Different authors (Ellram 1995; Lambert, Emmelhainz and Gardner
1999; Tate 1996; Greaver 1999; Mayer Brown 2003; Cohen and Young
2006) ascribe different importance to key success factors. Successful outsourcing
does not relate only to financial and business goals. As outsourcing
may have considerable impact on a company’s competitiveness
over time, it is a comprehensive vision of managing the relationship that
demands careful consideration. Without an understanding of different
participants’ perspectives on those involved and affected in the process,
measuring the success of outsourcing is not possible. Furthermore, outsourcing
companies need conceptual tools to evaluate their outsourcing
case in order to understand which key success factors must be considphase.
Therefore, this paper seeks to enrich this research by examining the
ways in which the identification of key success factors in outsourcing occurs.
The content of the study provides a brief description of outsourcing
and logistics outsourcing. The literature relevant to outsourcing is then
reviewed. A set of outsourcing key success factors that are considered by
different authors are proposed and a ‘Partnership Model’ is used to illustrate
factors which need to be present in outsourcing relationships.
Three case studies examples from the logistics industry are used to show
the application of the ‘Partnership Model.’ This includes a discussion of
how outsourcing companies might better define and develop successful
logistics outsourcing relationships.