The Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry: Diversity and Challenges in Asia
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
A Service of Leibniz-Informationszentrum econstor Wirtschaft Leibniz Information Centre Make Your Publications Visible. zbw for Economics Mitra, Raja Mikael Working Paper The Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry: Diversity and Challenges in Asia ADB Economics Working Paper Series, No. 365 Provided in Cooperation with: Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila Suggested Citation: Mitra, Raja Mikael (2013) : The Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry: Diversity and Challenges in Asia, ADB Economics Working Paper Series, No. 365, Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila, http://hdl.handle.net/11540/2295 This Version is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/109478 Standard-Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Die Dokumente auf EconStor dürfen zu eigenen wissenschaftlichen Documents in EconStor may be saved and copied for your Zwecken und zum Privatgebrauch gespeichert und kopiert werden. personal and scholarly purposes. Sie dürfen die Dokumente nicht für öffentliche oder kommerzielle You are not to copy documents for public or commercial Zwecke vervielfältigen, öffentlich ausstellen, öffentlich zugänglich purposes, to exhibit the documents publicly, to make them machen, vertreiben oder anderweitig nutzen. publicly available on the internet, or to distribute or otherwise use the documents in public. Sofern die Verfasser die Dokumente unter Open-Content-Lizenzen (insbesondere CC-Lizenzen) zur Verfügung gestellt haben sollten, If the documents have been made available under an Open gelten abweichend von diesen Nutzungsbedingungen die in der dort Content Licence (especially Creative Commons Licences), you genannten Lizenz gewährten Nutzungsrechte. may exercise further usage rights as specified in the indicated licence. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo www.econstor.eu The Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry: Diversity and Challenges in Asia The paper points to the importance of the digital revolution and knowledge economy transformation. It examines who and why some Asian countries have been more successful than others in developing information technology-business process outsourcing services industries. It points that there is no single way to developing the industry. Each region, country, city, sector, firm, and individual needs to develop approaches that are relevant to the local and global conditions at any given place and time. ADB Economics About the Asian Development Bank ADB’s vision is an Asia and Pacific region free of poverty. Its mission is to help its developing Working Paper Series member countries reduce poverty and improve the quality of life of their people. Despite the region’s many successes, it remains home to two-thirds of the world’s poor: 1.7 billion people who live on less than $2 a day, with 828 million struggling on less than $1.25 a day. ADB is committed to reducing poverty through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration. Based in Manila, ADB is owned by 67 members, including 48 from the region. Its main instruments for helping its developing member countries are policy dialogue, loans, equity investments, guarantees, grants, and technical assistance. The Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry: Diversity and Challenges in Asia Raja Mikael Mitra No. 365 | September 2013 Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org/economics Printed on recycled paper Printed in the Philippines ADB Economics Working Paper Series The Information Technology and Business Process Outsourcing Industry: Diversity and Challenges in Asia Raja Mikael Mitra Raja Mikael Mitra is an economist and a consultant to the Asian Development Bank and the World Bank. No. 365 September 2013 Asian Development Bank 6 ADB Avenue, Mandaluyong City 1550 Metro Manila, Philippines www.adb.org © 2013 by Asian Development Bank September 2013 ISSN 1655-5252 Publication Stock No. WPS136002 The views expressed in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) or its Board of Governors or the governments they represent. ADB does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this publication and accepts no responsibility for any consequence of their use. By making any designation of or reference to a particular territory or geographic area, or by using the term “country” in this document, ADB does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area. Note: In this publication, “$” refers to US dollars. The ADB Economics Working Paper Series is a forum for stimulating discussion and eliciting feedback on ongoing and recently completed research and policy studies undertaken by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) staff, consultants, or resource persons. The series deals with key economic and development problems, particularly those facing the Asia and Pacific region; as well as conceptual, analytical, or methodological issues relating to project/program economic analysis, and statistical data and measurement. The series aims to enhance the knowledge on Asia’s development and policy challenges; strengthen analytical rigor and quality of ADB’s country partnership strategies, and its subregional and country operations; and improve the quality and availability of statistical data and development indicators for monitoring development effectiveness. The ADB Economics Working Paper Series is a quick-disseminating, informal publication whose titles could subsequently be revised for publication as articles in professional journals or chapters in books. The series is maintained by the Economics and Research Department. Printed on recycled paper CONTENTS ABSTRACT v I. INTRODUCTION 1 II. WORLDWIDE PRODUCTION, SPENDING, AND SOURCING 3 III. DIFFUSION AND IMPACT 6 IV. INDUSTRY GROWTH, STRUCTURE, AND MARKET ORIENTATION 9 A. Overall Development Trajectories 9 B. Domestic Markets 10 C. Export Markets 12 V. REGIONAL AND COUNTRY-SPECIFIC INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS 12 A. South Asia 13 B. Southeast Asia 16 C. East Asia 20 VI. ASIAN DIVERSITY AND LESSONS 23 VII. CONCLUSIONS 25 REFERENCES 26 ABSTRACT Some countries and regions have been more successful than others in developing information technology-business process outsourcing (IT-BPO) services industries. India and the Philippines in particular have offered educated human resources at low cost, attractive fiscal incentives, and industrial parks although these factors alone do not explain the rapid growth of the industry there as other countries also had these strengths but failed to develop industries as rapidly. A wide range of factors driving and constraining industry development must be taken into account, namely human resources; financial, infrastructure, technology, legal, and regulatory developments; the roles of foreign companies, diasporas, and of indigenous entrepreneurs; the government; industry associations; civil society; production, trade, and knowledge networks; and the interplay of all these factors locally, nationally, and internationally. This analysis of IT-BPO industry developments in Asia points to continued expansion in domestic, regional, and global demand and supply. There is a need for timely, concerted efforts by key stakeholders to define strategies, programs, and projects to respond to opportunities and challenges at all levels. Experiences from Asian economies can offer lessons, but each situation has its own peculiarities. There is no single approach to developing an IT-BPO industry. Keywords: information technology, business process outsourcing, software industry, offshoring, services, knowledge economy, India, ASEAN, Asia JEL classification: L8, O14, F1, F63I I. INTRODUCTION Asia comprises of a diverse a set of economies with major differences in information and communication technology (ICT) development within and across countries. Some areas are advanced while others have little or no exposure to modern ICTs. Some are advanced while others have little or no exposure to modern ICT. Nevertheless, all economies have much to gain from increased network readiness (WEF 2013). The importance of ICT and of ICT-enabled service industries is not limited to the direct impacts of generating income and new employment opportunities. More importantly, developing the industry and the use of ICT is essential to advancing all social groups and sectors of the economy. Coupled with investments in infrastructure, training, education, and research and with legal and regulatory reforms that can improve government transparency and efficiency and the business climate, ICT is indeed a key driver of innovation and structural transformation in all societies (Castells 2000 and 2001). Expanding the scale and scope of ICT and of ICT-enabled services has been a key feature in economic development worldwide for many decades, and ICT has become a significant factor in international trade and also a key driver in transforming the domestic economies of both developed and developing countries (Sudan et al. 2010). Moreover, the pace of the ICT and of other technology revolutions is escalating (Schmidt and Cohen 2013). ICT related development, and more broadly speaking innovative networked knowledge economy transformation, holds promise to be a key pivotal factor in achieving sustainable, ecological and inclusive socio-economic development across all sectors and countries as well as in fostering globalization and