Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Industries Might be Cut Down to Size, but Globalization Will Continue

The commentary discusses the impact of fraud allegations against India-based Satyam Computer Services Ltd., framing it as a 'wake-up call' for better capital-raising mechanisms and corporate governance. While acknowledging the potential for the ITES sector to be 'cut down to size' due to such scandals and market upheaval, the author asserts that the sector's contributions to e-connectivity, skill-building, and the diversification of lower-income economies make it indispensable. The text highlights the role of ITES in supporting resource-efficient and globally coordinated value chains across various industries, including low-carbon logistics and energy, and notes an upcoming report by IISD and AccountAbility on responsible competitiveness in the sector.

• The fraud scandal involving India-based Satyam Computer Services Ltd., where allegedly a billion dollars is missing, demonstrates that existing high-level checks and balances—including boards with members from Harvard and the India School of Business—were insufficient to prevent large-scale scams.
• The Satyam embezzlement differs from the Madoff scandal because it affected institutional investors, socially responsible investment funds, and 53,000 employees rather than just rich private investors.
• Over the last ten years, the ITES sector has evolved from handling routine tasks to providing intelligence for globally coordinated, resource-efficient value chains in sectors such as energy, transport, and low-carbon logistics.

APA

Perera, O. (2009). Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Industries Might be Cut Down to Size, but Globalization Will Continue. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_ites_outsource.pdf

Chicago

Perera, Oshani. Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Industries Might be Cut Down to Size, but Globalization Will Continue. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2009. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_ites_outsource.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Perera |first1=Oshani |title=Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Industries Might be Cut Down to Size, but Globalization Will Continue |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2009 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_ites_outsource.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{perera2009information, author = {Perera, Oshani}, title = {{Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) Sector Industries Might be Cut Down to Size, but Globalization Will Continue}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2009}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/com_ites_outsource.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }