RAPID: Offshoring in A Global Economic Crisis: Economic and Social Dynamics

SES-0937493Kenneth L.克莱默杰森湖Dedrick加州大学欧文分校“该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。“行业分析师预测，目前的全球经济危机将加速研发的离岸外包，如新产品开发和软件开发。企业利用开发活动创造新产品并将其推向市场，从而刺激经济增长。然而，开发过程的模块化使得越来越多的这些活动可以离岸（和/或外包），以获得成本和市场优势。这种转变可能会威胁到当前刺激政策的成功，这些政策严重依赖创新来推动增长和创造新的就业机会。因此，重要的是评估经济危机是否导致创新的离岸外包急剧增加，如果是的话，其规模、范围和影响。本项目将复制2008年秋季对高科技企业进行的调查，当时正值2008年第四季度经济急剧下滑之前，也是2009年经济刺激计划通过之前。这项调查将于2009年秋季进行，使我们能够了解随着经济衰退加深和外包压力增加，离岸外包的影响。如果更多的公司像预期的那样转向这一选择，那么随着时间的推移对公司进行比较将捕捉到衰退的具体影响。 这项研究的学术价值在于，它将有助于更好地了解经济危机下离岸外包的动态。目前的危机创造了一个自然的实验，公司可能会增加使用或改变其离岸外包模式。通过回顾这些高科技公司，我们将能够识别经济衰退带来的重要转变，塑造这些转变的因素以及对创新活动的影响。 这项研究的更广泛影响源于这样一个事实，即高科技产业是经济趋势的领先指标，因此研究结果可能预示着其他经济领域的离岸外包也会发生变化。了解这些趋势将为政策制定者和其他关注美国创新和经济表现的人提供重要见解。

SES-0937493Kenneth L. KraemerJason L. DedrickUniversity of California, Irvine"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."Industry analysts predict that the current global economic crisis will speed up the offshoring of R&D such as new product development (NPD) and software development. Firms use development activities to create and bring new products to market, thereby stimulating economic growth. However, the modularity of the development process makes it possible to offshore (and/or outsource) more and more of these activities for cost and market advantage. Such shifts could be a threat to the success of current stimulus policies that rely heavily on innovation to drive growth and generate new jobs. It is important therefore to assess whether there is a sharp escalation in offshoring of innovation as a result of the economic crisis and, if so, the scale, scope and implications thereof. This project will replicate a survey of high-tech firms conducted in the fall of 2008, just before the steep economic decline of the fourth quarter of that year and well before the passage of the 2009 economic stimulus plan. The survey will be conducted in the fall of 2009 enabling us to capture offshoring effects as the recession has deepened and pressure for outsourcing has increased. Comparison of firms over time will capture the specific effects of the recession if more firms turn to this option as expected. The intellectual merit of the research is that it will enable better understanding of the dynamics of offshoring under economic crisis. The current crisis has created a natural experiment wherein firms may increase their use or change their pattern of offshoring. By going back to these hi-tech firms, we will be able to identify important shifts created by the downturn, the factors shaping these shifts, and the implications for innovative activity. The broader impact of the research stems from the fact that the high-tech industry is a leading indicator of economic trends, so the results may signal a change in offshoring in the rest of the economy as well. Understanding these trends will provide important insights for policymakers and others concerned with U.S. innovation and economic performance.