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International Workshop on Global Sourcing of Information Technology and Business Processes

Global Sourcing 2011: New Studies in Global IT and Business Service Outsourcing pp 175–200Cite as

Shared Services Centres: A Case Study on a Dispersed Services Oriented Organization

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Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 91))

Abstract

The provision of shared IT services is a process-focused intra-organisational arrangement that serves clients within the larger parent organization, achieving economies of scale through the creation of specialized knowledge centres. Although there is considerable research on shared services with regard to its conceptual underpinnings, implementation strategies and rationales, research is limited on the actual operation and challenges of the model. Given the importance of a services mindset to modern economies, an in-depth investigation of an IT services organisation is timely and will provide useful insights. This paper reports on a particular instance of a shared services centre using the concept of “service competency” developed in the paper. The paper also draws out the commonalities and differences between the provision of shared services and common outsourcing models. The findings demonstrate the complexities of attempting to provide a service orientation where organisational and operational issues obstruct and conflict with these efforts.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Information Systems and Computing, Brunel University, Kingston Lane, UB8 3PH, United Kingdom

    Pamela Abbott & Guy Fitzgerald

Authors
  1. Irman Nazri Nasir
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  2. Pamela Abbott
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  3. Guy Fitzgerald
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK

    Julia Kotlarsky

  2. London School of Economics, London, UK

    Leslie P. Willcocks

  3. Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Ilan Oshri

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Nasir, I.N., Abbott, P., Fitzgerald, G. (2011). Shared Services Centres: A Case Study on a Dispersed Services Oriented Organization. In: Kotlarsky, J., Willcocks, L.P., Oshri, I. (eds) New Studies in Global IT and Business Service Outsourcing. Global Sourcing 2011. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 91. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24815-3_10

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-24815-3_10

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-24814-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-24815-3

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