• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.131-146
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• 2007

Recently, the role of IT service providers has been enlarged from managing a single function or system to reconstructing entire information management processes in new ways to contribute to shareholder value across the enterprise. This movement toward extensive and complex outsourcing agreements has been driven by the assumption that outsourcing information technology functions is a reliable approach to maximizing resource productivity. Hiring external IT service providers to manage part or all of its information-related services helps a firm focus on its core business and provides better services to its clients, thus obtaining sustainable competitive advantage. This practice of focusing on the strategic aspect of outsourcing is referred to as strategic sourcing where the focus is capability sourcing, not procurement. Given the importance of the strategic outsourcing, however, to our knowledge, there is little empirical research on the relationship between the strategic outsourcing orientation and outsourcing performance. Moreover, there is little research on the factor that makes the strategic outsourcing effective. This study is designed to investigate the relationship between strategic IT outsourcing orientation and IT outsourcing performance and the process through which strategic IT outsourcing orientation influences outsourcing performance, Based on the framework of strategic orientation-performance and core competence based management, this study first identifies core competency orientation as a proper strategic orientation pertinent to IT outsourcing and IT outsourcing process management capability as the mediator to affect IT outsourcing performance. The proposed research model is then tested with a sample of 200 firms. The findings of this study may contribute to the literature in two ways. First, it draws on the strategic orientation - performance framework in developing its research model so that it can provide a new perspective to the well studied phenomena. This perspective allows practitioners and researchers to look at outsourcing from an angle that emphasizes the strategic decision making to outsource its IT functions. Second, by separating the concept of strategic orientation and outsourcing process management capability, this study provides practices with insight into how the strategic orientation can work effectively to achieve an expected result. In addition, the current study provides a basis for future studies that examine the factors affecting IT outsourcing performance with more controllable factors such as IT outsourcing process management capability rather than external hard-to-control factors including trust and relationship management. This study investigates the major factors that determine IT outsourcing success. Based on strategic orientation and core competency theories, we develop the proposed research model to investigate the relationship between core competency orientation and IT outsourcing performance and the mediating role of IT outsourcing process management capability on IT outsourcing performance. The model consists of two independent variables (core-competency-orientation and IT outsourcing process management capability), and two dependent variables (outsourced task complexity and IT outsourcing performance). Comprehensive data collection was conducted through an outsourcing association. The survey data were analyzed using a structural analysis method. IT outsourcing process management capability was found to mediate the effect of core competency orientation on both outsourced task complexity and IT outsourcing performance. Further analysis and findings are discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Operations Research and Management Science Society
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.21-40
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• 2002

Recently, IT outsourcing has become a very important management strategy which implements information systems in organizations. This paper investigates the risks and strategic recognition as a key factors affecting on the degree of IT outsourcing. Specifically the risks of IT outsourcing and its four components-risk of control, risk of economical, risk of technical, risk of relational - are examined to be a negative effect on the degree of outsourcing. And strategic recognition about outsourcing is examined how to affect en the risks and the degree of IT outsourcing. To empirically test these relationships, data ere gathered from senior IT managers in 86 corporations. Results of this study show that the degree of outsourcing is strongly influenced by risk of control, risk of economical, risk of relational. But risk of technical does not influence on the degree of outsourcing. And strategic recognition about outsourcing is found that is negative effect on the risks of IT outsourcing and positive effect on the degree of IT outsourcing. The results provide a good framework to minimize the risks for IT outsourcing success.

• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.12
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• pp.1-27
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• 2003

The purpose of this study is to verify what kind of influence do strategic factors (clarification of outsourcing goals, clarification of outsourcing scope, co-sourcing, management of supply businesses, and human resource participation) have on marketing performance factors (improvement of service quality, customer satisfaction, and improvement of employees' ability). Another purpose is to examine whether the influence of strategic factors of outsourcing on marketing performance differ depending on the outsourcing motives and the degree of human resources outsourcing. Hypothesis of influences of strategic factors of outsourcing on marketing performance is verified. The study shoes that co-sourcing has a significant influence on improvement of service quality, participation of human resources on improvement of service quality and employees' ability, and management of supply businesses on customer satisfaction and improvement of employees' ability. However, the study indicates that clarification of outsourcing goals and outsourcing scope do not affect variables in marketing performance.

