Robert Kennedy, WDI’s Executive Director, is the author of a newly released book titled, The Services Shift: Seizing the Ultimate Offshore Opportunity The book explores the globalization of services and provides managers with realistic service-sourcing strategies.
Pre-publication praise for the book was strong, prompting several media outlets to contact Kennedy for comments about the offshoring phenomenon.
May 21, 2009
Tom Hickman, proprietor of the Inside Outsource blog, has posted a nice review of The Services Shift. Key paragraph is:
I like most about this book the fact that it does a nice job bridging theory and practice. It's an excellent, scholarly book, without being too abstract, and without being overly burdened by the business school jargon and theory-bloat that plagues many business books. Think of it as The World is Flat, for a more analytic and intellectualizing audience.
I suggest reading the whole review, and making Tom's blog a regular stop on your web browsing agenda.
May 20, 2009
Understanding Globalization: "The Services Shift"
Stan Lepeak, Managing Director of EquaTerra and EquaSiis Global EquaTerra reviewed our blog and Bob's book on his web site equasiis.com. To access the review click on the following link
May 14, 2009
Tax Saving is a Very Minor Issue when One Considers Offshoring
Saikat Neogi a writer for the Financial Express interviewed Bob regarding the proposed tax law changes and how they may impact US companies and offshoring to Indian providers.
April 16, 2009
Offshoring to Continue Unabated as Economy Worsens
Namita Goyle of Global Service Media.com interviewed Bob and discussed a number of myths about offshoring and the specific skills needed to successfully manage an offshoring project. The entire article can be found via the attched link.
April 14, 2009
Tackling the Thorny World Trade Issues
Tom Walsh, a Detroit Free Press columnist interviewed Bob about the William Davidson Institue, its founder (Bill Davison), its origin and mission. Bob also discusses his book and the growing trend toward offshoring of information technology and other services to India and other low-cost countries.
April 8, 2009
"Buy American Does Not Come Free"
During his visit to India Bob was interviewed on the widely debated issue of offshoring of service activities and its profound impact on businesses and governments in both developed and developing countries. Pragati Verma caught up with Bob to understand the drivers and implications of the globalisation of service activities. The question and answer session is covered in full and can be reviewed by using the following link.
April 7, 2009
Bob was interviewed by Electronics Design News on the subject of IMB's controversial "Project Match" program. Bob thinks the increase in hiring by foreign companies while US employers move jobs overseas are "just two sides of the same coin". US companies like IBM are taking advantage of low-cost technical labor, while Indian firms are realizing they need more staff closer to their US customers. The consensus is that with unemployment in the US soaring workers may have to go where the jobs are. To read the entire article please click on the above link.
April 1, 2009
Bob was interviewed live on marketplace.publicradio.org by Ms. Renita Jablonski. The discussion focussed on how H-1B visas affect US jobs. To listen to the full interview or read the article please click on the above link.
March 30, 2009
Bob posted an Op Ed piece at Forbes.com to discuss off shoring and the global economic crisis. Several key points include: The global economic crisis has political and business leaders thinking defensively--increasing trade protection, pushing "buy American" provisions in major legislation, attempting to curtail the use of H-1B visas, the documents that allow highly skilled nonimmigrant workers into the country. The most prominent example of this bad trend is the amendment to the Troubled Asset Relief Program legislation, inserted by Sens. Grassley, Sanders and Durbin, that makes it nearly impossible for financial firms to hire talented foreign nationals--at least to work in the U.S.
The instinct among business leaders during crisis is often to do whatever is necessary to make the politicians and activists happy. This instinct is understandable. It's also wrong and ultimately destructive.
March 26, 2009
Bob was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) regarding IBM's decision to lay off about 5,000 U.S. employees, with many of the jobs being transferred to India, according to people familiar with the situation.
The technology giant has been steadily building its work force in India and other locations while reducing the number of workers based in the U.S. Foreign workers accounted for 71% of Big Blue's nearly 400,000 employees at the start of the year, up from about 65% in 2006.
