Identifying Different IS Outsourcing Client Types

Despite the experience with IS outsourcing for decades, numerous outsourcing arrangements fail in practice. Likely reasons for such failures can be ascribed to divergent expectations and an inappropriate governance of the outsourcing relationship. The objective of this paper is to explore different types of outsourcing relationships and their configuration depending on the underlying expectations of outsourcing clients. Based on survey responses from 268 outsourcing clients, the data was analyzed with an exploratory factor analysis revealing four main outsourcing motives. These factors were used as distinguishing variables in a subsequent cluster analysis revealing four distinct outsourcing client types: business-efficiency clients, cost-conscious clients, strategists, and IT-excellence and reliability-oriented clients. These types were characterized along their underlying outsourcing motives and attributes that form each type. The findings call for a more differentiated view on outsourcing relationships. The paper concludes with implications for outsourcing clients and vendors and an outlook on future research

Relational Governance Mediates the Effect of Formal Contracts on BPO Performance

Research on outsourcing governance has focused on two modes: formal governance based on a legally binding contract, and relational governance based on a psychological contract between the vendor’s relationship manager and the client’s project manager. Some researchers argue that the two forms of governance are substitutes for each other. Others model them as complements. Here, we find empirical support for the complementary model and extend it to explain the sequential relationship between formal and relational governance, with relational governance mediating the effect of formal governance on BPO performance. The formal contract is the initial and necessary platform for the outsourcing relationship. If it is well structured, it shapes a good outsourcing relationship, which then supports high BPO performance. The mediated relationship between formal and relational governance extends theory and prior research, which focused on either a substitutive or a complementary relationship between the two forms of governance

Towards a Formative Measurement Model for Trust

IS research has shown the importance of trust in domains such as e-commerce or technology acceptance. Researchers also emphasize the importance of the identification of factors that influence trust. Unfortunately, the currently dominant reflective measurement does not offer these insights, and thus this contribution aims at developing a formative measurement model for trust. To achieve this, we address three research questions: a) How can trust be measured, considering trust and measurement theory? b) What indicators should be included in a formative measurement model for trust? c) What is the value of a formative measurement of trust compared to a reflective one? Our results show that the formative measurement model offers detailed insights on the impact of single factors influencing trust. We show that in our study, ability affects trust over twice as much other factors such as benevolence or trustor\u27s propensity

Competing in the Clouds: A Strategic Challenge for ITSP Ltd.

By 2010, cloud computing had become established as a new model of IT provisioning for service providers. New market players and businesses emerged, threatening the business models of established market players. This teaching case explores the challenges arising through the impact of the new cloud computing technology on an established, multinational IT service provider called ITSP. Should the incumbent vendors adopt cloud computing offerings? And, if so, what form should those offerings take? The teaching case focuses on the strategic dimensions of technological developments, their threats and opportunities. It requires strategic decision making and forecasting under high uncertainty. The critical question is whether cloud computing is a disruptive technology or simply an alternative channel to supply computing resources over the Internet. The case challenges students to assess this new technology and plan ITSP’s responses

Do virtual communities matter for the social support of patients?

Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG-geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich. - This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively

The Business Perspective of Cloud Computing: Actors, Roles and Value Networks

With the rise of a ubiquitous provision of computing resources over the past years, cloud computing has been established as a prominent research topic. Many researchers, however, focus exclusively on the technical aspects of cloud computing, thereby neglecting the business opportunities and potentials cloud computing can offer. Enabled through this technology, new market players and business value networks arise and break up the traditional value chain of service provision. The focus of this paper lies on the business aspects of cloud computing. Besides elaborating on a comprehensive definition of cloud computing its main contribution is a conceptual compilation of cloud actors and their roles within a new cloud computing value network and a conceptual development of a generic value network of different actors in cloud computing. Extending the prevailing technical perspective of cloud computing, this paper shifts the focus from an exclusive technological perspective to a broader understanding of business opportunities and business value