Reference no: EM132154316

Business-process outsourcing (BPO) is a type of outsourcing that consists of contracting operations and responsibilities of a specific business process (e.g., human resources) to a third-party service provider. Such outsourcing generally began with manufacturing firms outsourcing their supply chain but has grown into a much wider range of processes, including marketing, finance, sales, and accounting. According to a recent Forbes article, the revenue of the global outsourced services industry rose from $45 billion in 2000 to nearly $100 billion in 2012. Competition among firms in the BPO market is strong. Companies based in the United States include HP Enterprise Services, Affiliated Computer Services, and Automated Data Processing (ADP). A number of Indian companies, however, also provide worldwide BPO services, such as Infosys, Wipro, and Genpact. An article in BusinessWeek suggested that BPO can save end users anywhere from 15 to 85 percent. International BPO service providers are particularly attractive since offshore labor offers an additional 25 to 30 percent cost savings. Furthermore, approximately 25 percent of the cost savings results from BPO firms' proprietary products. The remaining 10 to 30 percent in cost reduction accrues from consolidated operations. Suppose you are the manager of a U.S.-based company 199 and must decide whether to outsource your human resources department. Outline arguments supporting and opposing a decision to outsource this function of your business. From a purely business standpoint, are there issues arise from contracting with an international- based versus U.S.-based BPO service firm? Explain.