What's This India Business?: Offshoring, Outsourcing and the Global Services Revolution

by Paul Davies

Book Overview

In What's this India Business? Paul Davies reveals the secrets you need to take full advantage of the competitive edge that India can give your company. A major global services revolution is... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1904838006
• ISBN13: 9781904838005
• Release Date: March 2004
• Publisher: Nicholas Brealey Publishing
• Length: 238 Pages
• Weight: 1.26 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.2" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Davies has good arguments

Mr Paul Davies gives a good assessment of my country. His guide to cultural do's and dont's is spot on. No Indian should quarrel with those. He also does not hide the many problems in Indian society, as he talks about the benefits of offshoring to Westerners. On offshoring, I hope you will seriously consider his assessment that this trend will continue and grow. Americans might be undrstandably uneasy about their jobs. But they never seem to question how natural it is that Hollywood should dominate the world film industry, and that their chipmakers and software firms do also in those industries. To Indians, the U.S. still has immense strengths in technology.

Read your reviews carefully

Notice that almost all the negative reviews of this book do not actually review the book, but go off on a personal rant about something else. Davies' book is terrifically well-written and clear. The first section deals with the hard business aspects of outsourcing to India. The middle is an informative and very amusingly candid explanation of Indian culture and business manners that I would recommend to cultural trainers as well as to business people. The third portion of the book explains more business considerations. Contrary to what you might think from some of the non-review reviews, Davies does do a good job explaining what can go wrong when outsourcing corporate functions to India, and he encourages scepticism and close monitoring throughout the process. While he tells a lot of success stories, any alert person reading the book will also come away knowing that failure is possible and how it may be prevented. He does deal to some degree with the ethics of the whole issue, but from the point of view of someone who considers the whole outsourcing trend to be inevitable. I would highly recommend this to anyone interested in the issue of Indian outsourcing, even if, like me, you have no part in it.

The Inevitable Generates Passion

While I understand and am sympathetic to the passion the topic of outsourcing generates, there is no doubt in my mind it is here to stay. I know from my personal experience, the cost savings are enormous. I also know from my personal experience, outsourcing adds complexity to a project. Paul Davies, an international businessman and consultant, has written a timely book addressing these issues. He offers valuable insight into the advantages and benefits of outsourcing and off-shoring projects to India. While acknowledging the substantial cost savings, he is not blind to the other side of the equation. Citing Gartner Group analysts, he acknowledges about half of all outsourcing projects fail. Davies devotes the first part of his book to background on India as a country and as a worldwide services provider. He offers insight into the types of services U. S. and European businesses can take offshore and how to select the right business partner or supplier. Next, he offers valuable insights into the Indian culture. These lessons will help the newcomer avoid many of the problems newcomers to Indian out-sourcing experience. Davies explores the mind and culture of the Indian people. He offers valuable insights into local concepts of time and working, dressing, eating, traveling and tipping. Finally, he offers suggestions for successfully doing business in India. Davies offers suggestions on how to write a business plan, due diligence, navigating risks and negotiating and haggling. The early savings, he notes, are pale compared to the long-term benefits that will come from a long-term relationship. This is a timely book on a controversial subject. I have personally lost work to out-sourcing; I have also out-sourced projects. While I prefer the old days, I am convinced they are done. The cost savings generated will not be ignored. They represent a major competitive advantage for business opting to take advantage of them. I agree with Davies that ultimately they will trigger new investment and more prosperity here at home.

Highly Recommended!

Paul Davies offers a very thoughtful, useful and interesting look at how to outsource overseas. Davies taught for nine years and has a Ph.D. in English focused on the novels of George Eliot. He also served as Managing Director of Unisys in India. The book reflects his varied expertise and idiosyncrasies. Both his left and right brains are well developed, and the competition between the two plays out in the pages of his book. At times it reads like a management consultant's manual on the growing practice of "offshoring." At other times, it reads like a very perceptive travel book that guides executives on what to expect when they encounter the culture shock of India. The effect is not disjointed, however, and this volume would be valuable for any firm considering an offshore effort in India and, probably, in other countries as well. Because Davies gives you a good overview of what you will encounter when you outsource, as well as practical business advice. We highly recommend his book for those who are considering moving aspects of their businesses overseas, especially to India.

Worth reading for anyone in business today!

This is a great reference on the world we live in today regarding the global economy and the wonderful world of outsourcing. I especially liked the section on what to expect during your time travels to India. A lot fo great information that I otherwise would not have been the wiser.