IESE Business School

Barcelona, 3-6 March, 2009

The vision of the “virtual enterprise” proclaimed almost twenty years ago is finally taking shape. In today’s global business world, many organizations are outsourcing business processes to third-party providers located around the world. When firms began to offshore, most outsourced highly standardized tasks to lower costs. In recent years, however, many have begun to outsource higher-value services like product development and R&D. While cost considerations remain key, access to global talent has become another main driver.
 
Global Sourcing of Services will explore the myths, practical realities and future trends of outsourcing and offshoring. The program will cover a full range of outsourcing initiatives, including IT outsourcing (ITO), business process outsourcing (BPO), and knowledge process outsourcing (KPO), with a significant emphasis placed on IT-related outsourcing. As the first business function to be outsourced on a large scale, IT has accumulated a wealth of knowledge on what works and what doesn’t in outsourcing relationships. During the program, participants will learn how this knowledge can be applied to other outsourcing domains.

Designed for executives responsible for corporate outsourcing initiatives, the program will examine key issues involved in managing outsourcing relationships, weigh the importance of contracts and service-level agreements, and analyze the outsourcing governance tools currently available. On a strategic level, the program will explore the pros and cons of various sourcing options and illustrate how to align a corporate outsourcing portfolio with the overall business strategy. Global Sourcing of Services is a must for senior executives that need a comprehensive view of today’s outsourcing landscape.