Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2008.

Master-Arbeit Univ. St. Gallen, 2008.

Zugl.: Aachen, Techn. Hochsch., Diss., 2010

Thesis (doctoral)--Universiẗat, Erlangen, Nürnberg, 2005.

No description available.

Abstract   Aim: The aim of this study is to explore offshoring in terms of different motives, challenges, advantages and disadvantages a company face.   Method: Qualitative research method is adopted to conduct the study. The data was collected from interview questions from 11 personnel of M&F Associates with relative offshoring experience. Theories from peer-reviewed journal articles and relevant books were consulted throughout the study.   Results and Conclusion: The findings suggest that major motives and advantages of offshoring strategy are cost efficiency. Contingency plan and development of consultants and services in home country also emerged as a major motive for companies to choose offshoring strategy. Further, the findings suggest challenges faced by the organization while implementing offshoring strategy like ‘language barrier’, ‘cultural differences’, ‘competency’ and setting deadlines. There are different challenges identified which are faced by an organization on continuous bases while implementing the offshoring strategy like ‘language barrier’, ‘cultural differences’, ‘competency’ and setting deadlines. Further, the finding suggests better margin is key for an organization and considered as a major advantage. As far as disadvantages go, the findings from the study reveal weak control and knowledge could be regarded as a disadvantage.   This study also concludes that one of the evolving motives for organizations to adopt offshoring to make capacity for customer relations as well as organization face difficulty to communicate their offshoring strategy with its customers.   Limitations: The study is based on the perspective of only one organization and with a limited number of interviews. Results of this study cannot be generalised.   Suggestions for further research: Our recommendation for future study is to consider customer’s perspective on the issue. Both managerial perspective, as well as the customer's perspective should be taken into  consideration for better result. Another suggestion, is to look into the relationship between offshoring and customer relation. Since, lack of studies been found in this area, further research can be explored for the benefit of organizations. A quantitative study with a wider selection of samples gathered from different parts of the world with specific industries could enrich the study even more.   The contribution of the study: This study contributes to the general knowledge and understanding of why companies use offshoring strategy to expand business while discussing its motives, challenges, advantages, and disadvantages. Keywords:  Offshoring, outsourcing, Uppsala model, customer relations.

M.Comm. (Computer Auditing) / It is undeniable that over the last couple of years information technology outsourcing has witnessed considerable success and growth in South Africa and the world at large. However, there have been a number of IT outsourcing failures as evidenced by the substantial number of organizations that outsourced their IT systems and then moved them back in-house, or outsourced to another service provider. This is proof that some of the practices inherent in IT outsourcing are flawed. In order to find out why IT outsourcing was failing in South Africa, the study investigated the current practices in IT outsourcing against the best practices. A comprehensive literature study on IT outsourcing best practices and an empirical study on outsourcing organizations employing the services of top IT outsourcing service providers in South Africa was done. The research study revealed strong evidence that organizations are experimenting with different types of IT outsourcing that consequently have different benefits and risks. The empirical findings also proved that there was no ‘one size fits all’ when it came to the reasons for justifying outsourcing IT by organizations. It was also clear that no organization would openly admit to having hidden agendas that informed why and how they outsourced their IT. The study also found strong evidence of critical success factors that are significant and are embraced by IT outsourcing organizations. Also revealed, there were control considerations in IT outsourcing that showed strong evidence of applicable risks and the governance mechanisms employed.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / South African Economic Development strategy has in the previous 15 years, and even leading back as far as the late 1950s, followed the bias of conventional modernisation theory which traditionally equates economic development, and associated job creation, with industrialisation. However, in the Accelerated and Shared Growth Initiative for South Africa (ASGI-SA), the South African government’s most recent Economic Development Strategy document, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Tourism, both Service sectors, have been put forward as the priority sector development areas. This mini-thesis outlines the factors and evolving economic development theories, both global and national, which have contributed to this shift in strategy. This study pays detailed attention to the BPO sector by reviewing and establishing its capacity and potential to meaningfully contribute to economic growth and accelerated job creation, globally and, specifically in South Africa, in reference to the South African government’s stated development objectives. ‘Exportable’ Services, and specifically the BPO sector, has only in recent years shown its potential as a significant contributor to economic development, and South Africa and other developing nations have little precedent and few guidelines as to how best develop the sector to achieve accelerated economic growth and job creation, thus, this study goes further by outlining possible strategic development issues for successful development of the BPO sector in South Africa. The underlying message of this thesis is that there is a case for development strategists and planners to continue to investigate, pursue and prioritise the development of ‘exportable’ service sectors.

