122,932
(961)
121,971

EMEA:

Balance at January 1, 2011 ……………………………
Foreign currency translation ……………………………
Balance at December 31, 2011 ………………………

84

-
84
122,055

$           

$                

(629)
-
(629)

$               

122,303
(961)
121,342

(84)
-
(84)
(713)

$                

-
-
-

$               

121,342

Changes in goodwill for the year ended December 31, 2010 consist of the following (in thousands): 

Americas: 

Gross Amount

Balance at January 1, 2010 ……………………………
Acquisition of ICT (See Note 2)………………………
Foreign currency translation ……………………………
Balance at December 31, 2010 ………………………

$             

21,838
97,683
3,411
122,932

EMEA:

Balance at January 1, 2010 ……………………………
Acquisition of ICT (See Note 2)………………………
Foreign currency translation ……………………………
Balance at December 31, 2010 ………………………

-
87
(3)
84
123,016

$           

Accumulated 
Impairment 
Losses

$                

(629)
-
-
(629)

-
(87)
3
(84)
(713)

$                

Net Amount

$                 

21,209
97,683
3,411
122,303

-
-
-
-

$               

122,303

See Note 5, Fair Value, for additional information regarding the impairment of the Americas and EMEA goodwill. 

Note 7. Concentrations of Credit Risk  

Financial  instruments  that  potentially  subject  the  Company  to  concentrations  of  credit  risk  consist  principally  of 
trade receivables. The Company’s credit concentrations are limited due to the wide variety of customers and markets 
in which the Company’s services are sold. See Note 12, Financial Derivatives, for a discussion of the Company’s 
credit  risk  relating  to  financial  derivative  instruments,  and  Note  27,  Segments  and  Geographic  Information,  for  a 
discussion of the Company’s customer concentration. 

87

 
 
 
 
 
               
               
               
               
               
 
 
 
                 
                   
                     
           
                 
               
                    
                   
                       
                   
                   
                       
                    
                   
                       
 
 
 
 
             
                   
                 
               
                   
                   
           
                 
               
                   
                   
                       
                    
                   
                       
                     
                      
                       
                    
                   
                       
 
 
 
 
 
Note 8. Receivables, Net 

Receivables, net consist of the following (in thousands):  

 December 31,  

2011

2010

Trade accounts receivable ……………………………………………
Income taxes receivable ………………………………………………
Other …………………………………………………………………

$             

$              

Less: Allowance for doubtful accounts ………………………………

227,512
3,853
2,641
234,006
4,304
229,702

249,719
1,488
1,574
252,781
3,939
248,842

$             

$              

Allowance for doubtful accounts as a percent of trade receivables …

1.9%

1.6%

Note 9. Prepaid Expenses  

Prepaid expenses consist of the following (in thousands): 

 December 31,  

Prepaid maintenance …………………………
Prepaid rent ……………………………………
Inventory, at cost …………….………………
Prepaid insurance ……………………………
Prepaid other …………………………………

2011
$                

2010
$                

$              

$              

Note 10. Other Current Assets 

Other current assets consist of the following (in thousands): 

 December 31,  

Deferred tax assets (Note 22)…………………
Financial derivatives (Note 12)………………
Investments held in rabbi trust (Note 13)……
Value added tax certificates (Note 11)…………
Other current assets …………………………

2011
$                

2010
$                

$              

$              

4,191
2,850
508
1,564
2,427
11,540

8,044
710
4,182
2,386
4,798
20,120

3,195
1,935
1,706
1,164
2,704
10,704

7,951
6,234
3,554
2,030
3,144
22,913

Note 11. Value Added Tax Receivables 

The VAT receivables balances, and the respective locations in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets, are 
presented below (in thousands): 

VAT included in:

 December 31,  

2011

2010

Other current assets (Note 10)…………………
Deferred charges and other assets (Note 15)……

$                

$                

2,386
5,191
7,577

2,030
5,710
7,740

$                

$                

88

 
 
 
 
 
 
                  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                
                
 
 
During  the  years  ended  December  31,  2011,  2010  and  2009,  the  Company  wrote  down  the  VAT  receivables 
balances by the following amounts, which are reflected in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations 
(in thousands): 

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

Write-down of value added tax receivables………

$                   

504

$                   

551

$                   

536

Note 12. Financial Derivatives 

Cash  Flow  Hedges  –  The  Company  had  derivative  assets  and  liabilities  relating  to  outstanding  forward  contracts 
and  options,  designated  as  cash  flow  hedges,  as  defined  under  ASC  815,  consisting  of  Philippine  Peso  contracts, 
Canadian Dollar contracts and Costa Rican Colones contracts. These contracts are entered into to protect against the 
risk that the eventual cash flows resulting from such transactions will be adversely affected by changes in exchange 
rates. 

The  deferred  gains  and  related  taxes  on  the  Company’s  derivative  instruments  recorded  in  “Accumulated  other 
comprehensive income (loss)” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets are as follows (in thousands): 

 December 31,  

2011

2010

Deferred gains (losses) in AOCI …………………………………
Tax on deferred gains (losses) in AOCI ………………...………
Deferred gains (losses), net of taxes in AOCI ……….…………

(670)
232
(438)

$                

$                  

$                

$                  

2,674
(528)
2,146

Deferred (losses) expected to be reclassified to "Revenues" 
from AOCI during the next twelve months ……………………

$                

(670)

Deferred  gains  (losses)  and  other  future  reclassifications  from  AOCI  will  fluctuate  with  movements  in  the 
underlying market price of the forward contracts and options. 

Net Investment Hedge – During 2010, the Company entered into foreign exchange forward contracts to hedge its 
net investment in a foreign operation, as defined under ASC 815, with an aggregate notional value of $26.1 million.  
These hedges settled in 2010 and the Company recorded deferred (losses) of $(2.6) million, net of taxes, for 2010 as 
a  currency  translation  adjustment,  a  component  of  AOCI,  offsetting  foreign  exchange  losses  attributable  to  the 
translation of the net investment.  The Company did not hedge net investments in foreign operations during 2011. 

Other Hedges – The Company also periodically enters into foreign currency hedge contracts that are not designated 
as hedges as defined under ASC 815. The purpose of these derivative instruments is to protect our interests against 
adverse foreign currency moves pertaining to intercompany receivables and payables, and other assets and liabilities 
that  are  denominated  in  currencies  other  than  the  Company’s  subsidiaries  functional  currencies.  These  contracts 
generally do not exceed 90 days in duration. 

89

 
 
 
 
  
 
 
     
 
 
                    
                      
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
The Company had the following outstanding foreign currency forward contracts and options (in thousands):  

Contract Type
Cash flow hedge: (1)
Options:

Philippine Pesos

Forwards:

Philippine Pesos
Canadian Dollars
Costa Rican Colones 

Not designated as hedge: (2)
Forwards

As of December 31, 2011

As of December 31, 2010

Notional 
Amount in 
US D

S ettle Through 
Date

Notional 
Amount in 
US D

S ettle Through 
Date

 $            85,500 

September 2012

 $            81,100 

December 2011

               12,000 
                        - 
               30,000 

M arch 2012
-
September 2012

               28,000 
                 7,200 
                        - 

September 2011
December 2011
-

               27,192 

M arch 2012

               57,791 

February 2011

(1)

(2)

Cash flow hedge as defined under ASC 815.  Purpose is to protect against the risk that eventual cash flows resulting 
from such transactions will be adversely affected by changes in exchange rates.

Foreign currency hedge contract not designated as a hedge as defined under ASC 815.  Purpose is to reduce the effects 
on the Company's operating results and cash flows from fluctuations caused by volatility in currency exchange rates, 
primarily related to intercompany loan payments and cash held in non-functional currencies.

See  Note  1,  Overview  and  Summary  of  Significant  Accounting  Policies,  for  additional  information  on  the 
Company's  purpose  for  entering  into  derivatives  not  designated  as  hedging  instruments  and  its  overall  risk 
management strategies. 

As of December 31, 2011, the maximum amount of loss due to credit risk that, based on the gross fair value of the 
financial  instruments,  the  Company  would  incur  if  parties  to  the  financial  instruments  that  make  up  the 
concentration failed to perform according to the terms of the contracts is $0.7 million. 

90

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following tables present the fair value of the Company’s derivative instruments as of December 31, 2011 and 
2010 included in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets (in thousands): 

Derivative Assets

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Balance S heet 
Location

Fair  Value

Balance S heet 
Location

Fair Value

Derivatives designated as cash flow 
hedging instruments under AS C 
815:

Foreign currency forward  contracts …

Foreign currency options ………………

Derivatives not designated as 
hedging instruments under AS C 
815:

Other current 
assets

Other current 
assets

$                  

530

174
704

Other current 
assets

Other current 
assets

$               

1,009

4,951
5,960

Foreign currency forward  contracts …

Other current 
assets

Total derivative assets …………………………………

$                  

6
710

Other current 
assets

274
6,234

$               

Derivative Liabilities

December 31, 2011

December 31, 2010

Balance S heet 
Location

Fair  Value

Balance S heet 
Location

Fair Value

Derivatives designated as cash flow 
hedging instruments under AS C 
815:

Foreign currency forward  contracts …

Other accrued 
expenses and 
current liabilities

Other accrued 
expenses and 
current liabilities

$                    

27

$                     
-

Foreign currency options ………………

Other accrued 
expenses and 
current liabilities

485
485

-

27

Derivatives not designated as 
hedging instruments under AS C 
815:

Foreign currency forward  contracts …
    Total derivative liabilities ………………………………

$                  

267
752

Other accrued 
expenses and 
current liabilities

Other accrued 
expenses and 
current liabilities

$                  

708
735

91

 
 
 
 
 
                  
               
                  
               
                      
                  
 
 
                  
                   
                  
                    
                  
                  
 
 
 
 
 
The following tables present the effect of the Company’s derivative instruments for the years ended December 31, 
2011, 2010 and 2009 in the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements (in thousands): 

Gain (Loss) Recognized in AOCI 
on Derivatives (Effective Portion)

December 31, 
2010

2011

2009

S tatement of 
Operations 
Location

Gain (Loss) Reclassified From 
Accumulated AOCI Into Income    
(Effective Portion)

Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income 
on Derivatives (Ineffective Portion)

December 31, 
2010

2011

2009

2011

December 31, 
2010

2009

Derivatives designated as cash flow 
hedging instruments under AS C 
815:

Foreign currency forward contracts …

$        

920

$     

2,586

$     

5,082

Revenues

$     

1,365

$     

4,515

$    

(9,257)

$            
2

$         

-    

$         

-    

Foreign currency option contracts ….

