Book Review: What's This India Business? Offshoring, Outsourcing and the Global Services Revolution, by Paul Davies

chillibreeze writer — Dr. Roopa Nishi Viswanathan

“Today means that there is an excellent chance of the event happening fairly soon, and certainly within 24 hours.

Tomorrow means that while there is no guarantee, there is a strong determination for it to happen.

Two weeks is a time period beyond the wit of man to encompass, stretching forward- and back- to a time unimaginable.”

A typically punchy humor laces this creation by Paul Davies, the Managing Director of Onshore Offshore Ltd, a consulting agency providing initial advice through to implementation of offshore services to BPOs. But wait, behind all those tickling observations about India, there lies a man who truly understands India and says he loves it for what it is. Far from the books which only aim to soften the impact felt by a foreigner when he sets foot on Indian shores, What’s this India Business? is a book which projects stark realities combined with advice to those genuinely interested in investing in India. Davies starts off with outlining the current attitude of the Indian government towards outsourcing to India, proceeds to explain a bit of Indian history and geography, a must for one who seeks to understand the archetypal Indian and his quirks.

Then he delves right into the field of Outsourcing to India. Though India is the hotspot for outsourcing due to cheap labor, in his opinion, it is actually more than that. "Looking for a cheap market, you would come so far alright. But when the work is not delivered the way you want it, you obviously won't stick to the idea. But in India, it is the efficiency of the staff, proficiency in English, the ability to meet deadlines and of course, the same kind of legal system as in the UK that has made it so attractive," adds the author. "After all, not every country produces eight million undergraduates and two million graduates a year. There are people here worthy of jobs. So, the jobs have to come looking for them."

The first part of the book deals with the actual process, the advantages of outsourcing to India, how the Indian IT industry has grown to gigantic proportions, what to and what not to outsource, how to deal with different kinds of Indian companies; in short- how to set the ball rolling. This description of the text may sound like a beginner’s guide to outsourcing and perhaps that is what Davies’ intention is when he goes into lengthy discussions about seven criteria for choosing a supplier, the shrinking core of what a company must retain and not outsource, and so on.

From here on, the second part begins and those who haven’t tasted India get a primer on the various aspects of this apparently inscrutable country. Right from visa regulations, transport within India, accommodation, dress code, eating out, Indian names and their intricacies, to the great Indian Stretchable Time (Davies’ term for IST or Indian standard time) and the way business meetings are conducted in India (>It will probably start. >Time will elapse. >You will end the meeting- being the only similarities to a meeting in the US or the UK), Davies outlines it all in his own amusing style. The book then also goes over corruption in India and how much it does or does not affect the parent company. But according to Davies, “a cousin” always materializes at the right point in time to soothe away some of your problems, if not all. After you have had a good laugh over the eccentric Indian mannerisms and the author’s disorientation phase during his initial visits, it is time for serious stuff.

The last part deals with corporate aspects such as making the right decision for the parent company, tips to formulate a business plan, avoiding risks, the legal issues involved in an Indian contract and a few bleak issues which form part and parcel of any outsourcing process to India or abroad. In the author’s own words, being prepared for the worst is often the key to success. When you are battling in your mind over the decision to outsource and pondering over the potential issues, you can even read a chapter about haggling and the art of negotiations in India. After weighing the pros and cons, if you decide to go ahead, the book speaks a bit about the logistics and gives you tips to carve a niche in the Indian market. Davies also explains that the early wins a business obtains in India “are a pale reflection of the long-term benefits on offer. It is the added value that will come, perhaps unexpectedly, from the relationship that will provide the real return.” The book ends with a wider perspective about corporate and social responsibility of an individual and a company towards its own country and towards the world in general. Davies writes, "To ignore the corporate social responsibility that goes with employing people and not dealing with the issues properly may damage your reputation and even your brand." He also counters all negative aspects of offshoring with an optimistic, bottom-line when he writes, "Cost savings generated by going offshore represent a major competitive gain to your country and could trigger both new investment and greater prosperity."

As an India lover, Davies may sound a bit biased at times, and appear to be trying to sell India. On the other hand, sometimes his hilarious accounts of culture shock inducing experiences in India do not conform to precise reality, and may have the effect of scaring away less than determined companies. This disjoint is not striking and need not deter one’s reading of this book. Any discrepancy seems purely unintentional from his part and Davies’ main concern appears to be to project India to the world as is. Both his left and right brains work to his advantage, and the competition between the two plays out in his book. All in all, this book is not a mere tool to market India but encompasses the topic of India becoming the world's back office provider. Davies' book is evidently the handbook (if not the beginner’s bible) for those eager foreign companies sniffing India to offshore business.

Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.

If you liked the idea of outsourcing to India and have a content project ready to go, Chillibreeze could help you. For more details contact us.

Interested in outsourcing to India? Check out

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Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...

—About our writer:

Dr. Roopa Nishi Viswanathan,

“Live life by the day.” Born in Hyderabad, brought up in Mumbai, settled in Bangalore after a brief stint in the US, Dr. Roopa Nishi Viswanathan is a doctor-turned-biotechnologist-turned writer. Nishi loves reading anything and everything, travel, watching movies with her husband, exotic food, .....let’s simply say she loves living.

Book Review: What's This India Business? Offshoring, Outsourcing and the Global Services Revolution, by Paul Davies

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