Outsourcing research

Abstract

Reports the results of a questionnaire survey of a small sample (80) of research and information centres, conducted by Business 360, together with TFPL Ltd in 2003 and 2004, to gather data concerning their experience and views on the subject of outsourcing research with a view to: exploring the range of activities encompassed by the term ‘research’; determining what research activities are beginning to be outsourced and to what degree; and weighing the factors affecting the success of the outsourcing process. These results indicated that organizations are increasingly using outsourcing as part of their service provision strategy and, while very few have outsourced substantial proportions of their research services, about 25 per cent have used outsourcing firms to deal with capacity overload and with research in specialist areas. Very little use has been made of offshoring and the decision to offshore tends to be directed by the global structure and offshoring strategy of their parent organizations. Discusses the survey results in terms of how they shed light on: the main elements driving the use of outsourcing with particular reference to its use in information services and research; published information infrastructure; the nature of the research function; and outsourcing of basic information services. Considers the growth of offshoring in some sectors of the information-driven economy and considers this and outsourcing in terms of the perception of such a trend as a threat, an opportunity or an inevitability. Concludes that there appears to be some shift in people’s attitudes towards the opportunities offered by outsourcing, even though its use in information work is presently only embryonic.