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Examining Client-Vendor Relationship in the Outsourcing of a Work Environment Virtualisation: An Activity Theory Perspective

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Abstract

This study provides an insight into the duality of client and vendor relationship (CVR) in information technology (IT) outsourcing by adopting a composite view of a subject in activity theory analysis. Evidence in the literature shows a trend that outsourcing relationships have become strategic assets with clients scouting for not only technical outcomes but for business ideas and innovation from their suppliers. Whilst extant literature demonstrates the critical role of outsourcing relationships in outsourcing success and value, the research on IT outsourcing has largely examined outsourcing relationships in general, focusing on the factors, challenges and a one-sided view of the CVR and providing no insights on the relationship between the client and vendor from a composite perspective. To explore this, our study employed an interpretive qualitative case study method and activity theory as the lens. Drawing on hermeneutics to analyse the data, the findings show the need for activity theory to cater for the duality of subjects in a collaborative way. Implications of the study for practice and policy are then provided.

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  1. Department of Operations & Management Information Systems, University of Ghana Business School, P. O. Box LG 78, Legon, Accra, Ghana

    John Effah

  2. Department of Accounting, School of Business and Law, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana

    Ibrahim Osman Adam

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Effah, J., Adam, I.O. Examining Client-Vendor Relationship in the Outsourcing of a Work Environment Virtualisation: An Activity Theory Perspective. Inf Syst Front 24, 1585–1599 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-021-10166-0

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