IT Outsourcing (contracting-out of Information Technology services) has become a pivotal economic trend in recent decades. This study traces the interlacing of IT Outsourcing with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software systems. Little research has considered the reciprocal relations between these two phenomena. This was the gap in knowledge addressed by the research. More specifically, the research investigated: why organisations turn to IT Outsourcing providers to implement and maintain ERP systems and what are the success factors for selective IT Outsourcing within ERP projects in Israel. Field research was conducted in organisations during 2006-2008, employing IT Outsourcing for ERP systems in two stages: Stage One used qualitative data-collection tools: five semi-structured interviews and fifteen open-ended questionnaires. Inductive content and thematic analysis conducted on data from these tools produced themes that formed the basis for a closed-ended questionnaire used in the next stage. Stage Two employed seventy two closed-ended questionnaires. Quantitative data from this questionnaire underwent deductive statistical analysis to test and confirm findings from Stage One. Results indicated that significant differences between ERP package-based centralised cross-organisational systems and the out-dated self-developed legacy IT systems produced different organisational requirements for IT Outsourcing services. Respondents thought it essential to employ IT Outsourcing for ERP projects, noting different motivations for this strategy. Respondents identified four success factor groups for IT Outsourcing in ERP projects, grading the factors according to relative importance. Management commitment and support was the most important success factor group. The research showed that organisations that implement ERP systems regard it as essential to employ the IT Outsourcing services since they provide experienced updated experts. Organisations stress that they need these services to ensure effective, operable systems, understanding that initially there is little cost reduction. Management commitment, wise choice of vendors and intelligent contracting can establish successful vendor-organisation collaboration. Contribution to knowledge is made by offering a better understanding of the unique phenomenon of IT Outsourcing within ERP projects in Israel, motivations to use and success factors

<p>Nowadays, information technology outsourcing (ITO) represents an established business practice in which a considerable number of companies are involved. Since the success of ITO is highly dependent on the exposure to ITO risks, studying the very risks is of great importance. The aim of this thesis consists in revealing the occurrence of specific ITO risks: supplier lock-in, hidden costs and the loss of control over outsourced IT. Further aims of this work are the revelation of measures which can be taken in order to face these risks and of the influences these risks have on backsourcing considerations. The first part of this thesis constitutes the theoretical framework which is based on the review of relevant literature. Within this part of the work, transaction cost theory and resource-based theory are presented and applied for the discussion of the specific ITO risks under consideration. Furthermore, a multidimensional approach is utilized in order to illustrate the various dimensions of ITO. By this means, the identification of situations in which the ITO risks under consideration appear is enabled. The empirical part of this exploratory research is based on a multiple case study. The data necessary for this qualitative research was gathered from telephone interviews conducted with both ITO clients and IT suppliers. The results of this study indicate that the ITO risks under consideration all pose considerable threats to ITO operations and that there are both internal and external measures ITO companies can take in order to face these risks. Furthermore, the risks under discussion influence backsourcing considerations.</p>

Nowadays, information technology outsourcing (ITO) represents an established business practice in which a considerable number of companies are involved. Since the success of ITO is highly dependent on the exposure to ITO risks, studying the very risks is of great importance. The aim of this thesis consists in revealing the occurrence of specific ITO risks: supplier lock-in, hidden costs and the loss of control over outsourced IT. Further aims of this work are the revelation of measures which can be taken in order to face these risks and of the influences these risks have on backsourcing considerations. The first part of this thesis constitutes the theoretical framework which is based on the review of relevant literature. Within this part of the work, transaction cost theory and resource-based theory are presented and applied for the discussion of the specific ITO risks under consideration. Furthermore, a multidimensional approach is utilized in order to illustrate the various dimensions of ITO. By this means, the identification of situations in which the ITO risks under consideration appear is enabled. The empirical part of this exploratory research is based on a multiple case study. The data necessary for this qualitative research was gathered from telephone interviews conducted with both ITO clients and IT suppliers. The results of this study indicate that the ITO risks under consideration all pose considerable threats to ITO operations and that there are both internal and external measures ITO companies can take in order to face these risks. Furthermore, the risks under discussion influence backsourcing considerations.

