Offshoring vs Outsourcing Overview
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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of offshoring for a company?

  • To create goods that are sold back in the company's home market (correct)
  • To establish productive facilities outside its home market for local sales
  • To invest in foreign countries for profit without local production
  • To reduce overall operational costs by using foreign suppliers
  • How does offshoring differ from foreign direct investment?

  • Offshoring requires the company to invest heavily in local infrastructure
  • Offshore facilities are built to serve the local market
  • Foreign direct investment always involves external suppliers
  • Offshoring focuses on production within a global production process (correct)
  • What is a key distinction between offshoring and outsourcing?

  • Offshoring involves independent suppliers, while outsourcing does not
  • Offshoring occurs when a company sells to local markets
  • Outsourcing involves using an external foreign supplier while offshoring is internal (correct)
  • Outsourcing allows for more corporate control than offshoring
  • Which statement is true regarding the relationship between offshoring and deindustrialization?

    <p>Manufacturing jobs moving offshore leads to a reduction in local industry (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is an example of how services were affected by offshoring?

    <p>Outsourcing of non-core functions to reduce costs (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What notable finance-related incident is associated with offshoring?

    <p>The Panama papers leak in 2016 (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How do offshoring and outsourcing typically interact?

    <p>Offshoring can lead to outsourcing and vice versa (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterizes the production in offshore facilities?

    <p>Goods are typically for the home market of the company (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following factors promoted the initial phase of offshoring after World War II?

    <p>Technological advancements in communication (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was a significant consequence of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)?

    <p>Reduction of trade barriers (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which country began leading offshore manufacturing in the electronics industry around 1960?

    <p>Japan (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following best describes the impact of satellite technology in the 1980s?

    <p>Improved international phone networks (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What characterized the global production structure by the late 1970s?

    <p>High-tech tasks remained in developed countries (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which strategy did companies begin to embrace in the 1980s for production?

    <p>Global production strategy (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a challenge businesses face with global production systems?

    <p>Reduced flexibility in market response (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common reason companies choose to offshore production?

    <p>To leverage low labor costs (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which factor has NOT been a primary driver for choosing offshoring destinations?

    <p>Proximity to the home country (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which industry was among the first to experience significant offshoring?

    <p>Electronics (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was one of the main reasons Japanese companies set up factories in East Asia?

    <p>Lower wages in East Asia (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What remains mainly in the home country for most high-value production activities?

    <p>Research and development (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following describes a trend in production preferences?

    <p>Increase in customized products and variety (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is one major consequence of offshoring as mentioned in the content?

    <p>Loss of manufacturing jobs in the U.S. (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Why do some companies choose to offshore their operations?

    <p>To take advantage of lower labor costs (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect did offshoring affect regarding labor conditions?

    <p>Weakening of labor protections in favorable jurisdictions (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What sparked a global debate on financial transparency and tax justice?

    <p>The Panama Papers leak (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How significant was the increase in cross-border banking assets from the 1970s to 2020?

    <p>From $1 trillion to $30 trillion (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is a common misconception about the effects of offshoring?

    <p>It benefits all developing countries equally (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What is meant by 'tax neutral' in the context of offshore finance?

    <p>Locations where no taxes are levied on outgoing money (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What was one of the key events that led to the increase in offshoring practices in the 1970s?

    <p>The end of the Bretton Woods system of currency controls (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which country is mentioned as having a large offshore financial center primarily serving foreign clients?

    <p>Panama (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What implication did the De Beers case have on corporate residency?

    <p>Companies began to avoid taxes by relocating executive offices (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which of the following is a reported consequence of offshoring finance?

    <p>Loss of substantial tax revenue for governments (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What long-term effect did offshoring have on wage inequality in the U.S.?

    <p>Overall wage inequality increased (B)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    What aspect of globalization is linked to the rise of offshore finance and offshoring?

    <p>The rise of multinational enterprises (D)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Which assertion about the effects of offshoring is incorrect?

    <p>It has reduced labor costs for all businesses worldwide (A)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    How have technological advancements influenced offshoring practices?

    <p>They have made it easier to manage production remotely. (C)</p> Signup and view all the answers

    Flashcards

    Offshoring definition

    Moving production facilities to a foreign country to make goods for sale in the home country.

