Information Systems and Outsourcing Studies in Theory and Practice

by Willcocks, Leslie P.; Lacity, Mary C.

• ISBN13: 9780230205376
• ISBN10: 0230205372
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-12-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

A new look at nearly 20 years of theoretical and practical research on IT outsourcing, this book explores how good IT outsourcing theories shape practice and how effective IT outsourcing practices inform theory. It highlights the importance of examining theories borrowed from economics, strategy, and sociology to study IT outsourcing.

Author Biography

MARY CECELIA LACITY is a Professor of Information Systems and International Business Fellow at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. She has written eight books, most recently Offshore Outsourcing of IT Work, (Palgrave, 2008; co-author Joe Rottman) and Global Sourcing of Business and IT Services (Palgrave, 2006; co-author Leslie Willcocks). Her 40 journal publications have appeared in the Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review, MIS Quarterly, IEEE Computer, Communications of the ACM and many other academic and practitioner outlets. Her work has been cited more than 2800 times. She is US Editor of the Journal of Information Technology, and Co-editor of the Palgrave Series: Work, Technology, and Globalization and on the Editorial Boards for MIS Quarterly Executive, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, and Strategic Outsourcing.
 
LESLIE WILLCOCKS is Professor of Technology Work and Globalization and Director of the Outsourcing Unit at the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. He has co-authored 29 books and over 150 refereed journal papers on the management of information and communications technologies, and their impact on organizations. He is Editor of the Journal of Information Technology and is internationally recognised for his academic research, and his advisory work for major corporations and government agencies.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. vii
List of Tables	p. viii
List of Contributors	p. x
Professional Credits	p. xiv
Acknowledgements	p. xvi
Introduction	p. 1
Outsourcing Research: Towards More Informed Practice	p. 3
Theories	p. 37
Transaction Cost Economics Applied to IT Outsourcing: Findings and Critique	p. 39
The Normative Value of Transaction Cost Economics in IT Outsourcing	p. 88
Domberger's Theory of Contracting Applied to IT Outsourcing	p. 113
Contracting and Relationship Theories Applied to IT Outsourcing	p. 146
Studies of Practice	p. 183
Outsourcing Myths and Contracting Realities	p. 185
Making the Outsourcing Decision	p. 212
Taking a Knowledge Perspective on IT and Business Process Outsourcing	p. 235
Knowledge Transfer in Offshore Outsourcing	p. 249
IT Offshore Outsourcing Practices	p. 257
Selecting and Leveraging Outsourcing Suppliers	p. 280
Managing Relationships across the Life Cycle of an Outsourcing Arrangement	p. 303
IT Sourcing: Reflections on Practice	p. 341
IT Offshore Outsourcing: Supplier Lessons on the Management of Expertise	p. 366
Playing "Catch-Up" with Core IS Capabilities: The Secrets of Success	p. 390
Index	p. 420
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