From Kodak to Intel: how global outsourcing means local problems

Purpose – Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach – Scans the top 400 management publications in the world to identify the most topical issues and latest concepts. These are presented in an easy‐to‐digest briefing of no more than 1,500 words. Findings – For CEOs the world over, the mathematics are simple: the company needs to spend $millions on a new IT services, this can be done cheapest in India or China, the company has to maximize revenues for its shareholders, therefore it is goodbye to jobs in New England, hello new, cheaper employees in New Delhi. However business in the twenty‐first century, and mathematics, is not like that anymore because one group of people are increasing their influence, and they do not like jobs moving abroad. Who are they? Stakeholders. And, according to Thomas A. Hemphill's article “Global outsourcing: effective functional strategy or deficient corporate governance?”, they represent the biggest challenge to corporate governance protocols yet. Practical implications – Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations. Originality/value – The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to digest format.