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Introduction
Various studies conducted over the past 10 years have shown that information technology outsourcing allows firms to reduce high overhead costs and improve productivity, contribute flexibility, and thus improve overall performance of the firm. The BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa are all experiencing the growth of Information Technology Outsourcing as a new industry impacting significantly on the countries themselves and the world economy. However, offshore IT outsourcing brings new challenges and risks (Knapp 2007). To address these challenges and risks, this paper examines the IT Outsourcing industry in the BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Information Technology Outsourcing, which, for the BRICS in total, generated over $31 billion in revenue in 2007 is expected to generate over $107 billion in revenue by 2011 (EIU). In addition to providing considerable export earnings for these countries, the investment in and experience gained in this business is supporting the overall introduction of Information Technology into the domestic markets of these countries and having a profound impact on their economic development. The goal of this working paper is to review selected historical and forecasted data about the IT Outsourcing industry in the BRICS countries on a comparative basis, applying important conceptual frameworks to understand the industry structure (Five Forces Analysis), industry global competitiveness (Five Diamond Model) and cultural environment (Cultural Dimensions Model and Other) to reach tentative observational conclusions especially about the potential impact of IT on economic growth and social development, and establish critical areas for further research. Particular emphasis is paid to the relevance of IT Outsourcing in relation to the 8th Millennium Development Goal: Creating a global partnership for development that will foster more favourable international trade and financial conditions (UNDP 2008).
Definitional Foundation
To clarify the terminology used in this paper the following definitions will apply: Information Technology is "the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-based information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware." Encompassing the computer and information systems industries, information technology is the capability to electronically input, process, store, output, transmit, and receive data and information, including text, graphics, sound, and video, as well as the ability to control machines of all kinds electronically (Information Technology Association of America 2006). Outsourcing is an arrangement in which one company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house. Outsourcing is a trend that is becoming more common in information technology and other industries for services that have usually been regarded as intrinsic to managing a business. In some cases, the entire information management of a company is outsourced, including planning and business analysis as well as the installation, management, and servicing of the network and workstations. Outsourcing can range from the large contract in which a company like IBM manages IT services for a company like Xerox to the practice of hiring contractors and temporary office workers on an individual basis (cio.com definitions 2007). Offshore outsourcing. Offshore simply means "any country other than your own. A type of business process outsourcing (BPO), is the exporting of IT-related work from the United States and other developed countries to areas of the world where there is both relative political stability and lower labor costs or tax savings. Outsourcing is an arrangement in which one company provides services for another company that could also be or usually have been provided in-house." The Internet and high-speed Internet connections make it possible for outsourcing to be carried out anywhere in the world, a business trend economists call globalization. In general, domestic companies interested in offshore outsourcing are not only trying to save money in order to be more price-competitive against each other, but also to enable them to compete with businesses in other countries (cio.com definitions 2007).
Nearshore Outsourcing. Nearshore outsourcing is the practice of getting work done or services performed by people in neighboring countries rather than in your own country. Geographic proximity means that travel and communications are generally easier and less expensive, and that there are likely to be at least some commonalities between the cultures, and people are more likely to speak the same language (cio.com definitions 2007.
Software Exports
While the worldwide sale and development of software has mushroomed over the last two decades, its national importance and unique nature has spawned new concerns and policy issues, especially in the trade arena (Lall 2003). There are various ways to transmit and distribute software. It can be shipped as a tangible product (on optical and magnetic disks or tape), increasingly as an intangible product (transmitted electronically via the Internet). It can be exported pre-loaded on a computer or embedded in electronic devices, such as medical equipment and automotive controls. It also can be conveyed abroad by software programmers and engineers as part of an information technology (IT) service, or disseminated via licensing mechanisms that authorize foreign buyers to use a particular program, or to increase the number of users, who can access a program that is already installed (Woods 2006).
Software Exports
Total IT Spending
1,400,000.00
1,200,000.00
1,000,000.00 ($MM)
800,000.00
WORLD
600,000.00
400,000.00
200,000.00
0.00 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
The BRICS countries had $108 billion of IT spending in 2007 and this will grow at over 12% per year to reach $172 billion in 2011. The establishment of a domestic overall IT industry is an important factor in providing global competitiveness for IT Offshoring capabilities in these countries.
