Outsourcing to India: The Offshore Advantage

This book is a detailed guide on what to consider when you are thinking of outsourcing to India, but it might leave you with unanswered questions. Overall, I found the book to be a good start in my research. However, I noted that the author omits any anecdotes of project failures in India, and instead he takes the rosy view that all India projects result in lower cost and higher quality. There is little discussion on turn-over rates, which are very high in some fields and negatively impacting projects. (The fact that the author is or was the president of an Indian software association called NASSCOM may explain his positive views). The book also lacks much discussion on in-house outsourcing (using your own employees, but located in India). Finally, the book may leave you with many specific questions, such as infrastructure costs, and requirements for visiting India for business.

No new angles or strategies are offered here. It is pretty basic information that you will probably already know.

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.

Sad but true. I read this book when we were first considering outsourcing. It sounded like a dream come true - cheap, compliant labor at bargain rates. So we jumped in, outsourcing our IT dept. and even some of our legal services.Now we're facing half a dozen lawsuits. It seems that Indian paralegals don't understand the concept of client confidentiality. They misused some of our client's information and now we're paying the price.If we can stay in business till '05 I plan to move everything back to Florida. Maybe I can sue the author for the lousy advice his book gives.

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.

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.

"Outsourcing to India" is perfect for all people from the west planning on doing business in India. The broad coverage of the book ensures you learn about the softer and more subtle issues of offshoring such as culture and relationship management. I enjoyed the numerous references to companies who have started outsourcing to India and their mixed experiences. This and other books written on the subject are evidence of an emerging industry which is redefining the way companies are delivering IT enabled services. I look forward to reading his next book..

A well written and easily digestible book that I would recommend to anyone interested in this field.