(2,403)
(1,483)

2,350
4,936

-
5,082

Revenues

488
1,853

658
5,173

-
(9,257)

-
2

-

-

-
-

Derivatives designated as a net 
investment hedge under AS C 815:

Foreign currency forward contracts …

-
(1,483)

$    

(3,955)
981

$        

-
5,082

$     

-
1,853

$     

-
5,173

$     

-
(9,257)

$    

-
$            
2

-
$             
-

-
$         
-    

S tatement of 
Operations 
Location

Gain (Loss) Recognized in Income on 
Derivatives

December 31, 

2011

2010

2009

Derivatives not designated as 
hedging instruments under AS C 
815:

Foreign currency forward contracts ………

Other income 
and (expense)

$       

(1,444)

$       

(4,717)

$       

(1,928)

Foreign currency forward contracts ……… Revenues

-
(1,444)

$       

-
(4,717)

$       

(53)
(1,981)

$       

Note 13.  Investments Held in Rabbi Trusts 

The  Company’s  investments  held  in  rabbi  trusts,  classified  as  trading  securities  and  included  in  “Other  current 
assets” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets, at fair value, consist of the following (in thousands): 

As of December 31, 2011

As of December 31, 2010

M utual funds ……………………………………………
U.S. Treasury Bills (1) ……………………………………

Cost
$            

$            

3,938

-
3,938

Fair Value
4,182

$            

-
4,182

$            

Cost 

$            

3,058

118
3,176

$            

Fair Value
3,436

$            

118
3,554

$            

(1) M atured in January 2011.

92

 
 
 
 
 
    
      
         
         
         
         
             
         
         
    
      
      
      
      
    
             
             
         
             
    
         
             
         
         
             
             
         
 
 
                
                
            
 
 
 
     
 
                   
                   
                
                
 
 
 
 
The  mutual  funds  held  in  the  rabbi  trusts  were  67%  equity-based  and  33%  debt-based  as  of  December  31,  2011. 
Investment  income,  included  in  “Other  income  (expense)”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 consists of the following (in thousands): 

2011
$               

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

$                 

$                 

Gross realized gains from sale of trading securities ………
Gross realized (losses) from sale of trading securities ……
Dividend and interest income ……………………………
Net unrealized holding gains (losses) ……………………
Net investment income (losses) …………………………

201
(20)
69
(383)
(133)

54
(5)
37
313
399

41
(21)
46
341
407

$              

$               

$               

Note 14. Property and Equipment 

Property and equipment consist of the following (in thousands):  

 December 31,  

Land …………...……………………………………….
Buildings and leasehold improvements …………………
Equipment, furniture and fixtures ………………………
Capitalized software development costs ………………
Transportation equipment ………………………………
Construction in progress ………………………………

Less: Accumulated depreciation …………………………

2011
$                

2010
$                

4,191
74,221
231,789
2,903
716
1,479
315,299
224,219
91,080

4,381
79,504
249,319
3,005
764
1,911
338,884
225,181
113,703

$              

$            

Depreciation expense included in “General and administrative” in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of 
Operations for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 was as follows (in thousands): 

Depreciation expense ……………………………………

2011
$              

47,139

Years Ended December 31,
2010
$              

47,902

2009
$              

25,798

Sale of Land and Building Located in Minot, North Dakota 

On June 1, 2011, the Company sold the land and building located in Minot, North Dakota, which were held for sale, 
for  cash  of  $3.9  million  (net  of  selling  costs  of  $0.2  million)  resulting  in  a  net  gain  on  sale  of  $3.7  million.  The 
carrying value of these assets of $0.8 million was offset by the related deferred grants of $0.6 million. The net gain 
on the sale of $3.7 million is included in “Net gain on disposal of property and equipment” in the accompanying 
Consolidated Statement of Operations for 2011.  These assets, previously classified as held and used with a carrying 
value of $0.9 million, were included in “Property and equipment” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet 
as  of  December  31,  2010.    Related  to  these  assets  were  deferred  grants  of  $0.6  million,  which  were  included  in 
"Deferred grants" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2010.   

Tornado Damage to the Ponca City, Oklahoma Customer Contact Management Center 

In  April  2011,  the  customer  contact  management  center  (the  “facility”)  located  in  Ponca  City,  Oklahoma 
experienced  significant  damage  to  its  building  and  contents  as  a  result  of  a  tornado.    The  Company  filed  an 
insurance claim with its property insurance company to recover losses of $1.4 million. During 2011, the insurance 
company  paid  $1.2  million  to  the  Company  for  costs  to  clean  up  and  repair  the  facility  of  $0.9  million  and  for 
reimbursement  of  a  portion  of  the  Company’s  out-of-pocket  costs  of  $0.3  million.    The  Company  completed  the 
repairs to the facility during 2011 and collected the remaining $0.2 million in February 2012. 

93

 
 
 
 
 
                 
                   
                 
                  
                  
                  
               
                
                
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Typhoon Damage to the Marikina City, The Philippines Customer Contact Management Center 

In  September  2009,  the  building  and  contents  of  one  of  the  Company's  customer  contact  management  centers 
located  in  Marikina  City,  The  Philippines  (acquired  as  part  of  the  ICT  acquisition)  was  severely  damaged  by 
flooding from Typhoon Ondoy. Upon settlement with the insurer in November 2010, the Company recognized a net 
gain of $2.0 million in 2010. The damaged property and equipment had been written down by ICT prior to the ICT 
acquisition in February 2010.  In August 2011, the Company received an additional $0.4 million from the insurer for 
rent  payments  made  during  the  claim  period  and  recognized  a  net  gain  on  insurance  settlement  in  2011.  This  net 
gain  on  insurance  settlement  is  included  in  “General  and  administrative”  expenses  in  the  accompanying 
Consolidated Statement of Operations in 2011.  No additional funds are expected. 

Note 15. Deferred Charges and Other Assets 

Deferred charges and other assets consist of the following (in thousands):  

 December 31,  

Non-current deferred tax assets (Note 22)………………
Non-current value added tax certificates (Note 11)………
Deposits …………………………………………………
Other ……………………………………………………

2011
$              

2010
$              

20,389
5,191
2,278
2,304
30,162

19,564
5,710
5,118
3,162
33,554

$              

$              

Note 16. Accrued Employee Compensation and Benefits 

Accrued employee compensation and benefits consist of the following (in thousands):  

 December 31,  

Accrued compensation ………………………
Accrued vacation ……………………………
Accrued bonus and commissions ……………
Accrued employment taxes …………………
Other …………………………………………

2011
$              

2010
$              

20,892
13,965
12,566
9,757
5,272
62,452

27,063
13,700
11,227
10,061
3,216
65,267

$              

$              

Note 17. Deferred Revenue  

The components of deferred revenue consist of the following (in thousands): 

December 31, 

2011

2010

Future service ……………………………………
Estimated potential penalties and holdbacks ……

$                      

$                      

25,809
8,510
34,319

23,919
7,336
31,255

$                      

$                      

94

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                        
                        
 
 
 
 
Note 18. Other Accrued Expenses and Current Liabilities 

Other accrued expenses and current liabilities consist of the following (in thousands):  

 December 31,  

Accrued restructuring (Note 4)…………………………
Accrued legal and professional fees ………………………
Accrued telephone charges ………………………………
Accrued roadside assistance claim costs …………………
Accrued rent………………………………………………
Forward contracts (Note 12)……………………………
Option contracts (Note 12)………………………………
Other ……………………………………………………

2011
$              

2010
$              

6,301
2,623
518
1,691
1,297
267
485
8,009
21,191

4,602
3,160
2,266
1,980
1,053
735
-
11,825
25,621

$              

$              

Note 19. Deferred Grants 

The components of deferred grants consist of the following (in thousands): 

 Years Ended December 31, 

2011

2010

Property grants ………...………………………
Employment grants ………...……………………
Total deferred grants ………………………
Less: Property grants - short-term (1) ………...…
Less: Employment grants - short-term (1) ………
Total long-term deferred grants (2) ………...

$          

8,210

1,123
9,333

-

770

$          

8,563

$              

9,787

2,672
12,459

-

1,652

$            

10,807

(1)

(2)

Included in "Other accrued expenses and current liabilities" in the 
accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.
Included in "Deferred grants" in the accompanying Consolidated Balance 
Sheets.

Amortization of the Company’s property grants included as a reduction to “General and administrative” costs and 
amortization of the Company’s employment grants included as a reduction to “Direct salaries and related costs” in 
the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations consist of the following (in thousands): 

Years Ended December 31,

Amortization of property grants ……...………
Amortization of employment grants ……...……

2011
$             

2010
$              

2009
$              

$          

$              

$              

1,047
58
1,105

1,035
144
1,179

956
1,344
2,300

95

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
            
                     
                   
 
 
 
 
Note 20. Borrowings  

The Company had no outstanding borrowings as of December 31, 2011 and 2010. 

On  February  2,  2010,  the  Company  entered  into  a  credit  agreement  (the  “Credit  Agreement”)  with  a  group  of 
lenders  and  KeyBank  National  Association,  as  Lead  Arranger,  Sole  Book  Runner  and  Administrative  Agent 
(“KeyBank”).  The  Credit  Agreement  provides  for  a  $75  million  term  loan  (the  “Term  Loan”)  and  a  $75  million 
revolving credit facility, the amount which is subject to certain borrowing limitations and includes certain customary 
financial and restrictive covenants.  The Company drew down the full $75 million Term Loan on February 2, 2010 
in connection with the acquisition of ICT on such date. See Note 2, Acquisition of ICT, for further information.  The 
Company paid off the Term Loan balance in 2010, earlier than the scheduled maturity, plus accrued interest.  The 
Term Loan is no longer available for borrowings. 

The $75 million revolving credit facility provided under the Credit Agreement includes a $40 million multi-currency 
sub-facility, a $10 million swingline sub-facility and a $5 million letter of credit sub-facility, which may be used for 
general corporate purposes including strategic acquisitions, share repurchases, working capital support, and letters of 
credit, subject to certain limitations. The Company is not currently aware of any inability of its lenders to provide 
access to the full commitment of funds that exist under the revolving credit facility, if necessary.  However, there 
can be no assurance that such facility will be available to the Company, even though it is a binding commitment of 
the financial institutions.  The revolving credit facility will mature on February 1, 2013. 

Borrowings  under  the  Credit  Agreement  bear  interest  at  either  LIBOR  or  the  base  rate  plus,  in  each  case,  an 
applicable margin based on the Company’s leverage ratio. The applicable interest rate is determined quarterly based 
on the Company’s leverage ratio at such time. The base rate is a rate per annum equal to the greatest of (i) the rate of 
interest established by KeyBank, from time to time, as its “prime rate”; (ii) the Federal Funds effective rate in effect 
from  time  to  time,  plus  1/2  of  1%  per  annum;  and  (iii) the  then-applicable  LIBOR  rate  for  one  month  interest 
periods, plus 1.00%. Swingline loans bear interest only at the base rate plus the base rate margin. In addition, the 
Company  is  required  to  pay  certain  customary  fees,  including  a  commitment  fee  of  up  to  0.75%,  which  is  due 
quarterly in arrears and calculated on the average unused amount of the revolving credit facility.   

In  2010,  the  Company  paid  an  underwriting  fee  of  $3.0  million  for  the  Credit  Agreement,  which  is  deferred  and 
amortized  over  the  term  of  the  loan.  In  addition,  the  Company  pays  a  quarterly  commitment  fee  on  the  Credit 
Agreement.  The related interest expense and amortization of deferred loan fees on the Credit Agreement of $1.2 
million  and  $3.6  million  are  included  in  “Interest  expense”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statements  of 
Operations for the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively (none in 2009).  The $75 million Term 
Loan had a weighted average interest rate of 3.93% for the year ended December 31, 2010. 

