Shared Service Centers have become a common instrument for providing internal services to a range of business units from a central location. By choosing a suitable international location, companies can not only achieve synergies from centralization, process and quality improvements, but also location economies. The availability of a variety of language skills, stable economic and political environment, good infrastructure, competitive costs, and government support all contribute to a regional remit. Southeast Asia is a global hotspot for the hosting of Shared Service Centers and Malaysia and Singapore are seen as prime locations for such Centers.

Dr. K. Thirumaran, Head of Academic Group Business and IT of James Cook University and Dr. Dirk Klimkeit, Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University Stuttgart, Germany is launching a book, ‘Management of Shared Service Centres in Asia – Examples from Malaysia and Singapore’ on 18 January 2018.

This volume presents insights from a study tour to Malaysia and Singapore that identified good practices for managing Shared Service Centers from six major corporations. Key aspects of managing Shared Service Centers are addressed and complemented by recent trends such as robotic process automation (RPA) and the shift to more knowledge-intensive services in Global Business Services (GBS) organizations.

Students from both universities has been involved in writing this book. JCUS and DHBW signed a MOU in October 2014. Since than 55 students from DHBW have studied at JCUS as part of an exchange program. The book project is a culmination of a separate study program model where students in Singapore and in Stuttgart worked in groups digitally in the initial stages giving a real life experience on how MNCs work across international boundaries. The networking and in person interaction during the joint field trip to companies were valuable. The Singapore campus of James Cook University encourages inter-institutional level cooperation as well as industry integrated learning to give an edge to graduates.

Details about the book is available here

About the Authors

Dirk Klimkeit, PhD

Dirk Klimkeit is Professor of Management, Organization and International Management at Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW), Stuttgart, Germany. Before becoming a professor, he managed several projects relating to shared service centers in various parts of the world at a large audit and advisory firm. Besides his current research interest in shared services, he has done research on topics including mergers and acquisitions, knowledge management and the global management of professional service firms.

K Thirumaran, PhD

K Thirumaran is the Head of Academic Group, Business and IT at the Singapore campus of James Cook University. He has worked in the banking, transport, travel and hospitality industries. Despite specializing in tourism and hospitality management, he often employs his industry experiences in research and teaching.