ABSTRACT
The offshore relationship has quite a number of different groups with an interest in the relationship (“stakeholders”). Obviously, both companies (onshore and offshore) and their executives are important. However, other viewpoints should be considered as well, including those of:
• The developers in the emerging country — who are working for relatively low pay
• Onshore technical staff — many of whom will probably lose their jobs
• Offshore managers and entrepreneurs — who might face conflicting interests
• Envoys of Western companies — who have to work temporarily or permanently in emerging countries
• Offshore liaisons — who are visiting the customer’s office in the industrialized country
All these groups have a say in and an important contribution to the success of the offshore cooperation. These stakeholders can have secret plans for the future, which may not necessarily be in line with the contract. Only rarely do the other parties involved consider these plans “fair.”
