IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/intman/v15y2009i1p61-76.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Making the locational choice: A case approach to the development of a theory of offshore outsourcing and internationalization

Author

Listed:
  • Hätönen, Jussi

Abstract

Offshore outsourcing is one of the most sustained management strategies of the 21st century, and researchers are paying attention to this contemporary, yet complex and controversial phenomenon. Despite the increasing amount of research, from the theoretical and managerial perspectives several important aspects remain inconclusive. The focus in this article is on theory development in two complex areas. The first concerns the location, the idea being to identify the factors that influence the final decision, in which ownership is not the mode of control. Secondly, the aim is to explore whether offshore outsourcing facilitates international expansion. Through a process of theoretical rationalization and inductive case analysis propositions are arrived at according to which non-locational factors most heavily impact the firm's decision to outsource offshore and its subsequent internationalization. The results indicate that this subsequent internationalization may be a by-product of offshore outsourcing, or it may be an intentional strategy. The article thus adds new aspects to the existing theory on outsourcing decision-making, which forms the basis of an emergent theory for future academic research.

Suggested Citation

  • Hätönen, Jussi, 2009. "Making the locational choice: A case approach to the development of a theory of offshore outsourcing and internationalization," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(1), pages 61-76, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:15:y:2009:i:1:p:61-76
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1075425308001063
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ravi Ramamurti, 2004. "Developing countries and MNEs: extending and enriching the research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 35(4), pages 277-283, July.
    2. Finn Wiedersheim-Paul & Hans C Olson & Lawrence S Welch, 1978. "Pre-Export Activity: The First step in Internationalization," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 9(1), pages 47-58, March.
    3. Kshetri, Nir, 2007. "Institutional factors affecting offshore business process and information technology outsourcing," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 38-56, March.
    4. Kakabadse, Andrew & Kakabadse, Nada, 2002. "Trends in Outsourcing:: Contrasting USA and Europe," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 189-198, April.
    5. Warren J Bilkey, 1978. "An Attempted Integration of the Literature on the Export Behavior of Firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 9(1), pages 33-46, March.
    6. Arie Lewin & Carine Peeters, 2006. "Offshoring administrative and technical work: business hype or the onset of fundamental strategic and organizational transformation ?," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/9039, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    7. R. Richardson & J. N. MARSHALL, 1999. "Teleservices, Call Centres and Urban and Regional Development," The Service Industries Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 96-116, January.
    8. Peter J. Buckley & Mark Casson, 1991. "The Future of the Multinational Enterprise," Palgrave Macmillan Books, Palgrave Macmillan, edition 0, number 978-1-349-21204-0.
    9. Caves, Richard E, 1971. "International Corporations: The Industrial Economics of Foreign Investment," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 38(149), pages 1-27, February.
    10. Kedia, Ben L. & Lahiri, Somnath, 2007. "International outsourcing of services: A partnership model," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 22-37, March.
    11. Peter Maskell & Torben Pedersen & Bent Petersen & Jens Dick-Nielsen, 2007. "Learning Paths to Offshore Outsourcing: From Cost Reduction to Knowledge Seeking," Industry and Innovation, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 14(3), pages 239-257.
    12. Bruce Kogut & Udo Zander, 1993. "Knowledge of the Firm and the Evolutionary Theory of the Multinational Corporation," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 24(4), pages 625-645, December.
    13. John Cantwell & Rajneesh Narula, 2001. "The Eclectic Paradigm in the Global Economy," International Journal of the Economics of Business, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 8(2), pages 155-172.
    14. Jan Johanson & Jan-Erik Vahlne, 1977. "The Internationalization Process of the Firm—A Model of Knowledge Development and Increasing Foreign Market Commitments," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 23-32, March.
    15. Bunyaratavej, Kraiwinee & Hahn, Eugene D. & Doh, Jonathan P., 2007. "International offshoring of services: A parity study," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 7-21, March.
    16. Warren J Bilkey & George Tesar, 1977. "The Export Behavior of Smaller-Sized Wisconsin Manufacturing Firms," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 8(1), pages 93-98, March.
    17. Masaaki Kotabe & Ronaldo Parente & Janet Y Murray, 2007. "Antecedents and outcomes of modular production in the Brazilian automobile industry: a grounded theory approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 38(1), pages 84-106, January.
    18. Sonali K. Shah & Kevin G. Corley, 2006. "Building Better Theory by Bridging the Quantitative–Qualitative Divide," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(8), pages 1821-1835, December.
    19. Halinen, Aino & Tornroos, Jan-Ake, 2005. "Using case methods in the study of contemporary business networks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1285-1297, September.
    20. Graf, Michael & Mudambi, Susan M., 2005. "The outsourcing of IT-enabled business processes: A conceptual model of the location decision," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 11(2), pages 253-268, June.
    21. John H Dunning, 1980. "Towards an Eclectic Theory of International Production: Some Empirical Tests," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 11(1), pages 9-31, March.
    22. Quélin, Bertrand & Duhamel, François, 2003. "Bringing Together Strategic Outsourcing and Corporate Strategy:: Outsourcing Motives and Risks," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 21(5), pages 647-661, October.
    23. Lawrence Loh & N. Venkatraman, 1992. "Diffusion of Information Technology Outsourcing: Influence Sources and the Kodak Effect," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 3(4), pages 334-358, December.
    24. Dunning, John H., 2000. "The eclectic paradigm as an envelope for economic and business theories of MNE activity," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 163-190, April.
    25. Coviello, Nicole & Munro, Hugh, 1997. "Network relationships and the internationalisation process of small software firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 6(4), pages 361-386, August.
