[8] 2002 e-business-strategies-for-virtual-organizations
[8] 2002 e-business-strategies-for-virtual-organizations
[8] 2002 e-business-strategies-for-virtual-organizations
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e-Business Strategies <strong>for</strong> Virtual Organizations<br />
9.4 Outsourcing<br />
194<br />
9.3.4 Questions arising from these<br />
models<br />
Given the analysis above, including the new role of the Internet<br />
and technology, how could we reaggregate the value chain<br />
effectively? What things need to be done in what potentially<br />
new ways? What is the role of partners in this new enterprise?<br />
Thus to move away from the industrial age corporation towards<br />
the <strong>business</strong> web, new <strong>business</strong> partners and a careful outsourcing<br />
of <strong>business</strong> processes may be necessary. The <strong>business</strong><br />
processes to be taken on by partners are likely to be different<br />
from the <strong>business</strong> processes in the original integrated firm.<br />
Tapscott gives a warning about attempting to move toward the<br />
<strong>business</strong> web organizational <strong>for</strong>m by old-style outsourcing of<br />
the quick-fix cost-cutting style. That kind of outsourcing of<br />
problem functions or activities is dead, he maintains. The new<br />
partnerships or relationships are not the type of situation where<br />
both players are in a zero-sum financial game lacking openness<br />
and trust. This mindset should be replaced by well-aligned<br />
harmonious and mutually beneficial relationships.<br />
Thus we have seen two models of the future of <strong>business</strong> –<br />
namely the PriceWaterhouseCoopers model and the Alliance <strong>for</strong><br />
Converging Technologies model – in which outsourcing and<br />
partnering play vital roles. e-<strong>business</strong> models such as these<br />
graphically show the relationship between outsourcing, partnering,<br />
the <strong>business</strong> and the <strong>virtual</strong> organization. We will now<br />
examine in greater detail the important concepts of outsourcing<br />
and partnering in turn as they are currently understood in this<br />
context.<br />
Outsourcing is the contracting out of the provision of the<br />
<strong>business</strong> process, service or function to an external vendor.<br />
Taking a long-term view of outsourcing, the Corbett Group<br />
(www.Corbettgroup.com) defines outsourcing as the long-term<br />
results-orientated relationship with an external service provider<br />
<strong>for</strong> activities traditionally per<strong>for</strong>med within the company.<br />
Outsourcing usually applies to a complete <strong>business</strong> process and<br />
implies a degree of managerial control and risk on the part of the<br />
provider.<br />
Outsourcing is a practice that is trans<strong>for</strong>ming the face of<br />
<strong>business</strong> today, redefining the firm to be more agile and nimble,<br />
more concentrated around its core competences, while net-