The  Credit  Agreement  is  guaranteed  by  all  of  the  Company’s  existing  and  future  direct  and  indirect  material 
U.S. subsidiaries and secured by a pledge of 100% of the non-voting and 65% of the voting capital stock of all the 
direct foreign subsidiaries of the Company and those of the guarantors.  

In December 2009, Sykes (Bermuda) Holdings Limited, a Bermuda exempted company (“Sykes Bermuda”) which 
is  an  indirect  wholly-owned  subsidiary  of  the  Company,  entered  into  a  credit  agreement  with  KeyBank  (the 
“Bermuda Credit Agreement”). The Bermuda Credit Agreement provided for a $75 million short-term loan to Sykes 
Bermuda with a maturity date of March 31, 2010. Sykes Bermuda drew down the full $75 million on December 11, 
2009.  The  Bermuda  Credit  Agreement  required  that  Sykes  Bermuda  and  its  direct  subsidiaries  maintain  cash  and 
cash equivalents of at least $80 million until the loan was repaid in its entirety. Interest was charged on outstanding 
amounts, at the option of Sykes Bermuda, at either a Eurodollar Rate (as defined in the Bermuda Credit Agreement) 
or a Base Rate (as defined in the Bermuda Credit Agreement) plus, in each case, an applicable margin specified in 
the Bermuda Credit Agreement. The underwriting fee paid of $0.8 million was deferred and amortized over the term 
of  the  loan.  Sykes  Bermuda  repaid  the  entire  outstanding  amount  plus  accrued  interest  on  March  31,  2010.  The 
related  interest  expense  and  amortization  of  deferred  loan  fees  of  $1.4  million  and  $0.3  million  are  included  in 
“Interest  expense”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations  for  the  years  ended  December  31, 
2010 and 2009, respectively (none in 2011).  

96

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 21. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) 

The Company presents data in the Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholders’ Equity in accordance with 
ASC  220  (“ASC  220”)  “Comprehensive  Income”.    ASC  220  establishes  rules  for  the  reporting  of  comprehensive 
income (loss) and its components.  The components of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) consist of 
the following (in thousands): 

Unrealized 
Actuarial Gain 
(Loss) Related 
to Pension 
Liability

$             

Unrealized 
Gain (Loss) on 
Cash Flow 
Hedging 
Instruments
$            

Foreign 
Currency 
Translation 
Adjustment
$            

Unrealized 
(Loss) on Net 
Investment 
Hedge
$                     
-
-
-
-
-
-
(3,955)
1,390
-
-
(2,565)
-
-
-
-
(2,565)

$             

(4,236)
8,360
-

3
190
4,317
9,790
-
(7)
(108)
13,992
(7,613)
-
(389)
5
5,995

Balance at January 1, 2009 ………
Pre-tax amount …………………
Tax (provision) benefit …………
Reclassification to net income …
Foreign currency translation ……
Balance at December 31, 2009……
Pre-tax amount …………………
Tax benefit ………………………
Reclassification to net loss ………
Foreign currency translation ……
Balance at December 31, 2010……
Pre-tax amount …………………
Tax benefit ………………………
Reclassification to net income …
Foreign currency translation ……
Balance at December 31, 2011……

1,387
(279)
121
(63)
41
1,207
(31)
-
(52)
65
1,189
(184)
34
(55)
1
985

$              

$                 

$                

Unrealized 
Gain (Loss) on 
Post 
Retirement 
Obligation
-
$                     
307
-
(31)
-
276
104
-
(34)
-
346
153
-
(40)
-
459

$                 

Total

$          

(10,683)
13,470
(4,134)
9,166
-
7,819
10,844
1,711
(5,266)
-

15,108
(9,126)
793
(2,339)
-
4,436

$              

(7,834)
5,082
(4,255)
9,257
(231)
2,019
4,936
321
(5,173)
43
2,146
(1,482)
759
(1,855)
(6)
(438)

Except  as  discussed  in  Note  22,  Income  Taxes,  earnings  associated  with  the  Company’s  investments  in  its 
subsidiaries  are  considered  to  be  permanently  invested  and  no  provision  for  income  taxes  on  those  earnings  or 
translation adjustments have been provided.  

Note 22. Income Taxes  

The  income  (loss)  from  continuing  operations  before  income  taxes  includes  the  following  components  (in 
thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

Domestic (U.S., state and local) ………………………………………
Foreign ………………………………………………………………
Total income from continuing operations before income taxes ……

(14,170)
77,826
63,656

(24,662)
52,974
28,312

$              

$              

$              

$            

$            

$                   

439
70,346
70,785

97

 
 
 
 
     
 
               
                     
                 
               
                  
             
                     
                     
                  
              
                     
              
                      
                     
                   
               
                   
               
                  
                     
                    
                 
                     
                     
               
                     
               
               
                  
               
               
              
                   
               
                  
             
                     
               
                     
                  
                     
               
                     
                     
                   
              
                   
              
                 
                     
                    
                    
                     
                     
             
              
               
               
                  
             
              
                     
                 
              
                  
              
                     
                     
                    
                  
                     
                  
                 
                     
                   
              
                   
              
                      
                     
                      
                     
                     
                     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Significant components of the income tax provision are as follows (in thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

Current:

U.S. federal ………………………………………………...……….
State and local …………………………………………...………….
Foreign ………………………………………………………………
Total current provision for income taxes …………………………

$              

(3,446)
-
18,743
15,297

$                

4,836
(24)
14,527
19,339

$                

1,406
-
14,547
15,953

Deferred:

U.S. federal …………………...…………………………………….
State and local ……………...……………………………………….
Foreign ………………………………………………………………
Total deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes ………………

148
143
(4,246)
(3,955)

(15,160)
(314)
(1,668)
(17,142)

11,791
158
(1,784)
10,165

Total provision for income taxes …………………………………

$              

11,342

$                

2,197

$              

26,118

The temporary differences that give rise to significant portions of the deferred income tax provision (benefit) are as 
follows (in thousands): 

2011

$            

Years Ended December 31,
2010

$            

2009
$              

Accrued expenses/liabilities …………………………………………
Net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards ……………………
Depreciation and amortization ………………………………………
Deferred revenue ……………………………………………………
Deferred statutory income ……………………………………………
Valuation allowance …………………………………………………
Other …………………………………………………………………
Total deferred provision (benefit) for income taxes ………………

(31,111)
47,849
(2,083)
-
(839)
(17,779)
8
(3,955)

$              

$            

$              

The  reconciliation  of  the  income  tax  provision  computed  at  the  U.S.  federal  statutory  tax  rate  to  the  Company’s 
effective income tax provision is as follows (in thousands):  

2011
$              

Years Ended December 31,
2010
$                

2009
$              

Tax at U.S. federal statutory tax rate …………………………………
State income taxes, net of federal tax benefit ………………………..
Tax holidays …………………………………………………………
Change in valuation allowance, net of related adjustments …………
Foreign rate differential ………………………………………………
Changes in uncertain tax positions ……………………………………
Permanent differences ………………………………………………
Foreign withholding and other taxes …………………………………
Change of assertion related to foreign earnings distribution…………
Tax credits ……………………………………………………………
Total provision for income taxes …………………………………

22,280
143
(7,532)
610
(5,765)
(2,748)
915
4,546
(255)
(852)
11,342

$              

$                

$              

The  Company  changed  its  intent  to  distribute  current  earnings  from  various  foreign  operations  to  their  foreign 
parents  to  take  advantage  of  the  December  2011  extension  of  tax  provisions  of  Internal  Revenue  Code  Section 
954(c)(6).  These tax provisions permit continued tax deferral on such distributions that would otherwise be taxable 
immediately in the United States. While the distributions are not taxable in the United States, related withholding 
taxes of $2.7 million are included in the provision for income taxes in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for 
2011.  

98

(25,358)
7,158
(3,433)
(580)
-
5,028
43
(17,142)

9,909
(333)
(6,798)
3,328
(3,875)
(3,830)
985
3,207
(1,865)
1,469
2,197

14,831
2,989
(863)
(722)
474
(6,608)
64
10,165

24,775
158
(13,841)
(4,473)
(7,499)
594
6,529
4,048
16,281
(454)
26,118

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
In addition, the Company changed its intent to distribute all of the current year and future years’ earnings of a non-
U.S. subsidiary to its foreign parent. Withholding taxes of $0.9 million related to this distribution are included in the 
provision for income taxes in the Consolidated Statement of Operations for 2011. 

In connection with the Company’s borrowing of a $75 million Term Loan on February 2, 2010, related to the ICT 
acquisition,  the  Company  was  deemed  to  have  changed  its  intent  regarding  the  permanent  reinvestment  of  $85.0 
million of foreign subsidiaries’ accumulated and undistributed earnings. Accordingly, a net deferred tax provision of 
$14.7 million was recorded in 2009. Of the $85.0 million change of intent, $50.0 million was distributed in 2010 and 
the remaining $35.0 million was distributed in 2011 and the related deferred tax liability was realized. 

Except as previously mentioned, a provision for income taxes has not been made for the undistributed earnings of 
foreign  subsidiaries  of  approximately  $333.1  million  at  December 31,  2011,  as  the  earnings  are  permanently 
reinvested  in  foreign  business  operations.  Determination  of  any  unrecognized  deferred  tax  liability  for  temporary 
differences related to investments in foreign subsidiaries that are essentially permanent in nature is not practicable.   

The Company has been granted tax holidays in The Philippines, Costa Rica, El Salvador and India. The tax holidays 
have  various  expiration  dates  ranging  from  2012  through  2023.  In  some  cases,  the  tax  holidays  expire  without 
possibility of renewal. In other cases, we expect to renew these tax holidays, but there are no assurances from the 
respective  foreign  governments  that  they  will  renew  them.  This  could  potentially  result  in  future  adverse  tax 
consequences.  The  Company’s  tax  holidays  decreased  the  provision  for  income  taxes  by  $7.5  million  ($0.17  per 
diluted share), $6.8 million ($0.15 per diluted share) and $13.8 million ($0.34 per diluted share) for the years ended 
December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009, respectively. 

Deferred income taxes reflect the net tax effects of temporary differences between the carrying amount of assets and 
liabilities for financial reporting purposes and the amounts used for income taxes.  The temporary differences that 
give rise to significant portions of the deferred tax assets and liabilities are presented below (in thousands):  

Deferred tax assets:

December 31, 

2011

2010

Accrued expenses ……………………………………………………
Net operating loss and tax credit carryforwards ……………………
Depreciation and amortization ………………………………………
Deferred revenue ……………………………………………………
Valuation allowance ………………...………………………………
Other …………………………………………………………………

$              

Deferred tax liabilities:

Accrued liabilities ……………………………………………………
Depreciation and amortization ………………………………………
Deferred statutory income ……………………………………………
Other …………………………………………………………………

Net deferred tax assets …………………………………………..

$             

21,313
50,525
2,111
5,017
(38,544)
6
40,428

(643)
(14,983)
(1,984)
(25)
(17,635)
22,793

$              

22,707
83,914
3,346
4,161
(60,091)
-
54,037

(16,691)
(18,221)
(836)
(24)
(35,772)
18,265

$              

Classified as follows:

December 31, 

2011

2010

Other current assets (Note 10) ………………………………………
Deferred charges and other assets (Note 15)…………………………
Current deferred income tax liabilities ………………………………
Other long-term liabilities ………………………………………..

