Offshore sourcing decisions

Abstract

Despite the growing importance of information technology (IT) enabled offshore sourcing (or offshoring), there is limited academic research devoted to the subject. Motivated by the importance of understanding the modalities and outcomes of offshore sourcing, in my dissertation, I investigate three important management concerns related to offshore sourcing decisions. Using Simonb s decision making model (1960) as the point of departure, I examine three offshore sourcing decisions associated with each of the phases of the Simonb s model: intelligence phase (why do firms offshore), design and choice phase (what guides firmsb choice of offshore locations), and implementation phase (how does knowledge management in offshore relationships affect performance). Specifically, my dissertation has three essays, which address the following questions:1. What are the firm specific strategy-theoretic factors associated with offshoring?2. What determines the attractiveness of an offshore destination? 3. How does knowledge management in an offshore relationship impact vendor performance?