چگونه با توجه هزینه معامله و تئوری های منبع محور می توان از ارزیابی برون سپاری منابع شرکت ها اطلاع پیدا کرد؟

Transaction cost economics (TCE) and the resource-based view (RBV) of the firm have been extremely influential in the study of outsourcing both in theory and practice. This paper argues that neither transaction cost economics nor the resource-based view alone can fully explain the complexities of outsourcing. A review and critique of these theories as a means of understanding the complexities of outsourcing is presented. A prescriptive framework for outsourcing evaluation is presented, which was developed from integrating TCE and the RBV, and carrying out in-depth case study research in a number of organizations. The research findings emphasize the utility of integrating TCE and the RBV, and highlight the importance of operations management concepts such as performance management, operations strategy, business improvement and process redesign to the study of outsourcing. However, the findings have shown that these theories should be applied with caution due to contradictory prescriptions in some instances.

The drive for greater efficiencies and cost reductions has forced many organizations to specialize in a limited number of key areas. This has led organizations to outsource activities and services traditionally carried out in-house. Although the term outsourcing has been in vogue in the last number of years, organizations have always made decisions on determining the boundary of the organization. However, rapidly developing product and service markets – both locally and offshore – and developments in information and communications technologies (ICTs) have accelerated the growth in outsourcing to encompass almost every organizational activity (Aron and Singh, 2005). Outsourcing has moved on from focusing on peripheral activities such as cleaning, catering and security, to encompass more critical business activities such as design, manufacture, marketing, human resource management and logistics. Many organizations are increasingly considering outsourcing as a critical element of their organizational strategy (Holcomb and Hitt, 2007). Outsourcing is regarded as a powerful vehicle to reduce costs and improve performance. For example, specialists in supply markets can develop greater knowledge depth, invest more in software and training systems, be more efficient, and therefore offer higher salaries and attract more highly trained people than many integrated companies (Quinn, 1999). Outsourcing can also be employed to cope with demand uncertainty and to obtain the benefits of supplier scale economies in a range of business areas.

The research presented in this paper has important implications for theory and practice in operations management. The prescriptive outsourcing framework provides a useful basis for practical prescription, and encompasses a number of variables that capture the complexities of outsourcing. The framework addresses a number of important questions in outsourcing evaluation that are at the heart of operations management: how can outsourcing be employed to achieve improvements in performance? Prior to outsourcing, how can an activity be redesigned to reduce asset specificity? Should an organization maintain and build upon a superior performance position in an activity, or outsource the activity and leverage the capabilities of suppliers? Why can an organization not achieve the performance levels attained by competitors or suppliers in the activity? What are the resource implications of investing in an activity to perform it internally? What collaborative mechanisms can be developed between the buyer and supplier to deal with uncertainty and changing requirements? How can the outsourcing relationship with the supplier be managed to jointly build difficult-to-imitate capabilities?