Bob said unions and politicians "would like to slow down offshoring, but it's almost impossible." With tech workers in particular, offshoring is hard to stop because "the Internet isn't getting slower, and business isn't going back to paper files,". To review the entire article please click on the above link.
March 21, 2009
Bob will be spending the next two weeks (March 23 through April 3) in London, Amsterdam, and (mostly) India. He will attend a conference in London for the EU launch of the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE). Interesting membership group that works to bring three groups together:
- Social investors -- such as The Gates Foundation, Lemelson Foundation, Omidyar Network, The Rockefeller Foundation, The Skoll Foundation, the Shell Foundation, and others.
- Intermediaries -- such as Acumen Fund, Agora Partners, Dahlberg, E&Co, Root Capital, SEAF, TechnoServe, WDI (of course), and a few others
- Small and medium size businesses in developing countries.
The idea is that SMEs can drive development more effectively than micro enterprises, and the group is looking to promote that.
From there, on to Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai (Bombay) and back to Delhi for some student work. We have a set of interesting MBA projects this year -- with Drishtee, Acumen Fund, and a skills development initiative by Perot Systems.
March 4, 2009
Bob was quoted in a recent article, Putting Americans First?, posted in Human Resource Executive Online [hreonline.com]. The article discusses the ongoing issue of how companies should manage layoffs when they have employees working for them under the H-1B visa program. Bob explains that reducing H1-B workers first during layoffs -- and limiting H-1B visas in general -- will force global providers such as Microsoft, IBM and others to perform the work remotely when the economy recovers. He goes on to say; "It is extremely unlikely that limiting or reducing H-1B visa workers will redirect work back to U.S. workers solely," he says. "The logic is that Indian nationals [or those from other developing countries] can do the work more cheaply and often more effectively." To read the entire article please click on the above link.
March 3, 2009
Bob was quoted in a recent article posted in the Innovation section of the Irish Times.com. The crux of the article is that Ireland, like many other countries is finding out that they need adapt to the changing economy. In the article he says "Most firms will move to consolidate their administrative functions within the EU. Ireland is extremely well-positioned to capture a disproportionate amount of this work, as it has a highly skilled labour force, a flexible labour market in contrast to core EU countries, and an attractive business environment". Please click on the above link for the entire story.
February 23, 2009
The Services Shift was reviewed in the latest edition of "Smart Brief Workforce" on smartbrief.com. To review the entire article please click on the attached link.
February 18, 2009
This month's edition of Bookviews.com has placed The Services Shift on its "Top Pick of the Month" list for February 2009, It is highlighted in the "Getting Down to Business" section
February 17, 2009
Bob's recent interview with Forbes.com ,where he outlined several broad business trends leading to an increase in offshoring, was highlighted in an article on IT Business Edge.com. The author of the article Ms. Ann All poses the question: "Is offshoring good or bad for America?" Bob's perspective on this issue is referenced in the article along with several other well know economists.
February 16, 2009
Bob has returned from Rwanda. The trip was very successful. For a summary please see his blog by clicking on the "BLOG" tab above.
Bob was interviewed on Fox Business News' program "Opening Bell" this morning. The topics of discussion were Job Losses and the H1-B visa situation. For a complete review please see the attached video.
February 10, 2009
Bob was quoted in an article regarding IBM's offer to shift workers who are losing jobs to lower wage countries. The item was posted over the weekend in ComputerWorldOnline . Bob states; "What most of IBM's competitors are doing is just eliminating jobs and hiring people in India," (and ) "I would say from IBM's point of view, they're trying to meet people maybe not halfway, but a quarter of the way."
February 9, 2009
Bob is headed to Rwanda this coming week. He is working with the School for Finance and Banking (where WDI has a capacity building engagement) and for the graduation of the first group of women from the Goldman Sachs Entrepreneurship program.
February 6, 2009
Bob was interviewed on the Frank Beckman show on WJR Radio Thursday, February 5, 2009. The interview focused on outsourcing and offshoring, how it affects various sectors of the economy, where it is applicable and how economies grow by shifting from low-value to high-value activities. To listen to the entire interview please click on the following link: WJR Radio Interview.