Thesis (MTech (Quality)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2009 / Corporate governance is viewed as one of the topical issues of the 21st century. Little focus has however been directed to date at the specific application of corporate governance to Information and Communication Technology (ICT) outsourcing companies. The research problem, which was researched reads as follows: “The application of inadequate or poorly formulated governance mechanisms within ICT outsourcing companies invariably lead to poor service delivery and substandard quality of outsourced deliverables, and which could ultimately lead to the outsourcing contract being cancelled at a significant loss of jobs and revenue to the industry”. The research question which was researched to mitigate the research problem, reads as follows: “Can a generic governance framework be formulated to address the specific governance requirements of ICT outsourcing organisations?” As a result, the objective of the research was to assess the extent to which known governance reference models, frameworks and standards address the specific governance requirements of ICT outsourcing companies. The case study research method was utilised for the research as this type of research method allows for the establishment of in-depth data concerning the current governance mechanisms within the target organisation. The research study was supported by a governance efficiency survey conducted on a South African subsidiary of a multinational ICT outsourcing company, where the director‟s duties in respect of IT governance, were assessed. The questionnaire used in this research comprised of closed questions, based on the well known Likert scale. Primary data gleaned from the research survey was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The survey returned that, although best practices pertaining to „governance‟ are mature, openly available and clearly described in literature, they are not necessarily widely adopted. This implies that in many organisations, there is significant room for improvement in the IT governance domain. The research furthermore returned that current known governance reference models, frameworks and standards to a limited extent, address the specific governance requirements of ICT outsourcing companies. A generic IT Governance Framework was developed, providing a valuable contribution to the improvement of customer satisfaction levels, by suggesting practical models for the integration of processes, the organisation design of the service provider and outsource client, and the relationship between „governance‟ and „quality‟.

A significant amount of research has been done in the area of understanding how people use technology in the workplace. Included in this research is how social and technical systems of an organization interact and influence one another. Previous work in both Management of Information Systems and Computer Supported Cooperative Work show how the interaction between the social and technical systems of a workplace can lead to new technology uses and requirements, as well as adoption issues like resistance. One area that has not been extensively studied is how organizations select technologies to begin with. To understand how an organization makes a choice on technology, one has to investigate the underlying organizational decision-making processes. The subject of this research is a case study of a government IT project. Data on the decision-making that led to the selection of the IT solution is gathered through elite and specialized interviews of government officials who were involved in the selection. The data collected in the case study supports three conclusions about decision-making for organizational systems: 1.) sociopolitical dynamics constrain the design space, 2.) emergent requirements are likely and 3) organizational systems can have different levels of stakeholders and the levels reflect the power structure within the organization. Finally, general guidelines for conducting decision-making analysis are provided so that data from decision-making activities of other organizations can be collected and analyzed by researchers and practitioners. / Master of Science

