Idag är outsourcing av IT-funktioner något som är normalbilden i offentliga och privata verksamheter. Klienter efterfrågar att IT-outsourcing skall minska kostnader och samtidigt leda till innovation och mervärde för verksamheten. Det föreligger ett behov av att outsourcingrelationen klarar av att förändras i takt med verksamhetens utveckling. I dag är kunskapen låg, det är endast ett fåtal forskningsartiklar som behandlar ämnet innovation i IT-outsourcing som en helhet. Däremot finns en större mängd fragment av relevant forskning att inhämta och analysera. Publicerad forskning menar på att ämnesområdet är i sin barndom och behöver studeras vidare.   Syftet med denna C-uppsats är att identifiera och beskriva kritiska framgångsfaktorer för att möjliggöra innovation i outsourcing av IT-funktioner. Uppsatsen syftar till att studera innovation i generell bemärkelse, det vill säga hur en verksamhet förnyar, förändrar och skapar mervärde i de studerade fallen oavsett typ av IT-funktion.   Litteraturgenomgången har resulterat i en analysmodell som genomgående har använts som underlag i studiens genomförande. Vidare har studien genomfört semistrukturerade intervjuer med två olika verksamheter, var av en är ett stort internationellt företag i privat sektor, samt Karlstad kommun i offentlig sektor.   Denna studie visar att relation, kontrakt, kommunikation, kostnad och tidsperspektiv utgör de kritiska framgångsfaktorer som möjliggör innovation i IT-outsourcing. En verksamhet måste vara noggrann med vilka IT-funktioner som har potential att outsourcas och vilka som bäst behålls inom verksamheten, outsourcing skapar inte nödvändigtvis mervärde för alla IT-funktioner.   Denna studie visar att relationen är den i särklass mest framträdande kritiska framgångsfaktorn, relationen är av betydelse för att åstadkomma mervärdet för verksamheten. Samarbetet som krävs för att uppnå innovation förutsätter en nära relation mellan parterna där kunskapsöverföring sker kontinuerligt och under organiserade former. Studien har identifierat de kritiska framgångsfaktorer som utgör grunden för att möjliggöra innovation på IT-operativ, verksamhetsprocess och strategisk nivå i en IT-outsourcing.

The concept of outsourcing information technology (IT) or systems (IS) has been around since mid 1960s. Today, outsourcing has become a potentially viable business solution that many IT managers are looking into in order to remain competitive in the current dynamic business and technological environment. In Singapore, the recent IT outsourcing by DBS Bank has raised the awareness and sparked off the interest to conduct this study. The purpose of this thesis is therefore to investigate this latest IT trend and to look into the concepts and practice of outsourcing in Singapore. An intensive literature review and an empirical survey based on questionnaire technique were conducted to learn about outsourcing concepts and practices. In the literature review, the concepts of outsourcing were explored. The different types of outsourcing practices and trends, categories of outsourcing services, drivers, benefits, risks, challenges and critical success factors of outsourcing based on the lessons learnt from past outsourcing experiences were discussed while the survey assessed the IT/IS outsourcing trend in Singapore. The survey revealed that outsourcing has been a positive experience. Generally, there are differences in views between people of different roles and there is a gap in the understanding and practice of IT/IS outsourcing in Singapore in comparison to the literature.It is learnt in this study that outsourcing is not a perfect and workable solution for everyone. Organizations should always stand back and examine the outsourcing option. The bottom line is outsourcing should always be backed by an objective business case. It should be not a decision that blindly follows the market trend. Organizations should not simply jump into the outsourcing bandwagon without fully comprehending the outsourcing concept. Thorough evaluation of the feasibility of such business venture is necessary.

