Unpacking Multi-Level Offshoring Consequences: Hiring Wages, Onshore Performance, and Public Sentiment

Offshoring decisions (i.e., relocating business activities abroad) are made by multi-national corporations (MNCs), by small and medium-sized firms (SMEs), and by companies that operate in production- or knowledge-intensive sectors in either developed or emerging economies. Companies engage in offshoring decisions for various reasons, but ultimately to gain competitive advantage. Existing offshoring literature offers valuable insights, but there is still limited knowledge about the offshoring consequences that go beyond cost considerations. This thesis investigates whether there are consequences that can be attributed to company offshoring decisions at the i) employee level, ii) company level, and iii) public sentiment level. By combining different sources of data and theoretical logics from international business (IB), strategy, human capital, and economics, this thesis is an attempt to address existing research gaps in the international business literature.