Articles by Anthony Mitchell

Offshoring's toughest moments are often encountered while attempting to manage an IT outsourcing program at a facility that is unprepared for that particular type of work. As described below, chances of offshoring success are improved by matching the type of program with the lifecycle of the offshore IT facility So much hype surrounds offshore outs...

Most U.S. corporate customers of call centers offshore have little or no idea about other voice programs being run at those centers and how those unrelated programs could adversely affect them. Do you? Many U.S. firms have moved key business functions offshore to facilities that are running afoul of state rules governing the operation of voice prog...

Recent events in Nepal could spill over into India and hurt technology and financial firms in the United States and UK The United States finds itself in a dilemma, with the policies of the previous two U.S. administrations serving less to promote security or democracy in the region and more to incite Maoist rebels to attack U.S. interests in India....

American businesses are usually very price sensitive. Compared to firms elsewhere in the world, American companies tend to pay close attention to performance numbers. Valuing this kind of metric often comes as a surprise to offshore service providers, particularly in cultures where personal connections may be more important than consistently meeting performance goals...

India's Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) issued a circular in May on the taxability of foreign companies that have outsourced work to India. Official notices have also been sent out to Indian IT outsourcing firms asking for information on the nature of services being provided by outsourcing organizations for their foreign clients. The notices ...

The Indian government has made various proposals recently to tax foreign firms sending outsourcing work to India and firms that import and resell shrinkwrap software in India. Proposals range from setting a simple 4 percent tax on the value of outsourcing contracts to a more complex system of taxing the global income of corporations with standalone operations in India.

Two recent "failures" of offshoring projects have been publicized as if offshoring does not work. The most highlighted instance is Dell's return of some support activities to the U.S. The second is Conseco insurance company's 2001-2002 foray into owning its call center in India. These two instances of standalone offshoring efforts by U.S. firms ha...