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Gaining Flexibility and Innovation through Offshore Outsourcing

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  • Michela Pellicelli

    (Department of Economics and Management, University of Pavia, Pavia 27100, Italy)

Abstract

Recently, offshore outsourcing has become extremely important for companies that compete worldwide. In many industries, only companies that manage to be competitive globally can aspire to attain sustainable competitive advantages. Therefore, offshore outsourcing has become essential for many companies and recently has become more and more a vital part of the long-term strategies of the leading firms. The rapidly shifting conditions in the marketplace is forcing management to constantly review and defend its core competencies. Management is now confronted with a higher level of complexity and disruptions brought about in particular by the new waves of globalization and the irresistible march of technological changes. For these reasons, offshore outsourcing is transforming the functions of the traditional firms into a network of competencies. The tendency to offshore most of the productive and economic activities and processes can lead companies to transform themselves into virtual organizations, where all the functions could be outsourced through the formation of flexible networks and agile organizational structures.

Suggested Citation

  • Michela Pellicelli, 2018. "Gaining Flexibility and Innovation through Offshore Outsourcing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(5), pages 1-12, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:5:p:1672-:d:148245
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Hyun-Joon Jo & Timothy Connerton & Hyun-Jung Kim, 2019. "Dynamic Outsourcing Development for Sustainable Competitive Advantage in a High-Tech Backend Semiconductor Equipment Firm," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-13, December.
    2. Byungjoo Paek & Joohyun Kim & Joonyoung Park & Heesang Lee, 2019. "Outsourcing Strategies of Established Firms and Sustainable Competitiveness: Medical Device Firms," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-28, August.
    3. Eva Tomášková & Lucie Kaòovská, 2022. "Impact of cooperation flexibility on innovation flexibility in SMEs," Equilibrium. Quarterly Journal of Economics and Economic Policy, Institute of Economic Research, vol. 17(2), pages 533-566, June.
    4. Yanmin Guan & Na Wang, 2023. "Automatic modelling of networked innovation outsourcing-oriented talent competency in the era of artificial intelligence," International Journal of System Assurance Engineering and Management, Springer;The Society for Reliability, Engineering Quality and Operations Management (SREQOM),India, and Division of Operation and Maintenance, Lulea University of Technology, Sweden, vol. 14(1), pages 408-414, February.
    5. Qiangqiang Zhang & Beibei Yan & Xuexi Huo, 2018. "What Are the Effects of Participation in Production Outsourcing? Evidence from Chinese Apple Farmers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-15, November.

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