Nike Outsourcing: Examining Opportunities & Challenges in Bangladesh

This reflective journal explores the opportunities and challenges of outsourcing business operations in Bangladesh, using Nike as a case study. The author reflects on their learning experience, highlighting the benefits of understanding outsourcing in the context of a developing nation like Bangladesh. The research process involved examining various sources, understanding data collection methods, and analyzing data using tools like SPSS. Key opportunities identified include lower labor costs and favorable geographical location, while challenges encompass data security, infrastructure limitations, and cultural diversity. The reflection emphasizes the personal and professional growth gained through the research, including improved decision-making skills and a deeper understanding of the complexities of global outsourcing, and how this learning can be applied in future studies or career endeavors. Desklib provides similar solved assignments and past papers for students.

Business Research
To Examine the Opportunities and Challenges in Outsourcing Business Operations in
Bangladesh, a Case Study of Nike

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Individual learning Reflection
Reflection journal is the collection of experiences while taking up the research on the topic
of research (Helyer, 2015). The topic of the research is ‘To Examine the Opportunities and
Challenges in Outsourcing Business Operations in Bangladesh, a Case Study of Nike’. The
research was a great experience which is evaluated here in form of reflection.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of learning experience
This research process helped me in understanding various concepts about outsourcing of
the business functions. The research focussed on the opportunities and challenges of
outsourcing business operations in Bangladesh. A case study of Nike has been taken for
analysing the impacts of outsourcing business functions.
I have learned that Outsourcing is now an essential part of the modern business which is
specially used by the multinational corporations so that the cost of the business can be
managed. The developed countries like United States and United Kingdom outsource their
business activities to the developing nations like India, Bangladesh and China where cheap
labour is available and operations units can be opened which can be operated at lower costs
(Askari, Zabeen and Uddin, 2015).
The research had the main objective to highlight the opportunities and challenges of
outsourcing the business functions in Bangladesh. The country is emerging as the good
centre for outsourcing business activities because of its ability of handling the international
business (Betz, Oberweis and Stephan, 2014). People in Bangladesh are in search of job and
employment which make them work in lower pays and it ultimately help companies to hire
them for work and it ultimately help companies in lowering down the costs of the
companies (Lacity and Willcocks, 2013).
Usefulness of research process
This research process is helpful to me because of its selection of topic which is recent and
hot topic in the business world. It helped me in gaining insights which were very important
to be aware of the current market of employment. I didn’t learn only about outsourcing

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business functions but also about the competition faced by Nike and about the sports
industry. I learned different methods of research and data collection. I also learned about
sampling methods and the process of research. This research made me a wiser person who
can take right decisions and make correct judgements.
The research will further help me during my course and program. It will help me in my
career in future because it will infuse lot of knowledge in me regarding outsourcing and its
related functions. I will be able to speak about the topic in front of my colleagues and
seniors and my knowledge will be a base for my performance judgements.
Happenings of the learning process
The learning proves began with the selection of research topic. I further decided the
research methods and techniques which were the most appropriate as per the subject of
the research. I read various books, journals, articles, newspapers and accessed information
on online websites to gain knowledge about the sports industry and its outsourcing of
business functions. One of the big challenge of outsourcing the business functions by Nike is
the maintenance of security of data (Chou, Techatassanasoontorn and Hung, 2015). The
company has lot of private information which can be misused by the third party. Bangladesh
is not so efficiently developed in infrastructure and technology which can lead to the loss of
data and security of data. Bangladesh is also not rich in business communication. Effective
and smooth flow of information is a necessity of the communication process and
Bangladesh fails in such process. I even observed when I was in the process of survey and
interview that people working there are in dire need of employment which creates and
opportunity for the companies like Nike to hire them at lower prices. I analysed that the
geographical location of Bangladesh helps and attracts international businesses to trade
here. The cost of entry is much lower in Bangladesh than any other country which attracts
companies to enter into Bangladesh and run their business operations there.
Evaluation of learning
This process of research is very useful for my personal learning (Creswell and Creswell,
2017). It helped me learned various concepts from which I was unaware of earlier. It helped
me in forming the judgements, it gave me experiences and also brought an improvement in

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my knowledge and skills. The research made me a person having more skills which could be
used either for personal use or professional use. It made me more accountable for my work.
This business research was the major part of my course which helped me in succeeding my
course as well as gaining new insights which could be used in future for my personal and
professional development. There are some opportunities available to the companies if they
outsource their business activities but there are also some of the challenges which are
unavoidable (Rivard and Aubert, 2015). The cultural diversity is much between Bangladesh
and any other developed country like United Kingdom, Germany, United States and others.
The companies have to set up cultural values and a proper communication and value plan to
match up the development of the fast moving competitive environment (Oshri, Kotlarsky
and Willcocks, 2015).
Learning process
This process helped me in analysing the positive and negative sides of outsourcing the
business functions of Nike in Bangladesh. This process began with the selection of business
process and then moved on to the collection of information through various modes of data
collection. There are different modes of data collection used in the research (Collis and
Hussey, 2013). After the collection, this data was analysed through tools like SPSS. I learned
SPSS and its benefits for data analysis. It helps in analysing huge data which further helps in
deriving conclusion (Greener, 2008). I have completed assignment 1 and assignment 2
which contains the pure research and its methodology. This reflection is the summary of
learning while preparing those two assignments.
The recommendations are provided once conclusion is made. This [process is not only
knowledgeable but also changed me as a person. I became more punctual, more managed
and a better person who can judge in a much better way.
How this learning will be applied in future?
I am a student at present and this research will help me in getting better grades in my
course. Once I will be done with my course, this learning will further help me in sharing my
knowledge with others. I can do further research in this field or any other field or can also

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join further classes for advanced learning. It can help me in my job as I will be able to
understand the concepts of outsourcing and it’s both the negative and positive sides.
This learning can be further applied if I will start my own business. I can think of outsourcing
the services so that the business can focus on its core activities and cost can be saved. The
concept is so popular that having its knowledge will be tested for sure. I will make difference
when I will be able to answer the questions related to the topic. This would develop me
personally and at professional front too.

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References
Askari, M.M.U.R., Zabeen, S.S. and Uddin, K.M., 2015. Problems and Prospects of IT and IT
Enabled Services Outsourcing in Bangladesh. Journal of Tariff and Trade, p.34.
Betz, S., Oberweis, A. and Stephan, R., 2014. Knowledge transfer in offshore outsourcing
software development projects: an analysis of the challenges and solutions from German
clients. Expert Systems, 31(3), pp.282-297
Chou, S.W., Techatassanasoontorn, A.A. and Hung, I.H., 2015. Understanding commitment
in business process outsourcing relationships. Information & Management, 52(1), pp.30-43.
Collis, J. and Hussey, R., 2013. Business research: A practical guide for undergraduate and
postgraduate students. Palgrave macmillan.
Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D., 2017. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and
mixed methods approaches. Sage publications.
Greener, S., 2008. Business research methods. BookBoon.
Helyer, R., 2015. Learning through reflection: the critical role of reflection in work-based
learning (WBL). Journal of Work-Applied Management, 7(1), pp.15-27.
Lacity, M.C. and Willcocks, L.P., 2013. Outsourcing business processes for innovation. MIT
Sloan management review, 54(3), p.63.
Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J. and Willcocks, L.P., 2015. The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and
Offshoring 3rd Edition. Springer.
Rivard, S. and Aubert, B.A., 2015. Information technology outsourcing. Routledge.