Moving Out: Toward Understanding the Complexity of Outsourcing in the Age of Globalization

The outsourcing of productive activities to foreign countries appears to be an integral part of the dynamics of economic globalization. Outsourcing is a highly complex phenomenon and, not surprisingly perhaps, has generated intense debates in the United States and elsewhere. This article seeks to make a contribution toward understanding the complexity of outsourcing as a major business activity of our times. The article evaluates the significance of offshore outsourcing as an important feature of contemporary economic globalization, and examines the overall nature of the debates surrounding this phenomenon. Finally, the concluding section of the article analyzes the implications of outsourcing for management and organizations. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]