Exploring information technology outsourcing relationships: Theory and practice

Journal of Strategic Information Systems

Volumn 9, Issue 4, 2000, Pages 321-350

  Kern, T ^a   Willcocks, L ^b  

^a ERASMUS UNIVERSITY ROTTERDAM   (Netherlands)

^b UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

IT outsourcing; Relational contract theory and social exchange theory; Relationships

Indexed keywords

EID: 0034449685     PISSN: 09638687     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1016/S0963-8687(00)00048-2     Document Type: Article

References (104)

1. Aiken M., Hage J. Organizational interdependence and intra-organizational structure. American Sociological Review. 33:(6):1968;912-930.
2. Alpar P., Saharia A.N. Outsourcing information system functions: an organization economics perspective. Journal of Organizational Computing. 5:(3):1995;197-219.
3. Anderson J.C., Narus J.A. A model of distributor firm and manufacturer firm working partnerships. Journal of Marketing. 54:(1):1990;42-58.
4. Applegate L., Montealegre R. Eastman Kodak Company: Managing Information Systems through Strategic Alliances. vol. Case 9-192-030:1991;Harvard Business School, Boston, MA.
5. Aubert B.A., Rivard S., Patry M. A transaction cost approach to outsourcing behaviour: some empirical evidence. Information and Management. 30:1996;51-64.
6. Axelrod R.M. The Evolution of Cooperation. 1984;Basic Books, New York.
7. Barnett R.E. Conflicting visions: a critique of Ian Macneil's relational theory of contract. Virgina Law Review. 78:(5):1992;1175-1206.
8. Bensaou M., Venkatraman N. Inter-organizational relationships and information technology: a conceptual synthesis and a research framework. European Journal of Information Systems. 5:(2):1996;84-91.
9. Brunard V., Kleiner B.H. Developing trustful and co-operative relationships. Leadership and Organization Development Journal. 15:(2):1994;16-19.
10. Blau P.M. Exchange and Power in Social Life. 1964;Wiley, New York.
11. Blau. Microprocess and macrostructure. Cook K.S. Social Exchange Theory. 1987;83-100 Sage Publications, Newbury Park, CA.
12. Blois K.J. Vertical quasi-integration. The Journal of Industrial Economics. 20:(3):1972;253-272.
13. Cassel H.R. Building the dream team: how data centers and vendors become partners. Journal of Systems Management. March/April:1996;28-30.
14. Clark T.D., Zmud R.W., McGray G. The outsourcing of information services: transforming the nature of business in the information industry. Journal of Information Technology. 10:(4):1995;221-237.
15. Cook K.S. Exchange and power in networks of interorganizational relations. The Sociological Quarterly. 18:(Winter):1977;62-82.
16. Cunningham C., Tynan C. Electronic trading, interorganizational systems and the nature of buyer-seller relationships: the need for a network perspective. International Journal of Information Management. 13:(1):1993;3-28.
17. Cunningham M.T. International marketing and purchasing of industrial goods - features of a European research project. European Journal of Marketing. 14:(5/6):1980;322-338.
18. Deal T.E., Kennedy A.A. Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life. 1982;Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA.
19. De Looff L.A. Information systems outsourcing decision making: a framework, organizational theories and case studies. Journal of Information Technology. 10:(4):1995;281-297.
20. De Looff L.A. Information Systems Outsourcing Decision Making: A Managerial Approach. 1997;IDEA Group Publishing, Hershey, PA.
21. Dwyer F.R., Schurr P.H. et al. Developing buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing. 51:1987;11-27.
22. Easton G. Industrial Networks: a review. Axelson B., Easton G. Industrial Networks: A New View of Reality. 1992;1-34 Routledge, London.
