Global sourcing of Information Technology (IT) and various business services has received increasing attention since 2000 and the offshoring role in Y2K work. Many organizations in  developed economies have rapidly evolved global models involving a mix of third parties at a range of geographical locations. Meanwhile developing economies have looked to develop their own industries to stimulate and meet demand. Both domestic and offshore suppliers are increasingly intent on designing more sophisticated sourcing arrangements, including offshore, nearshore and onshore components. By end of 2009, Information Technology outsourcing (ITO) revenues exceeded US$250 million while those for business process outsourcing were more than US$140 billion. The revenues from offshore outsourcing of business and Information Technology (IT) services exceeded US$60 billion, and over the next five years the compound annual growth rate for offshore outsourcing is expected to be about 20%. These phenomena well deserve in-depth study, and this workshop provides a forum for advancement in research approaches and learning.

The First Global Sourcing Workshop that took place in March 2007 addressed aspects relating to the management of knowledge and innovation of IT and business services in global sourcing. Best papers from  this Workshop were published in the Special Issue of Journal of Information Technology published in March 2008 (vol. 23 issue 1) and in the book  “Outsourcing Global Services: Knowledge, Innovation and Social Capital” published by  Palgrave, London.

The Second Workshop that took place in March 2008 focused on social, managerial and knowledge-related aspects of Global Sourcing. Best papers from this Workshop are published in the Special Issue of Information Technology and People that will be available in fall 2009.  

The Third Workshop that took place in March 2009 discussed the impacts of global IS sourcing on engineering, technology and innovation management. We are currently editing a Special Issue in IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management that deals with this topic. See Call for Papers  or download as PDF.

The Fourth Workshop will take place in March 2010 in Zermatt, Switzerland. The topic of this Workshop is “Doing Better Through Outsourcing and Offshoring”  See full Call for Papers  or download as PDF.