Growth Strategies for an Indian IT Brand in Europe: The Case of Tata Consultancy Services – Hungary

In this business case study, we aim to describe the growth and transformation of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Hungary. TCS was originally an Indian IT company founded in 1968 and part of India’s prestigious Tata Group. It was a world leading technology consultancy, IT services and solutions and business process outsourcing organization-serving customers located in 51 countries across 6 continents. TCS’ first Global Delivery Center was established in Budapest, Hungary in February 2001. The aim of this center was to cater the needs of the global services market by providing near-shore services. It was specifically designed to cater to the needs of European companies looking for flexible and agile services such as those provided by Indian IT service providers along with a closer cultural fit.  The case describes some of the unique characteristics of the Hungarian Center and the steps that the Tata senior management based in Budapest took to further the growth and development of the Center. Some of the potential teaching objectives of the case include a) Understanding the growth and evolution of the TCS brand; b) Fostering innovation and developing new initiatives within a large services global center; c) Managing the challenges and opportunities of a technology-based global delivery model, combined with a multi-location strategy.