    Offshoring vs. FDI

    Offshoring facilities are NOT for production in the host country, unlike Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

    Offshoring vs. Outsourcing

    Offshoring involves a company setting up and managing its own foreign facilities, while outsourcing uses an external supplier.

    Overlap in Offshoring and Outsourcing

    Offshoring and outsourcing can happen together in a company or industry.

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    Deindustrialization

    The decrease or decline in industrial activity in an economy.

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    Globalization effect on services

    Competitive pressures from globalization and manufacturing offshoring applied to services.

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    Example of Outsourcing

    Company purchases goods or services from a foreign supplier, which could have been sourced domestically.

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    Offshoring & Tax Havens

    Offshoring can be used in conjunction with setting up tax havens.

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    Offshoring

    Moving production facilities to a foreign country to make goods for sale in the home country.

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    Factors driving offshoring

    Offshoring took off after World War II due to factors like reduced trade barriers, currency stability, economic development support, and advancements in transportation and communication.

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    Bretton Woods System

    The Bretton Woods System was a set of international agreements that helped facilitate global trade and economic stability after World War II.

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    Impact of technology on offshoring

    Improvements in shipping, air travel, and telecommunications made managing overseas operations easier and more efficient.

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    Origins of offshoring in electronics

    Offshoring started in the electronics industry around 1960 with Japanese companies moving production to East Asia to take advantage of lower labor costs.

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    Trade restrictions and offshoring

    Japanese electronics companies moved production to East Asia to avoid trade restrictions and take advantage of lower labor costs.

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    Global production structure in electronics

    By the late 1970s, a global production structure emerged in electronics with high-tech tasks remaining in developed countries and labor-intensive tasks outsourced to low-wage countries in East Asia.

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    Global production strategy

    Companies embraced global production, spreading different production stages across multiple countries based on market conditions, politics, stability, and available technology.

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    Challenges of globalized production

    While globalized production can be efficient, it can also be fragile, prone to inefficiencies, and difficult to coordinate.

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    Research and development offshoring

    Offshoring research and development is particularly challenging, often done to capitalize on specific skills or technology.

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    Factors influencing offshoring decisions

    Companies consider factors like labor costs, specific skills or technology availability, customer proximity, and product customization when making offshoring decisions.

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    Is full globalization of production likely?

    It is difficult to predict if the entire world will move towards fully globalized production due to the challenges and decisions faced by companies.

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    Global production system vs. separate factories

    Companies must decide whether to run one big global production system or keep separate factories for different markets, considering factors like efficiency and risk.

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    Benefits and drawbacks of offshoring

    Offshoring can lower costs but also create inefficiencies and risks. Companies must weigh these factors carefully.

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    Offshoring Effects on Wages

    Offshoring can lead to higher wages in some developing countries, but often at the cost of poor working conditions. In developed countries, it can lead to job losses and increased inequality.

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    Offshoring and Technology

    Offshoring can make it harder to use the same technology across different factories, leading to inconsistencies in production.

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    Offshoring Critics

    Critics argue that companies use offshoring to exploit workers by paying lower wages, weakening unions, and evading regulations.

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    De Beers Case

    A landmark legal case in 1906 that established the principle that a company's residence for tax purposes is determined by where its real control is exercised, not just its legal registration.

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    Offshoring Finance

    Moving banking and financial services out of a country's control and regulation, often to minimize taxes and avoid regulations.

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    Tax Neutral Jurisdiction

    A country or jurisdiction that doesn't levy corporate taxes, duties, or withholding taxes on money entering and leaving its borders.

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    Offshore Financial Center

    A country or jurisdiction that provides financial services to non-residents on a scale disproportionate to its domestic economy.

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    Effects of Offshoring Finance

    Offshoring finance has led to lost tax revenue for governments around the world, increased secrecy in financial dealings, and potential for tax evasion and money laundering.

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    Panama Papers

    Leaked documents in 2016 that revealed how wealthy individuals and corporations used offshore entities to hide assets, evade taxes, and launder money.

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    Decolonization

    The process of former colonies gaining independence from their colonial powers.