70,000.0
60,000.0
40,000.0
30,000.0
20,000.0
10,000.0
0.0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
600000
500000
200000
100000
0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
14,000.0
12,000.0
$MM
8,000.0
6,000.0
4,000.0
2,000.0
0.0 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
Worldwide IT Offshore IT Services Spending (Demand) The demand for IT Offshore Outsourcing reached $18 billion in 2007 and is conservatively expected to grow at 17.6% per year to $29 billion in 2010 (IDC 2007).
Table 1. Worldwide offshore IT services spending (IDC: 2007). Worldwide Offshore IT Services Spending ($MM)
Country/Region
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
CAGR%
These figures demand that forecasts take into consideration, not only the inherent demand due to the size and growth of the developed worlds IT sectors, but also the constraining factors of regulation, foreign exchange rates, and political pressures.
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30 2003-2007 CAGR % India $50B Brazil Russia India China South Africa
25
15
10
10
India will continue to dominate the IT Offshoring business, however, very rapid growth by Russia will bring it to the number two position by 2011. Brazil, while remaining relatively small, will be experiencing the second highest growth during the 2007-2011 period. China, will become more important as time goes on and South Africa will be an emerging player (BRASSCOM 2007, NASSCOM 2007, RUSSOFT 2007, China Software Industry Association 2005, EIU 2007, South Africa Information Technology Association 2008). The magnitude of the amount of IT Offshoring activity and its exceptional growth rates make it one of the most important contributors to the economic development and global competitiveness of the BRICS countries.
Porters Five Diamond Model of Country Competitiveness in IT Outsourcing To see the BRICS countries comparative strategic competitiveness in the IT Outsourcing Industry, it is useful to apply Porters Five Diamond Model (Porter 1990). . This will illustrate the comparative factor conditions, demand conditions, relating and supporting industries, and the strategy and structure of the IT Outsourcing industry, which in turn will allow for preliminary conclusions about the relative viability of a nation competing n a particular international market. Figure 3. Porters National Diamond Framework (Porter (1990)
DEMAND CONDITIONS
1. 2. 3.
FACTOR CONDITIONSHome grown resources/capabilities more important 11 than natural endowments. RELATED AND SUPPORTING INDUSTRIESKey role of industry clusters DEMAND CONDITIONSDiscerning domestic customers drive quality &
Each of the BRICS counties can be examined from the perspective of its ability to compete in the global market for IT Outsourcing Services. The determinants of national competitive advantage identified by Porter (1990) provide a framework for doing this. The results below are based upon the authors assessments. FACTOR CONDITIONS: The nations position in factors of production, such as skilled labor or infrastructure, necessary to compete in a given industry. Brazil - Large, well established domestic IT industry, moderate but growing IT workforce, with low English skills. Russia - Large, well established domestic IT industry, large highly educated IT workforce, with low English skills. India - Large, well established domestic IT industry, large highly educated IT workforce with good English skills. China - Large, but fairly new domestic IT industry, with a large highly educated IT workforce, and low English skills. South Africa - Moderately sized and new domestic IT industry, with a shortage of highly educated IT workforce having good English skills. RELATED AND SUPPORTING INDUSTRIES: The presence or absence in the nation of supplier industries and other related industries that are internationally competitive. Brazil - Strong telecom industry with some IT hardware industry developing. Russia - Moderate telecom industry with some IT hardware industry India - Moderate telecom industry with very little IT hardware industry China - Strong telecom industry with moderately strong IT hardware industry South Africa - Moderate telecom industry and no IT hardware industry DEMAND CONDITIONS: The nature of home-market demand for the industrys product or service. Brazil Relatively large and sophisticated industrial and retail industry environment which require IT support.
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Russia Relatively large and sophisticated government, industrial and retail industry environment which require IT support. India Moderately large and sophisticated government, industrial and retail industry environment which require IT support. China Very large and sophisticated government, industrial and retail industry environment which require IT support. South Africa Moderate government, industrial and retail industry environment needing IT support. STRATEGY, STRUCTURE, RIVALRY: The conditions in the nation governing how companies are created, organized, and managed, as well as the nature of domestic rivalry. Brazil Mostly modest sized domestic IT Outsourcing firms and a few large multinational IT Outsourcing firms. Level of competition is moderate. Russia Mostly small sized domestic IT Outsourcing firms, with few large multinational IT Outsourcing firms. Level of competition is moderate. India IT Outsourcing dominated by large domestic IT Outsourcing firms and many major large multinational IT Outsourcing firms. Level of competition is high. China Many small domestic Outsourcing firms and a growing number of large multinational IT Outsourcing firms. Level of competition is high South Africa Mostly small sized domestic IT Outsourcing firms, with very few large multinational IT Outsourcing firms. Level of competition is low. (BRASSCOM 2007, NASSCOM 2007, RUSSOFT 2007, China Software Industry Association 2005, EIU 2007).