Submitted by Sara Ribeiro (sara.ribeiro@ucb.br) on 2018-12-04T12:01:55Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RodrigoGalisaNevesDissertacao2018.pdf: 3169811 bytes, checksum: 1850d5e253282e6e3e88e4cba638da09 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Sara Ribeiro (sara.ribeiro@ucb.br) on 2018-12-04T12:02:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 RodrigoGalisaNevesDissertacao2018.pdf: 3169811 bytes, checksum: 1850d5e253282e6e3e88e4cba638da09 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-12-04T12:02:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RodrigoGalisaNevesDissertacao2018.pdf: 3169811 bytes, checksum: 1850d5e253282e6e3e88e4cba638da09 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-08-29 / IT Outsourcing (ITO) in the public sector is a constantly growing management practice, but a significant part of outsourcing agreements still fails or suffers serious problems. ITO is far from an easy-to-run practice. In recent years, ITO has changed from a formal contract-based practice - contractual governance - to a relationship-based practice - relational governance - and the ITO literature in the public sector reveals that quality of the relationship is an important success factor. However, specific studies on this subject are rare in the literature. In this context, this exploratory study aimed to analyze the outsourcing governance of IT services in a Brazilian public company, investigating aspects of relational governance present in the relationship between a public-sector customer and private-sector suppliers. For this purpose, a literature review was conducted on ITO governance (focused on relational governance) and international standards were analyzed on the theme of outsourcing and collaborative relationships. Questionnaires and interviews with managers of the public organization. A manager of an IT supplier company was interviewed. The results showed that relational governance plays an important role in the execution and success of ITO agreements in the public sector. However, some precautions must be taken to avoid excessive use of relational aspects that could put companies at risk. The results of this work support the understanding of previous research on bureaucracy and restrictions related to the public sector, which makes relations between public clients and private IT suppliers more complex. In these circumstances, the use of relational governance, risk-weighted, is even more important for the success of the agreements. / Terceirização de serviços de TI no setor público é uma prática de gestão em constante crescimento, mas uma parte significativa dos acordos ainda falha ou sofre sérios problemas. A terceirização de serviços de TI (em inglês Information Technology Outsourcing – ITO) está longe de ser uma prática de fácil execução. Nos últimos anos, ITO mudou de uma prática formal, baseada em contrato – governança contratual – para uma prática também baseada em relacionamento – governança relacional – e a literatura sobre ITO no setor público revela que a qualidade do relacionamento é um importante fator de sucesso. No entanto, estudos específicos sobre esse assunto são raros na literatura. Nesse contexto, este estudo exploratório teve como objetivo analisar a governança de terceirização de serviços TI em uma empresa pública brasileira, investigando os aspectos da governança relacional presentes na relação entre um cliente do setor público e fornecedores do setor privado. Com esse objetivo, foi realizada revisão de literatura sobre governança de ITO (com foco na governança relacional) e foram analisadas normas internacionais sobre o tema governança de terceirização e relacionamento colaborativo. Foram aplicados questionários e entrevistas com gestores da organização pública. Um gestor de uma empresa fornecedora de TI foi entrevistado. Os resultados demonstraram que a governança relacional desempenha importante papel na execução e sucesso dos acordos de ITO no setor público. Contudo, alguns cuidados devem ser observados, buscando evitar que o uso excessivo dos aspectos relacionais resulte em riscos para as empresas. Os resultados deste trabalho apoiam o entendimento de pesquisas anteriores, sobre a burocracia e as restrições relacionados ao setor público, que tornam mais complexas as relações entre clientes públicos e fornecedores privados de TI. Nessas circunstâncias, o uso da governança relacional, ponderado pelos riscos, é ainda mais importante para o sucesso dos acordos.

Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2017-11-29T14:48:23Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TÁRCIO RODRIGUES BEZERRA - TESE PPGCC 2015..pdf: 2456901 bytes, checksum: 07e746af581b5b7f33cc8e368e9c5f0d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-11-29T14:48:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TÁRCIO RODRIGUES BEZERRA - TESE PPGCC 2015..pdf: 2456901 bytes, checksum: 07e746af581b5b7f33cc8e368e9c5f0d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-08-21 / Risk Management A Tecnologia da Informação (TI) pode contribuir significativamente e ser usada como ferramenta para impulsionar o desenvolvimento das pessoas e das organizações. Para favorecer a eficácia deste ambiente, é conveniente que a área de TI defina e disponibilize um portfólio de serviços alinhado aos objetivos organizacionais. Implantar e manter tal portfólio envolve a mobilização de recursos e capacidades e é importante definir uma estratégia de provimento (sourcing) que seja compensadora em termos de resultados para os negócios. Quando uma organização não possui os recursos e as capacidades de TI próprios, em quantidade e/ou qualidade suficiente para o provimento de todos os serviços de TI integrantes do seu portfólio, ela pode buscar organizações externas capazes de suprir esta carência. Tal prática é conhecida como terceirização de TI, ou Information Technology Outsourcing – ITO. No contexto das organizações públicas brasileiras, é observado um alto grau de terceirização de TI, sem a devida análise dos benefícios e dos riscos envolvidos ou sem o alinhamento desta iniciativa com os objetivos organizacionais. Este trabalho faz a suposição de que uma das causas de tal problema é a deficiência no entendimento, por parte dos tomadores de decisão, da complexa rede de interações não lineares, sujeitas a feedbacks e atrasos de diversas magnitudes, existente entre a gestão de capacidades próprias de TI, de sourcing e de benefícios. No intuito de preencher esta lacuna no conhecimento organizacional, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi o de analisar a dinâmica complexa do emprego de capacidades essenciais de TI e da interação destas com as capacidades de fornecedores durante a execução de contratos de terceirização, com o propósito de subsidiar decisões que favoreçam o alcance dos resultados pretendidos pela adoção de ITO. Para isto, um modelo de simulação baseado na dinâmica de sistemas, batizado de ITO-CapSim, foi desenvolvido e validado através de estudos de casos em duas organizações públicas da esfera estadual em Alagoas. No processo de validação, o modelo foi utilizado para analisar diferentes políticas de sourcing e riscos inerentes à adoção de ITO, envolvendo as capacidades essenciais de TI Monitoramento de Contratos e Entrega de Serviços de Desenvolvimento de Sistemas. A eficácia do ITO-CapSim foi avaliada pelos gestores das organizações pesquisadas através de questionários e entrevistas. Após análise quantitativa e qualitativa das respostas obtidas, os resultados sinalizaram que o uso do ITO-CapSim como ferramenta de aprendizado organizacional aperfeiçoou o entendimento dos decisores sobre a complexidade inerente à gestão estratégica de sourcing de capacidades essenciais de TI, gerando insights que podem resultar em um processo mais bem sucedido de ITO. / Information Technology (IT) can contribute significantly and be used as a tool to boost the development of people and organizations. To promote the effectiveness of this environment, it is appropriate that the IT department define and deploy a portfolio of IT services aligned with organizational objectives. Implement and maintain such a portfolio involves the application of resources and capabilities, implying in operational costs. It is essential define a most profitable sourcing strategy in terms of business results. When an organization lacks the internal IT capabilities, in terms of quantity and quality, required for the provision of all of its IT services portfolio, it must look for external organizations able to fill the gap. This practice is known as Information Technology Outsourcing - ITO. In the context of Brazilian public organizations, a high degree of IT outsourcing is observed without proper analysis of the benefits and risks involved or without aligning this initiative with organizational goals. On this research, it is assumed that among the causes for this problem is the poor understanding, on the part of decision makers, of the complex network of nonlinear interactions existing between IT capabilities management, sourcing management and benefits management activities, subject to feedbacks and delays of several magnitudes. In order to fill this gap in organizational knowledge, this research aims to analyze the complex dynamics existing on employing core IT capabilities and on the interaction of these capabilities with the suppliers' ones during ongoing outsourcing contracts, to support decisions that promote the achievement of expected ITO results. With this purpose, a system dynamics simulation model, called ITO-CapSim, was developed and validated through case studies in two public organizations in Alagoas state. Along validation process, the model was used to analyze different sourcing policies and risks inherent in the adoption of ITO, involving two core IT capabilities: ITO Contracts Monitoring and Systems Development Service Delivery. The effectiveness of ITO-CapSim was evaluated by IT managers from public organizations through questionnaires and interviews. After quantitative and qualitative analysis of the responses, the results indicated that the use of ITO-CapSim as organizational learning tool has improved the understanding of decision-makers on the complexity of strategic sourcing management IT core capabilities, generating insights that can result in a more successful ITO process.

