Outsourcing to India [Hardcover]

Mark Kobayashi-Hillary (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 14, 2004

A day does not pass without a newspaper report about yet another company that has started outsourcing technology or other business processes to India. The Senate recently voted 70 to 26 in favor of preventing federal contracts going offshore, yet US managers continue to beat a path to India because it is the global leader for offshore IT-enabled services. Many CEOs seek to reduce their costs or improve service quality, but not many understand India on their first visit and some are confused by the culture. In this book author Mark Kobayashi-Hillary introduces India and the major players in the Indian service industry. He offers a balanced view on the trend to outsource to India, describing the reasons why a business should utilize India as an offshore outsourcing destination and the steps needed to find and work with a local partner. Not only does the book make a compelling economic case for outsourcing to this region, it also discusses how to manage the entire transition process, including the potential impact on local resources. Mark Kobayashi-Hillary is a British writer and independent outsourcing consultant based in London. He has worked at a senior level for several leading banking and technology groups and has been involved in managing outsourced relationships in the UK, Singapore and India. He is a regular commentator on India and outsourcing in the European press. Outsourcing To India is written from personal experience and several years of research. This practical guide will help managers navigate through the offshore outsourcing maze, allowing them to avoid many of the major pitfalls others have faced when setting up shop in India.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews of the second edition: "This second edition has been completely revised the publisher claim, with up-to-date information on the latest state of development in the country. … this book still offers valuable information about the IT-enabled service industries in this continent. The current second edition is a useful text for anyone who is looking to the future for involvement with a country that is already making its mark in IT and offers potentially not only a flourishing market but also growing pool of IT workers." (W. R. Howard, Kybernetes, Vol. 37 (1), 2008) --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

"Outsourcing to India: The Offshore Advantage" is designed to be read in a number of ways. You can sit and read it straight through as the chapters follow the logical progression of steps required to work with an outsourcing partner in India:

- India itself is introduced by chapters 1 through to 6, with information on history, politics and travel. - The outsourcing industry in India is profiled by chapters 7 to 11, with information on the major players and locations. - Chapters 12 to 23 constitute the management checklist; a step-by-step guide to outsourcing to India. Alternatively, the individual chapters can be read as primers on each subject area, or the three main chapter groups can be read individually in order to focus on those specific areas. "Outsourcing to India: The Offshore Advantage" offers you the knowledge that you need to work in India, creating a successful outsourcing strategy for your organization.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 275 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (April 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3540208550
• ISBN-13: 978-3540208556
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,675,614 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential read for companies planning outsourcing, September 13, 2004

By 

Michael Taylor (Cambridge, UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outsourcing to India (Hardcover)

Not many books have been written on this subject yet, although it is becoming ever more important to companies in the West seeking to outsource work to cut costs and improve flexibility.

This book helped me enormously to understand the challenges and problems I was likely to encounter. I would recommend it to anyone who is starting to look at India.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outsourcing to India, September 13, 2004

By 

I. Pearl "IanP" (London) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outsourcing to India (Hardcover)

I have read other books on this subject which are boring and content-free. This book is very readable and gives an excellent insight into where and how to take your BPO project, the issues you are likely to encounter, and into building the relationships to make an outsource project work.

There is something for everyone involved in outsourcing in this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Good Read !, February 23, 2005

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Outsourcing to India (Hardcover)

This book has several notable strengths. Author Mark Kobayashi-Hillary, an outsourcing consultant, combines detailed information about India with in-depth knowledge of outsourcing markets, processes and methods. He provides an overview of India and a profile of India's outsourcing industry, including the major players in a rapidly changing marketplace, important aspects of cultural awareness and thoughts on how to organize your outsourcing endeavor, including vendor selection and contract provisions. At times, the organizational structure of the book is somewhat disorienting, shifting focus from travel guide to outsourcing primer to nuts-and-bolts analysis of India's outsourcing market and how best to capitalize on it. Occasionally the narrative flow is a bit mechanical, but who really cares? If your company is considering or already has a major investment in offshore outsourcing in India, this book is an outright must read. Despite its structural flaws, we strongly recommend its authoritative blend of practical business, legal and cultural advice.