Outsourcing

Preface
Three years have passed since the second edition of this book was published.
The field of IT outsourcing continues to grow in practice as well as in academia
and draws further attention in both domains. Aspects of traditional outsourcing
(Part II) have remained pronounced but are becoming more mature. While outsourcing
determinants are still important, they are now of less interest to
researchers. Relationship management (Chap. 1) and capability management
(Chap. 2) continue to be of interest; so too are outsourcing outcomes (Chap. 3)
and, as a new focus, innovation aspects (Chap. 4). These are motivating more
and more research activities, complementing the lifecycle of traditional outsourcing.
We note significant growth in the field of IT offshoring (Part II). In our
third edition, we offer research results on offshoring patterns and trends
(Chap. 5), the crucial aspect of knowledge sharing (Chap. 6), vibrant examples
for offshoring dynamics (Chap. 7), and some new contributions on the determinants
of offshoring success (Chap. 8). The last part of our book investigates the
field of business process outsourcing (Part III). In this section, issues such as
standardization, process outsourcing to India and deinstitutionalization patterns
in the health-care sector are presented.
Given these new subjects, we believe that Enduring Themes, Global
Challenges, and Process Opportunities is an appropriate subtitle for this third
edition of the monograph. Again, we have thoughtfully compiled contemporary
outsourcing research as a primer and a platform for scientific discourse.
The third edition is both an update of the second edition and a summary of the
Third International Conference on Outsourcing of Information Services held
in 2007 at Heidelberg, Germany. It will serve as a contemporary basis for
further interactions and discussions in the rich field of IT outsourcing. The
book will be of interest to academics and students in the field of Information
Systems as well as to corporate executives and professionals who seek a more
profound analysis and understanding of the underlying factors and mechanisms
of outsourcing.
We thank all the authors for their contributions and cooperation. It has been a
pleasure to work with you. Our deepest gratitude goes to Jessica Winkler for organizing
the third ICOIS. We also thank Martin Eberle, Iris Raquet, and Nina Jaeger,
who supported us in indexing, formatting, and editing this book. While we are very
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grateful to the authors of the chapters of the book, we take responsibility for the
content and any errors. We hope the third edition is as instructive and valuable as
the first two editions.
Baton Rouge, LA, USA Rudy Hirschheim
Mannheim, Germany Armin Heinzl
Mannheim, Germany Jens Dibbern