Sourcing in India. Opportunities and strategies in the land of service offshoring

Chapter 1 proposes a synthesis of the studies concerning service offshoring. It describes the adopted terminology, the main research fields, the evolution path of the phenomenon, the differences between the sourcing of services and the sourcing of goods, the various service typologies involved in international outsourcing/offshoring projects, advantages and threats, factors used in the choice of the location, and organizational solutions. Chapter 2 is dedicated to India. Its history and some characteristics of its society are here summarized, together with industrial geography and a macroeconomic description (through data such as the GDP, the interchange, the commercial balance, etc.) of the country. Chapter 3 deals with the theme of service offshoring in India. Data on the dimensions of this sector are provided; strengths and weaknesses of IT and BPO offshoring in this country are discussed; the factors that justify the rapid growth of the sector are analysed. Chapter 4, after describing the aims of the research project and the adopted methodology, illustrates stages, determinants, advantages and threats of a project of service offshoring in India (from the strategic analysis to the choice of the organizational solution; from the establishment to the management of the supply channel). The chapter was written on the basis of companies’ experiences, integrated with considerations provided by the literature focused on this issue. Chapter 5 and Chapter 6 develop two relevant themes: legislation that regulates direct investments in India and transport and communication infrastructures. The second part of the book contains an in-depth description of five case studies analysed in the research project.