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Page 1 of 2 Offshoring is a controversial issue and it has supporters and opponents both in the countries where projects are outsorced from and in the countries to which the jobs go. The interests of the parties involved in an offshored project are different, therefore the arguments they have for and against offshoring are also different. But one is for sure – no matter if it is liked or disliked, outsourcing and offshoring are here to stay for the next decades.
It might be a relatively new tendency for the IT industry, but outsourcing and offshoring have existed as forms of the international movement of the capital for many years and many Americans, British and individuals from other Western countries have taken advantage of the opportunity to work abroad in construction, production facilities, the service sector, etc. So why doesn't this happen with IT as well?
Actually it happens. Probably it is not a mainstream tendency yet and probably it is not voluntarily but because of need but many Western guys are becoming part of multinational teams and are taking jobs that either involve relocation to a foreign country, or at least frequent trips to it.
Anyway, for decades mobility has been typical for the U.S. work force and in less extend for Europeans. And this has been one of the reasons for economic prosperity - people go where their jobs are instead of staying at home and waiting for the Job to come. Will this happen with IT offshoring as well?
First,
it depends on which country the project is offshored to. If it is a
near country, you can take the plane and go home for the weekend. At
least many Western European guys, who have business with a country in
Eastern Europe do this. In
this case relocation
is not so tough because it is still easy to keep in touch with your
friends and relatives no matter that you live 2 or 3,000 miles away.
What is more, for short distances even frequent visits to the
offshoring development facilities help and often it is not necessary
to consider relocation at all.
But
if you live in Florida and your project is in India, it is a
different story – frequent visits there are pure waste of time
because of the distance and the amount of time you spend at airports
and in the air. In this case relocation is a better solution, as far
as business is concerned, but relocating there actually means that
you are lucky if you come home two or three times a year for a week
or so.
Basically, large offshoring projects involve either frequent visits, or complete relocating there. This can be good news for people who like traveling and who hate staying at home. In fact, I do think that very often part of the motivation to do business with offshore partners (besides the purely economic ones) is exactly that – desire to travel, to visit unfamiliar lands, to try some exotic dishes, etc.
There is nothing wrong in this! Actually the mix of cultures is one of the driving forces in the world and so many exciting things in our lives are a result of cultural mix. Tourism and traveling are also positive phenomena but the problems start when tourism and business are mixed together.
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