abstract: In the current knowledge economy, the decision on whether to outsource knowledge assets is arguably the most important decision in operations and supply chain management (OSCM). However, the theories of transaction cost economics (TCE) and the resource-based theory (RBT) are inconsistent in their ability to predict, describe or explain knowledge outsourcing decisions. Currently, a theory to explain this important OSCM decision does not seem to be available. This dissertation takes a view that strategic decisions like that of knowledge asset outsourcing are made by a two step decision process where (1) an individual level cognitive process where managers generate their solutions and (2) a firm level social process where managers seek to influence other managers about their opinion. Part I uses a behavioral experiment to understand how managers form their solutions to the knowledge outsourcing question. The part tests if the psychological closeness to a task being outsourced i.e. the task affinity and self-interest influences the managers to subvert the rational decision process and make “favorable” outsourcing decisions. Additionally, it also tests if the influence is indirect and mediated by the perception of asset specificity (TCE variable) and core competence (RBT variable). Part 2 adopts a naturalistic paradigm and conducts case study research to understand how these cognitive managers with different mindsets try to influence the firm decision. The structuration theory framework is adopted to study 11 decision opportunities and frame a typology of decision processes that are used by managers. The parsimonious typology has 4 ideal types based on the nature of data exchange (naive and involved) and the nature of mindset exchange (naive or involved). The dissertation offers a comprehensive understanding of how knowledge asset outsourcing decisions emerge. It aligns the strategy research in OSCM field to the current beliefs in strategic management. The typology can be used to develop contingencies that suggest the type of decision process to use in different conditions. The experiment validates that TCE and RBT influences how managers make decisions but shows that task affinity and self-interest influences the perception of core competency and the outsourcing decision. / Dissertation/Thesis / IRB approval for experiment / IRB approval for Case study / Doctoral Dissertation Business Administration 2020

Sammanfattning Outsourcing av fastighetsförvaltning är numera en helt accepterad och vanlig praktik inom fastighetsbranschen. Då hälften av samtliga fastighetstransaktioner genomfördes av utländska investerare och dessa ofta inte är väletablerade med en förvaltningsorganisation i Sverige, ser möjligheten för fortsatt ökning av outsourcing av fastighetstjänster stor ut. Fördelarna och nackdelarna med outsourcing är många och väl undersökta i branschen, men forskning på hur hyresgästen upplever outsourcing saknas i stor utsträckning. Vi har därför till syfte att i detta arbete undersöka hur hyresgästerna uppfattar outsourcing av förvaltning av kommersiella fastigheter; vad de ser för skillnader, fördelar och nackdelar utifrån ett hyresgästperspektiv. För att kunna göra detta har vi i teorikapitlet beskrivit tidigare relevant forskning inom områdena outsourcing, kundnöjdhet, kundservice samt fastighetsförvaltning och fastighetsföretagande.    Uppsatsen är en kvalitativ studie i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer där vi ställer frågor för att öka förståelsen inom vårt valda ämne. Intervjuerna har gjorts med respondenter som bär ansvar för lokalen från hyresgästens sida och är förvaltarnas huvudsakliga kontaktperson. Dessa respondenter har upplevt förvaltning både i egen regi och i nuvarande outsourcad regi. Våra sju respondenter representerar sju olika företag inom varierande branscher som hyr kommersiella lokaler i och i kring Göteborg.    Vårt resultat visar att det finns gemensamma faktorer för vad respondenterna värdesätter hos en förvaltare och hur de upplever och bedömer olika faktorer, oavsett vad de tycker om den nya förvaltningen. De icke-materiella tjänsterna och värdena hos en förvaltare är något som hos en majoritet av respondenterna värderas högre än den faktiska fysiska fastighetsförvaltningen. Resultatet visar också på att en majoritet av respondenterna är positivt inställda till outsourcing av förvaltningstjänster, och att de upplever en högre kundnöjdhet än vad de gjort under tidigare förvaltning. / Abstract   Real estate outsourcing is something that has previously been frowned upon, but in recent years has become an accepted practice among real estate companies and in the industry. With half of Sweden’s real estate transactions done by foreign companies rather than domestic, and these foreign companies not having a well working real estate management organization, the prospect for further increase in outsourcing real estate management is expected over the coming years. There are many pros and cons of outsourcing and many of those are well-researched. Although the research of the tenant’s point of view is lacking in this regard. Therefore, we have chosen as our purpose to research the tenant experience of outsourcing commercial real estate management; the experienced differences and the pros and cons. To be able to do this we have summarized relevant theory in the following research areas; outsourcing, customer satisfaction, customer service and real estate management.    Our paper is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews, with an objective to increase the understanding of the subject. These interviews have been conducted with respondents in charge of real estate and the contact with the real estate manager from the tenant’s side, and who has the overall responsibility of this contact. The respondents have experienced real estate management both in-house and outsourced in their current premises. Our seven respondents work at different companies in varied industries, but all of them rent commercial premises in and around the Gothenburg metropolitan area.    The results from our interviews show common factors regarding what the respondents value and don’t value from real estate management as well as the manager him/herself. The non-material things such as contact and being taken seriously have proven more valued for a majority of the tenants, rather than the actual technical management itself. The results also show that a majority of the respondents have a positive attitude towards their premises being managed by an outsourced party rather than in-house, and that a majority experience a higher level of customer satisfaction compared to their previous in-house experiences.