Product Description

Outsourcing is now a central issue for companies large and small, and the market size goes on expanding. But, few executives really understand how to go about deciding what should be outsourced, how to do it, and how to manage the various stakeholders.

This book fills a major gap in the middle-high-end of the market for a book that shows senior executives how to decide what to outsource and then how to do it, taking into account the “human side.”  The book aims to ensure that more outsourcing deals are structured for long-term success, and shows that this depends on initial and ongoing executive commitment and sponsorship by both the client and the providers.

The authors are both global leaders in outsourcing consulting, have set out to write a fast, well-paced read appropriate for a variety of industries.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #280039 in Books
• Published on: 2006-04-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 248 pages

Review

"...brings a breath of fresh air to this topic" - Professional Manager, September 2006

“… there hadn’t been a comprehensive handbook written on the topic until this one came along… a very welcome and necessary addition to any management library… the authors both have a significant pedigree in the outsourcing business… a highly valuable reference source for anyone… It is thorough, clear and well-referenced.” - Personnel Today, July 2006

"Admirably clear and execution-oriented. This book is thoroughly recommended." The Director Magazine

“A most comprehensive book guiding any executive or stakeholder through the complexity of outsourcing and transformation.”
Trevor Matthews, Chief Executive UK & Europe, Standard Life

“Bravard and Morgan explain persuasively, and succinctly, why any institution should consider outsourcing as a modern and effective management tool.”
Howard Davies, Director of the London School of Economics

"Striking the right balance between internal and external resources in all the major functions of your company is an issue all managers should really focus on today. We should dedicate our skills and energy to those areas where we can really make a difference. The rest is a distraction. This book will be very useful to help you with the decision-making process."
Olivier Fleurot, Managing Director, Financial Times

"....provides valuable insights for executives contemplating an outsourcing strategy."
Gay Haskins, Director External Affairs, London Business School

“We can benefit from the hard lessons learned by the trailblazers.   Morgan and Bravard bring decades of practical experience to the table and provide a comprehensive view of the potential benefits, challenges and pitfalls of outsourcing”
Till Guldimann, Vice Chairman, Sungard

“This book is for the worried CEO and CFO, who are on the verge of making the final decision to outsource and pondering their first steps with trepidation.”
Emanuel Daniel, Editor, The Asian Banker

“Every once in a while a management book comes along that makes you rethink basic management tools.  Smarter Outsourcing is one of those books and will sit on many CXO desks and board rooms “
Victor Chu, Chairman, International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Commission on Banking and Insurance

Howard Davies, Director of the London School of Economics
Bravard and Morgan explain persuasively, and succinctly, why any institution should consider outsourcing as a modern and effective management tool.

Olivier Fleurot, Managing Director, Financial Times
This book will be very useful to help you with the decision-making process.

Customer Reviews

Contract vs. Relationship
This books approach to outsourcing contracts is excellent, probably because it confirms what I (as a lawyer) have always thought, which is that a relationship makes a good contract, a contract does not make a good relationship. The book is also very easy to read and to refer back to, so it will remain as a useful guide.

Outsourcing Explained
I got a preview book and have to say I whole-heartedly agree with the books premise that most executives have the necessary skills to personally drive outsourcing programmes because of their M&A experience, but would you want to? Bravard and Morgan have persuaded me that I cannot afford not to!
The book really moves through all the important considerations and topics associated with this contentious subject. Taboos and folklore are dispelled with common sense.
The book is jargon free, has pace and is practical and balanced commonsense. More important it is implementable! This is the first book that I am aware of that guides executives and wanabee executives on the 'how' and our ongoing responsibilities to shareholders to more fully exploit the tool that is outsourcing. Ongoing executive accountability for complex outsourcing deals is what market analysts will demand in the years to come. Learn this skills now!
I can see MBA courses based on the described approaches being commonplace in five years.

One to rule them all!
As an outsourcing professional, on my office table I have, among others, the works of Corbett, Quinn-Cooke-&-Kris; Brown-&-Wilson, Clements-&-Donnellan, Click-&-Duening, Lawer-Ulrich-FritzEnz-&-Madden, Davies, Greaver, Lacity-&-Willcocks, etc.etc.
Useful in their own ways, none of the above makes any sense without Bravard's & Morgan's book. This is not a one-off experience based on which someone has extrapolated a "whom, what, and how-to" guide. This is about "why, what-if, & watch-out". It combines the expertise of two leading market practitioners, based on hundreds of transactions. If you are a CXO, a BU Leader, a consultant or a relationship manager, you need it before, during and after your initiatives...to keep in mind the broader picture and make sure your project is a success, today and tomorrow.