Strategic outsourcing: evidence from British companies

Outsourcing has become an increasingly popular option for many organisations. But they vary in terms of activities being outsourced, reasons for and benefits from outsourcing, and how the decision was made. This article presents an empirical research on 14 companies. It found out: in most cases it was the “peripheral” support activity being outsourced with cost reduction as the primary driver; outsourcing decision was being made early in the process without active involvement of the in‐house provider; and there were problems in supplier selection and management. The research identified pre‐outsourcing decision process and post‐outsourcing management as the two key areas that gave cause for concern, and offered recommendations for improvement.