Denna rapport behandlar ämnet outsourcing vilket är en växande företeelse bland svenska och internationella företag idag. Det finns många tolkningar av innebörden till begreppet och generellt kan sägas att outsourcing innebär att ett företag överlåter delar av sin verksamhet till en extern leverantör. Outsourcing förekommer inom många områden och branscher. I denna rapport avser begreppet outsourcing området informationsteknik (IT). Problemställningen i denna rapport har inneburit att undersöka vad som bör beaktas i relationen/samarbetet mellan kund och leverantör vid en outsourcingprocess. Detta har gjorts genom ett antal företagsintervjuer samt genom en litteraturstudie. Som svar på problemställningen har ett antal faktorer framkommit vilka bör beaktas i relationen mellan kund och leverantör. Dessa faktorer har resulterat i ett antal punkter vilka innehåller nyckelord för vad som bör beaktas i relationen mellan kund och leverantör. Exempel på dessa nyckelord är; långsiktig relation, kompetens, kommunikation och engagemang.

Detta examensarbete behandlar överföring av personal från ett företag till ett annat. Vikten av att hantera personalen rätt vid en outsourcingaffär är stor. Därför är det viktigt att ledningen hela tiden håller personalen informerad om vad som kommer att hända i och med outsourcingaffären. Personalen spelar en central roll i företaget då den besitter kunskap om kundföretaget. Denna kunskap kan avgöra hur bra leverantören kan sköta kundens system. Därför är det viktigt att sköta överföringen av personalen rätt, för att få nöjd personal och framförallt inte förlora personal. I mitt arbete har jag undersökt hur personalen upplever övergången till det nya företaget. Arbetet har bedrivits i form av en fallstudie, där de överförda personerna intervjuats. Resultatet av undersökningen kan sammanfattas i tre ord; tid, information och arbetssituation. Tid och information är viktigt för att personerna skall vara nöjda med överföringen. Arbetssituationen är viktig så att personerna kan känna sig nöjda efter överföringen.

Abstract The fundamental choice among governance mechanism is whether to externally organize transactions outside the boundary of the firm in the market, or whether to internally organize transactions within the firm's boundaries. In other words, major decision which is made on the firm's organizational strategy culminates in the make-or-buy decisions. In business and especially in the context of logistics, the worldwide usage and importance of outsourcing has grown dramatically over the last decades and researchers have reported on the outsourcing of logistics functions from several perspectives and a growing interest towards outsourcing is indicated by the volume of writings on the subject in scholarly journals, trade publications and popular magazines. The theoretical framework in outsourcing studies has commonly been the theory of the firm in microeconomics, transaction cost theory, agency theory, marketing or strategic management. However, according to recent studies it seems that several perspectives are needed when studying the development of relationships and the antecedents that underlie outsourcing decisions. Hence, in this study, concepts will be used from several theoretical backgrounds to get an eclectic view of outsourcing. The main research question is to study how the buyers' logistics outsourcing decisions contribute to the accomplishment of goals in business networks. Empirical part of thesis contains two data sets. First data were collected in November 2005 and the target group in this data was northern Finnish companies. Totally 161 acceptable responses were received, corresponding to a 27.4 percent response rate. The second data were collected from industrial companies in Finland during spring 2008. In the second data, 235 acceptable responses were returned, representing a response rate of 22.5 percent. As a result, a two dimensional model was created for describing outsourcing relationships in the logistics service markets. On the one hand, network economies can be gained through horizontal mode of outsourcing, where focus is in unit costs of services and the way to achieve lowest possible unit costs are short-term bidding games among service providers. On the other hand, network economies can be achieved through vertical mode of outsourcing with cooperation and strategic partnership where all participants concentrate on their core competences and thus create network economies through transactional value in long-term. In the middle are hybrid modes of outsourcing where focus is on both unit costs of services and transaction costs. These outsourcing modes are where the outsourcing strategies arise and in this way, the thesis contributes to theoretical development of outsourcing phenomenon and concepts behind logistics outsourcing decision making.

