3 Questions: A new look at globalization in business
Debates about the globalization of U.S.-based businesses date at least to the 1970s, but in recent years — following research such as MIT’s Production in the Innovation Economy project — there has been a sharp upswing of interest in promoting advanced manufacturing in the U.S. Now a new study by researchers at MIT and the University of California at Berkeley, supported by the National Science Foundation, aims to add to our empirical knowledge of the subject. Using a representative cross-section of U.S. organizations, the study looks at the prevalence of outsourcing and offshoring, and whether such activity tends to occur in the primary business functions of organizations, or is related to other tasks. MIT News talked about the findings with Tim Sturgeon, a senior research affiliate at MIT’s Industrial Performance Center, who is co-author of the study with Berkeley economist Clair Brown.Q. What are your major findings on the extent...