Borderless Bits: Electronic Globalization and its Social Consequences
Decision, Vol. 36, No. 1, pp.15-29
18 Pages Posted: 24 Jan 2009 Last revised: 4 Sep 2014
Date Written: January 21, 2009
Abstract
Globalization of services with the aid of electronic technologies - popularly called outsourcing or offshoring - has been accelerating. In this paper, the factors that drive electronic globalization - as distinct from factors that drive the general process of globalization - are discussed briefly. A simple model of a 2-firm USA-India dyad engaged in outsourcing relationships is presented to outline the economic basis for electronic globalization. By introducing wider political and cultural forces, progressively more complex views of the electronic globalization phenomenon are presented. Finally, the interplays of the economic, political, and cultural forces are explored to arrive at a deeper understanding of electronic globalization, and broader consequences and longer-term impacts are explored.
Keywords: IT, ICT, globalization, outsourcing, USA, India, offshoring, technology, services, center, periphery
JEL Classification: B24, F02, F23, L80, L96, M51, Z10
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