A Conceptual and Qualitative Study of Outsourcing Criteria and the Role of Emotions in Decision-Making: The Case of Equine Sports Transportation Outsourcing

Abstract

For years, transportation outsourcing was considered a formal transaction-cost economics decision with little or no consideration for additional factors. This limiting perspective provides the stimulus for the current qualitative study, which examines additional factors affecting the transportation decision. For this article, the equine industry is studied in order to gain a better understanding of additional factors that go into decision- making. In-depth interviews with horse owners and trainers in the equine industry revealed that, in addition to a detailed cognitive assessment of transporter capabilities, the outsourcing decision involves a considerable emotional component. These finding could be noteworthy for a number of industries, such as household goods, museums, fine art (paintings, statues, sculptures), antique furniture (including pianos), collectibles of all kinds, and other high involvement luxury items.