Factors impacting knowledge transfer success in information systems outsourcing

Despite increased research interest on knowledge transfer in information systems (IS) outsourcing, the field still lacks sound and holistic understanding of the key factors influencing knowledge transfer success. The present paper attempts to provide a synthesis of existing theoretical perspectives and empirical findings related to the factors that facilitate or hamper knowledge transfer success in IS outsourcing. The data collection method is discussed and the key findings are presented. Conclusion is drawn and further research is suggested

Offshoring (a.k.a. Offshore Outsourcing) and Job Insecurity Among U.S. Workers

CRS_May_2005_Offshoring.pdf: 2514 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Control, Process Facilitation, and Requirements Change in Offshore Requirements Analysis: The Provider Perspective

Process, technology, and project factors have been increasingly driving organizations to offshore early software development phases, such as requirements analysis. This emerging trend necessitates greater control and process facilitation between client and vendor sites. The effectiveness of control and facilitation has, however, not been examined within the context of requirements analysis and change. In this study, we examine the role of control and facilitation in managing changing requirements and on success of requirements gathering in the Indian offshore software development environment. Firms found that control by client-site coordinators had a positive impact on requirements analysis success while vender site-coordinators did not have similar influence. Process facilitation by client site-coordinators affected requirements phase success indirectly through control. The study concludes with recommendations for research and practice

Everywhere and nowhere: Nearshore software development in the context of globalisation

Offshore software outsourcing, a major contributor to globally distributed work (GDW), has been identified as one of the most striking manifestations of contemporary globalisation. In particular, offshoring resonates with influential views that suggest that ICTs have rendered location irrelevant. Some research, however, has questioned this “placeless logic” and suggested that location may be significant to the success of offshoring ventures. In this paper, we draw on evidence from two nearshore software development ventures in the Caribbean to identify a number of locational characteristics relating to the physical, economic and cultural setting, local resources and government policy that may be important in influencing the suitability of offshore outsourcing venues. Some of these are recognised, even by companies pursuing placeless location strategies, while others were unanticipated. The cases also suggest that companies may be able to actively shape certain characteristics to their advantage. Implications for vendors and clients of nearshore information services, and potentially also for companies considering offshore ventures in non-traditional locations, are identified

Book review--The Sourcing Solution : A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating a Successful Purchasing Program

The book has elaborated the new concepts in sourcing and has discussed how the old purchases department doesn’t work in isolation. The concepts discussed in the book are managing vendor, vendor performance, outsourcing,offshore outsourcing, cost of acquisition, contracting, negotiation, partnering, cultural aspects and ethical issues while dealing with suppliers.Sourcing Solution ,Purchase,Operation

Key to Success of Offshore Outsourcing

With the proliferating growth in technology and Innovation and the necessity to use new technology skills, outsourcing has become a notable trend in the IT industry. Characterized by USP\u27s like cost-effectiveness and timeliness, outsourcing companies has surged tremendously in the last decade. However, amidst the entire buzz, outsourcing has contributed to some major failures at recent times (A & M, 2016). That has even made organizations to critically think before going forward with an off-shore outsourcing company. A substantial issue on organizational capability and on-time delivery has questioned the very foundation of its efficiency. This has now leaded to surface some very extreme opinions about outsourcing, with rave reviews on good/ bad. Software Development outsourcing encompasses a contract based voluntary relationship between vendors and clients, wherein a client outsources a part or all the business activities to the concerned vendor. However, an offshore outsourcing demands completely different capabilities as against a domestic outsourcing. To begin with, firms associating with off-shore outsourcing must need to compete against language constraints, cultural differences, contrasts in time zones and also the organizational structures. Next, an off-shore outsourcing has a far greater impact than a domestic outsourcing with the above constraints introduced before. With regards to the core knowledge capabilities, there calls for probable risks so as to understand the level of efficiency of the outsourcing companies (A & M, 2016). Together with the differences in legal laws, risks related to data security, privacy and intellectual property can be critical too. Such disadvantages in outsourcing can be a high limiting factor to the growth of these offshore outsourcing, hence it must, therefore, be necessary to understand the level of efficiency of an offshore outsourcing team before relying on them

Knowledge management in globally distributed software development teams: Sensemaking challenges

Offshore software development presents a variety of knowledge management challenges. In this paper, we aim to improve our understanding of knowledge management challenges faced by globally distributed software development teams. Case study findings are analysed across two phases of initiation and growth. In the initiation phase we identify sense making challenges and the growth phase presents practices that were undertaken to cope with the challenges. The paper contributes the theoretical concept of imagination to the sensemaking literature as well as advancing our understanding of practices to overcome knowledge management challenges

Outsourcing and Offshoring: Pushing the European Model Over the Hill, Rather Than Off the Cliff!

Offshoring and offshore outsourcing is increasingly affecting the EU-15, both in the manufacturing and services sectors. While no official statistics exist for the scope of the phenomenon, industry experts and press surveys point to a relatively limited extent of perhaps up to 2 percent of the workforce as affected. Offshoring and offshore outsourcing, similar to other trade, creates both domestic winners and losers. The EU-15 countries have the potential to become net beneficiaries from offshoring and offshore outsourcing, if they go ahead and implement the EU Lisbon Agenda with respect to labor market reforms and worker-skill upgrading. Furthermore, EU governments should take steps to promote the mobility of the workforce by increasingly linking social benefits to the willingness to move for work, thereby combating their archipelago of high unemployment enclaves, and to reform EU regional aid by shifting it from infrastructure spending to human capital investment.Offshoring, Outsourcing, Multinational Companies, European Union, Public Regulation, Labor Markets, Regional Aid

Customising software products in distributed software development a model for allocating customisation requirements across organisational boundaries

Requirements engineering plays a vital role in the software development process. While it is difficult to manage those requirements locally, it is even more difficult to communicate those requirements over organisational boundaries and to convey them to multiple distribution customers. This paper discusses the requirements of multiple distribution customers empirically in the context of customised software products. The main purpose is to understand the challenges of communicating and allocating customisation requirements across distributed organisational boundaries. We conducted an empirical survey with 19 practitioners, which confirmed that communicating customisation requirements in a DSD context is a significant challenge. We therefore propose a model for allocating customisation requirements between a local, customer-based agile team and a distributed development team that uses a traditional development approach. Our conjecture is that the model would reduce the challenge of communicating requirements across organisational boundaries, address customers’ requirements and provide a focus for future empirical studies