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[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-

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