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    Common Threads in Offshoring

    The end of the Bretton Woods system, globalization, multinational corporations, and technology all contributed to the acceleration of offshoring practices.

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    Offshoring Consequences

    Offshoring has had both positive and negative consequences, including job creation, lower costs, but also job losses, increased inequality, and potential for worker exploitation.

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    Study Notes

    Offshoring Definition and Differences

    • Offshoring is locating productive facilities outside a company's home market to produce goods for sale in that home market.
    • A Canadian company making goods in Mexico for sale in Canada is an example.
    • Offshoring differs from foreign direct investment as offshore facilities are not built for local sale.
    • Goods produced are part of a global production chain, managed within one multinational enterprise.
    • Offshoring is distinct from outsourcing, which involves purchasing goods/services from a foreign supplier. Corporate control is the key differentiator.

    Offshoring vs. Outsourcing

    • Offshoring involves a company establishing and managing its own foreign facilities, while outsourcing relies on external suppliers.
    • In practice, offshoring and outsourcing often overlap, with one sometimes leading to the other.
    • The same industry or geographic area might see both practices employed together.

    Historical Context of Offshoring

    • Offshoring has a long history, with Europeans importing goods (sugar, cotton, oil) from other locations due to limitations in their home countries.
    • Post-WWII, offshoring accelerated due to institutions that reduced trade barriers (GATT), promoted currency stability (IMF), and supported global South development (World Bank).
    • Improvements in transportation (ships, air travel, logistics) and communications (telecommunications, cables, satellites) facilitated global production.

    Offshoring in Electronics Industry

    • Offshoring gained traction in the 1960s, with East Asia (especially Hong Kong and Taiwan) as a primary destination for electronics manufacturing, initially led by Japan.
    • US firms moved some production offshore to lower labor costs (like transair) from 1960 onwards.
    • Initially, labor-intensive assembly was offshored, with higher-skilled tasks (design, fabrication) remaining in developed countries.
    • Offshoring of more complex tasks like testing and some design work later occurred.

    Offshoring Strategies

    • By the 1980s, companies used global production strategies, spreading production stages based on location efficiency (market conditions, politics).
    • Global production systems can be efficient but also fragile (e.g., strikes, breakdowns).
    • Research and development (R&D) typically remains in the home country due to its high value and complexity.

    Effects of Offshoring

    • Offshoring has been controversial, accused of lowering wages, weakening unions, and evading regulations.
    • Some developing nations benefited, though often at the cost of poor worker conditions.
    • Manufacturing jobs were lost in developed nations, though skilled wages sometimes increased.
    • Offshoring didn't always lead to broader global economic convergence despite the prediction of some.
    • It simplified the movement of jobs to places with weaker protections, meaning less bargaining power for labor.
    • Wage and wealth gaps have not diminished.

    Offshoring Finance

    • Offshoring finance, not unlike offshoring production, emerged as a significant practice.
    • Often used to minimize taxes and avoid regulations, notably in tax havens (like Panama), which attracted offshore finances.
    • The use of countries like Panama for offshore banking has grown since the 1970s, as shown by cross-border banking assets (tripling from a trillion to 30 trillion dollars between 1970 and 2020).
    • Tax havens, and the practices within them, were a source of tax leaks and controversy globally, leading to legal and political challenges.

    Effects of Offshoring Finance

    • Offshore finance led to lost tax revenue for governments around the world.
    • Secrecy often made it hard to measure tax revenue losses.
    • Estimates suggest significant lost revenue, potentially exceeding $130 billion in the US and several hundred billion worldwide.
    • The 2016 Panama Papers scandal exposed this issue, leading to investigations and some transparency efforts.

    Interconnections

    • Offshoring finance and offshoring production have increased simultaneously since the 1970's. Accelerated by the end of Bretton Woods and decolonization.
    • Offshoring companies often used the same historical currents.
    • Companies sought tax havens, and many new, independent states started looking for them too.

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    Description

    This quiz covers the definitions and differences between offshoring and outsourcing, with a focus on their roles in global production chains. It highlights key concepts such as corporate control and foreign direct investment, along with historical context. Test your understanding of these important business strategies.

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