Διερεύνηση του στρατηγικού outsourcing στις επιχειρήσεις που δραστηριοποιούνται στην Ελλάδα

Λιαπόπουλος, Νικόλαος Κ.

Doctoral Thesis

Author

Λιαπόπουλος, Νικόλαος Κ.

Date

2014-10-07

Abstract

In our days, outsourcing is considered as a particularly popular practice for enterprises, being implemented to their activities or in parts of them. For decades, outsourcing was applied at tactical level, aiming mainly in reducing operational costs on peripheral activities. However, during the latest years it has been extensively used as a tool for implementing strategies aiming in the acquisition or maintenance of their competitive advantages. The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the dimensions of this phenomenon, specifically in the Greek environment, and realize the existence of any strategic orientation to the relative decisions taken. In order to approach in the best possible way the subject, we recorded the extent of its application to the activities of an enterprise and studied the characteristics of the decisions and the behavior of the enterprises with regard to the outsourcing. This was achieved through a research conducted using questionnaires that were mailed to industrial and commercial enterprises operating in the Greek environment. The results of our survey allowed us to investigate basic assumptions of theories applied to outsourcing. This led us to a number of conclusions regarding the attitude of enterprises to outsourcing, the strategic dimension of these decisions and the implementation of the respective theories in Greek enterprises. The main conclusions of our study referred to the ever-increasing usage of outsourcing in enterprises operating in Greece, the considerable adoption of strategic outsourcing, and the necessity for the application of a mix of theories to explain the behavior of enterprises regarding the issue of outsourcing. Finally, based on our conclusions and best practices found in the literature, we made implications that will help enterprises to minimize their possible losses and optimize their profits from the use of outsourcing.