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How intense is the rivalry Substitutes How easy can a product be substituted
It is important in our discussion of BRICS countries to drill down more deeply than the National Diamond Model to understand the structural characteristics of the IT Outsourcing industry in each country, by assessing the five competitive forces below as defined by Porter. The Threat of New Entrants: depends on economies of scale, capital investment requirements, customer switching costs, access to industry distribution channels, access to technology, brand loyalty, the likelihood of retaliation from existing industry players and government regulations. 14
Brazil -High degree of bureaucratic impediments for start-ups, little brand loyalty and low customer switching costs. Moderate threat of new entrants. Russia - High degree of bureaucratic impediments for start-ups, little brand loyalty and low customer switching costs. Moderate threat of new entrants. India Moderate degree of bureaucratic impediments for start-ups; brand equity high among the top three firms in the industry: Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), Infosys and Wipro that account for over 89% of the business. Low threat of new entrants. China - Very few impediments for start-ups and no dominance by any major players. Little brand equity and low customer switching costs. High threat of new entrants. South Africa - Some impediments for start-ups or foreign entrants. Fragmented industry with no dominant players. Low customer switching costs. Moderate threat of new entrants. The Bargaining Power of Buyers: depends on the concentration of buyers, structure of industry costs, the degree of product differentiation, the role of quality and service, the threat of backward and forward integration into the industry and switching costs. Brazil Local buyers have few IT alternatives, except to in-source their IT. Multinational buyers have other countries from which they can source. Bargaining power is moderately high. Russia Local buyers have few alternatives. Multinational buyers have other countries from which they can source. Bargaining power is low. India Multiple domestic and multinational IT Outsourcing firms to select from to gain best possible results and billing rates, though top firms account for 80% of the business. Bargaining power is moderate. China Many small and medium size local IT Outsourcing firms from which to select. Bargaining power is high. South Africa Local buyers have a few local IT Outsourcing firms to select from. Bargaining power is low.
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Intensity of Rivalry: depends on the structure of the competition, the structure of industry costs, switching costs, strategic objectives, and exit barriers. Brazil Russia Large number of highly qualified IT professionals Few with English language skills Bargaining power is low Fairly small number of IT professionals, growing demand for them Bargaining power is high
India Large pool of highly skilled, educated software engineers Shortage of suitable software developers in India Bargaining power low China Large pool of highly skilled, educated software engineers. Few with English language skills Bargaining power is low South Africa Relative small number of highly skilled, educated software engineers Bargaining power high The Threat of Substitutes: depends on quality, buyers willingness to substitute, the relative price and performance of substitutes, and thcost of switching to another product. Brazil Relatively few IT domestic substitutes; low threat Russia Relatively few IT domestic substitutes; low threat India Many IT sourcing alternatives exist; high threat China Many IT sourcing alternatives exist; high threat South Africa Few IT sourcing alternatives exist; low threat
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Rivalry Among Existing Competitors: Does a strong competition amongst the exiting players exist? Is one player dominant or are all players equal in strength and size? Brazil Industry is highly fragmented; level of rivalry is moderate Russia Industry is highly fragmented; level of rivalry is moderate India Industry is consolidated in the top tier, fragmented in the lower tier Facing competition from other low wage countries; intensity of rivalry high China Industry is highly fragmented; intensity of rivalry is moderately high South Africa Industry is nascent and fragmented; intensity of rivalry is moderate. (BRASSCOM 2007, NASSCOM 2007, RUSSOFT 2007, China Software Industry Association 2005, EIU 2007. South African Information Technology Association 2008).
