The question of whether outsourcing is a good or bad organizational practice has traditionally come down to whether the positive financial impact of outsourcing overcomes the potential organizational liabilities. The theoretical model proposed in this thesis argues that such thinking underestimates the positive organizational benefits that arise from outsourcing by giving inadequate consideration to impacts that outsourcing has on the innovation cycle of outsourcing providers. This research adds to our understanding of outsourcing decision-making in three important ways. First, the thesis presents how innovation benefits can arise from outsourcing and proposes four potential innovation benefits from outsourcing – the motivation for creativity, innovation scale, innovation scope and complementarity of capability. The central hypotheses argue that these beneficial factors should increase the likelihood of a decision to outsource an activity. Second, this research extends our understanding of outsourcing by examining the moderating effect of value appropriation on the decision to outsource. Third, the thesis provides a rigorous empirical utility theoretical approach – best-worst scaling and discrete choice modeling – to understanding managerial preferences and the components of outsourcing decision making. The findings reveal that a significant segment of managers do indeed look beyond cost in choosing to outsource, focusing instead to concentrate broadly on a supplier’s commitment to innovation, complementarity of capabilities and the ability of an outsourcing contract to appropriate value created in a relationship. This implies that the managerial application of outsourcing is not restricted to a short-term solution for cost savings, but can potentially be thought of, and used as, a strategic mechanism to drive innovation in organizations. Some benefits may not be immediately obvious (e.g., a supplier’s motivation for innovation) and require more awareness from managers. Together, the theory and empirics provide insight into outsourcing decision-making and the opportunities for extending outsourcing as a strategic mechanism to drive innovation more broadly.

<p>I den hårdnande konkurrensen på dagens marknad beslutar stor del av dagens företag att koncentrera sig på sin kärnverksamhet. För att kunna göra detta gör företagen ett övervägande om att producera själv eller att leja någon annan att utföra samma aktivitet. Bland många företag är anledningen till outsourcing en önskan om att uppnå minskade kostnader och en produktivitetsökning. Fördelarna kan även ses ur ett strategiskt perspektiv, då ny kunskap förs in i företaget, vilket kan underlätta genomförandet av förändringar. Genom att lägga ut redovisningsfunktionen kan företaget koncentrera sig på sin kärnverksamhet. Detta är bakgrunden till den problemformulering som utgåtts ifrån: I vilken utsträckning tillämpas outsourcing av redovisningsfunktionen bland företagen i Örnsköldsviks kommun?</p><p>Syftet med vår uppsats är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan hur många anställdaett företag har och hur vanligt förekommande outsourcing av redovisningsfunktionen är.</p><p>Denna uppsats är utförd med ett positivistiskt synsätt och deduktivt angreppssätt. Detta har resulterat i en enkätundersökning där ett antal företag har undersökts. För att utföra denna undersökning har teorier som behandlar outsourcing legat till grund, vilka innefattar; kärnkompetens, strategier, inköpsroller och Business Process Outsourcing, BPO. Utifrån den insamlade empirin har en analys utförts, vilken har lett till en slutsats på det uppställda problemet. Denna slutsats resulterade i att det inte är så vanligt förekommande med outsourcing av redovisningsfunktionen och att företag med mindre än tolv anställda väljer att outsourca sin redovisningsfunktion.</p>

I den hårdnande konkurrensen på dagens marknad beslutar stor del av dagens företag att koncentrera sig på sin kärnverksamhet. För att kunna göra detta gör företagen ett övervägande om att producera själv eller att leja någon annan att utföra samma aktivitet. Bland många företag är anledningen till outsourcing en önskan om att uppnå minskade kostnader och en produktivitetsökning. Fördelarna kan även ses ur ett strategiskt perspektiv, då ny kunskap förs in i företaget, vilket kan underlätta genomförandet av förändringar. Genom att lägga ut redovisningsfunktionen kan företaget koncentrera sig på sin kärnverksamhet. Detta är bakgrunden till den problemformulering som utgåtts ifrån: I vilken utsträckning tillämpas outsourcing av redovisningsfunktionen bland företagen i Örnsköldsviks kommun? Syftet med vår uppsats är att undersöka om det finns ett samband mellan hur många anställdaett företag har och hur vanligt förekommande outsourcing av redovisningsfunktionen är. Denna uppsats är utförd med ett positivistiskt synsätt och deduktivt angreppssätt. Detta har resulterat i en enkätundersökning där ett antal företag har undersökts. För att utföra denna undersökning har teorier som behandlar outsourcing legat till grund, vilka innefattar; kärnkompetens, strategier, inköpsroller och Business Process Outsourcing, BPO. Utifrån den insamlade empirin har en analys utförts, vilken har lett till en slutsats på det uppställda problemet. Denna slutsats resulterade i att det inte är så vanligt förekommande med outsourcing av redovisningsfunktionen och att företag med mindre än tolv anställda väljer att outsourca sin redovisningsfunktion.