$                

$                

8,044
20,389
(663)
(4,977)
22,793

7,951
19,564
(3,347)
(5,903)
18,265

Net deferred tax assets …………………………………………

$              

$              

In  2011,  the  Company’s  valuation  allowance  decreased  by $21.5  million,  primarily  related  to  the  write-off  of  tax 
benefits resulting from the closure of the United Kingdom operations under the Fourth Quarter 2010 Exit Plan, the 
liquidation  of  inactive  subsidiaries  and  the  reclassification  of  Spain  as  held  for  sale  in  the  accompanying 

99

 
 
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
 
 
 
 
Consolidated Balance Sheet as of December 31, 2011.   

There  are  approximately  $298.9 million  of  income  tax  loss  carryforwards  as  of  December 31,  2011  with  varying 
expiration  dates,  approximately  $132.9  million  relating  to  foreign  operations  and  $166.0  million  relating  to  U.S. 
state  operations.  For  U.S.  federal  purposes,  $14.9  million  of  tax  credits  are  available  for  carryforward  as  of 
December 31, 2011, with the latest expiration date ending December 31, 2032. Regarding the U.S. state operations, 
no  benefit  has  been  recognized  for  the  $166.0  million  as  it  is  more  likely  than  not  that  these  losses  will  expire 
without  realization  of  tax  benefits.    With  respect  to  foreign  operations,  $106.6  million  of  the  net  operating  loss 
carryforwards have an indefinite expiration date and the remaining $26.3 million net operating loss carryforwards 
have varying expiration dates through December 2020. 

As  of  December  31,  2011,  the  Company  had  $17.1  million  of  unrecognized  tax  benefits,  a  net  decrease  of  $3.9 
million from $21.0 million as of December 31, 2010. This decrease results primarily from the expiration of statutes 
of limitations on certain foreign subsidiaries and the resolution of a tax audit in the current year.  Had the Company 
recognized these tax benefits, approximately $17.1 million and $21.0 million and the related interest and penalties 
would favorably impact the effective tax rate in 2011 and 2010, respectively. The Company believes it is reasonably 
possible that its unrecognized tax benefits will decrease or be recognized in the next twelve months by up to $0.6 
million due to expiration of statutes of limitations, audit or appeal resolution in various tax jurisdictions. 

The  Company  recognizes  interest  and  penalties  related  to  unrecognized  tax  benefits  in  the  provision  for  income 
taxes. The Company had $10.2 million and $10.2 million accrued for interest and penalties as of December 31, 2011 
and 2010, respectively. Of the accrued interest and penalties at December 31, 2011 and 2010, $3.8 million and $4.1 
million,  respectively,  relate  to  statutory  penalties.  The  amount  of  interest  and  penalties,  net,  recognized  in  the 
accompanying  Consolidated  Statement  of  Operations  for  2010  and  2009  was  $(0.4)  million  and  $0.2  million, 
respectively (none in 2011). 

The tabular reconciliation of the amounts of unrecognized net tax benefits is presented below (in thousands): 

2011
$              

Years Ended December 31,
2010
$              

3,810

2009
$              

3,358

Gross unrecognized tax benefits as of January 1, …………………
Prior period tax position increases (decreases) (1) ……………………
Decreases from settlements with tax authorities ……………………
Decreases due to lapse in applicable statute of limitations …………
Foreign currency translation increases (decreases) …………………
Gross unrecognized tax benefits as of December 31, ...……………

$              

21,036

-
(3,076)
(346)
(478)
17,136

19,287
(1,283)
(2,104)
1,326
21,036

$              

458
-
(120)
114
3,810

$                

(1)

Includes amounts assumed upon acquisition of ICT on February 2, 2010.

The  Company  is  currently  under  audit  in  several  tax  jurisdictions.  However,  the  only  significant  jurisdictions 
currently under audit are Canada and The Philippines. The Company is under audit in Canada for tax years 2003 
through 2009.  In The Philippines, the Company is being audited for tax years 2007 through 2010.  Although the 
outcome of examinations by taxing authorities is always uncertain, the Company believes it is adequately reserved 
for these audits and that resolutions of them are not expected to have a material impact on its financial condition and 
results of operations. 

The  Company  and  its  subsidiaries  file  federal,  state  and  local  income  tax  returns  as  required  in  the  U.S.  and  in 
various foreign tax jurisdictions. The following table presents the major tax jurisdictions and tax years that are open 
and subject to examination by the respective tax authorities as of December 31, 2011:   

Tax Jurisdiction
Canada ……………………………………………………………...…
Philippines ……………………………………………………………
United States …………………………………………………………

Tax Year Ended

2003 to present
2007 to present
1997 to 1999 (1), 2002-2007 (1) and 2008 to present

(1)

These tax years are open to the extent of the net operating loss carryforward amount.

100

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                      
              
                   
               
               
                      
                  
               
                  
                  
                
                   
 
 
 
 
 
 
Note 23. Earnings Per Share  

Basic  earnings  per  share  are  based  on  the  weighted  average  number  of  common  shares  outstanding  during  the 
periods. Diluted earnings per share includes the weighted average number of common shares outstanding during the 
respective  periods  and  the  further  dilutive  effect,  if  any,  from  stock  options,  stock  appreciation  rights,  restricted 
stock, restricted stock units, common stock units and shares held in a rabbi trusts using the treasury stock method.  

The numbers of shares used in the earnings per share computation are as follows (in thousands):  

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

2011

Basic:

Weighted average common shares outstanding  …………… 45,506

46,030

40,707

Diluted:

Dilutive effect of stock options, stock appreciation

rights, restricted stock, restricted stock units, common 
stock units and shares held in a rabbi trust ……………

101
Total weighted average diluted shares outstanding  …………… 45,607

103
46,133

319
41,026

Anti-dilutive shares excluded from the diluted earnings per 
share calculation ……………..………………………………

315

153

79

On  August  18,  2011,  the  Company’s  Board  authorized  the  Company  to  purchase  up  to  5.0  million  shares  of  its 
outstanding  common  stock  (the  “2011  Share  Repurchase  Program”).  A  total  of  2.5  million  shares  have  been 
repurchased  under  the  2011  Share  Repurchase  Program  since  inception.  The  shares  are  purchased,  from  time  to 
time, through open market purchases or in negotiated private transactions, and the purchases are based on factors, 
including but not limited to, the stock price and general market conditions. The 2011 Share Repurchase Program has 
no expiration date.  The Company’s Board previously authorized the Company on August 5, 2002 to purchase up to 
3.0 million shares of its outstanding common stock, of which all available shares have been repurchased. 

The shares repurchased during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 were as follows (in thousands, 
except per share amounts): 

For the Years Ended

Total Number 
of S hares 
Repurchased

Range of Prices Paid Per S hare

Low

High

Total Cost of 
S hares 
Repurchased

December 31, 2011 ………

3,292

$               

12.46

$               

18.53

$             

49,993

December 31, 2010 ………

December 31, 2009 ………

300

200

$               

16.92

$               

17.60

$               

5,212

$               

13.72

$               

14.75

$               

3,193

Note 24. Commitments and Loss Contingency 

Lease and Purchase Commitments 

The Company leases certain equipment and buildings under operating leases having original terms ranging from one 
to twenty-five years, some with options to cancel at varying points during the lease. The building leases contain up 
to two five-year renewal options. Rental expense under operating leases was as follows (in thousands):  

Rental expense ……………………………………………

2011
$              

43,147

 Years Ended December 31, 
2010
$              

50,846

2009
$              

21,810

101

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
       
       
       
            
            
            
       
       
       
            
            
              
 
 
 
 
                 
                    
                    
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The following is a schedule of future minimum rental payments required under operating leases that have 
noncancelable lease terms as of December 31, 2011 (in thousands):  

Amount

2012 ………………………………………………………
2013 ………………………………………………………
2014 ………………………………………………………
2015 ………………………………………………………
2016 ………………………………………………………
2017 and thereafter ………………………………………
Total minimum payments required ……………………

$              

25,338
8,209
4,669
3,837
3,548
8,654
54,255

The  Company  enters  into  agreements  with  third-party  vendors  in  the  ordinary  course  of  business  whereby  the 
Company commits to purchase goods and services used in its normal operations. These agreements, which are not 
cancelable,  generally  range  from  one  to  five  year  periods  and  contain  fixed  or  minimum  annual  commitments. 
Certain  of  these  agreements  allow  for  renegotiation  of  the  minimum  annual  commitments  based  on  certain 
conditions.  

The following is a schedule of future minimum purchases remaining under the agreements as of December 31, 2011 
(in thousands):  

Amount

$              

2012 ………………………………………………………
2013 ………………………………………………………
2014 ………………………………………………………
2015 ………………………………………………………
2016 ………………………………………………………
2017 and thereafter ………………………………………
Total minimum payments required ……………………

$              

15,450
7,847
362
-
-
-
23,659

Indemnities, Commitments and Guarantees 

From time to time, during the normal course of business, the Company may make certain indemnities, commitments 
and guarantees under which it may be required to make payments in relation to certain transactions. These include, 
but  are  not  limited  to:  (i)  indemnities  to  clients,  vendors  and  service  providers  pertaining  to  claims  based  on 
negligence or willful misconduct of the Company and (ii) indemnities involving breach of contract, the accuracy of 
representations and warranties of the Company, or other liabilities assumed by the Company in certain contracts. In 
addition, the Company has agreements whereby it will indemnify certain officers and directors for certain events or 
occurrences  while  the  officer  or  director  is,  or  was,  serving  at  the  Company’s  request  in  such  capacity.  The 
indemnification  period  covers  all  pertinent  events  and  occurrences  during  the  officer’s  or  director’s  lifetime.  The 
maximum potential amount of future payments the Company could be required to make under these indemnification 
agreements is unlimited; however, the Company has director and officer insurance coverage that limits its exposure 
and  enables  it  to  recover  a  portion  of  any  future  amounts  paid.  The  Company  believes  the  applicable  insurance 
coverage  is  generally  adequate  to  cover  any  estimated  potential  liability  under  these  indemnification  agreements. 
The majority of these indemnities, commitments and guarantees do not provide for any limitation of the maximum 
potential for future payments the Company could be obligated to make. The Company has not recorded any liability 
for these indemnities, commitments and guarantees in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.  In addition, 
the Company has some client contracts that do not contain contractual provisions for the limitation of liability, and 
other client contracts that contain agreed upon exceptions to limitation of liability.  The Company has not recorded 
any liability in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets with respect to any client contracts under which the 
Company has or may have unlimited liability. 

