Carlson Consulting Enterprise students don’t just rely on their own research. They can also leverage the knowledge of a world-class faculty and take advantage of academic data.
Consultants working on the outsourcing white paper sought out Mani Subramani, associate professor of Information and Decision Sciences. Subramani’s research currently focuses on studying the levels of preparedness of various firms facing outsourcing, from choosing the right process to the various competencies of firms to manage offshore.
Subramani encourages students to look past the obvious issues of savings on labor costs that can be garnered through outsourcing labor. “There are labor advantages, yes, but there are other advantages–huge advantages to rethinking how businesses execute their processes given the technology that's available,” he recently told the Minnesota Daily.
According to Subramani, the realities of outsourcing mean that it’s important to look at the global marketplace instead of focusing on only domestic job loss. There are 24 hours in the day, and efficient companies can take advantage of this.
Recently, Subramani led a seminar on managing globally that culminated in taking 20 Carlson School students on a visit to Bangalore, the heart of India’s high-tech industry. The students, who were partnered with students from IIM, Bangalore, were able to see outsourcing in action. Consultants interviewed some of those who took part in the trip, making contacts among students in the Part-Time MBA program who confront outsourcing in their ongoing careers. This information was valuable input to the white paper.
The consultants also benefited from access to the data generated by Subramani ’s research. For practical aid in information gathering, they were able to share information resources with Subramani’s research assistants. In the long run, they’ll be able to leverage each others’ efforts.
As the students completed the white paper, Subramani was impressed by the results. “Structure was the key to the students’ success,” said Subramani. “Outsourcing is a big issue, and the team did a great job of synthesizing a great deal of information. I’m using it as a model for my research assistants to show how to frame similar big issues. Too, they framed their research to their clients’ needs. The white paper can be considered intellectual capital. It provides an excellent base for academics and companies to take their research to the next level.”
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