This book collects and reports on the results of a study conducted on the Chinese Software and Services Outsourcing (SSO) industry, focusing on one of its main players as a key case study. Two sets of research findings are presented: first, the knowledge management and communication processes inherent within a highly collaborative software development project between the case study company and one of its long-term UK clients are explored and distilled into specific practices; second, at the organizational level, the strategies used by the company to build and exploit capabilities and to dynamically configure resources to promote specific value positions along its outsourced services value networks are identified and discussed. The significance of these findings for similar China-based global high-tech firms and the value of this organizational form in moving closer to the goals of the 2020 enterprise vision are both discussed, along with the implications of the findings for EU/UK businesses operating in similar digital domains.

While China is known for its immense manufacturing base, in recent years the Chinese government has assigned a high priority to science and technology services as its future growth sectors. The Chinese government is supporting this vision with the establishment of research and technology parks, favorable tax incentives, policy reform, grants to help Chinese firms achieve certifications, investments in infrastructure, and promotion of IT outsourcing (ITO) and business process outsourcing (BPO) services. Beyond the aspirations of its leaders, is China ready to compete in the global ITO and BPO markets? How can Western managers successfully engage Chinese ITO/BPO suppliers?
In this book, top scholars and practitioners doing leading research on China's ITO and BPO sector help answer these questions. All told, this book reports on findings from 519 interviews, 305 surveys, 11 detailed case studies, and 34 formal presentations. Authors analyze the strengths and weaknesses of China's ITO and BPO markets, categorize and analyze Chinese suppliers, project future trends in China's ITO and BPO capabilities, and prescribe lessons for Western managers seeking to engage Chinese suppliers. Several chapters contain studies of Chinese suppliers and clients engaged in particular ITO or BPO services, including, procurement, media relations, logistics, and research and development. Overall, the Chinese ITO and BPO markets are changing rapidly as they both respond to and help form the global outsourcing landscape. This book provides an in-depth, contemporary view on where China is heading, how it is going to get there, and how companies and countries can engage with China's emerging outsourcing capabilities.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 17th IFIP WG 9.4 International Conference on Social Implications of Computers in Developing Countries, ICT4D 2022, which was supposed to be held in Lima, Peru, in May 2021, but was held virtually instead due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 40 revised full papers presented were carefully reviewed and selected from 58 submissions. The papers present a wide range of perspectives and disciplines including (but not limited to) public administration, entrepreneurship, business administration, information technology for development, information management systems, organization studies, philosophy, and management. They are organized in the following topical sections: digital platforms and gig economy; education and health; inclusion and participation; and business innovation and data privacy.