A case-based model for assessing the effectiveness of information systems outsourcing

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The objective of the research reported in this paper is to construct a model for assessing the effectiveness of Information Systems (IS) outsourcing. “Lack of in-house expertise” and “cost effectiveness” are widely accepted as major factors of motivation for IS outsourcing. In contrast with the decision models which are executed before an outsourcing engagement (a-priori), this effectiveness assessment model will be an a-posteriori guide which will enable clients to assess their outsourcing performance and re-evaluate their business and management strategies. Although various decision models and analytical frameworks have been proposed before, the literature is not abundant on a complete qualitative model. This paper examines the factors for outsourcing effectiveness through qualitative research conducted with multiple case studies for information systems developed for public organizations in the specific context of Turkey. A conceptual model consisting of various hypotheses is constructed and qualitatively evaluated

Comparação entre os sistemas de informação adquiridos e os desenvolvidos na Força Aérea

Os Sistemas de Informação (SI) que a Força Aérea (FA) explora são maioritariamente desenvolvidos internamente mas, com a redução cada vez maior do Orçamento para a Defesa, é fundamental um maior rigor na gestão de recursos e o aproveitamento de sinergias com o mundo civil, particularmente na área das Tecnologias de Informação (TI). A decisão de optar por SI comerciais é muitas vezes determinada por aspetos como a necessidade de reduzir custos, assegurar flexibilidade ou acompanhar o desenvolvimento tecnológico. Neste contexto esta investigação tem por objeto os SI utilizados pela FA e visa verificar em que medida é mais vantajoso para a FA continuar a desenvolver os SI que explora, ou se deverá privilegiar a sua aquisição garantindo sempre o cabal cumprimento da missão. Os resultados revelam que a experiência passada com SI comerciais é negativa, os custos elevados e a satisfação dos requisitos operacionais e prazos nem sempre foram atingidos, o que conduz à conclusão que a FA deverá continuar a desenvolver SI em todas as áreas em que os requisitos internos para um SI não tenham uma afinidade forte com o que existe disponível comercialmente. Abstract: Most of the Portuguese Air Force (PoAF) Information Systems currently in use are developed in-house, but with Defence Budget cuts it is imperative that Human Resources become thoroughly managed and synergies with the civilian world are established, particularly in the Information Technology field. The decision for commercial Information Systems is most of the time determined by the need to reduce costs, assure flexibility or keep up with technology. In this context this research aims to substantiate what is more adequate for the PoAF, continue to develop its Information Systems or give way to a commercial approach , never neglecting the PoAF main goal, its mission. The results show that previous experience with commercial Information Systems have been negative, the costs were high, and the operational requisites and deadlines many times have not been fulfilled. This leads to the conclusion that the PoAF should continue to develop its Information Systems in all the areas in which a commercial solution with identical requisites cannot be found

Offshore Business Processing Outsourcing by Australian Enterprises to Service Providers Located in India

The primary research question for this PhD was: “What are the key factors that contribute to the success of offshore business process outsourcing (OBPO) by Australian and international organisations to service providers located in India and the Philippines?” A qualitative research design in the positivist paradigm was adopted, involving longitudinal case studies of five client companies. A primary contribution was identification of critical success factors for management of OBPO at the individual company level

An investigation of decision support knowledge production, transfer and adoption for it outsourcing

Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) is a widely-adopted strategy for IT governance. ITO decisions are very complicated and challenging for many organisations. During the past three decades of ITO research, numerous decision support artefacts (e.g. frameworks, models, tools) to support organisational ITO decisions have been described in academic publications. However, the scope, rigour, relevance and adoption of this research by industry practitioners had not been assessed. This study investigates the production, transfer and adoption of academic research-generated knowledge for ITO decision support through multiple perspectives of ITO researchers and practitioners (e.g. IT managers, IT consultants) to provide insights into the research problem. A mixed-methods research approach underpinned by the critical realism paradigm is employed in this study. The study comprised three phases. In Phase A, the scope of extant research for supporting ITO decisions is identified through a systematic literature review and critical assessment of the rigour and relevance of this body of research is conducted using a highly regarded research framework. One hundred and thirty three articles on IT outsourcing (including cloud sourcing) were identified as ITO decision support academic literature. These articles suggested a range of Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), optimisation and simulation methods to support different IT outsourcing decisions. The assessment of these articles raised concerns about the limited use of reference design theories, validation and naturalistic evaluation in ITO decision support academic literature. Recommendations to enhance the rigour and relevance of ITO decision support research are made in this thesis. Phase B involved interviewing and surveying academic researchers who published academic literature on ITO decision support artefacts. This phase reports researchers’ reflections on their ITO research experience and knowledge transfer activities undertaken by them. The findings indicate researchers’ motivations, knowledge transfer mechanisms, and communication/ interaction channels with industry may explain effective knowledge transfer. Impact-minded researchers were significantly more effective than publication-minded researchers in knowledge transfer. In Phase C, interviews and a survey of practitioners engaged in IT outsourcing shed light on use of academic-generated knowledge. Academic research was the least used source of decision-making knowledge among ITO practitioners. Practitioners preferred to seek advice from their peers, IT vendors and consultants to inform their ITO decision making. Two communities of users and non-users of academic research were identified in our sample of ITO practitioners, with non-users forming the majority. Six factors that may influence the use of academic research by practitioners were identified. Non-users of academic research held perceptions that academic research was not timely, required too much time to read, was far from the real world and that it was not a commonly-used knowledge source for practitioners. Also, non-users of academic research read academic research less frequently and did not perceive themselves as an audience for academic research. This study engaged two fields of research: ITO decision support and academic knowledge transfer/utilisation (including research-practice gap). ITO decision support research provide the specific context for a critical assessment of academic knowledge production, transfer and adoption. For ITO DSS, this study identified the scope, rigour and relevance of the field, and improvement opportunities. This study confirms that a research-practice gap exists in the ITO decision support field as previously suggested by some scholars. Also, this study made a significant contribution to the highly complex and contested field of research utilisation and the research-practice gap. The relationship between research and practice in terms of knowledge production, transfer and utilisation is modelled using social system theory. Multiple theories are applied through a retroductive (abductive) analysis to shed light on the root causes of the research-practice gap. This study suggests that the lack of adequate appreciation of research relevance in academic reward schemes and the academic publishing structure are the main root causes of the research-practice gap in the knowledge production side. Moreover, various institutional mechanisms exist in knowledge transfer and adoption domains that influence the knowledge adoption channels of practitioners. As a result, academic research does not become a priority source of ITO decision support knowledge for practitioners. This study suggests that to overcome the barriers to academic research adoption by practitioners, the effective structural coupling mechanism between the system of science (knowledge production domain) and organisation systems (knowledge consumption domain) needs to be identified and activated