OUTSOURCE: Competing in the Global Productivity Race (Yourdon Press Computing Series) - Tapa dura

Brain Drain does not focus on just the IT phenomenon, though it continues to be one of the more prominent examples because of recent media coverage of outsourcing. The focus of this book is more on strategies and guidelines for coping--at the individual, corporate, and national level ---with a phenomenon that's alraady here, and alresy "mainstream" in nature. The real focus of this book is on the individual. After all, it has been individuals who have emailed Ed continually, ever since the publication of Decline and Fall of the American Programmer. It's individual knowledge workers, far more often than corporate executives, who run the risk of losing their jobs as a result of this global shift of products and services. And it's individuals, as several correspondents have reminded me in recent months, who have to advise their children what careers and professions they should follow -- and the outcome of those choices will ultimately have a far more profound effect than a politician's modification of a visa quota.

"In OUTSOURCE, Ed Yourdon conveys a nuanced understanding of a topic that too often has fallen victim to exaggeration and oversimplification. Will your job move offshore? That depends. Yourdon explains what it depends on, and what to do about it."

Robert D. Austin
Associate Professor, Harvard Business School
Co-Author of ARTFUL MAKING

"Is outsourcing a bane, a boon, or a bother? Yes. Ed Yourdon takes on this vastly complicated issue and makes it all crystal clear."

Tom DeMarco
The Atlantic Systems Guild

"OUTSOURCE cuts through the outsourcing hysteria to present a balanced view of why outsourcing is occurring, how it is likely to impact people's lives, and how to best prepare career-wise for the new realities it introduces. Whether you are a buyer or provider of outsourcing services, or an individual whose career may be affected by those services, Ed Yourdon offers valuable insights that you can immediately put to use."

Ian Hayes
Industry Analyst and President, Clarity Consulting, Inc.

"Ed Yourdon's book on international outsourcing is a major work on an important topic. I think the book will become required reading for all CIOs and officers of U.S. companies that produce software in quantity. As usual with Ed's work, the research is extensive, and the coverage is thorough. Ed has visited many of the international outsourcing labs, so he also offers firsthand observations."

Capers Jones
Chief Scientist, Software Productivity Research LLC

"Ed Yourdon has produced a comprehensive sequel to his 1992 prophecy, Decline and Fall of the American Programmer. His views were much maligned; yet he turned out to be right. To cope with challenges ahead, this book should be required reading by computer professionals who wish to prosper in their jobs."

Paul A. Strassmann
A CIO for 43 years (General Foods, Kraft, Xerox,
Department of Defense, NASA)

"Entertaining and understandable, Yourdon's OUTSOURCE examines the current situation from sociological, economic, and historical perspectives, providing individuals, employers, and policymakers practical insights and advice centered on increasing competitiveness and taking individual responsibility. OUTSOURCE is must-read for those who intend to survive and thrive in this hyper-competitive global economy. It's just what the doctor should have ordered."

Leon A. Kappelman, Ph.D.
Farrington Professor of Information Systems
Director, Information Systems Research Center
College of Business, University of North Texas

"'Nothing personal, just business' has a new ring?and it's a dangerous wake-up call to a harsh side of globalization?a wake-up call that will change your life, your company, our future... Early readers of OUTSOURCE will have the advantage in the job shake-outs and company restructurings that are accelerating now!"

Mo Bjornestad
CEO, SensorWave Corporation

If you run a business, what should you outsource (and what shouldn't you)?

If you're a knowledge worker (inside or outside IT), how can you protect yourself?

How will outsourcing evolve next? What do those changes mean to you?

Outsourcing is not just the #1 issue facing IT organizations: It's driving a profound transformation throughout American business. Whether you're an executive or a knowledge worker, the decisions you make about outsourcing can make or break your future. This book brings together all the information and insight you need to make those decisions?and make them the right ones.

Once, outsourcing was largely limited to IT. Suddenly, it touches everyone from telemarketers to tax preparers, radiologists to mar