The Sourcing Of Application Software Services

The field of Information Systems (IS) outsourcing has drawn considerable attention among scientists and practitioners for the past fifteen years. The present book analyses why organizations insource or outsource IS functions - - specifically the development and maintenance of software applications. Concepts from transaction cost theory, resource-based theory, incomplete contracts theory, the theory of planned behaviour, and cross-cultural research are integrated into a coherent framework that recognizes the economic, strategic, and social dimension of the IS sourcing decision. This framework is specified in a research model and empirically tested across countries (Germany versus USA), industries (Machinery versus Finance) and IS functions (Application Software Development versus Maintenance) using the partial least squares (PLS) approach of structural equation modelling. The book thereby provides theoretically and empirically grounded insights into the reasons and implications of the IS sourcing decision.

Annotation The complete, strategic guide to ASP options for every business and technical decision-maker. -- Written by the world's leading ASP researchers based on their extensive studies at leading companies. -- Discover which ASP applications have been most successful -- and which have been most likely to fail. -- Review the leading players -- and learn best practices for evaluating and partnering with them. Effective ASP decision-making has never been more crucial, as companies increasingly prepare to explore outsourcing mission critical operations into a rapidly-changing ASP marketplace. Now, the world's leading ASP research team shares its up-to-the-minute, provocative findings -- offering practical advice for every aspect of the outsourcing decision, and every phase of the outsourcing project lifecycle. You'll learn which ASP applications have proven most and least successful; who the leading market players are and how their services have evolved; how to manage technology infrastructure in an outsourced environment; and much more. This book includes detailed guidance on defining an ASP strategy and mitigating its attendant risks; evaluating and selecting ASPs; and managing ASP partnerships. It also previews new trends that will shape the future of ASPs -- and your relationships with them.

This book highlights research that contributes to a better understanding of emerging challenges in information systems (IS) outsourcing. Important topics covered include: how to digitally innovate through IS outsourcing; how to govern outsourced digitalization projects; how to cope with complex multi-vendor and micro-services arrangements; how to manage data sourcing and data partnerships, including issues of cybersecurity; and how to cope with the increasing demands of internationalization and new sourcing models, such as crowdsourcing, cloud sourcing and robotic process automation. These issues are approached from the client’s perspective, vendor’s perspective, or both. Given its scope, the book will be of interest to all researchers and students in the fields of Information Systems, Management, and Organization, as well as corporate executives and professionals seeking a more profound analysis of the underlying factors and mechanisms of outsourcing.

Bringing together theoretical and empirical studies from the Journal of Information Technology, this book provides a definitive guide to research discovered on the growing global sourcing phenomenon. Paying particular attention to Information Technology Outsourcing (ITO) and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), theoretical chapters explore insightful ways of thinking about the different facets of outsourcing, and provide useful information to practitioners and researchers. Empirical chapters report the findings of 405 major research studies into the risks and successes of relationships between customer and vendor, the development of trust in these relationships, the factors affecting locations for offshoring, and specialized offshoring organizations such as captive centres. In this comprehensive study, the editors present an expert review of the historical development of this field, and offer analysis of emerging findings and practices for the future.

This book collects ECM research from the academic discipline of Information Systems and related fields to support academics and practitioners who are interested in understanding the design, use and impact of ECM systems. It also provides a valuable resource for students and lecturers in the field. “Enterprise content management in Information Systems research – Foundations, methods and cases” consolidates our current knowledge on how today’s organizations can manage their digital information assets. The business challenges related to organizational information management include reducing search times, maintaining information quality, and complying with reporting obligations and standards. Many of these challenges are well-known in information management, but because of the vast quantities of information being generated today, they are more difficult to deal with than ever. Many companies use the term “enterprise content management” (ECM) to refer to the management of all forms of information, especially unstructured information. While ECM systems promise to increase and maintain information quality, to streamline content-related business processes, and to track the lifecycle of information, their implementation poses several questions and challenges: Which content objects should be put under the control of the ECM system? Which processes are affected by the implementation? How should outdated technology be replaced? Research is challenged to support practitioners in answering these questions.

Social media is fundamentally changing the way travellers and tourists search, find, read and trust, as well as collaboratively produce information about tourism suppliers and tourism destinations. Presenting cutting-edge theory, research and case studies investigating Web 2.0 applications and tools that transform the role and behaviour of the new generation of travellers, this book also examines the ways in which tourism organisations reengineer and implement their business models and operations, such as new service development, marketing, networking and knowledge management. Written by an international group of researchers widely known for their expertise in the field of the Internet and tourism, chapters include applications and case studies in various travel, tourism and leisure sectors.

This festschrift volume, published in honor of Bernd Krämer on the occasion of his 65th birthday, contains 11 contributions by close scientific companions. Covering topics like Petri nets and theoretical computer science, software and service engineering, cloud computing, and e-learning, the articles presented span the range of the scientific work of Bernd Krämer.

Four years have been passed away since the first edition of this book has been published. While certain key issues on IS sourcing like determinants and application service provision have become more mature from an academic and industry perspective, additional topics have arisen on the horizon. In particular, offshoring and business process outsourcing have led to numerous insightful publications which offer a valuable and indispensable holistic sourcing persp- tive. Thus, the second edition of our outsourcing book deals with enduring themes, new perspectives, and global challenges. In addition to classical themes like Sourcing Determinants (Part I), Relationship Aspects (Part II), and Experiences (Part III), we felt it worthwhile to add three new parts. They cover information systems outsourcing from a Vendor and Individual Perspective (Part IV), Application Service Providing (Part V) as well as Offshoring and Global Outsoucing (Part VI). Again we have thoughtfully tried to arrange a compilation of contemporary outsourcing research as a primer and a platform for scientific discourse. In contrast to the first edition, this book is not the outcome of an International Conference, but rather an update of important and relevant perspectives. Since the Third International Conference on Outsourcing of Information Services will take place 2007 in Heidelberg, Germany, it may be considered as an epilogue for further interactions and discussions.