Offshore Outsourcing - Business Models, ROI and Best Practices - by Marcia Robinson and Ravi Kalakota - Reading Suggestions & CONTENTS

Introduction
PART I: OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING—AN OVERVIEW
PART II: OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING—THE BUSINESS PROCESS LANDSCAPE
PART III: OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING—STRATEGY AND EXECUTION
Remarks
Reading Suggestions & CONTENTS
About the Authors

Reading Suggestions

Reading Time: 20-22 Hours, 318 Pages in Book

Robinson and Kalakota note that they have attempted to structure the book so that whether you’re a novice, already fully engaged in offshore projects, or somewhere in between, you can easily find information that pertains to your particular situation. Thus, you can read Offshore Outsourcing in its entirety, or you can concentrate on specific sections (there are three), depending upon your need and level of knowledge. Reading guidelines can be found in “The Organization of This Book” (p. v).

If you decide to read the entire work (an approach we recommend), be forewarned that you will find a lot of repetition. Because each chapter is organized to stand alone, basic foundational material is carried over repeatedly and often cross-referenced. However, this reiteration is done in the most unobtrusive way possible so as not to impede your forward momentum. Moreover, the inclusion of formerly explored material is always relevant in that it rarely fails to provide new channels of action and/or understanding.

If you decide to read portions of the book only, we suggest that you definitely include the preface and “Final Thoughts on Offshore Outsourcing” (chapter 12), preferably as a unit, and before you read anything else. As a means of broadening your knowledge base, you should also try to examine as many of the case studies as possible. They are clearly identified and start in chapter 3. Finally, Robinson and Kalakota have compiled two very useful guides that are a must. In chapters 10 and 11, respectively, you will find a guide to the top offshore vendors for different business processes and one for the top eight offshore and nearshore countries that discusses the competitive advantages and challenges of each. If these two chapters are not included in your reading plans, we recommend that you at least note these guides for future reference, should the need arise.

CONTENTS

PART 1: WHY OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING?
Chapter 1: Offshore Outsourcing—the Next Wave
Chapter 2: Offshore Outsourcing Business Models
Chapter 3: The Business Process Offshoring Landscape

PART 2: OFFSHORE OUTSOURCING BEST PRACTICES
Chapter 4: Information Technology Offshore Outsourcing
Chapter 5: Customer Care Offshore Outsourcing
Chapter 6: Finance and Accounting Offshore Outsourcing
Chapter 7: Human Resources Offshore Outsourcing
Chapter 8: Transaction Processing Offshore Outsourcing

PART 3: OFFSHORING STRATEGY CREATION AND EXECUTION
Chapter 9: Creating Your Offshore Strategy
Chapter 10: The Vendor Decision
Chapter 11: The Location Decision
Chapter 12: Final Thoughts on Offshore Outsourcing