Paper Title
A Knowledge-Based Executive Decision Model For Supporting Offshoring Decisions

Abstract
This study is a work-in-progress and the first phase of a larger study that investigates integration of knowledge-sharing and offshoring requirements of multinational companies in today�s global knowledge-based business environment. It provides a decision model for offshoring decisions that incorporates the above two sets of requirements as an analytical tool to select among the existing alternative locations. More specifically, the proposed decision model incorporates characteristics of various offshore locations into the multinational companies� inter-organizational knowledge-sharing (IO-KS) requirements with the aim of enhancing the multinationals� innovation capabilities. The theoretical foundation of the proposed decision model is based on the existing theories and frameworks in knowledge management and international business knowledge domains. The study also reports preliminary results of a pilot study that aims at assessing the suitability of the data collection and analysis instruments that is planned for the next phase of the study; the latter constitutes the author�s future research. Keywords� Multinational Companies, Offshoring, Decision Model, Inter-organizational Knowledge Sharing, Decision Support Systems.