23. Eisenhardt, K.M., 1989. Building Theory from Case study Research. Academy of Management Review 14(4):532-550.
24. Elam J.J. Establishing cooperative external relationships. Elam J., Ginzberg M., Keen P., Zmud R. Transforming the IS Organization. 1988;83-98 International Centre for Information Technologies, Washington, DC.
25. Emerson R.M. Exchange theory part I and II. Berger J., Zelditch M., Anderson B. Sociological Theories in Progress. 2:1972;38-87 Houghton-Mifflin, Boston.
26. Faulkner D. International Strategic Alliances: Co-operating to Compete. 1995;McGraw-Hill, London.
27. Feeny D., Willcocks L., Core I.S. Capabilities for exploiting IT. Sloan Management Review. 39:(3):1998;1-26.
28. Fitzgerald, G., Willcocks, L., 1994. Contracts and Partnerships in the Outsourcing of IT, 15th International Conference on Information Systems, Vancouver, Canada, ICIS.
29. Fitzgerald G., Willcocks L. Outsourcing information technology: contracts and client/vendor relationships. Oxford Institute of Information Management. RDP94/10:1994;1-20.
30. Ford D. The development of buyer-seller relationships in industrial markets. European Journal of Marketing. 14:(5/6):1980;339-353.
31. Forsgen, M., Hagg, I. et al. 1995. Firms in Networks. Stockholm, Sweden, Uppsala University.
32. Galaskiewicz J. Interorganizational relations. Annual Review of Sociology. 11:1985;281-304.
33. Gietzmann M.B. Incomplete contracts and the make or buy decision: governance design and attainable flexibility, accounting. Organizations and Society. 21:(6):1996;611-626.
34. Granovetter M. Economic action and social structure: the problem of embeddedness. American Journal of Sociology. 91:(November):1985;481-510.
35. Grover, V., Cheon, M.J. et al. 1995. Theoretical Perspectives on the Outsourcing of Information Systems, Columbia, Management of Science Department, University of South Carolina, pp. 1-27.
36. Hakansson H. International Marketing and Purchasing of Industrial Goods: An Interaction Approach. 1982;Wiley, Chichester.
37. Hakansson H., Snehota I. Developing Relationships in Business Networks. 1995;Routledge, London.
38. Halvey, J.K., Murphy, B.M., 1995. Information Technology Outsourcing transactions: process, strategies and contracts. NY. John Wiley & Sons. Inc.
39. Hart O.D. Firms Contracts and Financial Structures. 1995;Oxford University Press, Oxford.
40. Henderson J.C. Plugging into strategic partnerships: the critical IS connection. Sloan Management Review. Spring:1990;7-18.
41. Homans G.C. Social behaviour as exchange. The American Journal of Sociology. 63:(5):1958;597-606.
42. Homans G.C. Social Behaviour: Its Elementary Forms. 1961;Harcourt Jovanovich, New York.
43. Hun S., Nevin J. Power in a channel of distribution: sources and consequences. Journal of Marketing Research. 11:1974;186-193.
44. Johanson, J., 1994. Manufacturer-user - a stable relationship. Internationalization, Relationships and Networks, J.J. Associates, Stockholm, Sweden, Uppsala, University, vol. 36, pp. 23-29.
45. Jurison J. The role of risk and return in information technology outsourcing decisions. Journal of Information Technology. 10:(4):1995;239-247.
46. Katz D., Katz L.K. The Social Psychology of Organizations. 1966;Wiley, New York.
47. Kern, T., 1997. The Gestalt of an Information Technology Outsourcing Relationship: an Exploratory Analysis, Eighteenth International Conference on Information Systems, Atlanta, Georgia.
48. Kern, T., Willcocks, L., 1996. The Enabling and Determining Environment: Neglected Issues in an IT/IS Outsourcing Strategy, Proceedings of the Fourth European Conference on Information Systems, Lisbon, Portugal.
49. Kirkpatrick D. Why not farm out your computer. Fortune. 1991;73-78.
50. Klepper R. Khosrowpour M. Outsourcing Relationships Managing Information Technology with Outsourcing. 1994;Idea Group Publishing, Harrisbury, PA.