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1 2 5 31 37
Index Metrics:
In order to derive an overall score for the comparative favorability of the country environment for IT Offshore Outsourcing, the Financial Attractiveness, People and Skills Availability and the overall Business Environment need to be assessed and weighted. The specific factors and weightings for each of these three dimensions are provided below. Financial Attractiveness (40%) includes Compensation Costs (average wages, median compensation costs for relevant positions), Infrastructure Costs (rental costs, commercial electricity rates, international telecom costs, travel to major customer destinations), tax and regulatory costs (relative tax burden, corruption perception, currency appreciation or depreciation). People and Skills Availability (30%) includes remote services sector experience and quality ratings (size of existing IT and BPO sectors, contact center and IT center quality certifications, quality ratings of management schools and IT training, labor force availability (total work force, university-educated work force, work force flexibility), education and language (scores on standardized education and language tests), attrition risk (relative IT and BPO sector growth and unemployment rates). Business Environment includes Country Environment (30%) includes investor and analyst ratings of overall business and political environment (A.T. Kearney Foreign Direct Investment Confidence Index), security risk, regulatory burden and employment rigidity, government support for the information and communications technology (ICT) sector), infrastructure (overall infrastructure quality, quality of 18
telecom, Internet, and electricity infrastructure), cultural exposure (Personal interaction score from A.T. Kearney Globalization Index), and Security of Intellectual Property (Investor ratings of IP protection and ICT laws, Software piracy rates, Information security certifications). It would seem that Brazil, South Africa and Russia have PEST environments that can constrain their attraction for providing IT Outsourcing to clients from developed countries. With respect to South Africa and Africa as a whole, Wood (2002) suggests that Africa could surpass the current income level of South America and identifies opportunities underpinning prosperity in the region, stressing that improvements in governance are needed to reduce the risks of investment, accompanied by scientific research, education and communications. The cultural dimensions of IT Outsourcing will be examined in greater detail later in the paper.
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6.0
5.0 BRAZIL RUSSIA INDIA CHINA SOUTH AFRICA BRICS AVERAGE 2.0
4.0
3.0
1.0
Major IT Outsourcer Companies multi-country presence in BRICS Countries The top 20 Global IT Outsourcing companies have a significant multi-BRICS-country presence and operational capability. This is to maximize their overall cost/risk competitive profile and to mitigate cultural, physical or time zone differentials that could inhibit their service to clients. In the context of this paper and conference, their widespread presence may be seen as an indication of the growing sophistication of the major IT Outsourcing companies and a recognition on their part of the importance of a truly global capability. An itemized list of some of the major players can be followed below.
20
X X X X
21
Thus far we have laid down the elements for international trade and IT Outsourcing in the BRICS countries. Were we to assess no further, it is likely to appear that many of the key elements for the industry within the parameters of these countries have been addressed. However, from the table immediately above, it becomes apparent that a number of other key issues those involving the human factors, remain relatively unexamined to this point.
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Global language skills, also referred to commonly as the language of global commerce, salaries and geo-political risk are at the core of how well individuals can function in a transnational work environment where they are connected in globally dispersed work communities. As Cisco CEO, John Chambers (2008) puts it, the technology exists for conducting global business 24/7 in a stellar way but the cultural challenge of different kinds of people working in different places gets in the way: How do you achieve that seamless business when the folks in North America and Europe are thinking mostly about time and speed, and how to get things done faster and faster; and the South Americans, Southern Europeans and Arabs want to focus on relationships and dinner, while the Asians are saying hold it, its all about hierarchy and role?
It is a context where the convergence or divergence of work values have become central to debate as international companies struggle to understand the various value systems of the people in their multi-country operations.
Now, however, many of these international companies are considering trying to become global organizations in the sense of having a seamless or borderless approach to organization. In essence, being a global organization implies having a universal corporate culture. Since corporate culture grows out of the values held by organizational members, especially the influential members of the organization, a universal corporate culture is one where all members of the organization regardless of where in the world these individuals grew up or now work have similar views and beliefs that guide their behaviours when transacting business with members from other societies, as well a with members form their own society (Ralston, Holt, Terpstra & Kai-Cheng 2008).
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Socio-Cultural Anthropology
In-depth country-specific cultural information for all the BRICS countries is available in the research and publications of anthropology. Unfortunately, in the haste to get on with globalization and global business developments, it is rare indeed to find individuals and companies that take this rich historic material into consideration in project planning and management. Take the socio-cultural anthropology of Russia for example. Prior to the Revolution of 1917 Russia participated to some extent in the nationalist discourses of Central and Eastern Europe. After the Revolution, however, anthropology in the USSR and later the Soviet Bloc countries became highly shaped by the need to conform to Marxist theory (Gellner 1980). Either way, the information available provides rich resources of cultural knowledge waiting to be tapped in the service of change in our current global era. Although much of the material and even religious culture has changed, values underpinning social organization persist. As one Russian leader explained: We train our children to have one set of values in the home and take on another set of values when they go out the door (Ross 1990). Thankfully, a new cadre of Russian anthropologists is emerging in a number of university centres who can provide bi-cultural perspective about the current era and its historical roots.
