Exploring the competitiveness of Cambodia as an IT outsourcing destination

Abstract

Using assessment criteria from the A.T. Kearney global services location index, the authors explore Cambodia’s competitiveness in the global IT outsourcing market (ITO), identifying how the country could become more competitive. The findings are discussed from the perspective of the Heeks and Nicholson software export success model, assessing Cambodia from a national competitiveness perspective. With ITO’s export revenue and skills development potential, it is important to understand why Cambodia is not considered a significant ITO destination and what the country can do to increase its competitiveness in this area. This paper is useful for practitioners considering Cambodia as an ITO destination, for the Cambodian government as a guide to policy measures for increasing its competitiveness as well as for IT researchers, who could complement the study with primary data and development the conceptual approaches applied in this article, whether in Cambodia or other developing countries.