51. Klepper R. The management of partnering development in IS outsourcing. Journal of Information Technology. 10:(4):1995;249-258.
52. Klepper R.W., Jones W.O. Outsourcing Information Technology, Systems and Services. 1998;Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.
53. Konsynski B.R., McFarlan F.W. Information Partnerships - Shared Data, Shared Scale. Harvard Business Review. September-October:1990;114-120.
54. Kumar K., van Dissel H.G. Sustainable collaboration: managing conflict and cooperation in interorganizational systems. MIS Quarterly. 20:(3):1996;279-300.
55. Kumar N. The power of trust in manufacturer-retailer relationships. Harvard Business Review. 74:(6):1996;92-106.
56. Lacity M.C., Hirschheim R. Information Systems Outsourcing: Myths, Metaphors and Realities. 1993;Wiley, Chichester.
57. Lacity M., Hirschheim R. et al. Realizing outsourcing expectations: incredible expectations, credible outcomes. Information Systems Management. Fall:1994;7-18.
58. Lacity M.C., Willcocks L.P. Interpreting information technology outsourcing decision from a transaction cost perspective: findings and critique. Accounting, Management and Information Technology. 5:(3):1995;203-244.
59. Lasher D., Ives B. et al. USAA-IBM partnerships in information technology: managing the image project. MIS Quarterly. 15:(4):1988;551-565.
60. Levinthal D.A., Fichman M. Dynamics of interorganizational attachments: auditor-client relationships. Administrative Science Quarterly. 33:1988;345-369.
61. Loh L., Venkatraman N. Diffusion of information technology outsourcing: influence sources and the Kodak effect. Information Systems Research. 4:(3):1992;334-358.
62. Macneil I.R. The many futures of contracts. Southern California Law Review. 47:1974;691-816.
63. Macneil I.R. Contracts: adjustment of long-term economic relations under classical, neoclassical, and relational contract law. Northwestern University Law Review. 72:1978;854-902.
64. Macneil I.R. The New Social Contract: An Inquiry into Modern Contractual Relations. 1980;Yale University Press, New Haven.
65. McAmmon B.C., Whittle R. Marketing channels: analytical systems and approaches. Schwartz G. Science in Marketing. 1963;321-385 Wiley, New York.
66. McFarlan F.W., Nolan R.L. How to manage an IT outsourcing alliance. Sloan Management Review. Winter:1995;9-23.
67. Meta Group, 1996. Global 2000 companies, Meta Group Inc.
68. Miles M.B., Huberman A.M. Qualitative Data Analysis. 2nd ed. 1994;Sage Publications, California.
69. Mills A.J., Murgatroyd S.J. Organizational Rules: a Framework for Understanding Organizational Action. 1991;Open University Press, Buckingham.
70. Mohr J.J., Spekmann R.E. Characteristics of partnership success: partnership attributes, communication behaviour, and conflict resolution techniques. Strategic Management Journal. 15:(2):1994;135-152.
71. Mohr J.J., Spekman R.E. Several characteristics contribute to successful alliances between channel members. Marketing Management. 4:(4):1996;34-43.
72. Musgrave J., Anniss M. Relationship Dynamics: Theory and Analysis. 1996;The Free Press, New York.
73. Nahapiet J., Ghoshal S. Social capital, intellectual capital, and the organisational advantage. Academy of Management Review. 23:(2):1998;242-266.
74. Oliver C. Determinants of interorganisational relationships: integration and future directions. The Academy of Management Review. 15:(2):1990;241-265.
75. Reekers N., Smithson S. The role of EDI in inter-organizational coordination in the European automotive industry. European Journal of Information Systems. 5:(2):1996;120-130.
76. Riley J., Collins T. Users get by on Trust with FM firms. ComputerWeekly. 1996;4. (Reed Business Publishing).
77. Ring P.S., Van de Ven A.H. Structuring cooperative relationships between organizations. Strategic Management Journal. 13:1992;483-498.