• The Journal of Information Systems
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.1-28
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• 2002

Today, IT outsourcing has become a very important management strategy of implementing information systems in organizations. This paper investigates the risks and strategic recognition as a key factors effecting on the degree of outsourcing, Specifically the risks of outsourcing and its four components-control risk, economical risk, technical risk, relational risk-are examined to be a negative effect on the degree of outsourcing. And strategic recognition about outsourcing is examined to be a mediator factor between the risks and the degree of outsourcing. To empirically test these relationships, data are gathered from senior IT managers in 62 corporations. Results of this study show that the degree of outsourcing is strongly influenced by control risk, economical risk, relational risk. But technical risk does not influence on the degree of outsourcing. And strategic recognition about outsourcing is found that is mediator concern with the risks and the degree of outsourcing. The results indicate to provide a good framework to minimize the risks for IT outsourcing success.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.131-164
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• 1994

A contingency model of outsourcing is developed from the information systems (IS) literature and strategic management literature in order to assess the following question: What factors influence change in the extent to which an organization outsources IS functions? Based on the literature, this study identifies four IS factors-gaps in information quality, IS support quality, IS staff quality, and IS cost effectiveness-and three organizational factors-the gap in financial performance, strategic orientation, and the role of information technology in an organization-that influence the change in degree of outsourcing. These factors are hypothesized to influence the change in the extent of an organization's outsourcing of IS functions. From a mail survey of 188 top IS executives in U.S. companies, the results of analysis of covariance and bivariate correlational and multivariate regression analyses provide the following major findings: (a) This study found support for the proposed research model. (b) The change in the degree of IS outsourcing is determined by gaps in information quality, IS support quality, IS cost effectiveness, and financial performance and by the role of IT among IS and organizational factors.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.39-59
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• 1997

This study presents the growth strategy of outsourcing service by finding out the differences of importance between user firms and system integration(SI) firms in Korean outsourcing business, The result of data analysis reveals that there are siginificant differences between user firms and SI firms in some components of information systems(IS) outsourcing services. User firms regarded integation of distributea data centers as the prominent issue of IS environment changes. Meanwhile, SI firms chose management of IS/VAN center, office automation(OA), and management of global network, as the more important issues in the application area of outsourcing. Among the merits of outsourcing, both of them considered cost reduction and IS flexibility as the most important factors, However, they chose the difficulty of management control and the lack of operation knowledge among the demerits of outsourcing, Also, they commonly selected overall IS consulting among the components of outsourcing diffusion. In the question of future outsourcing services, user firms chose the adoption of client/server architecture, while SI firms selected the application of multimedia. These results show that there are some differences of preference between user firms and SI firms. Most of user firms consider the outsourcing to maximize information utilization, while the service suppliers focus on new IT adoption and its application to organization. For the strategic use of outsourcing services, SI firms are required to establish the diffusion strategy to meet the outsourcing needs of user firms.

• Journal of Distribution Science
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.41-46
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• 2014

