Tata Consultancy Services: Sustaining Growth Momentum in China 2010

In 2002, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) set up operations in China, following its major client, GE Medical Systems. TCS China operations also supported the software needs of multinational and regional companies expanding in China, while providing the company with a platform to grow its local clientele base. In 2006, TCS announced a new global business initiative which included plans for large-scale operations in China. The aim was to grow its China operations to become TCS' second global delivery centre after India, functioning as its offshore IT outsourcing hub for the Asia Pacific region. In addition, China's growing domestic software market presented attractive opportunities for IT services. TCS shifted its focus to China's financial sector, as many of China's domestic banks were then undergoing a period of major organisational transformation. Given this, in 2007, the company set a target to increase its China-based manpower strength from 800 to 6,000 by 2011. However, the tight supply of IT talent in China was a major challenge and in early 2010 TCS' manpower strength reached 1,100. The company set a new target to quadruple its manpower strength to 5,000 by 2014. Product/service innovation was an essential catalyst to sustain its growth momentum and to maintain a competitive edge in the Chinese market. What steps should the company take to tap the rising demand for outsourcing services while tackling the problems of achieving service excellence in a resource-tight situation?

• Employee training
• IT management
• Information systems
• Outsourcing
• Operations strategy
• International business