The question of whether outsourcing is a good or bad organizational practice has traditionally come down to whether the positive financial impact of outsourcing overcomes the potential organizational liabilities. The theoretical model proposed in this thesis argues that such thinking underestimates the positive organizational benefits that arise from outsourcing by giving inadequate consideration to impacts that outsourcing has on the innovation cycle of outsourcing providers. This research adds to our understanding of outsourcing decision-making in three important ways. First, the thesis presents how innovation benefits can arise from outsourcing and proposes four potential innovation benefits from outsourcing – the motivation for creativity, innovation scale, innovation scope and complementarity of capability. The central hypotheses argue that these beneficial factors should increase the likelihood of a decision to outsource an activity. Second, this research extends our understanding of outsourcing by examining the moderating effect of value appropriation on the decision to outsource. Third, the thesis provides a rigorous empirical utility theoretical approach – best-worst scaling and discrete choice modeling – to understanding managerial preferences and the components of outsourcing decision making. The findings reveal that a significant segment of managers do indeed look beyond cost in choosing to outsource, focusing instead to concentrate broadly on a supplier’s commitment to innovation, complementarity of capabilities and the ability of an outsourcing contract to appropriate value created in a relationship. This implies that the managerial application of outsourcing is not restricted to a short-term solution for cost savings, but can potentially be thought of, and used as, a strategic mechanism to drive innovation in organizations. Some benefits may not be immediately obvious (e.g., a supplier’s motivation for innovation) and require more awareness from managers. Together, the theory and empirics provide insight into outsourcing decision-making and the opportunities for extending outsourcing as a strategic mechanism to drive innovation more broadly.

Abstract Background: The rapid expansion of the service industry worldwide over the past decades has intensified competition among service providers. In response to this competition, service industries are increasingly turning to outsourcing decisions to leverage opportunities and gain a competitive edge. This includes outsourcing both core and non-core competencies to better position themselves against rivals. However, while outsourcing presents numerous opportunities within the service industry landscape, organizations also encounter significant challenges. Thus, there is a pressing need for a comprehensive framework to identify and address both the potential opportunities and challenges associated with outsourcing. This study aims to provide a thorough overview of how the opportunities and challenges of strategic outsourcing in Service Supply Chains influence the competitiveness of organizations across various service industries with a comprehensive framework and model to enhance the competitiveness within Service Supply Chains. Purpose: Fulfil the previous research gaps related to outsourcing within SSC domain by exploring how the opportunities and challenges of strategic outsourcing in Service Supply Chains influence the competitiveness within service industries in Sweden. Method: The research adopts inductive approaches, utilizing qualitative data collection methods, including open-ended interviews following a grounded theory approach. The empirical findings contribute to the development of a comprehensive model, offering insights into both mitigating challenges and capitalizing on opportunities in outsourcing within Service Supply Chains. Conclusion: The study addresses the organizational focus on outsourcing within Service Supply Chains, highlighting how strategic outsourcing in Service Supply Chains influences organizations' competitiveness across various service industries in Sweden. Organizations outsource both core and non-core competencies to meet customer demands and remain competitive. While outsourcing presents opportunities for revenue generation and other benefits such as access to resources, it also brings challenges such as additional costs, quality issues, and delivery delays, impacting competitiveness negatively. To align with organizational goals, approaches are employed to mitigate these challenges and capitalize on opportunities. The research provides a comprehensive framework, considering agency theory perspectives, to navigate outsourcing opportunities and challenges. It identifies organizational and supplierlevel factors that influence competitiveness in Service Supply Chains by mitigating challenges and capitalizing on opportunities.

