?Lift and Shift?: Moving the Back Office to India

Abstract

The recent growth in offshoring business processes is driven by the need for cost savings, but, because of the potential for both the quantity and quality of work that may be done overseas, has larger implications for the service economy in developed countries. This paper uses India as a case study to examine the business, knowledge-related, and technological considerations that drive the globalization of business process fulfillment. It also examines the industrial structure that is emerging in India for the work and draws conclusions about its future and its implications for service workers in developed countries. (c) 2004 The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.