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Global IT Culture
Moving specifically to the IT Outsourcing domain, the subject of this paper and a culture of its own - we find new fields of inquiry emerging based on multiple ITcountry sources, diverse audiences and different languages as people (having values, social organization, networks, work values and more that differ significantly) negotiate contracts, develop projects and attempt to work together. Cross-language information access systems provide opportunities for workers to access and use source materials from platforms and vendors in different languages. Accordingly, design and communication issues not present in monolingual settings arise from cross- language information access systems. Research (e.g., at the University of Maryland and elsewhere) to identify possible solutions to these problems along with potential applications for digital libraries is on the increase (Shreve, Chan, Zeng, Daquing He 2004).
Philosophy
Even philosophy has considerable to say about culture in IT communities and the work carried out in them. Nickle (2007), for example draws attention to a formal framework for the social acquisition of ontologies constructed from the symbolic interaction of autonomous information sources. This provides a semantics of information publishing acts involving a technical-based but social approach to knowledge acquisition and representation that is applicable in the design of semantic web and social software. The practical application here is that virtual collaborators need to understand the impact of the communication barrier existing between them and their unknown partners spread across the globe. If agents are not relying on any agreement about the meaning they ascribe to the symbols used in the conversation, semantic misalignments will arise on the discourse domain as well, thus making the communication impossible. In wide and heterogeneous scenarios offered by the Web (and its newborn semantic incarnation), traditional and meaning-safe methodologies for communication need to keep abreast of new dynamic communicative interaction modalities. The uncertainties arising from communication between actors which base their behavior on different and heterogeneous knowledge models have to be taken into account, wisely balancing the extent of reachable knowledge with the trustworthiness of its information. (Pazienza et al. 2007)
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RUSSIA
INDIA
CHINA
Low 80
S. AFRICA
49
65
49
Chart 6. Comparative Culture Scores for BRICS Countries. (Nath & Sathu 1988).
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(Hofstede 1983)
27
World averages
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Power distance Power distance for Brazil, overall, is high, ranking a score of 75 in comparison to the world average of 52. Individualism vs. collectivism Brazil has an Individualism rank of 38 compared to the average Latin population score of 21. However, virtually all the Latin countries are considered to be Collectivist societies as compared to Individualist cultures. This is manifest in a close long-term commitment to the member 'group', be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount, and over-rides most other societal rules. (Hofstede Brazil 2008) Masculinity Femininity With respect to Masculinity-Femininity scores, Brazil is closer to the world average of 48 with its own country score at 45. Uncertainty avoidance. Brazil's highest Hofstede Dimension is Uncertainty Avoidance at 76, indicating the societys low level of tolerance for uncertainty. To minimize or reduce this level of uncertainty, strict rules, laws, policies, and regulations are adopted and implemented with the ultimate goal being to control as much as possible in order to eliminate or avoid the unexpected. Due to this high Uncertainty Avoidance characteristic, the society, in Hofstedes view, is risk adverse and does not readily accept change (Hofstede Brazil 2008).