Loss Contingency 

The  Company  has  previously  disclosed  pending  matters  involving  regulatory  sanctions  assessed  against  the 

102

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
     
Company’s  Spanish  subsidiary,  which  is  classified  as  discontinued  operations.  All  of  these  matters  relate  to  the 
alleged inappropriate acquisition of personal information in connection with two outbound client contracts. Based 
upon the opinion of legal counsel regarding the likely outcome of these matters, the Company accrued a $1.3 million 
liability under ASC 450 “Contingencies” because management believed that a loss was probable and the amount of 
the loss could be reasonably estimated. Due to the favorable rulings by the Spanish Supreme Court, the Company 
reversed $0.4 million and $0.5 million of the accrued liability during the years ended December 31, 2011 and 2010, 
respectively.  The remaining accrued liability of $0.4 million is included in “Liabilities held for sale – discontinued 
operations” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2011.  As of December 31, 2010, the 
accrued  liability  of  $0.8  million  was  included  in  “Other  accrued  expenses  and  current  liabilities”  in  the 
accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheet.  The final claim was finally decided against the Company on procedural 
grounds,  but  subsequent  to  year  end,  the  assessed  fine  associated  with  that  claim  was  settled  at  no  cost  to  the 
Company. 

In connection with the appeal of one of these claims, the Company issued a bank guarantee, which is included as 
restricted  cash  of  $0.4  million  in  “Deferred  charges  and  other  assets”  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated  Balance 
Sheets as of December 31, 2010.  Due to the favorable ruling by the Spanish Supreme Court mentioned above, the 
Company released the bank guarantee during the three months ended December 31, 2011. 

The Company from time to time is involved in other legal actions arising in the ordinary course of business. With 
respect  to  these  matters,  management  believes  that  it  has  adequate  legal  defenses  and/or  when  possible  and 
appropriate,  provided  adequate  accruals  related  to  those  matters  such  that  the  ultimate  outcome  will  not  have  a 
material adverse effect on the Company’s financial position or results of operations.  

Note 25. Defined Benefit Pension Plan and Postretirement Benefits 

Defined Benefit Pension Plans 

The  Company  sponsors  two  non-contributory  defined  benefit  pension  plans  (the  “Pension  Plans”)  for  its  covered 
employees in The Philippines. The Pension Plans provide defined benefits based on years of service and final salary. 
All permanent employees meeting the minimum service requirement are eligible to participate in the Pension Plans. 
As of December 31, 2011, the Pension Plans were unfunded. The Company expects to make cash contributions to its 
Pension Plans during 2012 of less than $0.1 million. 

The following tables provide a reconciliation of the change in the benefit obligation for the Pension Plans and the 
net amount recognized, included in “Other long-term liabilities”,  in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets 
(in thousands): 

2011
$                

December 31,

2010

$                   

Beginning benefit obligation ……………………………
Service cost ………………………………………………
Interest cost ………………………………………………
Actuarial gains  …………………………………………
Benefit obligation assumed with acquisition of ICT……
Effect of foreign currency translation ……………………
Ending benefit obligation …………………………

1,345
237
102
184
-
(8)
1,860

$                

$                

731
272
90
31
174
47
1,345

Unfunded status …………………………………………
Net amount recognized ……………………………

$              

(1,860)
(1,860)

(1,345)
(1,345)

$              

Weighted average actuarial assumptions used to determine the benefit obligations and net periodic benefit cost for 
the Pension Plans were as follows:  

Discount rate ……………………………………………
Rate of compensation increase …………………………

6.3%
3.2%

8.3%
3.2%

9.1%
7.0%

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

103

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Company evaluates these assumptions on a periodic basis taking into consideration current market conditions 
and historical market data. The discount rate is used to calculate expected future cash flows at a present value on the 
measurement  date,  which  is  December  31.  This  rate  represents  the  market  rate  for  high-quality  fixed  income 
investments.  A  lower  discount  rate  would  increase  the  present  value  of  benefit  obligations.  Other  assumptions 
include demographic factors such as retirement, mortality and turnover. 

The following table provides information about the net periodic benefit cost and other accumulated comprehensive 
income for the Pension Plans (in thousands): 

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Service cost …………………………………………………

$                   

237

$                   

272

$                     

63

Interest cost …………………………………………………

Recognized actuarial (gains) ………………………………

Net periodic benefit cost ……………………………………

Unrealized net actuarial (gains), net of tax …………………
Total amount recognized in net periodic benefit cost
  and other accumulated comprehensive income (loss) ……

102

(55)

284

(985)

90

(51)

311

36

(61)

38

(1,189)

(1,207)

$                

(701)

$                

(878)

$             

(1,169)

The estimated future benefit payments, which reflect expected future service, as appropriate, are as follows (in 
thousands): 

Years Ending December 31, 
2012 …………………………………………………
2013 …………………………………………………
2014 …………………………………………………
2015 …………………………………………………
2016 …………………………………………………
2017 - 2021 …………………………………………

Amount
$                   

20
7
9
40
159
1,170  

The  Company  expects  to  recognize  less  than  $0.1  million  of  net  actuarial  gains  as  a  component  of  net  periodic 
benefit cost in 2012. 

Employee Retirement Savings Plans 

The Company maintains a 401(k) plan covering defined employees who meet established eligibility requirements. 
Under the plan provisions, the Company matches 50% of participant contributions to a maximum matching amount 
of  2%  of  participant  compensation.  The  Company’s  contributions  included  in  the  accompanying  Consolidated 
Statement of Operations were as follows (in thousands): 

401(k) plan contributions ………………………

$                    

953

$                    

757

$                    

998

 Years Ended December 31, 
2010

2009

2011

In  connection  with  the  acquisition  of  ICT  in  February 2010,  the  Company  assumed  ICT's  profit  sharing  plan 
(Section 401(k)).  Under  this  profit  sharing  plan,  the  Company  matches  50%  of  employee  contributions  for  all 
qualified  employees,  as  defined,  up  to  a  maximum  of  6%  of  the  employee's  compensation;  however,  it  may  also 
make  additional  contributions  to  the  plan  based  upon  profit  levels  and  other  factors.  No  contributions  were  made 
during  the  years  ended  December 31,  2011,  2010  and  2009,  respectively.  Employees  are  fully  vested  in  their 
contributions,  while  full  vesting  in  the  Company's  contributions  occurs  upon  death,  disability,  retirement  or 
completion of five years of service. 

104

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                   
                     
                     
                    
                    
                    
                   
                   
                     
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Split-Dollar Life Insurance Arrangement 

In  1996,  the  Company  entered  into  a  split-dollar  life  insurance  arrangement  to  benefit  the  former  Chairman  and 
Chief  Executive  Officer  of  the  Company.  Under  the  terms  of  the  arrangement,  the  Company  retained  a  collateral 
interest  in  the  policy  to  the  extent  of  the  premiums  paid  by  the  Company.  The  postretirement  benefit  obligation 
included  in  “Other  long-term  liabilities”  and  the  unrealized  gain  included  in  “Accumulated  other  comprehensive 
income” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets were as follows (in thousands): 

Postretirement benefit obligation ………………
Unrealized gain in AOCI (1) ……………………
(1)

Unrealized gain is due to changes in discount rates related to the postretirement 
obligation.

 December 31,  

2011

2010

$                    

114

$                    

186

459

346

Post-Retirement Defined Contribution Healthcare Plan 

On January 1, 2005, the Company established a Post-Retirement Defined Contribution Healthcare Plan for eligible 
employees  meeting  certain  service  and  age  requirements.  The  plan  is  fully  funded  by  the  participants  and 
accordingly, the Company does not recognize expense relating to the plan.  

Note 26. Stock-Based Compensation 

The Company’s stock-based compensation plans include the 2011 Equity Incentive Plan, the 2004 Non-Employee 
Director Fee Plan and the Deferred Compensation Plan.  

The  following  table  summarizes  the  stock-based  compensation  expense  (primarily  in  the  Americas),  income  tax 
benefits related to the stock-based compensation and excess tax benefits (provision) (in thousands): 

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Stock-based compensation expense (1) ……………………………………
Income tax (benefit) (2) ……………………………………………………
Excess tax (benefit) provision from the exercise of stock options (3) ………

$           

3,582

$            

4,935

$            

5,158

(1,397)

8

(1,925)

(354)

(2,012)

(878)

(1)

(2)

(3)

Included in "General and administrative" costs in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Included in "Income taxes" in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Included in "Additional paid-in capital" in the accompanying Consolidated Statements of Changes in Shareholder's Equity.

There were no capitalized stock-based compensation costs at December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009. 

2011 Equity Incentive Plan — The Board adopted the Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated 2011 Equity Incentive Plan 
(the "2011 Plan”) on March 23, 2011.  The Board subsequently amended the 2011 Plan on May 11, 2011 to reduce 
the number of shares of common stock available under the 2011 Plan from 5.7 million shares to 4.0 million shares. 
The 2011 Plan was approved by the shareholders at the May 2011 Annual Meeting.  The 2011 Plan replaced and 
superseded the Company’s 2001 Equity Incentive Plan (the “2001 Plan”), which expired on March 14, 2011.  The 
outstanding awards granted under the 2001 Plan will remain in effect until their exercise, expiration, or termination. 
The 2011 Plan permits the grant of stock options, stock appreciation rights and other stock-based awards to certain 
employees of the Company, and certain non-employees who provide services to the Company in order to encourage 
them to remain in the employment of or to faithfully provide services to the Company and to increase their interest 
in the Company’s success.   

Stock Options – Options are granted at fair market value on the date of the grant and generally vest over one to four 
years. All options granted under the Plan expire if not exercised by the tenth anniversary of their grant date.  The fair 
value of each stock option award is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes valuation model that uses 
various assumptions. The fair value of the stock option awards is expensed on a straight-line basis over the vesting 
period of the award. Expected volatility is based on historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The risk-free rate 

105

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                     
                     
 
 
 
 
    
 
 
            
             
             
                    
                
                
 
 
 
for periods within the contractual life of the award is based on the yield curve of a zero-coupon U.S. Treasury bond 
on the date the award is granted with a maturity equal to the expected term of the award. Exercises and forfeitures 
are estimated within the valuation model using employee termination and other historical data. The expected term of 
the  stock  option  awards  granted  is  derived  from  historical  exercise  experience  under  the  Plan  and  represents  the 
period of time that stock option awards granted are expected to be outstanding.  

The following table summarizes stock option activity as of December 31, 2011 and for the year then ended:  

S tock Options

S hares (000s)

Outstanding at January 1, 2011………………………………………..……

Granted ……………………………………………………………………

43

-

Weighted 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Term (in 
years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic 
Value (000s)

Weighted 
Average 
Exercise Price

$               

8.54

$                     
-

Exercised …………………………………………………………………..

(33)

$               

9.33

Forfeited or expired ……………………………………………………….

Outstanding at December 31, 2011 ……………………………………

Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2011 ………………………

Exercisable at December 31, 2011 ………………………………..……

-

10

10

10

$                     
-

$               

5.89

$               

5.89

$               

5.89

1.6

1.6

1.6

$                 

98

$                 

98

$                 

98

No stock options were granted during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009.   

The following table summarizes information regarding the exercise of stock options (in thousands):   

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Number of stock options exercised …………………………………………

33

3

259

Intrinsic value of stock options exercised …………………………………

$              

165

$                 

33

$            

2,609

Cash received upon exercise of stock options ……………………………

$              

311

$                 

11

$            

3,327

All  options  were  fully  vested  as  of  December  31,  2006  and  there  is  no  unrecognized  compensation  cost  as  of 
December 31, 2011 related to the options (the effect of estimated forfeitures is not material). 

