Verified Document

Supply Chain And Outsourcing Essay

¶ … Services and Capabilities: Global Outsourcing Global outsourcing has become a common trend in the last few decades. Organisations, especially multinationals, have increasingly taken advantage of globalisation, technological advancements, and worldwide political and economic integration to outsource business processes and manufacturing operations to off-shore entities. Indeed, outsourcing is no longer a mere temporary or short-term solution to cost minimisation -- it is now part of business and corporate strategy (Oshri, Kotlarsky & Willcocks, 2015). Today, organisations in diverse sectors and industries rely on global outsourcing to keep up with consumer demand and competition while at the same time maximising operating margins. Nonetheless, global outsourcing presents its own fair share of challenges. This paper explains the pros and cons of global outsourcing and provides examples of firms that have successfully adopted supply chain globalisation.

A major advantage of global outsourcing is cost reduction. Generally, outsourcing is motivated by the need to produce goods and services in the most cost-effective way against the backdrop of resource constraints (Barrar & Gervais, 2006). Countries like India and China provide low-cost labour, making them ideal outsourcing destinations for Western multinationals. In fact, owing to the high cost of labour in developed countries, most American and European firms have increasingly taken advantage of Asian manufacturers to remain cost-effective in the ever more competitive global marketplace. With low-cost manufacturing in Asia, Western multinationals are able to maximise their profit margins. The cost advantage further stems from the reduced need to invest in infrastructure and manpower as the outsourcing provider takes responsibility for outsourced...

Therefore, global outsourcing provides a valuable source of competitive advantage in an environment where cost is a significant determinant of profitability.
Global outsourcing also enables a firm to take advantage of the expertise of the outsourcing provider, which the outsourcing organisation may not have (Barrar & Gervais, 2006). Outsourcing providers usually specialise in a certain field. It could be information technology (IT), research and development (R&D), marketing, or manufacturing. They build their capabilities in their field of specialisation, and can complete tasks in their field faster and with better quality. For instance, outsourcing providers in Asia have unmatched competencies in manufacturing. They can produce large quantities of products at a low cost while at the same time providing high quality. It is often more prudent for an organisation with little or no expertise in the field in question to seek assistance of an outsourcing provider. In fact, when an organisation outsources some of its processes and operations, it can focus on core activities (Barrar & Gervais, 2006). For example, if a firm outsources manufacturing to an overseas entity, it can focus its efforts and resources on critical processes such as R&D and marketing. Other benefits of global outsourcing include risk sharing and greater adaptability to change (Oshri, Kotlarsky & Willcocks, 2015).

Despite its advantages, global outsourcing presents…

Sources used in this document:
References

Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., & Willcocks, L. (2015). The handbook of global outsourcing and offshoring. 3rd ed. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

Barrar, P., & Gervais, R. (2006). Global outsourcing strategies: an international reference on effective outsourcing relationships. Hampshire: Gower Publishing.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Supply Chain Management Systems Have
Words: 4633 Length: 16 Document Type: Literature Review

(Reza, 2009) This information is building off of the findings from Uthayakumar. This is illustrating how the two tier system can help to streamline operations. However, as time goes by these ideas will become obsolete. The reason why is because they are focusing on particular aspect of supply chain management (i.e. during emergencies and backlogs). Where is it is failing, is through understanding how this strategy could be used when

Supply Chain Management in Fmcg Sector Fast
Words: 4046 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Supply chain management in FMCG sector Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Managing supply of FMCGs Demand and Supply Distribution Channel Traditional channel of FMCGs distribution National Vs Global Presence Products and Services Supply chain opportunities Usage of Supply Chain Management Business development Business performance Cost reduction Revenue Increase Inventory management Overall Business Performance Competitive advantage Future trends Issues in global supply chain management: FMCG sector Multi-channel Supply Chain Management Individual Tagging The FMCG sector is represented as manufacturers and distributors of packaged products. They are also coupled with mega retail brands

Supply Chain Management Purchasing and Supply Management:
Words: 2649 Length: 8 Document Type: Research Paper

Supply Chain Management Purchasing and Supply Management: A Key to Competitive Advantage Purchasing and supply management is an essential function of any business. Regardless of the size of the business, or the product are service that they offer, every business depends on some type of supply in order to produce goods or services. If supplies do not arrive on time, the business could be it a standstill. This not only means lost

Supply Chain Management Hypothesis Defined Concepts of
Words: 24788 Length: 80 Document Type: Thesis

Supply Chain Management Hypothesis defined Concepts of SCM and the evolution to its present day form Critical factors that affect SCM Trust Information sharing and Knowledge management Culture and Belief -- impact on SCM Global environment and Supply Chain management "Social" and "soft" parameter required for SCM Uncertainties This chapter aims to give an outline and scope of the study that will be undertaken in this work. The study lays out the issues faced by manufacturing organizations when it comes

Supply Chain Management What Does
Words: 3892 Length: 13 Document Type: Research Paper

Second, greater education about the values and benefit of this approach to managing projects needs to be completed (Brady, Maylor, 2010). Third, the inertia and lack of motivation to change needs to be quantified and shown to managers to see how their lack of commitment and urgency are hurting their businesses. All of these factors center on the value of time and its precious nature as a resource (Brady,

Supply Chain Management As a
Words: 2902 Length: 9 Document Type: Case Study

This shift in responsibility that a payoff can force over time needs to be dealt with from a business process management and change management standpoint over the long-term (Jacobs, Chase, 2010). By concentrating on the unique requirements and needs of the internal stakeholders, payoff analysis can be profitable and productive over the long-term. References: Juan Alberto Aragon-Correa, & Enrique a Rubio-Lopez. (2007). Proactive Corporate Environmental Strategies: Myths and Misunderstandings. Long-Range Planning,

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now