IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/manint/v48y2008i4d10.1007_s11575-008-0025-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The influence of human capital investment on the exports of services and goods: An analysis of the top 25 services outsourcing countries

Author

Listed:
  • Farok J. Contractor

    (Rutgers University)

  • Susan M. Mudambi

    (Temple University)

Abstract

Abstract and Key Results With the rise of the global service economy, and understanding of the export competitiveness of nations is critical for managers seeking offshore export locations, and for government policy makers who wish to bolster the attractiveness of their nation as an exporting location. Services globalization — reflected in the growth of outsourcing and offshoring — calls into question the role of human capital investment, whose effect in past studies has been mixed. Drawing on human capital theory, we developed three propositions and analyzed the effect of human capital investment, infrastructure, and the business environment on the export of services and goods from 25 countries from 1989 to 2003. Human capital did have a significant effect on the exports of goods and services. However, contrary to the expectations of human capital theory, human capital was not significantly more important for services exports than for goods exports. In line with expectations of human capital theory, human capital investment had a greater effect in emerging Asia than in developed countries. These findings have important implications for managers and future research.

Suggested Citation

  • Farok J. Contractor & Susan M. Mudambi, 2008. "The influence of human capital investment on the exports of services and goods: An analysis of the top 25 services outsourcing countries," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 433-445, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:manint:v:48:y:2008:i:4:d:10.1007_s11575-008-0025-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11575-008-0025-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11575-008-0025-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11575-008-0025-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anthony J. Venables, 2006. "Shifts in economic geography and their causes," Proceedings - Economic Policy Symposium - Jackson Hole, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, pages 15-39.
    2. Jones, Patricia, 2001. "Are educated workers really more productive?," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 64(1), pages 57-79, February.
    3. repec:bla:reviec:v:8:y:2000:i:4:p:712-20 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Levin, Andrew & Raut, Lakshmi K, 1997. "Complementarities between Exports and Human Capital in Economic Growth: Evidence from the Semi-industrialized Countries," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 46(1), pages 155-174, October.
    5. Yih‐chyi Chuang, 2000. "Human Capital, Exports, and Economic Growth: A Causality Analysis for Taiwan, 1952–1995," Review of International Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 8(4), pages 712-720, November.
    6. Michael E. Porter, 2000. "Location, Competition, and Economic Development: Local Clusters in a Global Economy," Economic Development Quarterly, , vol. 14(1), pages 15-34, February.
    7. Ashish Arora & Alfonso Gambardella, 2005. "The Globalization of the Software Industry: Perspectives and Opportunities for Developed and Developing Countries," NBER Chapters, in: Innovation Policy and the Economy, Volume 5, pages 1-32, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Graf, Michael & Mudambi, Susan M., 2005. "The outsourcing of IT-enabled business processes: A conceptual model of the location decision," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 253-268, June.
    9. John H Dunning, 1980. "Towards an Eclectic Theory of International Production: Some Empirical Tests," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 11(1), pages 9-31, March.
    10. Mincer, Jacob & Higuchi, Yoshio, 1988. "Wage structures and labor turnover in the United States and Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 2(2), pages 97-133, June.
    11. Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2011. "Wages Equal Productivity. Fact or Fiction? Evidence from Sub Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1333-1346, August.
    12. W. Lee Hansen, 1970. "Education, Income, and Human Capital," NBER Books, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc, number hans70-1.
    13. Denison, Edward F, 1983. "The Interruption of Productivity Growth in the United States," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 93(369), pages 56-77, March.
    14. Zvi Griliches, 1970. "Notes on the Role of Education in Production Functions and Growth Accounting," NBER Chapters, in: Education, Income, and Human Capital, pages 71-127, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    15. Bouquet, Cyril & Hebert, Louis & Delios, Andrew, 2004. "Foreign expansion in service industries: Separability and human capital intensity," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 57(1), pages 35-46, January.
    16. Farok J Contractor & Sumit K Kundu & Chin-Chun Hsu, 2003. "A three-stage theory of international expansion: the link between multinationality and performance in the service sector," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 34(1), pages 5-18, January.
