Research & Insight

Supply Chain

The Retail Revolution: Big Changes in Store

Outsourcing Center, Patti Putnicki, Business Writer

The past few years have not been kind to the retail industry. Sluggish economies, shrinking margins and a more cost-conscious consumer have taken their proverbial toll. “We’ve seen retail sales increase by 5 percent to 6 percent, yet profits declined from 3.5 percent to 2 percent.  So, even though stores are selling more, they’re making …

The Evolving Product Sourcing Value Chain in China — Part 1

Thomas Keenan and Geofrey L. Master, Mayer Brown LLP

The product supply chain from China is not what it used to be. Over the past 20 years, Chinese consumer-product manufacturers have become increasingly sophisticated and capable of taking on more “value-adding” tasks or segments of the product creation supply chain and have moved from mere manufacturers to multi-functional suppliers. In doing so, they have …

Valuing Terms in Outsourcing Contracts

Brad L. Peterson, Partner, Mayer Brown LLP

If you are an outsourcing customer, outsourcing contracts are like a three-legged stool. Their value depends on what you agree to buy, what you agree to pay and the terms. Although the agreement and the other contract terms are often extensive, outsourcing customers often underestimate, or even overlook, the value in contract terms. Why Focus …

Forces of Change Shaping Outsourcing Solutions

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Like a pre-storm sky, a look at the investments outsourcing solutions providers are currently undertaking presents evidence of tremendous change over the next five years. They’re mapping out a new course, and buyers of outsourcing services need to understand where providers are headed so they can make informed decisions. Outsourcing Center asked 12 leading ITO …

Hot Spots for Growth in Outsourcing

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Which industries will experience growth in outsourcing in the next few years, and what risks will buyers of those services face? Are there business processes or functions that will begin turning to outsourcing in the next two to five years? What value opportunities and risks will they bring? In what geographic regions will companies begin …

How Outsourcing Helped a New Company Deal with a Major Challenge

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

Talecris was a spin-out. The new company had a drop-dead date to separate its IT systems from its parent. This was a complex challenge with much risk. Three weeks after the cut-off date, Talecris faced a business challenge that easily could have put it out of business. Together the partners weathered the storm.

How Verticalization and Business Process Utilities Will Impact Outsourced Services

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Transparent pricing, highly standardized processes, vertical solutions. Companies will select service providers that deliver the best quality and value-add, not just the best price. “Increased adoption of standardized solutions in outcomes-based models will drive outsourcing to become more utility based,” says Don Schulman, General Manager, Finance and Administration at IBM. “And that becomes where the …

How and Why Cloud Computing Will Change Outsourcing Services

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Technology enables business change, but it doesn’t drive it. Jim Stikeleather, Chief Technology Officer at Dell Perot Systems, says change doesn’t happen unless there is an economic value. And that’s why cloud computing will make such a huge impact on outsourced services. It changes companies’ ability to consume IT. “This will create a very different …

Past and Future: Our List of Top Events in 2009 and Predictions for 2010

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

This year we didn’t need a top 10 list of important past events and future predictions. The worst recession anyone still working can remember and its impact is our list. Our experts shared their sage assessments. Here’s what they think: Top Events of 2009: ACS: The global recession – pure and simple. The current downturn …

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