Upcoming Lectures at William Davidson Institute

This Thursday, January 31, Ajay Sharma of the William Davidson Institute (WDI) will be delivering a talk from 5:00-6:00PM at the business school in E0540. This lecture promises to be a very informative and engaging presentation. Sharma has nine years of experience in global IT delivery; since graduating from Ross, he has worked with WDI helping companies address the globalization of business services. He is looking to encourage many questions and discussion from the audience.

On this theme of offshoring, he will touch on a few main topics. In addition to the aforementioned globalization of services, consideration will be given to the challenges and opportunities on the demand side, which includes developed nations such as the US and Europe that receive these services. Moreover, he will explain how these changes in business have affected developing countries and the secondary business opportunities that offshoring creates. As countries develop their economies, they are in a position to purchase more goods and services that are created by the developed economies.

Managers and business leaders will notice a shift in where services are coming from, but they also realize that it is not a one-way street. Instead, there is also a lot to be gained from a growth and development point of view; locations to offshore are not entirely decided based upon labor rates. Finally, Sharma will address the policy side of offshoring with topics such as how the WTO and GATT operate and what managers need to be aware of when doing business in the international arena.

A short while ago, I had the opportunity to sit down with Ajay Sharma (MBA '04) to discuss his work and his upcoming talk about the globalization of IT services. Globalization of business services is increasing at a rapid pace; firm boundaries have become more porous, and geographic boundaries matter less and less. "Today, companies can - and they need to - look outside their corporate and national borders for new sources of efficiency and innovation," said Sharma.

Located next to the executive residence, the William Davidson Institute (WDI) is a non-profit organization that advises and provides information to businesses that work in emerging economies. As the economies of the world have become more connected and interdependent, it is critical for business leaders to understand the economies of various countries in which companies do business. If you are looking to learn more about global IT delivery, the process of offshoring, and the globalization of technology, then attending the Ajay Sharma's lecture at the William Davidson Institute this Thursday is a great place to start.