Many information technology (IT) outsourcing initiatives fail, resulting in a high impact on business results and customer satisfaction. Without effective strategies, business leaders who outsource their IT services are at considerable risk of failure and stakeholder dissatisfaction. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore outsourcing strategies that IT managers in Southern Ontario, Canada, used to ensure customer satisfaction. Participants included 9 executives with experience in complex IT outsourcing initiatives. Stakeholder theory and transaction cost economics theory were the conceptual frameworks for the study. Data were gathered using semistructured interviews to query 8 topical areas including IT outsourcing reasons, challenges, and successful solutions. Data analysis using thematic analysis revealed 4 themes: strategic intent for outsourcing, applicable frameworks, risk awareness, and partnership strategies. Key findings included the importance of clients’ and suppliers’ focus on deal principles, innovation, and work-collaboration strategies to enhance performance and customer satisfaction. Information technology managers’ application of the findings of this study may improve business success and contribute to positive social change by revitalizing the clients’ and suppliers’ economies to create job opportunities and improve the quality of lives of employees and their communities.

摘要 在資訊科技服務的市場，資訊科技委外（ITO）在市場佔有顯著的地位。過去有許多的報告研究資訊委外廠商的選擇，以及有效的合約管理方法，鮮少針對企業資訊委外合約簽訂之後，企業與委外伙伴之間的互動進行研究。然而依據許多個案報導案例顯示，大多數委外案例的失敗，不是由於雙方關係管理的不適當，就是無法滿足委外企業最初委外目標的期盼。 我們使用在過去的二十六年中臺灣資訊科技委外市場的四十個案例來研究探討如何利用資訊委外關係管理來獲取預期綜效。經過分析與研究，發現四種資訊科技委外的合作關係。這四種合作關係型態分別為：夥伴關係（Partner）、倚賴關係（Dependent）、隨需存取關係（Utility）、以及附屬關係（Subordinate）。不同的委外關係含概了不同的委外服務內容，也含概了不同的關係管理。夥伴的合作關係，企業的期望不止雙方合作達成企業的策略目標，同時也期望委外廠商支援科技創新而提升企業的市場競爭力；倚賴的合作關係，企業對委外廠商支援達成企業策略目標高度倚靠；隨需存取的合作關係，企業期望資源的取得是隨需存取，完全以成本考量；附屬的合作關係，企業則認為該委外廠商僅僅是依附於資訊中心的下包廠商，委外與否完全由企業的資訊中心自行決定。此外，本研究顯示不同的委外關係是由於不同的委外關係無法達成期盼，以及無法交付最終策略利益、經濟利益、或資訊科技利益而終止。 本論文透過文獻探討與深度個案研究，來瞭解影響不同合作關係資訊科技委外的相關因素，和期盼的資訊科技委外的結果。不同型態資訊科技委外關係的管理需要瞭解委外企業對所需服務的期望，以及在合作期間，彼此關係的管理需不斷的注意市場以及資訊科技的變化而提出相對應的策略來因應彼此合作關係，以期從中獲取最大效益。 關鍵字：資訊科技委外，委外關係，市場變化，資訊中心支援能力，委外期望。 / Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) has gained a big share of the world IT service market. There are many studies about ITO vendor selection and contract management but a lack of understanding of the after-contract practice between the ITO parties. According to reported cases many outsourcing failures were due to either improper relationship management or unable to meet customer expectations. For effective management of this long-term inter-organizational relationship there is a need for understanding the features, affecting factors, expectations and termination of ITO relationship so that the desired outcomes can be achieved and relationship can be sustained throughout the life of the ITO. The above propositions were tested on all existing and changed ITO projects in Taiwan in the past twenty five years. A total of fourty cases were examined and the results show four kinds of IT outsourcing relationship: dependent, utility, partner and subordinate. Different kinds of ITO relationship have different expectations for the ITO services and require different management on the relationships. The dependent type ITO customers rely highly on ITO vendors for supporting strategic moves. The utility ITO customers use ITO as a utility and measure vendors by cost performance. The partner type ITO customers consult vendor for business strategic moves and urge vendor for technology innovation. The subordinate type ITO customers consider ITO vendors as a sub-contractor of IT department and leave decisions to the IT department. Those terminated cases were mainly due to conflicts in the expected and delivered outcome in the three ITO benefit areas. This study provides useful instrument for assessing major ITO factors and understanding expected ITO outcomes. ITO relationship management requires a careful understanding of the expected benefits of the service and continuous monitoring of the business and IT environment. Keywords : Information Technology Outsourcing；Outsourcing Relationship；Business Dynamics；IT Competence；Outsourcing Expectation。

Information technology outsourcing (ITO) has gained a big share of the world IT service market. There are many studies about ITO vendor selection and contract management but a lack of understanding of the after-contract practices between the ITO parties. According to reported cases, many outsourcing failures have been due to either improper relationship management or the inability to meet customer expectations. For effective management of this long-term, inter-organizational relationship, there is a need to understand the features, affecting factors, expectations, and termination of ITO relationships so that the desired outcomes can be achieved and relationships can be sustained throughout the life of the ITO. Based on a dynamic view of outsourcing partnerships, the ITO relationship can be assessed by customer participation, joint action, communication quality, coordination, and information sharing. Prior studies have indicated that these ITO relationship features are mainly affected by business dynamics and the client’s IT competence. Organizations expect from the ITO mainly strategic, economic, and technological benefits. When conflicts exist between expected benefits and delivered outcomes, the relationship is more likely to be terminated. The above propositions were tested on all existing and changed ITO projects in Taiwan in the past twenty-six years. A total of forty cases were examined and the results show four kinds of IT outsourcing relationships: dependent, utility, partner, and subordinate. Different kinds of ITO relationships involve different expectations for the ITO services and require different types of management of the relationships. In the dependent type ITO, customers rely highly on ITO vendors for supporting strategic moves. Utility ITO customers use the ITO as a utility and measure vendors by cost performance. In the partner type ITO, customers consult the vendor for strategic business moves and urge the vendor to engage in technology innovation. The subordinate type ITO is characterized by customers who consider the ITO vendor as a sub-contractor of their IT department and leave decisions to the IT department. Terminations of relationships were mainly due to conflicts in the expected and delivered outcomes in the three ITO benefit areas. This study provides a useful instrument for assessing major ITO factors and understanding expected ITO outcomes. ITO relationship management requires a careful understanding of the expected benefits of the service and continuous monitoring of the business and IT environments.