Title: Global strategic business decisions: a comparative study of domestic and international outsourcing

Authors: A. Ben Oumlil

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Ancell School of Business, Western Connecticut State University, P.O. Box 4636, Danbury, CT 06810, USA

Abstract: Today, the fundamental changes that are taking place across US industry, such as lowered prospects for growth, expanding technology, and increased foreign competitions, are making alliances a viable option for many corporations. The focus of this exploratory study is to examine firms| decisions to use foreign outsourcing vis-a-vis domestic outsourcing. One goal of this study is to examine the interaction between an organisational factor (i.e., firm size) and the business outsourcing and strategic alliance decisions. Another research aim is to ascertain what type(s) of global sourcing is sought by the participating business organisations, along with the decision to select its international subsidiary for a partnership over an alternate option(s) as a source(s) of supplies. In addition, the study evaluates the relationship between a determinant personal factor (i.e., number of years on the job) and the strategic business alliances/outsourcing decisions. This study|s results are discussed with their managerial implications, and the study|s findings are relevant to practitioners and academicians at the national and international levels.

Keywords: global sourcing; international strategic alliances; globalisation; purchasing; outsourcing; USA; United States; organisational buying; B2B marketing; competitive strategies; strategic planning; business-to-business; firm size.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPM.2012.044155

International Journal of Procurement Management, 2012 Vol.5 No.1, pp.87 - 103

Published online: 16 Aug 2014 *

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