Revision as of 07:23, 5 November 2004

one page description, due November 8th, Monday, worth 10% of grade

Introduction

Policy makers often fall victim to the age old error that they are in a unique situation, fighting forces that have never been wrestled. This is rarely the case, especially for the new economy and its centerpiece known as 'outsourcing'. This new business practice is the result of a technological and communications revolution that was much like that of late 19th Century in the United States. In the past, it resulted in the development of the multi-national corporation. This study analyzes the reasons behind outsourcing, traces its rise through history and into the 21st century, while putting in the context of public policy and its impact on society and innovation.

The first part of our paper will look at outsourcing in its historical perspective, comparing it to business developments in the past- helping to understand where outsourcing came from. Much of the history will be derived from the work of business historians, such as the leader Alfred Chandler of Harvard Business School.

Contemporary trends and related policies on outsourcing will be the subject of the second section. Among other things, we will present a case study on the H1-B visa cap issue, which was the center point of outsourcing related debate for a good 2 years and discuss outsourcing from the perspective of the 'outsourcer' and the 'outsourcee'. In light of the recent election and the uncertainty surrounding it, we will discuss outsourcing from a public policy point of view, trying to discern what does outsourcing mean for various sections of the society -- the people, the companies, the government.

The paper will conclude with a discussion on the future of outsourcing -- whether it will sustain itself as a profitable business model in its present form, or will it change drastically, and how publicy policy can and will shape outsourcing in the years to come. We will conclude with some recommendations on policy formulation in this area.

Past

The origins

The rise

Present

Is outsourcing good?

Is outsourcing bad?

H1-B Visa: A case study

Future

Will outsourcing survive?

Outsourcing and public policy

Discussion

Kiran Kalyan give a brief intro to the the history of outsourcing( Stuart's paragraph should do for now, I think), examine the "rise",as it were, of outsourcing and list some factors. Finally, we can round off the proposal with some ideas for improvements - both in the basic mechanisms of outsourcing itself and in their perceptions.

Past

Stuart Schimler

I was requested to send you the proposal for my part of the paper. Since I would like to focus on the "past" part of our project, I wrote my paragraph. It can be changed as you see fit and I hope it will fit into our general framework. If there are any questions, comments or suggestions, please feel free to mention them. The paragraph I wrote would seem like a good opener for the proposal.

Policy makers often fall victim to the age old error that they are in a unique situation, fighting forces that have never been wrestled. This is rarely the case, especially for the new economy and its centerpiece known as ?outsourcing.? This ?new? business practice is the result of a technological and communications revolution that was much like that of late 19th Century in the United States. In the past, it resulted in the development of the multi-national corporation. The first part of our paper will look at outsourcing in its historical perspective, comparing it to business developments in the past- helping to understand where outsourcing came from. Much of the history will be derived from the work of business historians, such as the leader Alfred Chandler of Harvard Business School.