    26. Nicole E Coviello, 2006. "The network dynamics of international new ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 37(5), pages 713-731, September.
    27. Lori G. Kletzer, 2005. "Globalization and job loss, from manufacturing to services," Economic Perspectives, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, vol. 29(Q II), pages 38-46.
    28. Andersen, Poul Houman & Christensen, Poul Rind, 2005. "Bridges over troubled water: suppliers as connective nodes in global supply networks," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 58(9), pages 1261-1273, September.
    29. Kent Eriksson & Jan Johanson & Anders Majkgård & D Deo Sharma, 1997. "Experimental Knowledge and Costs in the Internationalization Process," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 28(2), pages 337-360, June.
    30. Benjamin M Oviatt & Patricia Phillips McDougall, 1994. "Toward a Theory of International New ventures," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 25(1), pages 45-64, March.
    31. Jonathan P. Doh, 2005. "Offshore Outsourcing: Implications for International Business and Strategic Management Theory and Practice," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(3), pages 695-704, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Gaur, Ajai S. & Datta, Avimanyu, 2013. "Creating value through offshore outsourcing: An integrative framework," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 377-389.
    2. Martinez-Noya, Andrea & Garcia-Canal, Esteban & Guillen, Mauro F., 2012. "International R&D service outsourcing by technology-intensive firms: Whether and where?," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 18-37.
    3. Lampel, Joseph & Bhalla, Ajay, 2011. "Living with offshoring: The impact of offshoring on the evolution of organizational configurations," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 46(3), pages 346-358, July.
    4. Mukherjee, Debmalya & Lahiri, Somnath & Ash, Steven R. & Gaur, Ajai S., 2019. "Search motives, local embeddedness, and knowledge outcomes in offshoring," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 103(C), pages 365-375.
    5. Grosse, Robert & Fonseca, Alejandro, 2012. "Learning Through Imports in the Internationalization Process," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(4), pages 366-378.
    6. Schmeisser, Bjoern, 2013. "A Systematic Review of Literature on Offshoring of Value Chain Activities," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 390-406.
    7. Niittymies, Aleksi & Pajunen, Kalle, 2020. "Cognitive foundations of firm internationalization: A systematic review and agenda for future research," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(4).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hätönen, Jussi & Eriksson, Taina, 2009. "30+Â years of research and practice of outsourcing - Exploring the past and anticipating the future," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 142-155, June.
    2. Niccolò Pisani & Joan Enric Ricart, 2016. "Offshoring of Services: A Review of the Literature and Organizing Framework," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 56(3), pages 385-424, June.
    3. Dzikowski, Piotr, 2018. "A bibliometric analysis of born global firms," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 281-294.
    4. Reddy, Kotapati Srinivasa, 2016. "Institutional Voids and Tax litigation in Emerging Economies: The verdict of Vodafone cross-border acquisition of Hutchison," MPRA Paper 74264, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 2016.
    5. Jensen, Peter D. Ørberg, 2012. "A passage to India: A dual case study of activities, processes and resources in offshore outsourcing of advanced services," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 311-326.
    6. Stefano Elia & Rajneesh Narula & Silvia Massini, 2015. "Disentangling the Role of Modularity and Bandwidth in Entry Mode Choice: The Case of Business Services Offshoring," John H Dunning Centre for International Business Discussion Papers jhd-dp2015-06, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    7. Gooris, Julien & Peeters, Carine, 2014. "Home–Host Country Distance in Offshore Governance Choices," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 73-86.
    8. Torben Schubert & Elisabeth Baier & Christian Rammer, 2018. "Firm capabilities, technological dynamism and the internationalisation of innovation: A behavioural approach," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 49(1), pages 70-95, January.
    9. Ripollés, Maria & Blesa, Andreu, 2012. "International new ventures as “small multinationals”: The importance of marketing capabilities," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 47(2), pages 277-287.
    10. Schmeisser, Bjoern, 2013. "A Systematic Review of Literature on Offshoring of Value Chain Activities," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 390-406.
    11. Robert-Nicoud, Frédéric & Olarreaga, Marcelo & Carrère, Céline & Fugazza, Marco, 2016. "On the heterogeneous effect of trade on unemployment," CEPR Discussion Papers 11540, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    12. Jane W. Lu & Hao Ma & Xuanli Xie, 2022. "Foreignness research in international business: Major streams and future directions," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(3), pages 449-480, April.
    13. Johanson, Martin & Martín Martín, Oscar, 2015. "The incremental expansion of Born Internationals: A comparison of new and old Born Internationals," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 476-496.
    14. Knight, Gary A. & Liesch, Peter W., 2016. "Internationalization: From incremental to born global," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(1), pages 93-102.
    15. Jensen, Peter D. Ørberg, 2009. "A learning perspective on the offshoring of advanced services," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(2), pages 181-193, June.
    16. Pattnaik, Chinmay & Singh, Deeksha & Gaur, Ajai S., 2021. "Home country learning and international expansion of emerging market multinationals," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 27(3).
    17. Roza, Marja & Van den Bosch, Frans A.J. & Volberda, Henk W., 2011. "Offshoring strategy: Motives, functions, locations, and governance modes of small, medium-sized and large firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(3), pages 314-323, June.
    18. Casillas, José C. & Moreno, Ana M. & Acedo, Francisco J., 2012. "Path dependence view of export behaviour: A relationship between static patterns and dynamic configurations," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 21(3), pages 465-479.
    19. Oh, Chang Hoon & Kim, Minyoung & Shin, Jiyoung, 2019. "Paths and geographic scope of international expansion across industries," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 560-574.
    20. Kahiya, Eldrede T., 2020. "Context in international business: Entrepreneurial internationalization from a distant small open economy," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(1).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:intman:v:15:y:2009:i:1:p:61-76. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/601266/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.