Outsourcing of business processes has been a major and growing trend. Many major corporations have outsourced overseas and the next wave will include many SMEs moving outsourcing operations. The changes and implications for business are substantial. Based on the latest research and data, with extensive case studies, diagrams, and interviews with major corporations, this book provides a comprehensive analysis and highlights the best practice and pitfalls to avoid.
The first book to provide practical guidance on how to get the most from an outsourced IS service and written specifically for IS and IT professionals and not senior business managers.
In this book, human resource management and training expert Judy Hale demystifies training outsourcing and details how companies can successfully outsource their training and development needs—from the entire learning function to selected services and programs. It also covers the labyrinth of contractual, interpersonal, and legal dimensions inherent in any decision to partner with another service provider. Filled with practical tips, guidelines, and plenty of tools, this book explains how to determine What type of external resources will be required What to expect of external resources What will be required in terms of program deliverables, reports, quality assurance, risk management, and reporting relationships The level of readiness to outsource deliverables ranging from managing the training and development function to specific program elements The contractual elements that best protect an organization’s interests How to collaborate effectively with all of the functions involved in outsourcing decisions
Alexander de Grahl provides with his three papers on success factors in logistics outsourcing relevant insights regarding this important research question. In detail, adopting different perspectives in the three papers, the work shows how logistics service providers, customer firms and the two parties together can contribute to successful logistics outsourcing relationships.
There are books on outsourcing, but most are by academics or consultants. Few address multi-sourcing. The author of Successful Outsourcing and Multi-Sourcing, is a practitioner who headed an operation that handles over 500 million customer contacts a year with less than 30 staff, through both outsourcing and multi-sourcing. Multi-sourcing occurs where each individual function is contracted directly by the client rather than using a large system integrator or prime contractor. This approach lowers costs, reduces reliance on suppliers, speeds up change and generates a greater degree of innovation. The downside is it places much more of the risk on the client and needs specialist skills to run effectively. As well as a focus on multi-sourcing, the book addresses the question of why a business should outsource in the first place and how decisions to do this should be strategic, rather than it being something that happens by accident. Chapters then illuminate the benefits of single-sourcing; the benefits of multi-sourcing; how best to decide what outsourcing model to choose; how to transition to outsourcing; and what steps to take to maximise benefit and minimise risk. Downsides are clearly spelled out and alternatives to outsourcing are examined, including partial outsourcing and insourcing. This book serves as a valuable source of practical guidance for organisations looking at outsourcing strategy, outsourcing professionals, and those teaching or studying business topics.
There are books on outsourcing, but most are by academics or consultants. Few address multi-sourcing. The author of Successful Outsourcing and Multi-Sourcing, is a practitioner who headed an operation that handles over 500 million customer contacts a year with less than 30 staff, through both outsourcing and multi-sourcing. Multi-sourcing occurs where each individual function is contracted directly by the client rather than using a large system integrator or prime contractor. This approach lowers costs, reduces reliance on suppliers, speeds up change and generates a greater degree of innovation. The downside is it places much more of the risk on the client and needs specialist skills to run effectively. As well as a focus on multi-sourcing, the book addresses the question of why a business should outsource in the first place and how decisions to do this should be strategic, rather than it being something that happens by accident. Chapters then illuminate the benefits of single-sourcing; the benefits of multi-sourcing; how best to decide what outsourcing model to choose; how to transition to outsourcing; and what steps to take to maximise benefit and minimise risk. Downsides are clearly spelled out and alternatives to outsourcing are examined, including partial outsourcing and insourcing. This book serves as a valuable source of practical guidance for organisations looking at outsourcing strategy, outsourcing professionals, and those teaching or studying business topics.
This book provides a new evolutionary perspective on outsourcing. The traditional prioritization of continuous outsourcing has resulted in increased hidden costs that have sabotaged business profits. As a result of undisciplined outsourcing, businesses have lost a defining characteristic of their success: decision control. In contrast, the ability to combine outsourcing with backsourcing is a winning strategy for business leaders across a broad range of industries. In this book, the author traces the essence of the outsourcing industry as it has evolved over the past two centuries. With compelling case studies from the pharmaceutical, aviation, insurance, and cookware industries, this book moves beyond theorizing. It highlights key insights from some of the leading outsourcing pioneers who helped to define the industry. The case studies demonstrate the evolution of outsourcing, from a past marked by a costly outsourcing approach to a future fueled by the diversification of sourcing for optimal business success. Through the provision of decision models and best practices, this book provides academics and practitioners with tangible steps to implement successful outsourcing and backsourcing strategies.
Adoption and use of a contract scorecard demonstrates a maturing ability to manage commercial outsourcing arrangements. The process of designing the scorecard helps you nail down the key outcomes and avoid lack of focus, inconsistent objectives, hidden costs, indifferent service and deteriorating relationships with your contract partners. Sara Cullen's The Contract Scorecard will help you design and drive successful contracts. It offers a systematic guide based on practical advice and examples; one that explains the Contract Scorecard concept and demonstrates crucial implementation activities such as: ¢ The development of performance measures that work ¢ Sound Service Level Agreements that make obligations clear ¢ A Governance Charter that ensures both parties will adopt successful management techniques An upfront investment in your contracts, from a commercial rather than legal perspective is probably the single most influential activity you can undertake; one that will ensure your outsourcing relationships have clear business goals as the focus of the deal. Reading a copy of Sara Cullen's The Contract Scorecard should be the first step in that investment.
How can prospective outsourcing clients prepare their internal organizational workflows to meet the challenges associated with an outsourcing venture with little penalty in time, cost, and effort? Along this guiding question, the author empirically investigates the ways in which several factors of the client company's internal organizational context affect the outcomes of their outsourcing efforts. The investigated factors represent the client's IT capability, the explicit knowledge in form of business process documentation available within the company, and the level of alignment between the client's IT and business domains. Based on qualitative and quantitative empirical data, S. F. Martin demonstrates that each of these client-specific factors has a significant inter-organizational impact, affecting the quality of the relationship between client and provider, the vendor’s performance, and outsourcing success.
Outsourcing is a strategic decision. This guide e×plores outsourcing involving fundamental questions about a company's future, core competencies, costs, performance, and competitive advantage. It shows how to use outsourcing as a strategic tool to create a focused, robust organization.
