Customer Reviews

The Services Shift: Seizing the Ultimate Offshore Opportunity

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Shipping U.S. manufacturing jobs to offshore destinations is already controversial, but what's happened so far is just the first wave of "offshoring," says globalization professor Robert E. Kennedy, writing with researcher Ajay Sharma. A far larger wave is cresting: service offshoring. This is problematic because services now account for a larger portion of the U.S. gross domestic product than manufacturing. Technology is making many high-value services fair game for offshoring. The first wave of service offshoring involved sending relatively low-value services, such as call centers, to India. But now firms are outsourcing even medical jobs, including radiology. This book tells managers why offshoring is moving up the service value chain, how to harness its benefits and what to do about its risks - though the authors might have paid more attention to the disappointing results some companies have derived from offshoring. Despite their stated political neutrality about offshoring, these experts do seem to favor it, as seen in their resigned treatment of job loss concerns and their optimism about the complexities of executing offshoring programs, though they acknowledge that they treat in scant pages procedural matters that have been the subject of entire books. getAbstract recommends their detailed, knowledgeable backgrounder to those who want a lot of very useful information about offshoring, while noting that it may not meet all the needs of managers who call for caution before setting sail.

Mr. Kennedy has done an outstanding job of defining the process of outsourcing and offshoring in his new book "The Services Shift". In order to gain efficiency, reduce costs and maintain a competitive position our company had to make tough decisions regarding the relocation of certain aspects of our business. As a thirty year veteran of the Tier 1 automotive supplier industry we were making these decisions in the early days "flying by the seat of our pants". Had this book been available to us when we started our outsourcing process we would have avoided a number of mistakes. Every business owner, manager and executive should read this book to gain an understanding of the process, the tools you will need to be successful and the risks and rewards you will encounter. The information contained in this book is right on the money!

If you are considering outsourcing or offshoring, this is a must-read. Professor Robert Kennedy lays out the phenomemon of offshoring and explains the key considerations you need to keep in mind when pursuing offshoring of services. What benefits can you reap from offshoring? What are your goals of offshoring? Which of your business processes should be offshored? What should you consider when making an agreement with a vendor? How will the skill set of your management team need to evolve? Which country is best for your offshore activities? All of these questions and more are answered in clear, concise language.

Kennedy provides many examples of companies who have successfully pursued offshoring -- and he delves into the factors that made them successful. The book presents many helpful frameworks that managers can use in their decision-making and will have managers returning to this book time and again as a reference.

I have ready dozens of management books over the past year. This one ranks among the very finest in terms of timeliness and practicality.
Highly recommended!

Kennedy has gone beyond theory and provided clear and succinct details of what firms must and should know before engaging in the globalization of their services. This is a must read for any business executive who is looking beyond the shores of the United States.

As a senior manager facing many of the offshoring questions written about in The Services Shift, I found this book an invaluable tool. I read it in one night and now feel much better versed on the potential benefits and risks of offshoring. If you are looking for a competitive global advantage, this is one book you must get. It not only gives a look at the current landscape, it maps out where the global business world is headed. A must-read for business leaders.

Kennedy provides a compelling overview of why globalization has come to the service sector, how it affects rivalry in a number of industries, and how managers and firms must react. The book ends with chapters on policy issues and on the future. A very good read.

Most books in this field are either extremely micro (bit and bytes), or macro polemics ("the world is ending" by Lou Dobbs or Clyde Prestowitz). Kennedy speaks to where managers live -- how to improve their competitive position, what skills they need inside their organizations, how to get from where they are to where they want to be.

Strongly recommended.

Note - this review pertains to the Kindle e-book version. The content was helpful but there were several diagrams and charts in the book that were too tiny to read, so it looks as if I will need to buy the hard copy book as well. Pity...

The Services Shift is a book that every manager in the services industry must read. While the practice of offshoring can be controversial in the current U.S. economy, we cannot lose sight of what is happening globally. The world is a much bigger place to do business than ever before and as Kennedy states in the Introduction, "offshoring--done right--leads to an enhanced standard of living in both developed and developing countries." This is the big picture that every manager (and politician) needs to focus on. This book should be on every manager's to-do-list, as well as in the backpacks of every student thinking of pursuing a career in international business.

A fascinating and practical volume that is an excellent road map for those managers wishing to explore the concept and execution of moving parts of their business off shore. While the concept is known to everyone, especially after the last election, most managers lack even the general knowledge to realistically explore the options available. This book takes the beginner and even the experienced international businessman to a whole new level and allows them to rationally judge the value of this potential move.

Additionally the country data will allow any young MBA a great opportunity to impress the boss by giving them the ability to not only suggest the concept but rate the potential targets. In this global economic crisis this is must reading and a book to keep handy.

Dr. Kennedy has written a very clear, fresh, and compelling book on the offshoring revolution. The ideas and business tools outlined have given me a better understanding of globalization and how to better position my business for success. Unlike other books out there on the topic, this book presents very practical and easy to understand concepts. I would recommend this book to any business manager who is looking for a step-by-step guide on how to leverage offshore resources and talent to improve overall business performance and win in the marketplace.