78. Robinson S.L. Trust and breach of the psychological contract. Administrative Science Quarterly. 41:(1):1996;574-599.
79. Robinson S.L., Morrison E.W. Psychological contracts and OCB: the effect of unfulfilled obligations on civic virtue behavior. Journal of Organizational Behaviour. 16:1995;289-298.
80. Rockart J.F., Earl M.J., Ross J.W. Eight imperatives for the new IT organization. Sloan Management Review. 38:(1):1996;43-55.
81. Rockart, J.F., Ross, J.W., 1995. The Changing IT Organization, Centre for Information Systems Research, Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, vol. 3876-288, pp. 1-27.
82. Rogers-Gillmore M. Implications of general versus restricted exchange. Cook K.S. Social Exchange Theory. 1987;170-189 Sage Publications, Newbury Park.
83. Rothery B., Robertson I. The Truth About Outsourcing. 1995;Gower, Aldershot, England.
84. Rousseau D.M. Psychological Contracts in Organizations: Understanding Written and Unwritten Agreements. 1995;Sage Publications, Thousand Oaks, USA.
85. Shankar G. Determinants of long-term orientation in buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Marketing. 58:(2):1994;1-19.
86. Stinchcombe A.L. Contracts as hierarchical documents. Stinchcombe A.L., Carol A. Organization Theory and Project Management. 1985;121-171 Norwegian University Press, Oslo, Norway.
87. Stralkowski C., Billon S.A. Partnering: a strategic approach to productivity improvement. National Productivity Review. 7:(2):1988;145-151.
88. Thibaut J.W., Kelley H.H. The Social Psychology of Groups. 1959;Wiley, New York.
89. Thornberry N. A view about vision. European Management Journal. 15:(1):1997;28-34.
90. Van De Ven A.H. On the nature, formation, and maintenance of relations among organizations. Academy of Management Review. 1:(4):1976;24-36.
91. Van De Ven A.H., Ring P.S. Developmental processes of cooperative interorganizational relationships. Academy of Management Review. 19:(1):1994;90-118.
92. Vowler J. Management: lessons in outsourcing. ComputerWeekly. 1996;26. (Reed Business Publishing).
93. Walsham G. The emergence of interpretivism in IS research. Information Systems Research. 6:(4):1995;376-394.
94. Whitford W.C. Ian Macneil's contribution to contracts scholarship. Wisconsin Law Review. 1985;545-577.
95. White P.E. Intra- and inter-organizational studies: do they require separate conceptualizations? Administration and Society. 6:(1):1974;107-152.
96. White P.E., Levine S. Exchange as a conceptual framework for the study of interorganizational relationships. Administrative Science Quarterly. 5:(4):1961;583-601.
97. Willcocks L., Choi C.J. Co-operative partnership and total IT outsourcing: from contractual obligation to strategic alliance. European Management Journal. 13:(1):1995;67-78.
98. Willcocks L., Kern T. IT outsourcing as strategic partnering: the case of the UK inland revenue. European Journal of Information Systems. 7:1998;29-45.
99. Willcocks L., Fitzgerald G., Lacity M. To outsource IT or not? Recent research on economics and evaluation practice. European Journal of Information Systems. 5:1996;143-160.
100. Williamson O.E. Markets and Hierarchies: Analysis and Antitrust Implications, A Study in the Economics of Internal Organization. 1975;The Free Press, New York.
101. Williamson O.E. Transaction-cost economics: the governance of contractual relations. The Journal of Law and Economics. 22:1979;233-261.
102. Williamson O.E. the economics of organization: the transaction cost approach. American Journal of Sociology. 87:1981;548-577.
103. Wilson, D.D., 1989. A Process Model of Strategic Alliance Formation in the Information Technology Industry. Sloan School of Management, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, vol. 89-070, p. 52.
104. Uzzi B. Social structure and competition in interfirm networks: the paradox of embeddedness. Administrative Science Quarterly. 42:1997;35-67.