The Antidote: Volume 2 Issue 6
Table of contents
A little coastal erosion in a changing landscape?
T KippenbergerStates that, despite what many a business school's curriculum or management consultant's product may suggest, management does not fit easily into discrete packages. Posits…
Farming out the donkey work?
T KippenbergerApproves of the UK's position as world leader in outsourcing and how industry has great reliance on it. Chronicles that outsourcing has its roots in the move to external provision…
Partnership sourcing: firms without boundaries in the value chain?
B GouldArgues that effective partnership souring requires increased movement of information and resources across the boundaries between firms. Adopts the position that company…
Partnership sourcing: making the right connections
B GouldNotes that, in US manufacturing, suppliers are paid a total of about one half of a firm's revenues — therefore a firm that co‐operates with all of its suppliers doubles its…
Category management: the limits of partnering
T KippenbergerDescribes category management as a US invention based on the concept of a business partnership between two naturally adversarial groups — specifically, retailers and…
What's so different about outsourcing — is it a fad or something truly new and here to stay?
T KippenbergerSubmits that outsourcing is not particularly new and is credited with having played an important part in IBM's re‐engineering campaign of the last ten years. Identifies a number…
Outsourcing is here to stay
T KippenbergerElaborates on a survey (1995‐96), undertaken by PA Consulting Group on outsourcing, published in June 1996, which canvassed over 1,000 directors and senior managers in major…
Outsourcing: how close to the core can you go?
T KippenbergerArgues that increased competition means that organizations face pressure to cut costs and improve efficiency, as customers can now buy in almost any location globally. Defines…
Some hidden costs of outsourcing
T KippenbergerArgues that outsourcing inevitably impacts on a range of organizational characteristics and their dynamic balance. States that though there are arguments in favour of outsourcing…
From just good housekeeping to sourcing as a real strategic issue
T KippenbergerDeclares that many outsourcing decisions are taken on a straightforward value‐for‐money basis and itemizes these are such as: security; office cleaning; printing and travel…
Incompetence and outsourcing: running backwards in the race to learn
B GouldArgues that many firms have progressively destroyed the foundations of their competitive advantage by incrementally outsourcing such key competence‐sustaining activities…
When is virtual virtuous?
T KippenbergerContends that ‘the virtues of being virtual have been oversold’, particularly regarding organization for innovation. Posits that managers need to consider other factors relevant…
Strategic boundary management: it's a matter of perspective
T KippenbergerInvestigates views on boundary management — in particular managing relationships across boundaries — which is not as yet a prominent area of either academic or management…
Marks & Spencer: a revolutionary in retailing
T KippenbergerConcentrates on Marks & Spencer, which is frequently quoted as a textbook example of good management practice — although started in 1884 by a man who could neither read nor write…
A pragmatic view of joint ventures and alliances
T KippenbergerDiscusses results from a recent CISIBIS workshop where senior managers exchanged views and experiences. Feels that though joint ventures and alliances are not new arrangements the…