    17. Maddison, Angus, 1987. "Growth and Slowdown in Advanced Capitalist Economies: Techniques of Quantitative Assessment," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 25(2), pages 649-698, June.
    18. Bruce C. Skaggs & Mark Youndt, 2004. "Strategic positioning, human capital, and performance in service organizations: a customer interaction approach," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 25(1), pages 85-99, January.
    19. J J Boddewyn & Marsha Baldwin Halbrich & A C Perry, 1986. "Service Multinationals: Conceptualization, Measurement and Theory," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 17(3), pages 41-57, September.
    20. Wolff, Edward N., 2000. "Human capital investment and economic growth: exploring the cross-country evidence," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 433-472, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wolff, Edward N., 2000. "Human capital investment and economic growth: exploring the cross-country evidence," Structural Change and Economic Dynamics, Elsevier, vol. 11(4), pages 433-472, December.
    2. Tao Bai & Stephen Chen & Xiao He, 2019. "How Home-Country Political Connections Influence the Internationalization of Service Firms," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 59(4), pages 541-560, August.
    3. Herbertsson, Tryggvi Thor, 2003. "Accounting for human capital externalities with an application to the Nordic countries," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 553-567, June.
    4. Biener, Christian & Eling, Martin & Jia, Ruo, 2017. "The structure of the global reinsurance market: An analysis of efficiency, scale, and scope," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 77(C), pages 213-229.
    5. Meyer, Chris R. & Skaggs, Bruce C. & Nair, Sudhir & Cohen, David G., 2015. "Customer Interaction Uncertainty, Knowledge, and Service Firm Internationalization," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 249-259.
    6. Arvanitis, Spyros & Hollenstein, Heinz & Stucki, Tobias, 2016. "Does the explanatory power of the OLI approach differ among sectors and business functions? Evidence from firm-level data," Economics - The Open-Access, Open-Assessment E-Journal (2007-2020), Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), vol. 10, pages 1-46.
    7. Olimpia NEAGU, 2012. "Measuring the Effects of Human Capital on Growth in the Case of Romania," Economics and Applied Informatics, "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, issue 1, pages 83-92.
    8. Purnamita Dasgupta, 2008. "Measuring Sustainability with Macroeconomic Data for India," Working Papers id:1574, eSocialSciences.
    9. Loeb, Susanna & Bound, John, 1996. "The Effect of Measured School Inputs on Academic Achievement: Evidence form the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s Birth Cohorts," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 78(4), pages 653-664, November.
    10. Sumit K. Kundu & Hemant Merchant, 2008. "Service multinationals: Their past, present, and future," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 371-377, April.
    11. Adaiah Lilenstein, 2020. "Better measures of progress: Developing reliable estimates of educational access and quality in Francophone sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 13/2020, Stellenbosch University, Department of Economics.
    12. Melaku Abegaz & Gibson Nene, 2018. "Gender Wage and Productivity Gaps in the Manufacturing Industry. The Case of Ghana," Economic Papers, The Economic Society of Australia, vol. 37(3), pages 313-326, September.
    13. Markus Venzin & Vikas Kumar & Jens Kleine, 2008. "Internationalization of retail banks: A micro-level study of the multinationality-performance relationship," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 463-485, April.
    14. Iacopo Odoardi & Donatella Furia & Piera Cascioli, 2021. "Can social support compensate for missing family support? An examination of dropout rates in Italy," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 13(1), pages 121-139, February.
    15. Laura Rienda & Lorena Ruiz-Fernández & Rosario Andreu, 2024. "Internationalization and Sustainable Hotel Competitiveness: Resilience and Network Ties to Increase Tourism Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-12, April.
    16. Paul Caussat, 2021. "Competitive Advantages in a Hostile, Regulated Environment: Four Multinational Banks in India," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 61(6), pages 831-879, December.
    17. Verdu, Antonio J. & Gómez-Gras, José María & Martínez-Mateo, Jesús, 2012. "Value creation through production offshore–inshore strategies in a footwear industry cluster: A coevolutionary perspective," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 342-356.
    18. Oskar Villarreal Larrinaga, 2010. "The Dodecagon of Internationalisation: A Theoretical Integration Model," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 3-24.
    19. Van Biesebroeck, Johannes, 2011. "Wages Equal Productivity. Fact or Fiction? Evidence from Sub Saharan Africa," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(8), pages 1333-1346, August.
    20. Lo, Fang-Yi & Lin, Feng-Jyh, 2015. "Advantage transfer on location choice and subsidiary performance," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1527-1531.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:manint:v:48:y:2008:i:4:d:10.1007_s11575-008-0025-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.