February 5, 2009
Traffic World, a logistics trade publication, interviewed Kennedy and ran an article in their February edition. The article discusses trends in outsourcing, its value proposition and companies taking an analytical approach to the issue. "The latest moves by shippers and their services providers indicates more going on than just shipping jobs to low-wage nations", Kennedy said.
>>>Link to Article
Purchasing.com recently interviewed Bob to discuss the fact that as more companies struggle to reduce costs and increase margins, outsourcing and offshoring of various business processes is getting a closer look. The purchasing organization is playing a bigger role in this process that it has in the past.
>>>Link to Article
February 4, 2009
Bob Kennedy discussed the topic of Satyam's tenuous business situation in a recent interview on Newsvine.com with AP Technology writer Jordan Robertson. Bob, the author of The Services Shift: Seizing the Ultimate Offshore Opportunity was quoted as saying "With State Farm deciding to pull their business it will be interesting to see how other customers react". His view is that Satyam will survive, but as part of another company. He says Satyam's competitors could snap up Satyam's assets at fire-sale prices "to pick up a whole bunch of capacity and customer contacts really cheap." That, he said, could "calm customers down.
>>>Link to Article
February 3, 2009
Kennedy was interviewed by eWEEK.com yesterday and discussed at length the situation IBM is facing relative to outsourcing. He told eWEEK "he believes IBM has simply come to grips with the new global economy and is making use of talent available throughout the world to reach maximum productivity and efficiency".
>>>Link to Article
February 3, 2009
This month's edition of bookviews.com has placed The Services Shift on its top pick of the month list for February 2009. It is highlighted in the "Getting Down to Business" section.
>>>Link to Article
January 31, 2009
Kennedy was interviewed recently for an article on BusinessWeek.com discussing whether outsourcing can save Sony. The Japanese manufacturer is struggling with the decision due to cost reductions needed in their operations.
>>> Link to Article
January 26, 2009
Kennedy was interviewed on January 25 by Michael Hennigan, Founder and Editor of Finfacts, Ireland's business and finance portal. Topics included the recent release of Kennedy's new book; The Services Shift, and his views on the Irish Economy.
>>> Link to Article
January 19, 2009
Kennedy contributed to a January 19, 2009 article in The Washington Times which explored the effect of the downturn in the global economy on Singapore and Ireland. Both countries had greatly benefited from globalization and they are now officially in recession.
>>> Web Archive (PDF)
January 19, 2009
Abie Phillbin Bowman of Radio i105-107 Ireland interviewed Kennedy on January 19. Topics included George Bush’s economic legacy and the effects of the global economic crisis on Ireland.
>>> Link to Recording (MP3)
January 15, 2009
Kennedy was one of the experts offering advice on how to limit offshoring risks in the aftermath of the India-based, Satyam Computer Services accounting scandal. The article appeared in the January 15, 2009 edition of CFO.com and will be re-printed in the March edition of CFO magazine.
>>> Link to Article
>>> Web Archive Version
January 14, 2009
The Irish economy was also the subject of two, recent radio interviews. Kennedy spoke to Ger Gilroy of Newstalk 106-108 FM Radio Ireland on the “Breakfast Show” program regarding his book on offshoring, and his recent predictions concerning economic growth in Ireland.
>>> Link to Recording (MP3)
January 11, 2009
The Observer, a prominent U.K. publication, tapped Kennedy for insight into Ireland’s economic prospects in an article published on Sunday, January 11, 2009. The story was re-printed by The Guardian, The Belfast Telegraph, and the Irish Independent. Kennedy predicted that Ireland’s economic growth will out pace that of Europe over the next decade.
>>> link to article
>>> Web Archive Version
January 1, 2009
Robert Kennedy, WDI executive director and author of the recently released book on offshoring, The Services Shift: Seizing the Ultimate Offshore Opportunity was interviewed for a Dec. 30 Wall Street Journal article on 2009 business trends. The article was also mentioned in a U.S. News & World Report blog on business predictions for the New Year.
>>> Link to Article
>>> Web Archive version