PhD project

1
THE ENIGMA OF GLOBAL OPERATIONS CAPTURING THE
OFFSHORING PROCESS

• PhD project
• Dmitrij Slepniov
• CIP, Aalborg University

2
Outline

• Background notes on my project
• Overall advantages and disadvantages of the
  articles based thesis
• Depth vs. breadth
• Specific challenges of the articles based thesis
• The biggest crisis and the most positive
  experience in the process

3
Background Notes

• Strategic Environment of Offshoring
• Geographical dispersion of operations
• Vertical disintegration of value chain
• Look for competitive advantages beyond current
  organisational border and intensifying external
  networking
• Process nature of the developments
• Not a steady state
• Occurs rather than merely exists
• In a process of becoming, transforming, unfolding
• But in the literature
• The phenomenon has become locked into a number of
  static states
• Seen as a one time investment decision

4
Aims

• to investigate and to increase understanding of
  the process of offshoring (the special focus on
  the strategic implications of the process for the
  dispatching side)

5
Working RQs

• How does the offshoring process evolve over time?
• What are the factors determining the trajectory
  of the offshoring process?
• How does the offshoring process differ in certain
  cultural contexts?
• What are the key strategic implications of the
  offshoring process for the dispatching
  organisation?
• How companies may deal effectively with the
  impacts of the process of offshoring?

6
Notes on the Empirical Field and Methodology

• Qualitative approach/ Multiple Case Studies
  strategy of inquiry
• Case design data collection methods documents
  analysis, semi-structured interviews and
  observations
• Explorative Integration design (Maaloe, 2001) -
  the cyclic multi-theoretical approach to case
  research incorporating both Yins theory testing
  approach and StraussCorbins grounded design

7
Articles Considered for Inclusion

• (A) Slepniov, D., Sørensen, B.V. (2006).
  Strategic Trajectories in the Offshoring and
  Offshore Outsourcing Process. The Proceedings of
  the 11th Cambridge International Manufacturing
  Symposium. Cambridge University of Cambridge,
  Institute for Manufacturing.
• (B) Slepniov, D., Sørensen, B.V. (2007). The
  Offshoring Initiatives Tactical Reasoning with
  Strategic Outcomes. The Proceedings of the 2nd
  Nordic Workshop on Outsourcing. Lyngby Technical
  University of Denmark (DTU).
• (C) Slepniov, D., Sørensen, B.V. (2007).
  Offshoring Process Dynamic Strategic
  Trajectories. Paper for the Annual Research
  Conference and Workshop on Offshoring Duke
  University, USA, April 14 - 17.
• (D) Slepniov, D., Sørensen, B.V. (2007). Global
  Dispersion of Production - Dynamics of the
  Process at the Company Level. The Proceedings of
  the 14th International Annual EurOMA 2007
  Conference Managing Operations in an Expanding
  Europe. Ankara Bilkent University.
• (E) Slepniov, D., Waehrens, B. (2008). Offshore
  Outsourcing of Production An Exploratory Study
  of Process and Effects in Danish Companies.
  Strategic Outsourcing An International Journal.
  Vol. 1, nr. 1, pp. 64-76.
• (F) Slepniov, D., Sørensen, B.V. (2008).
  Opgaveafhængighedens voksende betydning i
  offshoring-processen. Børsen Håndbog i Supply
  Chain Management, København Børsen Forum.

8
Articles Considered for Inclusion

• (G) Slepniov, D., Waehrens, B. (2007). The Role
  of Evolving Task Interdependencies in the
  Offshoring Process. Paper for the DDLA
  Conference, Aarhus, Danmark.
• (H) Global Distribution of Work Literature
  Review (The paper is planned for 08/2008).
• (I) Offshoring Process a Comparative
  Investigation of Danish and Japanese Companies
  (Work in progress, is based on the stay at Waseda
  University, Tokyo)
• (J) Evaluation of the Potential Scenarios of the
  Offshoring Process (The paper is planned for
  12/2008).
• (K) Effective Management of the Potential
  Offshoring Scenarios (The paper is planned for
  02/2009)

9
Publishing Strategy
WORKING PAPER
CONFERENCE PAPER
JOURNAL CONSIDERED FOR SUBMISSION
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Articles Based Thesis

• Advantages
• Psychologically easier (i.e. Visible progress in
  stages)
• Stress in tea spoon portions vs. a wave of
  stress in the last 6 months
• Feedback on a regular basis
• Easier project management
• Use for teaching
• Quick dissemination of the actual results
  (especially important when the phenomenon is
  embedded in a turbulently changing context)
• No need to switch between paper formats (i.e.
  radically re-writing a paper into a format for
  conference and journal submissions)

11
Articles Based Thesis

• Disadvantages
• Lack of room for a deep case narrative
  presentation
• Lack of room for a thorough analysis
• Fragmentation and gaps between sub-projects
  within one project
• Sketchy in some parts, detailed in others
• The creative process overshadowed by pragmatism
  and targets of delivering
• Compromise (unconscious) of depth vs. breadth
• However the issue of depth and breadth
  trade-offs is not only articles based dilemma

12
Specific challenges

• The challenge of integration
• Deciding what are the key leitmotifs of the
  thesis
• The challenge of balancing pragmatic approach and
  creativity
• The pressures and frustration over turning
  working papers into publications on a regular
  basis

13
Striking Crises and Positive Experiences

• The largest crisis so far
• Getting stuck with one paper
• Going behind the schedule of publishing
• The most positive experiences
• Getting your research into journals