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.

Texte du rabat

Outsourcing has been one of the most controversially discussed topics in the infor­ mation systems (IS) management field within the last decade. While some organi­ zations have been quick to adopt outsourcing, others have been slow to consider this sourcing option. Still others have evaluated outsourc ing but adopted insourcing in­ stead. In other words, organizations appear to behave totally different in the sourc­ ing of their IS tasks. There are no generall y accepted practices, e.g., outsourcing certain types ofIS services while keeping others in-house. The sourcing decision ap­ pears to be highly dependent on the specific situation of each organization. Recognizing the unique context of each organization, this book presents an empiri­ cally tested model that can be used to analyze the options of IS insourcing versus outsourcing of every organization. The model takes into account the unique IS re­ quirements and the differences between insourcing and outsourcing at both the in­ dividual (i.e., worker) and the organizational level.

Contenu
1 Introduction.- 1.1 Problem Statement.- 1.2 Research Focus and Objectives.- 1.3 Overview of Research Methodology.- 1.4 Study Organization.- 2 Theoretical Framework on Information Systems Sourcing.- 2.1 The Nature of the Information Systems Sourcing Decision.- 2.2 Analysis and Selection of Theoretical Lenses.- 2.3 Hypotheses from Selected Theoretical Lenses.- 2.4 Complementary Hypotheses from Selected Cultural Dimensions.- 3 Empirical Test of Sourcing Model.- 3.1 Structural Equation Modeling.- 3.2 Operationalization of Constructs.- 3.3 Data Collection.- 3.4 Sample Characteristics.- 3.5 Model Estimation and Evaluation.- 4 Discussion of Model Findings.- 4.1 Commonalities between Groups.- 4.2 Group Differences.- 4.3 Theoretical Implications.- 4.4 Practical Implications.- 4.5 Study Limitations.- 4.6 Future Research.- 5 Conclusion.- Appendix A: Literature Sources on Information Systems Outsourcing.- Appendix B: Research Approaches.- Appendix C: Cover Letters.- C.1 Initial Cover Letter in English.- C.2 Follow-up Cover Letter in English.- C.3 Initial Cover Letter in German.- C.4 Follow-up Cover Letter in German.- Appendix D: Questionnaires.- D.1 Questionnaire in English.- D.2 Questionnaire in German.- List of Figures.- List of Tables.- Literature.