Sourcing motives behind sourcing decisions exposed through the Sourcing Decision Framework

Abstract

There is no doubt that information systems (IS) are the backbone of today’s organizations. Having an initial inspection on sourcing motives in the financial sector it can be stated that resources used in development of information systems (IS) are seen as an important factor for sustained competitive advantage. However, it can be claimed that it depends to a high extent on the application of different sourcing modes. This leads us to a closer inspection on sourcing motives through selected case studies and the following research question: How can motives for sourcing options of IS-development be explained? The empirical investigation on sourcing decisions and the motives behind, in addition to a literature review on sourcing decisions and sourcing options ends in four propositions. These propositions are then used in tandem with the findings from the empirical data for initial development of the Sourcing Decision Framework (SDF). Ultimately, what is at stake here is our framework (SDF) that from the initial development and the first test has shown to be purposive and could be further developed to a useful framework for analyzing sourcing decisions and as a guiding tool for decision-makers when deciding on sourcing options for IS-development.