Title: Lattices and collaborative design in shipbuilding

Authors: Marina Z. Solesvik, Sylvia Encheva, Sharil Tumin

Addresses: Bodo Graduate School of Business, 8049 Bodo, Norway; Stord/Haugesund University College, Bjornsonsgate, 45, 5528, Haugesund, Norway. ' Stord/Haugesund University College, Bjornsonsgate, 45, 5528, Haugesund, Norway. ' IT Department, University of Bergen, PO Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway

Abstract: Outsourcing and offshoring have become viable strategies of global firms. The success and necessity of usage of these strategies is stipulated by quick development in information and communication technologies. The prior research has shown that firms which use offshoring have better chances to survive than firms which rely solely on domestic suppliers and performing works in-house. The paper considers issues of cooperative ship design grounded on a strategy of flexible sourcing, when the firm rationally combines outsourcing and insourcing strategies. The mathematical method of formal concept analysis is applied to visualise and analyse firm|s insourcing and outsourcing strategies. An example is presented to illustrate application of the concept lattice in decision support regarding sourcing of a Norwegian ship design firm.

Keywords: offshoring; outsourcing; sourcing strategies; shoring strategies; formal concept analysis; lattices; cooperative design; shipbuilding; collaborative design; cooperation; collaboration; ICT; information technology; communications technology; domestic suppliers; in-house work; ships; flexible sourcing; insourcing; decision support; Norway; VS Group; globalisation; business information systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBIS.2011.039333

International Journal of Business Information Systems, 2011 Vol.7 No.3, pp.309 - 326

Published online: 30 Sep 2014 *

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