Information systems outsourcing in major Portuguese companies - contracting services

The information systems outsourcing presents itself as a strategic option for companies and continues to evolve in size and in type of contracts.In order to identify the most frequently outsourced services and aiming to get a better comprehension on the hiring process, a study was made based on a survey sent to information systems managers of large Portuguese companies.The study allowed to identify the information systems services usually outsourced, the main criteria used for selecting suppliers, the aspects considered in contracts, the difficulties that arise in relationships between customers and suppliers, and the mechanisms adopted for conflict resolution.- (undefined

Public-Private Sector Partnerships in Developing Countries: Prospects and Drawbacks

Many developing countries are searching positive impacts on the efficiency, equity and quality provision of the public services through increasing competition and active participation of the private sector, considering public-private partnerships (PPPs) as the appropriate instrument to attain such endeavour. Accordingly, PPPs have been used for many and widespread purposes, ranging from the construction of physical infrastructure, to the provision of health and social services, to public administration. But, while the idea of a PPP in general is theoretically appealing, its practical implementation in developing countries is not so easy as theory suggests. Perhaps partly for that reason, a large number of implemented PPPs have left the contractual parties dissatisfied, which may indicate that, either developing country authorities, or investors (or both) may have had too high expectations to what could be attained. Though some contracts have been granted under circumstances that made them susceptible to changes in the political environment, the large majority of the others have also suffered from inflated or unrealistic expectations. So, the need for a legal and regulatory framework, which can guarantee a transparent and credible relationship between the different actors, is critical. Unfortunately many, if not all, regulators in developing countries lack one, or more, qualities required for an effective regulation.Contracting out, public services, market/government failure, infrastructures, public-private partnership

IT/IS Outsourcing in Large Companies - Motivations and Risks

Companies can outsource Information Technologies (IT) /Information Systems (IS) at various scales, from a small percentage of services to the entire range of services that they need. Outsourcing is associated to a set of motivations related to perceived benefits, but it also has inherent risks. This paper discusses the main results of a survey carried out to determine several aspects of outsourcing practice in large companies. It presents the most frequently contracted services (application development and application maintenance), the most prevailing motivations (financial motives and access to world-class capabilities) and the main risks (loss of control, loss of intellectual capital, and unexpected costs), as perceived by companies.COMPETE: POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007043 and FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia within the Project Scope: UID/CEC/00319/2013info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Corportate strategy, centralisation and outsourcing in banking: case studies on paper payment processing

This is an empirical review of IT outsourcing as an emerging tool for corporate strategy after deregulation and other phenomena changed the suitability of the global/universal bank model. Case studies of UK commercial banks are used to focus on cost management of paper and electronic processing through insourcing and outsourcing arrangements to change the size/efficiency equation in banking. The analysis discusses the corporate strategy and corr capabilities ussues behind a number of innovations and illustrates how outsourcing and other third party arrangements alters strategic balance albeit as a component of overall strategy. The paper establishes why outsourcing decisions have been concentrated in particular aspects of banking and discusses the competitive and environmental forces which have contributed to this focus.

Portugal as a near shore destination for Information Technology and Business Processes Outsourcing. Factors influencing the location assessment

This research aims to define Portuguese positioning in the near shoring market for Information Technology and Business Processes Outsourcing. The TAVAAS methodology used throughout this work considers six factors, for which corresponding relative weights were assumed. A qualitative research methodology was conducted to identify the motivational drivers of companies whose transnational services are installed in Portugal. Its results challenged the initial assumption; therefore, they were re-applied to the framework. The deviation from the results achieved with the initial perceived weights was not significant; thus, the initial hypothesis was tested and its results accepted. As conclusion, the relative factor weights to consider when evaluating Portugal as a near shore destination for IT and BPO have been identified

Educational Reform in Developing Countries: Private Involvement and Partnerships

The paper looks at recent changes in the role of government in the provision of education in Developing Countries. It begins with a reflection about the concept of public-private partnership (PPP), discusses the rationale that inspires the ‘contracting out’ of educational services and describes several cases of private sector involvement in education. After looking at the conditions for building PPPs and the necessary requirements for assuring an effective regulatory framework, the paper closes concluding that while contracting out needs not be made a priority there is a large room for other forms of private sector involvement in education in developing countries.Contracting out, educational reform, market/government failure, NPM, public-private partnerships.

Selected essays on international business law

Selected essays on Business La

A Comparative Study Between U.S. and Brazilian Acquisition Regulations and Practices

The researcher undergoes a tripartite comparative analysis approach using: (1) Brazilian Acquisition Law, (2) US Federal Acquisition Regulation and (3) Selected Articles from the European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management (1996-2010). Specifically, the primary research question is: How does the Brazilian Law 8666/93 compare to the American Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR/84)? Therefore, an in-depth assessment and analysis of the procurement systems of the United States and Brazil is executed in order to determine the different perspectives and policies adopted by these countries; and how differently each Government perceive the purchase function. An extensive literature review using selected articles from the European Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management (1996-2010) enabled the generation of 22 potential topics for comparative purposes. This research is qualitative in nature and two methods were utilized: Coding techniques and CRA (Center Resonance Analysis). A complete coding structure was developed using the Brazilian Acquisition Law as the primary basis, and two main coding structure parts were selected in an endeavor to answer the research questions. The set of analyses were facilitated through the use of the Crawdad Software, which applies text analysis techniques by representing the text as a network of essential linked concepts. Several lessons learned were collected that can be ultimately incorporated on the purchasing practices of the Brazilian acquisition system

PPPs: a critique of the green paper

A critique of the European Commission's 2004 Green Paper on PPPs, as well of the European Commission's approach to PPPs

Municipal services: organisations, companies and alternatives

A review of the impact of international institutions and multinational companies on municipal services worldwide, and of campaigns for alternatives