George Atis, Chairman, Outsourcing and Technology practice groups, McMillan Binch LLP
For a company considering an outsourcing transaction – IT or business process outsourcing (BPO) – there are ways to improve the chances of getting the best deal for your outsourcing buck.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
The rumormongers and journalists who quickly pen sensational bad-news headlines would have you believe that Exchanges and B2B Marketplaces (last year’s newest Internet darlings) all failed and died practically overnight. They pronounce judgments on why it happened: the hype made businesses adapt the model before it was proven; many companies were not willing or able yet to handle the internal processes that go with the technology of such an extended, networked enterprise; buyers didn’t venture beyond their already established list of suppliers, and even that the procurement folks didn’t coordinate with the planning/administrative folks in many companies.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Supply and demand. This mission-critical component of business has shifted from price and availability to collaboration. Meta Group predicts the SRM market will be $32 billion by 2003. SRM tools enable supply planning so that there is instant visibility across the extended supply chain, allowing companies to drive inventory out; with collaboration, order management becomes a match between demand and capacity.
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
When Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, was built, one of the city architects suggested planting grass everywhere instead of paving sidewalks. People could walk wherever they wanted. Where natural paths emerged, the concrete would follow.
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
Whiteside, the founder and CEO of netASPx Inc., an application service provider (ASP) based in Herndon, Virginia, says software vendors have to select one of three paths to incorporate the ASP method into their business model.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Behind closed doors, discussions about the biggest challenge for both providers and payers in the healthcare industry are not about HIPAA compliance. It’s about how to be profitable. Given the numerous industry problems besetting companies, revenue has been drastically cut, and most have lost millions of dollars for several years in a row. The solution, as many are discovering, is for organizations to become more efficient. And the only way to accomplish that objective is to outsource non-core business processes and take advantage of outsourcers’ expertise and technological resources.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Even a Fortune 500 company can fail. All it takes is a decision to invest dollars, time and people in the latest and greatest technological wonder. Sure, an Internet-driven world demands that executives quickly take advantage of innovations that technology promises will give them a competitive edge. But they can reap the benefits without incurring the risks or investment.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
Striving to be competitive involves tremendous risks. The timing must be right, and the resources must be available. It’s costly, and the return on investment might be low. In fact, the entire effort might fail. And someone will be held accountable.
Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer
An enormous impact on a company’s profitability comes from its procurement or purchasing process. Some companies are starting to recognize the impact, but most — particularly midsize or small companies — still treat this important process as though it’s unimportant. But, like the fairytale Cinderella, someone needs to do the onerous chores around the castle. Particularly in lean times when an economy is slowing, executives must pay more attention to the possibility of saving millions of dollars in this area.
Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer
The MG sport car is its history. The MG Salute car is its future. The M.G. Rover Group decided to outsource so it could introduce its new models faster.
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