Stock Appreciation Rights – The Company’s Board of Directors, at the recommendation of the Compensation and 
Human Resource Development Committee (the “Committee”), approves awards of stock-settled stock appreciation 
rights (“SARs”) for eligible participants. SARs represent the right to receive, without payment to the Company, a 
certain number of shares of common stock, as determined by the Committee, equal to the amount by which the fair 
market value of a share of common stock at the time of exercise exceeds the grant price. 

The SARs are granted at the fair market value of the Company’s common stock on the date of the grant and vest 
one-third on each of the first three anniversaries of the date of grant, provided the participant is employed by the 
Company  on  such  date.  The  SARs  have  a  term  of  10  years  from  the  date  of  grant.    In  the  event  of  a  change  in 
control, the SARs will vest on the date of the change in control, provided that the participant is employed by the 
Company on the date of the change in control.  

The  SARs  are  exercisable  within  three  months  after  the  death,  disability,  retirement  or  termination  of  the 
participant’s employment with the Company, if and to the extent the SARs were exercisable immediately prior to 
such termination.  If the participant’s employment is terminated for cause, or the participant terminates his or her 
own employment with the Company, any portion of the SARs not yet exercised (whether or not vested) terminates 
immediately on the date of termination of employment.  

The  fair  value  of  each  SAR  is  estimated  on  the  date  of  grant  using  the  Black-Scholes  valuation  model  that  uses 
various  assumptions.  The  fair  value  of  the  SARs  is  expensed  on  a  straight-line  basis  over  the  requisite  service 
period. Expected volatility is based on the historical volatility of the Company’s stock. The risk-free rate for periods 
within the contractual life of the award is based on the yield curve of a zero-coupon U.S. Treasury bond on the date 

106

 
 
 
 
 
 
                  
                   
                 
                   
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  
 
 
 
 
                  
                     
                 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the award is granted with a maturity equal to the expected term of the award. Exercises and forfeitures are estimated 
within  the valuation  model using  employee  termination and other  historical  data.  The  expected  term  of  the  SARs 
granted represents the period of time the SARs are expected to be outstanding.  

The following table summarizes the assumptions used to estimate the fair value of SARs granted: 

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Expected volatility …………………………………………………………

Weighted average volatility ……………………………..………………..

Expected dividend rate ……………………………………………………

Expected term (in years) ……………..……………………………………

Risk-free rate ……………..………..……………………………………..

44.3%

44.3%

0.0%

4.6

2.0%

45.2%

45.2%

0.0%

4.4

2.4%

46.8%

46.8%

0.0%

4.0

1.3%

The following table summarizes SARs activity as of December 31, 2011 and for the year then ended:  

S tock Appreciation Rights

S hares (000s)

Outstanding at January 1, 2011………………………………………..……

Granted ……………………………………..………………….…………

Exercised …………………………...………………………………………

Forfeited or expired ……………………………………………………….

Outstanding at December 31, 2011 ……………………………………

Vested or expected to vest at December 31, 2011 ………………………

Exercisable at December 31, 2011 ………………………………….……

442

215

-

-

657

657

296

Weighted 
Average 
Remaining 
Contractual 
Term (in 
years)

Aggregate 
Intrinsic 
Value (000s)

7.6

7.6

6.4

$                 

29

$                 

29

$                 

29

Weighted 
Average 
Exercise Price

$                   

-  

$                     
-

$                     
-

$                     
-

$                   

-  

$                   

-  

$                   

-  

The  following  table  summarizes  the  weighted  average  grant-date  fair  value  of  the  SARs  granted  and  the  total 
intrinsic value of the SARs exercised (in thousands, except per SAR amounts): 

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

Weighted average grant-date fair value per SAR ……………………………

$             

7.10

$            

10.21

$              

7.42

Intrinsic value of SARs exercised …………………………………………

$               
-

$               

591

$            

1,108

The following table summarizes the status of nonvested SARs as of December 31, 2011 and for the year then ended:  

Nonvested S tock Appreciation Rights

S hares (000s)

Weighted 
Average Grant-
Date Fair 
Value

Nonvested at January 1, 2011 …………………………………………..…………………..…

Granted …………………………………………………………..…………………………

293

215

$                

8.63

$                

7.10

Vested ……………………………………………………………..…………………………

(146)

$                

8.18

Forfeited or expired ……………………………………………..…………………………

-

$                     
-

Nonvested at December 31, 2011 ………………………………………………...…………

362

$                

7.90

As  of  December  31,  2011,  there  was  $1.7  million  of  total  unrecognized  compensation  cost,  net  of  estimated 
forfeitures,  related  to  nonvested  SARs  granted  under  the  Plan.  This  cost  is  expected  to  be  recognized  over  a 
weighted average period of 1.7 years. SARs that vested during 2010 had a fair value of $0.6 million as of the vesting 
date (no fair value related to the vested shares in 2011 and 2009).  

107

 
 
 
 
 
 
                 
                  
                  
 
 
 
                
                
                   
                   
                
                  
                
                  
                
                  
 
 
 
 
 
 
                 
                 
                
                    
                 
 
 
Restricted Shares – The Company’s Board of Directors, at the recommendation of the Committee, approves awards 
of  performance  and  employment-based  restricted  shares  (“Restricted  Shares”)  for  eligible  participants.  In  some 
instances,  where  the  issuance  of  Restricted  Shares  has  adverse  tax  consequences  to  the  recipient,  the  Board  will 
instead issue restricted stock units (“RSUs”).  The Restricted Shares are shares of the Company’s common stock (or 
in the case of RSUs, represent an equivalent number of shares of the Company’s common stock) which are issued to 
the participant subject to (a) restrictions on transfer for a period of time and (b) forfeiture under certain conditions.  
The performance goals, including revenue growth and income from operations targets, provide a range of vesting 
possibilities  from  0%  to  100%  and  will  be  measured  at  the  end  of  the  performance  period.  If  the  performance 
conditions  are  met  for  the  performance  period,  the  shares  will  vest  and  all  restrictions  on  the  transfer  of  the 
Restricted  Shares  will  lapse  (or  in  the  case  of  RSUs,  an  equivalent  number  of  shares  of  the  Company’s  common 
stock will be issued to the recipient). The Company recognizes compensation cost, net of estimated forfeitures based 
on the fair value (which approximates the current market price) of the Restricted Shares (and RSUs) on the date of 
grant ratably over the requisite service period based on the probability of achieving the performance goals.  

Changes  in  the  probability  of  achieving  the  performance  goals  from  period  to  period  will  result  in  corresponding 
changes in compensation expense. The employment-based restricted shares vest one-third on each of the first three 
anniversaries of the date of grant, provided the participant is employed by the Company on such date. In the event of 
a change in control (as defined in the Plan) prior to the date the Restricted Shares vest, all of the Restricted Shares 
will vest and the restrictions on transfer will lapse with respect to such vested shares on the date of the change in 
control, provided that participant is employed by the Company on the date of the change in control. 

If  the  participant’s  employment  with  the  Company  is  terminated  for  any  reason,  either  by  the  Company  or 
participant, prior to the date on which the Restricted Shares have vested and the restrictions have lapsed with respect 
to such vested shares, any Restricted Shares remaining subject to the restrictions (together with any dividends paid 
thereon) will be forfeited, unless there has been a change in control prior to such date.   

The following table summarizes the status of nonvested Restricted Shares/RSUs as of December 31, 2011 and for 
the year then ended:  

Nonvested Restricted S hares / RS Us

S hares (000s)

Weighted 
Average Grant-
Date Fair 
Value

Nonvested at January 1, 2011 …………………………………………..…………………..…

Granted …………………………………………………………..…………………………

653

339

$              

20.30

$              

18.68

Vested ……………………………………………………………..…………………………

(199)

$              

18.02

Forfeited or expired ……………………………………………..…………………………

-

$                     
-

Nonvested at December 31, 2011 ………………………………………………...…………

793

$              

20.39

The following table summarizes the weighted average grant-date fair value of the Restricted Shares/RSUs granted 
and the total fair value of the Restricted Shares/RSUs that vested (in thousands, except per Restricted Share/RSU 
amounts): 

Weighted average grant-date fair value per Restricted Share/RSU …………

$           

18.68

$            

23.88

$            

19.69

Fair value of Restricted Stock/RSUs vested ………………………………

$           

4,392

$            

4,765

$            

3,634

Years Ended December 31,

2011

2010

2009

As of December 31, 2011, based on the probability of achieving the performance goals, there was $12.7 million of 
total  unrecognized  compensation  cost,  net  of  estimated  forfeitures,  related  to  nonvested  Restricted  Shares/RSUs 
granted under the Plan. This cost is expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 1.6 years.  

2004 Non-Employee Director Fee Plan — The Company’s 2004 Non-Employee Director Fee Plan (the “2004 Fee 
Plan”)  provides  that  all  new  non-employee  directors  joining  the  Board  will  receive  an  initial  grant  of  shares  of 
common  stock  on  the  date  the  new  director  is  elected  or  appointed,  the  number  of  which  will  be  determined  by 

108

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                 
                 
                
                    
                 
 
 
dividing $60,000 by the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the trading day immediately preceding 
the date a new director is elected or appointed, rounded to the nearest whole number of shares.  The initial grant of 
shares vests in twelve equal quarterly installments, one-twelfth on the date of grant and an additional one-twelfth on 
each successive third monthly anniversary of the date of grant.  The award lapses with respect to all unvested shares 
in  the  event  the  non-employee  director  ceases  to  be  a  director  of  the  Company,  and  any  unvested  shares  are 
forfeited. 

The  2004  Fee  Plan  also  provides  that  each  non-employee  director  will  receive,  on  the  day  after  the  annual 
shareholders  meeting,  an  annual  retainer  for  service  as  a  non-employee  director  (the  “Annual  Retainer”).    The 
Annual  Retainer  consists  of  shares  of  the  Company’s  common  stock  and  cash.    Prior  to  May  20,  2011,  the  total 
value of the Annual Retainer was $77,500, payable $32,500 in cash and the remainder paid in stock, the amount of 
which was determined by dividing $45,000 by the closing price of the Company’s common stock on the date of the 
annual  meeting  of  shareholders,  rounded  to  the  nearest  whole  number  of  shares.    On  May  20,  2011,  upon  the 
recommendation of the Compensation and Human Resource Development Committee, the Board adopted the Fourth 
Amended and Restated 2004 Non-Employee Director Fee Plan, which increased the cash component of the Annual 
Retainer by $17,500, resulting in a total Annual Retainer of $95,000, of which $50,000 is payable in cash, and the 
remainder  paid  in  stock.   The  method  of  calculating  the  number  of  shares  constituting  the  equity  portion  of  the 
Annual Retainer remained unchanged.  

In addition to the Annual Retainer award, the 2004 Fee Plan also provides for any non-employee Chairman of the 
Board  to  receive  an  additional  annual  cash  award  of  $100,000,  and  each  non-employee  director  serving  on  a 
committee  of  the  Board  to  receive  an  additional  annual  cash  award.  The  additional  annual  cash  award  for  the 
Chairperson  of  the  Audit  Committee  is  $20,000  and  Audit  Committee  members’  are  entitled  to  an  annual  cash 
award of $10,000.  Prior to May 20, 2011, the annual cash awards for the Chairpersons of the Compensation and 
Human  Resource  Development  Committee,  Finance  Committee  and  Nominating  and  Corporate  Governance 
Committee were $12,500 and the members of such committees were entitled to an annual cash award of $7,500.  On 
May 20, 2011, the Board increased the additional annual cash award to the Chairperson of the Compensation and 
Human Resource Development Committee to $15,000.  All other additional cash awards remained unchanged. 