Bakgrund: Globaliseringen samt digitaliseringen har lett till stora förändringar på den globala marknaden. Företag konkurrerar inte längre bara regionalt eller nationellt utan även internationellt. Den dynamiska och volatila marknaden har lett till att det inte räcker att företag utnyttjar sina befintliga resurser utan de måste även vara flexibla, snabba och innovativa för att identifiera nya möjligheter. För att lyckas med det måste företag vara strategiskt entreprenöriella. Den ökade konkurrensen har även gjort att företag tvingas leverera hög kapacitet och effektivitet i samtliga av dess aktiviteter. Det har därmed blivit vanligt att företag väljer att enbart hantera de aktiviteter där de har sina interna styrkor och outsourcar övriga aktiviteter till externa företag genom att vara i nätverksorganisationer. Syfte: Studiens syfte är att skapa en djupare förståelse för strategiskt entreprenörskap och undersöka om och i så fall hur nätverksorganisationer kan balansera entreprenörskap och strategi i sin verksamhet.  Metod: Studien utgörs av en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi som utformats som en fallstudie av företaget Smiling Group. Det empiriska materialet har samlat in via intervjuer, observationer samt genom granskning av skriftligt material.  Slutsats: Vi anser utifrån vår studie att företag i nätverksorganisationer kan balansera strategi och entreprenörskap i sin verksamhet genom att de utnyttjar förutsättningarna som nätverket skapar. Vi vill hävda att en nätverksorganisation bidrar till att de enskilda företagen inom organisationen kan vara av entreprenöriell karaktär och ändå skapa långsiktig konkurrenskraft på marknaden. / Background: The trends of globalization and digitalization have led to huge changes in the global market. Companies do not compete only on a regional or national level but also on an international level. The dynamic and volatile market place have led to the fact that companies do not only have to use their existing resources but they also have to be flexible, fast pace and innovative in order to identify new market opportunities. To succeed companies must be strategically entrepreneurial. The increased competitive situation has also forced companies to deliver high capacity and efficiency in all of its activities. Hence, it has become common that companies choose to perform those activities where they have their internal strengths while outsourcing the other activities to organizations by operating in network environments. Purpose: The purpose of the case study is to provide a greater understanding for the concept of strategic entrepreneurship and evaluate the how the network organizations can balance the entrepreneurship and strategy in its business operations. Method: The study is represented of a qualitative research strategy which has been shaped as a case study of the Smiling Group company. The empirical material has been collected through several personal interviews, various experiences and a review of written documentation.  Conclusion: We conclude out of this case study that firms in network organizations can balance strategic management and entrepreneurship in their operations by utilizing the strategic advantages provided by the network. We claim that network organizations contribute by giving the individual firm the opportunity to take entrepreneurial action and still creating sustainable competitive advantage.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T19:51:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 DissMAT.pdf: 727506 bytes, checksum: fdef83ab557cee835450befc6d4b091a (MD5) Previous issue date: 2004-11-12 / This work has the objective to analyze and to discuss the organizational transformations in the supply chain of a worldwide competitive manufacturing company operating with MRP II Class A, JIT and TQM management systems, caused by the strategic outsourcing implementation for tree thousands, two hundreds and third eight components involving ten key suppliers. The work analyzes the SCM concepts required to the global competitiveness, the buyer / supplier partnership relationships, the transformations in the purchasing organizations within the MRP II, JIT and TQM environment and some work frames for strategic outsourcing. It analyzes the main phases of one strategic outsourcing case study: the outsourcing decision criteria based on the definition of the core competences of the leader company, the group technology concepts used to link the outsourced items with the supplier s core competences, the supplier selection process, the partnership contracts, the quotation and negotiation process performed by common group of items; the project management process used to control the high amount of outsourcing activities and the supplier s learning curves control. Four years had already gone since this strategic outsourcing process was implemented and all the suppliers involved had their performances complied with the annual targets established by the Supplier Chain leader company. So, the conclusion is that the process implementation of this strategic outsourcing was correct. / Este trabalho tem como objetivo analisar e contextualizar as transformações organizacionais e operacionais nas funções de compras, decorrentes da implantação de programas de terceirização estratégica de empresas de manufatura competitivas globalmente e que operam com gestão de produção utilizando o conceito MRP II Classe A, a filosofia Just in Time (JIT) e a Gestão de Qualidade Total (TQM Total Quality Management). O trabalho fundamenta os conceitos de Supply Chain Management para a competitividade global, os relacionamentos de parcerias entre cliente e fornecedor dessa cadeia, as transformações das atividades de compras no ambiente MRP II / JIT / TQM, e os modelos de terceirização. Em seguida, é contextualizado o estudo de caso de terceirização estratégica três mil e duzentos e trinta e oito itens produtivos em uma empresa de manufatura, envolvendo dez fornecedores da sua cadeia de suprimentos em suas principais fases: a) os critérios utilizados na definição dos itens a serem terceirizados, alinhados com a definição das competências essenciais da empresa líder da cadeia de suprimentos; b) a adequação dos itens terceirizados às competências essenciais da base de fornecedores, c) o processo de seleção dos fornecedores envolvidos; d) a forma de cotação e negociação por grupos de peças; e) os contratos de parcerias estabelecidos, f) a metodologia aplicada para o gerenciamento das atividades do processo de terceirização; e g) implantação das ações corretivas para minimizar os efeitos das fases de learning curve . Passaram-se quatro anos neste cenário transformado, e o desempenho dos fornecedores envolvidos atendeu os objetivos anuais estabelecidos pela montadora, demonstrando que as ações tomadas na implementação da terceirização estratégica foram corretas.