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World averages
Chart 8. Culture Dimensions for Indian and World Averages (Hofstede 2008). Power Distance. Power Distance (PDI) is the highest Hofstede Dimension for the culture, with a ranking of 77 compared to a world average of 56.5. This Power Distance score for India indicates a high level of inequality of power and wealth
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within the society. This condition is not necessarily subverted upon the population, but rather accepted by the population as a cultural norm. India's Long Term Orientation (LTO) Dimension rank is 61, with the world average at 48. A higher LTO score can be indicative of a culture that is perseverant and parsimonious (Hofstede 2008). Individualism vs. Collectivism India scores 42 in this dimension with the world average at 40. To interpret, it is likely that varied social customs at work in diverse parts of the country where people are organized in a number of different ways were not factored in, thus yielding a score which appears similar to crude world averages. Masculinity/Femininty. India has Masculinity as the third highest ranking Hofstede Dimension at 56, with the world average just slightly lower at 51. The higher the country ranks in this Dimension, the greater the gap between values of men and women. It may also generate a more competitive and assertive female population, although still less than the male population (Hofstede 2008). As frequently happens, however, there are other ways of viewing the score: Shauna Singh Baldwin reveals in her audio essay that Indian men have the power to be feminine (CBC 2007). Uncertainty Avoidance India's lowest ranking Dimension is Uncertainty Avoidance (UAI) at 40, compared to the world average of 65. On the lower end of this ranking, the culture may be more open to unstructured ideas and situations. The population may have fewer rules and regulations with which to attempt control of every unknown and unexpected event or situation, as is the case in high Uncertainty Avoidance countries. Long-term Orientation On this dimension, the Hofstede scores rank India at 58 with the world average at 42. Once again, it is not clear how factors relating to religious values and beliefs about the after life were factored in by Hofstede. This is an area where anthropology and other
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approaches have a great deal to offer in understanding. Harriss-White (2005), for example, shows how non-market and non-state institutions such as land, labour and commodities reveal the vitality of caste and religious pluralism in their functioning. While it may be tempting to view these elements as vestiges from an earlier era, she demonstrates how they are being refashioned in the interests of business and globalisation.
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World averages
Chart 9. Culture Dimensions for China and World Averages (Hofstede 2008). Hofstedes analysis for China has Long-term Orientation (LTO) as the highestranking factor (118), which he claims applies for all Asian cultures. This Dimension
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indicates a society's time perspective and an attitude of persevering; that is, overcoming obstacles with time, if not with will and strength (Hofstede 2008). A Chinese childrens opera viewed by the author in Shanghai (Ross 1978) illustrates the point well. In the story, Ling-ling, a girl of five years old is dreaming about what the world will be like in the Year 2000. She is propelled fast-forward ahead and above to a place amongst the stars in the sky from which to view a world in which China is world leader. Chinese guides at that time were keen to inform their western management visitors that China plans well for the future in long-term plans reaching 500 year ahead. Individualism vs. Collectivism. The Chinese rank lower than any other Asian country in the Individualism (IDV) ranking, at 20 compared to an average of 24. This may be attributed, in part, to the high level of emphasis on a Collectivist society by the Communist rule, as compared to one of Individualism. The low Individualism ranking is manifest in a close and committed member 'group', be that a family, extended family, or extended relationships. Loyalty in a collectivist culture is paramount. The society fosters strong relationships where everyone takes responsibility for fellow members of their group.
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From this chart it appears that atheism is high, yet we are not provided with interpretation of what this term means to the Chinese. Given that the studies were conducted in the 70s and not long after the cultural revolution, it is likely that the depth of Confucian and Buddhist believes underpinning the official atheism are not factored in. As one Chinese academic put it (Ross 1978), atheism is the very thin and visible layer atop centuries of beliefs and values. Taking these figures at face value, and outside the regional contexts and social configurations existing within the country, business people might well make misleading interpretations that could be costly in a number of ways. There are many more inferences that could be drawn from Hofstedes work for the cultural dimensions of the countries addressed above, and likely also for Russia and South Africa. We feel, however, that this representative sample provides insights into how the Hofstede work may be applied, as well as its limitations. We believe it is more fruitful to consider for a moment at least some of the ways by which the concept of cultural dimensions can be pushed further in the IT Outsourcing industry. We realize we are making only a brief step in what follows.
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As the people of the world press for a greater portion of the worlds economic and resource pie, IT Outsourcing holds potential for the new partnerships envisioned in the 8th Millennium Development goals. For example when members of more than 100 non-government groups met in Brazil recently at the GCAP (Global Call to Action Against Poverty) meeting, they were joined by organized groups in more than 80 countries worldwide. Their message was strong: Instead of focusing on reducing the number of people living in extreme poverty, the world's leaders should be working towards combating the root causes of poverty, since this is the only real way of eradicating it (Osava 2008). Since BRICS countries appear to be gaining some ground in this respect, their role is unique and their knowledge needs to be tapped. But more on that later.