The annual grant of cash, including all amounts paid to a non-employee Chairman of the Board and all amounts paid 
to non-employee directors serving on committees of the Board, vests in four equal quarterly installments, one-fourth 
on  the  day  following  the  annual  meeting  of  shareholders,  and  an  additional  one-fourth  on  each  successive  third 
monthly anniversary of the date of grant.  The annual grant of shares paid to non-employee directors vests in eight 
equal quarterly installments, one-eighth on the day following the annual meeting of shareholders, and an additional 
one-eighth on each successive third monthly anniversary of the date of grant. The award lapses with respect to all 
unpaid cash and unvested shares in the event the non-employee director ceases to be a director of the company, and 
any unvested shares and unpaid cash are forfeited. 

The Board may pay additional cash compensation to any non-employee director for services on behalf of the Board 
over and above those typically expected of directors, including but not limited to service on a special committee of 
the Board. 

Prior to 2008, the grants were comprised of CSUs rather than shares of common stock. A CSU is a bookkeeping 
entry on the Company’s books that records the equivalent of one share of common stock. 

The following table summarizes the status of the nonvested CSUs and share awards as of December 31, 2011 and 
for the year then ended:  

Nonvested Common S tock Units / S hare Awards

S hares (000s)

Weighted 
Average Grant-
Date Fair 
Value

Nonvested at January 1, 2011 …………………………………………..…………………..…

Granted …………………………………………………………..…………………………

18

21

$              

18.67

$              

21.83

Vested ……………………………………………………………..…………………………

(23)

$              

19.47

Forfeited or expired ……………………………………………..…………………………

Nonvested at December 31, 2011 ………………………………………………...…………

-

16

$                     
-

$              

21.08

109

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                   
                   
                  
                    
                   
 
 
 
 
The following table summarizes the weighted average grant-date fair value of the CSUs and share awards granted 
and the total fair value of the CSUs and share awards that vested during the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 
and 2009 (in thousands, except per CSU/share award amounts): 

Weighted average grant-date fair value per Common Stock Unit/Share ……
Fair value of Common Stock Units/Shares vested …………………………

2011
$           
$              

21.83
407

Years Ended December 31,
2010
$            
$               

19.11
458

2009
$            
$               

16.76
326

As  of  December  31,  2011,  there  was  $0.3  million  of  total  unrecognized  compensation  costs,  net  of  estimated 
forfeitures,  related  to  nonvested  CSUs  granted  since  March  2008  under  the  Plan.  This  cost  is  expected  to  be 
recognized over a weighted average period of 1.0 years.  

Deferred  Compensation  Plan  —  The  Company’s  non-qualified  Deferred  Compensation  Plan  (the  “Deferred 
Compensation  Plan”),  which  is  not  shareholder-approved,  was  adopted  by  the  Board  of  Directors  effective 
December 17, 1998 and amended on March 29, 2006 and May 23, 2006. It provides certain eligible employees the 
ability to defer any portion of their compensation until the participant’s retirement, termination, disability or death, 
or  a  change  in  control  of  the  Company.  Using  the  Company’s  common  stock,  the  Company  matches  50%  of  the 
amounts deferred by certain senior management participants on a quarterly basis up to a total of $12,000 per year for 
the president and senior vice presidents and $7,500 per year for vice presidents (participants below the level of vice 
president  are  not  eligible  to  receive  matching  contributions  from  the  Company).    Matching  contributions  and  the 
associated  earnings  vest  over  a  seven  year  service  period.  Deferred  compensation  amounts  used  to  pay  benefits, 
which are held in a rabbi trust, include investments in various mutual funds and shares of the Company’s common 
stock  (See  Note  13,  Investments  Held  in  Rabbi  Trusts.)  As  of  December  31,  2011  and  2010,  liabilities  of  $4.2 
million  and  $3.4  million,  respectively,  of  the  Deferred  Compensation  Plan  were  recorded  in  “Accrued  employee 
compensation and benefits” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets.  

Additionally, the Company’s common stock match associated with the Deferred Compensation Plan, with a carrying 
value of approximately $1.2 million and $1.0 million at December 31, 2011 and 2010, respectively, is included in 
“Treasury stock” in the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets. 

The following table summarizes the status of the nonvested common stock issued as of December 31, 2011 and for 
the year then ended: 

Nonvested Common S tock

S hares (000s)

Weighted 
Average Grant-
Date Fair 
Value

Nonvested at January 1, 2011 …………………………………………..…………………..…

Granted …………………………………………………………..…………………………

8

11

$              

18.00

$              

18.93

Vested ……………………………………………………………..…………………………

(11)

$              

18.36

Forfeited or expired ……………………………………………..…………………………

Nonvested at December 31, 2011 ………………………………………………...…………

-

8

$                     
-

$              

18.30

The following table summarizes the weighted average grant-date fair value of the common stock awarded, the total 
fair value of the common stock that vested and the cash used to settle the Company’s obligation under the Deferred 
Compensation Plan (in thousands, except per common stock amounts): 

Weighted average grant-date fair value per common stock …………………
Fair value of common stock vested …………………………………………
Cash used to settle the obligation …………………………………………

2011
$           
18.93
$              
169
$                  
2

Years Ended December 31,
2010
$            
$               
$                 

18.91
185
32

2009
17.77
$            
$               
227
$                
-

As  of  December  31,  2011,  there  was  $0.1  million  of  total  unrecognized  compensation  cost,  net  of  estimated 
forfeitures, related to nonvested common stock granted under the Deferred Compensation Plan. This cost is expected 
to be recognized over a weighted average period of 3.8 years.  

110

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                     
                   
                  
                    
                     
 
  
 
 
 
 
 
Note 27. Segments and Geographic Information 

The Company operates within two regions, the Americas and EMEA. Each region represents a reportable segment 
comprised  of  aggregated  regional  operating  segments,  which  portray  similar  economic  characteristics.  The 
Company  aligns  its  business  into  two segments  to  effectively  manage the  business  and  support  the  customer  care 
needs of every client and to respond to the demands of the Company’s global customers.  

The  reportable  segments  consist  of  (1) the  Americas,  which  includes  the  United  States,  Canada,  Latin  America, 
Australia  and  the  Asia  Pacific  Rim,  and  provides  outsourced  customer  contact  management  solutions  (with  an 
emphasis on technical support and customer service) and technical staffing and (2) EMEA, which includes Europe, 
the Middle East and Africa, and provides outsourced customer contact management solutions (with an emphasis on 
technical support and customer service) and fulfillment services. The sites within Latin America, India and the Asia 
Pacific  Rim  are  included  in  the  Americas  segment  given  the  nature  of  the  business  and  client  profile,  which  is 
primarily made up of U.S.-based companies that are using the Company’s services in these locations to support their 
customer contact management needs.  

111

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Information about the Company’s reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 is as 
follows (in thousands): 

Americas

EMEA

Other (1)

Consolidated

Year Ended December 31, 2011:
Revenues (2) …………………………………………………………
Percentage of revenues ………………………………………………

$          

963,142
82.4%

Depreciation and amortization (2) ……………………………………

$            

47,747

$        

206,125
17.6%

$     

1,169,267
100.0%

$            

5,052

$          

52,799

Income (loss) from continuing operations …………………………
Other (expense), net ………………………………………………… 
Income taxes ………………………………………………………… 
Income from continuing operations, net of taxes …………………… 
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes (3) ………
Net income …………………………………………………………

$          

115,727

$                 

559

$           

(3,746)

$            

(46,446)
(1,879)
(11,342)

$           

(4,532)

$          

65,535
(1,879)
(11,342)
52,314
(3,973)
48,341

$         

Total assets as of December 31, 2011 ………………………….

$      

1,112,252

$    

1,131,719

$       

(1,474,841)

$       

769,130

Year Ended December 31, 2010:
Revenues (2) …………………………………………………………
Percentage of revenues ………………………………………………

$          

934,329
83.3%

Depreciation and amortization (2) ……………………………………

$            

49,910

$        

187,582
16.7%

$     

1,121,911
100.0%

$            

4,728

$          

54,638

Income (loss) from continuing operations …………………………
Other (expense), net ………………………………………………… 
Income taxes ………………………………………………………… 
Income from continuing operations, net of taxes …………………… 
(Loss) from discontinued operations, net of tax (3) …………………
Net (loss) ……………………………………………………………

$          

108,167

$             

(6,476)

$           

(5,548)

$            

(64,638)
(9,669)
(2,197)

$           

(6,417)

(23,495)

$          

37,981
(9,669)
(2,197)
26,115
(36,388)
(10,273)

$        

Total assets as of December 31, 2010 ………………………….

$      

1,357,709

$    

1,112,392

$       

(1,675,501)

$       

794,600

Year Ended December 31, 2009:
Revenues (2) …………………………………………………………
Percentage of revenues ………………………………………………

$          

565,022
73.4%

Depreciation and amortization (2) ……………………………………

$            

20,290

$        

204,331
26.6%

$        

769,353
100.0%

$            

4,427

$          

24,717

Income (loss) from continuing operations …………………………
Other (expense), net …………………………………………………
Income taxes …………………………………………………………
Income from continuing operations, net of taxes ……………………
Income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes …………
Net income …………………………………………………………

$         

101,388

$         

13,285

$            

(43,501)
(387)
(26,118)

$         

$            

(2,931)

$           

1,475

71,172
(387)
(26,118)
44,667
(1,456)
43,211

$         

Total assets as of December 31, 2009 ………………………….

$         

711,253

$       

842,608

$          

(881,390)

$       

672,471

(1)

Other items (including corporate costs, provision for regulatory penalties, impairment costs, other income and expense, and income taxes)
are shown for purposes of reconciling to the Company’s consolidated totals as shown in the table above for the three years in the period
ended December 31, 2011. T he accounting policies of the reportable segments are the same as those described in Note 1 to the
accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements.
Inter-segment revenues are not material to the Americas and EMEA segment results.
T he Company evaluates the performance of its geographic segments based on revenue and income (loss) from operations, and does not
include segment assets or other income and expense items for management reporting purposes.

(2)

(3)

Revenues and depreciation and amortization include results from continuing operations only.
Includes the income (loss) from discontinued operations, net of taxes, as well as the gain (loss) on sale of discontinued operations, net of
taxes.

112

 
 
 
 
 
              
            
            
          
           
            
              
            
              
            
           
            
          
                
             
           
        
         
          
 
 
 
 
Revenues  by  segment  from  AT&T  Corporation,  a  major  provider  of  communication  services  for  which  the 
Company provides various customer support services, were as follows (in thousands): 

2011

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

Amount

Percentage

Amount

Percentage

Amount

Percentage

Americas………………
EM EA………………

$         

129,331
3,343
132,674

$         

11.1%
0.2%
11.3%

$         

$         

147,673
6,457
154,130

13.2%
0.5%
13.7%

$         

$         

102,123
9,206
111,329

13.3%
1.2%
14.5%

The Company’s top ten clients accounted for approximately 45% of its consolidated revenues in 2011, an increase 
from 42% in 2010. The loss of (or the failure to retain a significant amount of business with) any of the Company’s 
key  clients  could  have  a  material  adverse  effect  on  its  performance.  Many  of  the  Company’s  contracts  contain 
penalty provisions for failure to meet minimum service levels and are cancelable by the client at any time or on short 
notice. Also, clients may unilaterally reduce their use of the Company’s services under its contracts without penalty.  