Public sectors in the developed and emerging economies have been witnessing a period of intense change over the past three decades as a result of the development of free-market economy across the globe. In the UK, the public sector in 1970s (that comprised of nationalised industries) was severely criticised for being wasteful, and subject to political intervention, thereby making them inefficient systems for delivering public services. To put matters right, successive governments from the late 1970s embarked on public sector reforms. These reforms centred on increasing the role of private sector in delivering public services. Privatisation, the implementation of accruals-based accounting and application of compulsory competitive tendering in the public sector were some of these reforms. Public-private partnerships, including private finance initiatives (PFIs), introduced in the 1990s, were a continuation of these reforms. In the defence sector, various reforms carried out prior to 1990s failed to completely remove cost and time overruns in defence projects. PFIs were introduced to further rectify the failures of previous reforms in the defence sector because they were purported to provide better value for money. Defence PFIs are long-term agreements whereby the Ministry of Defence, MoD, contracts to purchase quality services on a long-term basis from the private sector (through the special purpose vehicle, SPV) in which the private sector provides all the finance required in constructing the asset that is used to provide the services. Value for money of PFIs is about economy, efficiency and effectiveness. The question, though is whether, Defence PFIs provide value for money as claimed by the MoD? The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of three categories: 1) accommodation, 2) equipment and 3) training of Defence PFIs by assessing the financial robustness (over a six-year period) of the SPVs engaged in their delivery. This research employs a multi-method methodological approach to gather data. Qualitative research methods were employed in exploring and understanding customer-supplier relationships and included, PPPs, PFIs in general (and Defence PFIs in particular), the public sector reforms that brought about private sector integration, 4 defence reforms, and Defence PFI policies. Quantitative research was used to collect and evaluate financial data on SPVs (used in Defence PFIs). Research analysis provided mixed results regarding the financial robustness of SPVs employed in the delivery of Defence PFIs. The profit margins of SPVs involved in the delivery of Defence PFIs relating to the category of accommodation were the highest. This is followed by SPVs in the category of Defence equipment and then by SPVs in the category of Defence training. Interestingly, the majority of SPVs involved in the delivery of Defence PFIs relating to accommodation have sound financial health. On the other hand, most SPVs relating to the other two categories have serious financial problems and therefore show cause for concern. Based on research findings of this study, a number of important policy recommendations are advanced to raise the effectiveness of PFIs in the defence sector and the wider public sector. / © Cranfield University, 2014

M.Ing. (Engineering Management) / Projects are often outsourced to an external project management office that has to adapt and operate in a matrix style organisational structure. This project management office is then forced to follow the project management framework enforced by their clients, especially if these clients operate on a global, multinational business level. In such cases it is common practice that the project management office also has to follow a strict procurement approval process to ensure controlled project capital governance, which often results in project baseline schedule delays. The source of these project schedule delays may even cause conflict between the project management office, the respective project manager and their common clients. As part of the current research, various procurement transactions within such a project environment were tracked as a case study to validate the approval efficiency of all approval authorities within the procurement process itself. The duration for transaction approvals were tracked in order to compare it with existing service level agreements between the relevant stakeholders. The results obtained from the above study indicate that the actual procurement approval duration is misaligned with the theoretical and expected procurement approval duration, confirming that existing service level agreements should be aligned with more realistic deliverable expectations. The current research confirms that the organisational structure of this particular matrix style project environment and the way in which the procurement process is governed for transaction approval, have a direct negative impact on project deliverables; especially on the baseline schedule. The current research also confirms that the client organisation should be sensitive in how they structure their project organisational environment as over-governance of the procurement process can often result in unexpected schedule delays. This over-governance of the procurement process exposes various inefficiencies in the overall process, without necessarily enhancing overall project governance. The current research shows that restructuring of the procurement approval process could reduce the procurement approval duration, and present a more realistic service level agreement between the project stakeholders. This will allow the project manager to more accurately define his baseline project schedule and align all stakeholders’ project schedule expectations.

Práce hodnotí připravenost společnosti na její rozšíření a přesun závodu. Navrhuje, jak by měl být řešen dočasný HR management a jaké by měl mít pravomoce. Demograficky analyzuje novou lokalitu závodu. Práce přináší návod, jak by měly být v budoucnu zpracovány některé pracovně právní dokumenty.

In the first part, author is describing theoretical concept of rasing economic performance by using method Six Sigma (basic terms, tools, DMAIC). Then she describes current phenomenon outsourcing. The final part of the master thesis deals with practical implementatin of Six Sigma on a project called Reduction of manually allocated remittances in company Capgemini.

This work defines the concept, advantages and risks of outsourcing of training and development of employees. The practical part of this work is a case study which goal is to choose a supplier for long-term development of employees of Prague company in English language.