Culture-Code Framework
Much cross cultural training and sensitization consists of language training, lists of dos and donts, descriptive cultural practices and as we have seen in the previous section - scores. The problem is, how to apply these details in the rough and tumble of daily business where the pace increases continuously. Clotaire Rapaille, in The Culture Code, An Ingenious Way to Understand Why the People Around the World Live and Buy as They Do, takes us well beyond scores and lists to provide a new method for understanding culture; one that probes through the layers and prescriptions to determine what triggers understanding at the emotional levels on a range of key issues that affect everything around us is perceived: The Culture Code is the unconscious meaning we apply to any given thing a car, a type of food, a relationship, even a country via the culture in which we are raised It is obvious to everyone that cultures are different from one another. What most people dont realize, however, is that these differences actually lead to our processing the same information in different waysThe combination of experience and its accompanying emotion creates something known widely as an imprint Once an imprint occurs, it strongly conditions our thought process and shapes our future actions. Each imprint helps make us more of who we are. The combination of imprints defines us. Early imprinting has a tremendous impact on why people do what they doAn imprint and its Code are like a lock and its combination. If you have all of the right numbers in the right sequence, you can open the lock. Doing so over a vast array of imprints has profound implications. It brings us to the answer to one of our most fundamental questions: why do we act the way we do? (Rapaille 2006). Why do people act the way they do?
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Understanding the Culture Code is a systematic way to understand any culture. It has potential for including IT and corporate culture and the complexities involved in IT outsourcing and other areas. It provides possibilities for new approaches for unlocking the global IT domains and for better understanding of development economics and needs, bringing with it ways to unlock the potential of emerging economies to join developed nations find keys to ending poverty (World Economic Forum 2008; Sachs 2005; Roche 1968). Ultimately, what is needed most is an approach that enables understanding any culture or sub-culture, including ones own and how culture of origin shapes how other cultures are interpreted and understood. For business success and global economic development - the goal is to be effective in all situation where operations and management decisions need to be made amongst international counterparts or employees from any cultural background working any time and anywhere.
effectively in the service of change? And how does this attempt to bridge commercial and governance gaps with emerging economies relate to economic development in the world at large, especially the BRICS countries? By bringing Martin and Jacobs into this discussion at the same time, it is clear that solutions about economic development cannot come from the business side alone. For any hope of success, emerging markets must their governance problems in hand, and is an area where the concerns of the developed nations is well understood. Based on their experience, they can and should insist that countries with developing markets adapt the values and practices of the market: e.g., legal and regulatory mechanisms. If not do so, the potential crises can be predicted. We could look at it this way. What if it were possible to move the developed economies (not without their own problems) to any of the BRICS countries? Bearing in mind that it took the G-8 countries about 80 years to get proper mechanisms for market control in place (roughly 1870 1950, and inclusive of two world wars and a great depression), it is likely that the worst excesses of capitalism could occur in the absence of legal and regulatory mechanisms that have been developed to prevent these mistakes from being repeated. With the controls things could get rough in the digitally connected and often volatile global era. A key issue facing the BRICS countries on the cusp of economic take-off, is how they will confront the same things that Britain, France, Canada, Germany, USA and others had to face when their markets went out of control. History reveals what can happen when there are sudden market changes without regulation. Things become can quickly become chaotic and irrational when the hand of the state is removed. Corruption commonly results. Ultimately it is the cultural resources of nations and people the traditions, customs and social organization that can be brought to bear in market development and control. Martins opposable mind thinking is relevant for problems that are faced every day in the area between the market and governance. Integrated thinking is not easy, but it is necessary at all levels involving the complex affairs of a finite and shared world of:
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individuals, leaders, countries and regions. Jacobs (1992) insists that understanding and managing the dichotomy of commerce and governance is essential for human economic and human survival.
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opportunites many times in the past. We believe the Backhaus Vision* is one worth considering and working towards.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank a host of colleagues who have been an inspiration in the development of this perspective, in particular international development and business friends in countries around the globe. We also acknowledge our colleagues and students in the MBA program, University of Maryland University College, in particular those in the capstone global business and strategy courses. Further development of the Backhaus Country Mentorship model is in progress, for information contact Dr. Wilf Backhaus backhaus@shaw.ca .
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Appendix
Cultural Dimension Scores for Ten Countries/Regions Power Distance 40L 35L 54M 68H 38L 68H 78H 77H 95H 80H Individualism 91H 67H 46M 71H 80H 25L 14L 20L 50M 20L Masculinity 62H 66H 95H 43M 14L 57H 46M 46M 40L 50M Uncertainty Avoidance 46L 65M 92H 86H 53M 29L 48L 54M 90H 60M Long-term Orientation 29L 31M 80H 30L 44M 96H 25L 16L 10L 118H
USA Germany Japan France Netherlands Hong Kong Indonesia West Africa Russia China
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