Information about the Company’s operations by geographic location is as follows (in thousands):  

Revenues: (1)

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2011

2009

$            

$            

$            

139,023
12,436
101,064
77,528
30,770
182,095
-
-
22,106
565,022
73,250
49,872
27,905
21,284
9,653
-
22,367
204,331
769,353

United States  ………………………………………………
Argentina (2) …………………………………………………
Canada ………………………………………………………
Costa Rica …………………………………………………
El Salvador …………………………………………………
Philippines …………………………………………………
Australia ……………………………………………………
M exico ………………………………………………………
Other ………………………………………………………
Total Americas …………………………………………
Germany ……………………………………………………
United Kingdom ……………………………………………
Sweden ………………………………………………………
Netherlands …………………………………………………
Hungary ……………………………………………………
Romania ……………………………………………………
Other ………………………………………………………
Total EM EA ……………………………………………

299,606
-
203,313
94,133
43,016
244,936
25,892
23,133
29,113
963,142
76,362
41,476
30,072
14,268
6,695
9,038
28,214
206,125
1,169,267

293,179
7,670
195,301
89,830
35,366
249,010
18,639
20,514
24,820
934,329
65,145
46,847
27,311
14,026
8,186
3,743
22,324
187,582
1,121,911

$        

$        

$            

(1)

(2)

Revenues are attributed to countries based on location of customer, except for revenues for Costa Rica, 
Philippines, China and India which are primarily comprised of customers located in the U.S., but serviced by 
centers in those respective geographic locations.
Revenues attributable to Argentina relate to clients retained by the Company subsequent to the sale of the 
Argentine operations, which were fully migrated to other countries during 2011.

113

 
 
 
 
 
               
               
               
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Long-Lived Assets: (1)

December 31, 

2011

2010

$              

$              

United States  ………………………………………………
Canada ………………………………………………………
Costa Rica …………………………………………………
El Salvador …………………………………………………
Philippines …………………………………………………
Australia ……………………………………………………
M exico ………………………………………………………
Other ………………………………………………………
Total Americas …………………………………………
Germany ……………………………………………………
United Kingdom ……………………………………………
Sweden ………………………………………………………
Spain ………………………………………………………
Netherlands …………………………………………………
Hungary ……………………………………………………
Romania ……………………………………………………
Other ………………………………………………………
Total EM EA ……………………………………………

70,768
22,943
6,664
3,416
12,348
2,378
2,317
3,512
124,346
2,362
4,969
810
-
95
214
1,056
1,700
11,206
135,552

84,285
26,748
7,063
3,823
21,870
2,304
2,566
3,182
151,841
2,975
5,211
854
1,183
217
415
1,340
2,419
14,614
166,455

$           

$            

(1)

Long-lived assets include property and equipment, net, and intangibles, net.

Goodwill:

December 31, 

2011

2010

Americas …………………………………………………
EM EA ……………………………………………………

$            

121,342
-
121,342

$            

122,303
-
122,303

$            

$            

    Revenues for the Company’s products and services are as follows (in thousands):  

Outsourced customer contract management services  ………
Fulfillment services …………………………………………
Enterprise support services …………………………………

$         

$         

Years Ended December 31,
2010
1,096,869
16,934
8,108
1,121,911

$         

2011
1,145,002
16,717
7,548
1,169,267

2009

$            

742,841
17,376
9,136
769,353

$            

$         

Note 28. Other (Expense)  

Gains  and  losses  resulting  from  foreign  currency  transactions  are  recorded  in  “Other  (expense)”  in  the 
accompanying  Consolidated  Statements  of  Operations  during  the  period  in  which  they  occur.    Other  (expense) 
consists of the following (in thousands): 

Other (expense):

Years Ended December 31,
2010

2009

2011

Foreign currency transaction gains (losses) ………………………………………………
(Losses) on foreign currency derivative instruments not designated as hedges …………
Other miscellaneous income ……………...……………………………………………..

$           

$        

$            

(749)
(1,444)
94
(2,099)

(2,108)
(4,532)
733
(5,907)

$        

$        

$           

524
(1,928)
1,121
(283)

114

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
        
        
        
               
             
          
 
 
 
 
Note 29. Related Party Transactions  

The  Company  paid  John  H.  Sykes,  the  founder,  former  Chairman  and  Chief  Executive  Officer  and  current 
significant shareholder of the Company and the father of Charles Sykes, President and Chief Executive Officer of 
the Company, $0.1 million and less than $0.1 million, for the use of his private jet during the years ended December 
31,  2010  and  2009,  respectively,  (none  in  2011)  which  is  based  on  two  times  fuel  costs  and  other  actual  costs 
incurred for each trip.  

In January 2008, the Company entered into a lease for a customer contact management center located in Kingstree, 
South  Carolina.  The  landlord,  Kingstree  Office  One,  LLC,  is  an  entity  controlled  by  John  H.  Sykes.  The  lease 
payments on the 20 year lease were negotiated at or below market rates, and the lease is cancellable at the option of 
the Company.  There are significant penalties for early cancellation which decrease over time.  The Company paid 
$0.4  million,  $0.4  million  and  $0.4  million  to  the  landlord  during  the  years  ended  December  31,  2011,  2010  and 
2009, respectively, under the terms of the lease.  

115

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Schedule II — Valuation and Qualifying Accounts  

Years ended December 31, 2011, 2010 and 2009 

(in thousands)
Allowance for doubtful accounts:

Charged 
(Credited) 
to Costs 
and 
Expenses

Balance at 
Beginning 
of Period

Beginning 
Balance of 
Acquired 
Company

Balance at 
End of 
Period

Additions 
(Deductions)

Year ended December 31, 2011 ……………………
Year ended December 31, 2010 ………………………
Year ended December 31, 2009 ………………………

$         

3,939
3,530
3,071

450
170
1,022

$               

(85)
239
(563)

(1)

(2)

(2)

-    
$             
-
-

$         

4,304
3,939
3,530

Valuation allowance for net deferred tax assets:

Year ended December 31, 2011 …………………… 60,091
Year ended December 31, 2010 ……………………… 32,126
Year ended December 31, 2009 ……………………… 30,618

$       

$      

(17,758)
12,256
1,508

$          

(3,789)
-
-

(1)

$             

-    
15,709
-

$       

38,544
60,091
32,126

Reserves for value added tax receivables:

Year ended December 31, 2011 ……………………
Year ended December 31, 2010 ………………………
Year ended December 31, 2009 ………………………

$         

2,338
1,881
1,853

$            

504
551
536

$             

(487)
(94)
(508)

$             
-    
-
-

$         

2,355
2,338
1,881

(1)

(2)

Net write-offs and recoveries and the impact of the reclassification of the Company's Spanish operations to assets held for sale in 
2011.
Net write-offs and recoveries.

116

 
 
 
 
 
 
             
          
             
               
             
          
          
          
              
             
          
        
        
                
        
        
        
          
                
             
        
          
             
                
             
          
          
             
              
             
          
 
[           ] 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

PAUL L. WHITIng 
Chairman of the Board 
President, Seabreeze Holdings, Inc. 
Chief Executive Officer (retired) 
Spalding & Evenflo Companies, Inc.

CHARLES E. SYKES 
Director (Principal Executive Officer) 
President and Chief Executive Officer 
Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated

MARK C. BOzEK 
Director 
President 
Galgos Entertainment LLC

FURMAn P. BODEnHEIMER, JR.  
Director 
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
Zickgraf Enterprises, Inc.

LT. gEn. MICHAEL P. DELOng (retired) 
Director 
Vice President 
Boeing International Corporation 

H. PARKS HELMS, ESQ.  
Director 
President and Manager 
Helms, Henderson & Associates, P.A.

[           ] 

PRInCIPAL OFFICERS

CHARLES E. SYKES 
President and  
Chief Executive Officer

W. MICHAEL KIPPHUT 
Executive Vice President and  
Chief Financial Officer

DAvID L. PEARSOn  
Executive Vice President and  
Chief Information Officer

JEnnA R. nELSOn 
Executive Vice President,  
Human Resources

IAIn A. MACDOnALD 
Director 
Chairman and Director of Yakara plc

JAMES S. MACLEOD 
Director 
Chairman and CEO of CoastalSouth    
  Bancshares, Inc.

DR. LInDA F. MCCLInTOCK-gRECO  
Director 
President and Chief Executive Officer                                     
Age-Less Medicine LLC                                                            
President 
Age-Less Vitamin & Nutrients 

WILLIAM J. MEURER 
Director 
Private Financial Consultant 
Director of Eagle Family of Funds 
Director of Walter Investment 
  Management Corporation 
Managing Partner (retired) for Arthur    
  Andersen’s Central Florida Operations

JAMES (JACK) K. MURRAY, JR.  
Director 
Chairman, Murray Corporation 
Chairman, Advisory Board 
HealthEdge Investment Fund II, L.P. 
Chairman, Investment Committee 
HealthEdge Investment Fund II, L.P.

LAWREnCE (LAnCE) R. zIngALE   
Executive Vice President,  
Global Sales and 
Client Management

JAMES C. HOBBY 
Executive Vice President,  
Global Operations

JAMES T. HOLDER 
Executive Vice President,  
General Counsel and  
Corporate Secretary   

DAnIEL L. HERnAnDEz     
Executive Vice President,  
Global Strategy

[             ] 

CORPORATE InFORMATIOn

Corporate Headquarters 
400 north Ashley Drive  
Suite 2800 
Tampa, FL USA 33602 
(813) 274-1000 
Fax (813) 273-0148 
www.sykes.com

Independent Auditors 
Deloitte & Touche LLP 
201 E. Kennedy Boulevard 
Suite 1200 
Tampa, FL USA 33602

Registrar and Transfer Agent 
Computershare 
P.O. Box 43078 
Providence, RI 02940-3078 
(800) 962-4284 
SYKES’ shares trade on 
The nasdaqgS Stock Market  
under the symbol “SYKE”

Annual Meeting 
SYKES’ annual meeting of  
shareholders will be held at: 
9:00 a.m. (ET) 
Thursday, May 17, 2012 
The meeting will be held at: 
Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel 
200 north Ashley Drive 
Tampa, Florida 33602 
Phone: (813) 223-2222

Investor Information 
Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q 
and the Form 10-K Annual Report 
filed with the Securities and Exchange 
Commission are available on the 
Company’s website at http://investor.
sykes.com or upon written request to  
SYKES’ Investor Relations department  
in Tampa, Florida, or by contacting:

Subhaash Kumar 
global vice President,  
Finance and Investor Relations 
(813) 274-1000 

Sykes Enterprises, Incorporated
400 North Ashley Drive
Suite 2800
Tampa, Florida 33602-5089
USA 1.800.867.9537
Intl. +1.813.274.1000
www.sykes.com