Purpose - This study focused on providing strategic findings that make significant sense for companies that are looking for a future outsourcing strategy. The study analyzes the results of outsourcing in the information logistics systems field and verifies the results through experimental study of the performance delivered by logistics outsourcing types. Research design, data, and methodology - The study sample was assembled based on a random sampling method used to extract the initial 451 companies from a list of Korean distributors, wholesalers, and retailers. Following that sample process, 423 companies were confirmed by verifying their e-mail address and contacts (telephone and fax numbers), and were selected as initial research subjects. We reduced that number to 331 companies for the survey sample through telephone interviews in advance with the 423 companies that were targeted, in order to verify whether they are in the field of outsourcing of information logistics systems. The period of the survey extended from November 10, 2013 to January 10, 2014. The number of collected surveys totaled 181. We reviewed the contents of the survey responses, and reduced the number of research subjects to 175. In this study, we used a standard analysis to investigate whether there is a difference in distribution results based on different types of outsourcing information in the logistics system field and, through T-verification, we investigated whether the difference between distribution results in each group resulting from that standard analysis is statistically significant. Results - These results show that there is a difference in distribution outcome, based upon type of distribution outsourcing. In addition, we determined that they are meaningful results by confirming that, for usability and to improve the capabilities of a third-party logistics service supplier, both the choice of reasonable outsourcing types and the enhancement of various types of alliances are very important success factors. Taken together these study results, with a goal of enhancing the distribution capabilities of a Korean distributor, can be implemented to enhance management results achievable by supplying an information logistics system in the form of strategic outsourcing rather than in the form of simple outsourcing. In addition, the outcomes of logistics distributors in Korea that are using outsourcing in the logistics information systems field show high performance results in commercial endeavors in the following order: competitive, pre-competitive, non-competitive, and pro-competitive. Conclusions - This study focused on providing strategic findings. However, in the case of outsourcing in the field of information logistics systems of Korean distributors, there has been a focus on simple outsourcing rather than on strategic outsourcing; furthermore, there has been a concentration on non-competitive forms instead of pro-competitive forms, which could achieve better distribution results. This discussion is presented in more detail in the analysis results of this study.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.25-44
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• 2002

The internet-based electronic commerce is considered as a new strategic alternative to boost competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises(SMEs). However, very little research about them has been reported. Meanwhile, the cyber shopping shops in Korea are growing rapidly in their numbers, scales, and diversity of business models. The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the factors influencing outsourcing decisions in the implementation of small and medium-sized cyber shopping shops. Based on the previous studies on IS outsourcing, marketing channel, and their related theories, three areas of determinants(IT & organizational, product, marketing channel characteristics) were identified. Responses of 125 cyber shopping shops from e-mail survey indicate that IT capability, technical specificity of shop implementation, degree of product customization, average amount of order, marketing capability are negatively associated with outsourcing of cyber shopping shop implementation. The results also indicate that the outsourcing decision on systems implementation and marketing channel selection(direct/indirect selling) is performed separately.

• Journal of Information Technology Applications and Management
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.241-259
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• 2005

This study explores a model of partnership to the success of outsourcing CTI(computer telephony integration) based customer service centers of a telecommunication service company. The motivation of the study is to extend the research on IT outsourcing to IT-enabled BPO of customer service centers as a specific IT outsourcing practice. Previous research on IT outsourcing partnership and success is reviewed for developing an a research model of IT-enabled BPO. This model is proposed based on the previous partnership success models in information systems research. The results of the study confirm major factors related to successful IT-enabled BPO in previous research. Especially, the specificity of a contract and strategic collaboration in partnership are found to be influential on the success of IT-enabled BPO.

• Asia pacific journal of information systems
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.195-222
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• 1996

Faced with the challenge of reducing costs and improving competitive position, firms have recognized outsourcing as an important information systems (IS) strategic option. It has not been understood clearly what determines IS outsourcing. Based on the IS literature and transaction cost economics, cost efficiency related factors were identified, and a questionnaire survey was conducted. The results based on 181 responses from the bank executives in U.S. revealed that vendor production cost advantage and transaction risk are significant predictors of degree of outsourcing and outsourcing preference for data processing services. Insufficiency of IS funds and information technology uncertainty were found to be not only positively associated with vendor production cost advantage, but also directly associated with outsourcing preference and degree of outsourcing. Firm size is, however, not significantly related to vendor production cost advantge and IS outsourcing.