Global sourcing of business and IT services - Willcocks, Leslie (Palgrave Macmillan, 2006)
Global sourcing is prescribed for everything from back office services like information technology development to core services such as innovation, marketing, and customer care. While the vision of global sourcing networks that are agile, effective, and cost efficient is certainly achievable, our 17 years of research, which includes 300 interviews with senior executives of globally sourcing business services found that: Outsourcing can deliver on its promises, but it takes a tremendous amount of detailed management on both the client and supplier sides to realize expected benefits. Furthermore, piecemeal outsourcing frequently yields piecemeal results - slightly lower costs or better service. But, as long as risks are properly mitigated, transformational outsourcing can lead to business enhancing results - significantly lower costs, better services and increased revenues. This book provides in-depth insights into the detailed practices that lead to success. Written by two internationally acclaimed academics and their colleagues, it covers the best practices on IT outsourcing, offshoring, business process outsourcing, and netsourcing. The challenges of implementing best practices are illustrated through many case studies on global companies that have successfully transformed IT, human resources, indirect procurement, and other back office functions through outsourcing. The book is a must read for any practitioner, academic, or student concerned with global sourcing in the next ten years