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Abstract
Despite the furor surrounding the offshoring phenomenon, there is little empirical research examining global IT sourcing (GITS) and its potential impacts on the individual, the organization, and society. This article presents the results of a study of the perceived direction of GITS in the United States and its implications for business. Based on information collected from structured interviews with senior information systems executives at ten medium to large corporations in the region, the study specifically examines their perceptions of offshoring trend, its implications for the IT workforce, and steps that must be taken to remain competitive in the global marketplace. Nine of the ten company executives interviewed indicated a slow but steady growth in the level of such offshore engagements and an increasing commitment to strategic partnerships with global information service providers. The primary drivers of offshoring partnerships were cost, access to expertise, and domestic headcount stabilization. Significant concerns were expressed as to the nature of computer science education in the United States and a need to shift from technical skills to those that focused on business domain knowledge.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Madhu T. Rao
Madhu T. Rao is an Assistant Professor of Information Systems in the Albers School of Business and Economics at Seattle University. Dr. Rao's research focuses on areas of global IT management and the control and coordination of dispersed teams. His research has been published in books as well as respected academic journals such as Information Systems Management, Small Group Research, and the Academy for Educational Leadership Journal. Dr. Rao's most recent research in the area of global IT outsourcing has been covered extensively in both print and broadcast media. Dr. Rao has a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from Indiana University, Bloomington, USA. Before joining Seattle University, he was on the faculty at American University in Washington D.C. as well as Salisbury University in Maryland. Prior to becoming an academician, Dr. Rao was a systems analyst for Tata Consultancy Services in New Delhi, India.
William Poole
William Poole is Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Seattle University. Previously, he served in various management positions for computer consulting and software businesses. He received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in Applied Mathematics. He has an extensive list of publications in areas of computer applications.
Peter V. Raven
Peter Raven is an Associate Professor of Marketing and Director of International Business Programs at Seattle University. His formal education includes a B.S. from Cornell University, M.S. from University of California, Davis, and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Washington State University. Dr. Raven worked in the food and agribusiness industries prior to academia. His research has focused on cross-cultural consumer issues, export marketing, and global Internet marketing. He has published in Journal of International Marketing, Journal of Services Marketing, Transportation Journal, Asian Case Research Journal, Internet Encyclopedia, Journal of Global Marketing, Journal of Consumer Satisfaction, Dissatisfaction, and Complaining Behavior, Journal of Advertising Research, and others. He has presented papers at a number of conferences.
Diane L. Lockwood
Diane L. Lockwood is Chair of the Department of Management and Associate Professor of MIS at Seattle University. She has numerous publications in such journals as the International Journal of Production Research, Journal of Strategic E- Commerce, Industrial Management and Data Systems, Journal of Computer Information Systems, International Journal of Operations and Production Management, Academy of Information and Management Sciences, and Journal of Management Inquiry. She has also consulted for the auto industry in the area of measuring the value of business information systems.