This paper aims to present findings on outsourcing practices in small service firms in Iceland, where the prime focus is on knowledge-intensive service firms.,To gain information on the scope and reason for outsourcing, telephone and online surveys were used. In total, 802 firms participated in the surveys, which were conducted in the period 2009-2018.,The results show that knowledge-intensive firms outsource far more than other service firms and are also more likely to have an outsourcing strategy. The grounds for increased outsourcing are cost reduction and strategic reasons, such as a focus on core competency and the search for external knowledge. In comparison with other firms, knowledge-intensive firms are increasingly outsourcing cleaning, security services, canteen and transportation, IT processes, human resource management, training and consulting. Additionally, managers of these firms select suppliers more on the basis of cost and quality. They also realize more cost savings as a consequence of outsourcing. Outsourcing had a very limited effect on employment in the firms, while cost reduction was achieved in 48.3 per cent of the firms involved.,The findings are in line with the resource-based theory and, interestingly, this is not limited to knowledge-based firms, but to a large portion of service firms as well.,This is the first in-depth study on outsourcing patterns in knowledge-intensive firms, which uses theoretical classification in empirical analysis.

The outsourcing practice among small knowledge-intensive service firms

In modern conditions of high dynamics of external factors, as well as the strengthening of competition for consumer demand, industrial enterprises need specific diagnostic tools to estimate the features of their development. This paper is devoted to description of the results of the work out of such diagnostic tools. Diagnostic adaptive-functional system of estimation of stability, proportionality and balance of industrial enterprises’ development was developed. The research results also consist algorithm of estimation of the level of balance and stability of industrial enterprises’ development

Management of Proportionality and Stability of Industrial Enterprises’ Development Processes (Aspects of Marketing and Production Management)

Regional climatic factors determine the socioeconomic conditions for the external relations organization of economic entities, whose activities play the key role in the Krasnoyarsk Territory economy. Foreign trade organization analysis allowed establishing trends in its development, identifying main counterparties, and revealing the features of partnerships in export-import operations implementation and a contract conclusion. As a result of the research, the authors established the reasons for the change in the cost of deliveries to the region and the products export, importexport commodity structure, the mechanism for mutual trade with other states through electronic bidding. Problems of foreign trade organizing are summarized by the authors and the prospects for regional enterprises cooperation with partners from far and near abroad are highlighted, taking into account the experts` views.

Organization of Foreign Trade in the Krasnoyarsk Territory: Assessing Possibilities for IT Application

Despite its relative maturity – more than 15 years of development – the outsourcing sector remains understudied. Companies that provide outsourcing services are few and far between and only several companies engage in this practice on a large scale. In Russia, the pioneers of outsourcing of business processes (and many of its other types) were foreign companies. The purpose of this study is to describe the modern Russian market of outsourcing services. The study offers a method for calculating the effectiveness of outsourcing based on the comparison of costs method. The tools used in the study included SWOT analysis and the outsourcing matrix. One of the features of the study is the calculation of the economic efficiency of transferring works and services to an external executor. This technology can be used by trading companies. Special values stems from the fact that the study gives examples of actual activities of Astur LLC trading company related to the outsourcing of IT services. The results describe the advantages of and threats associated with outsourcing services. The study shows, under which conditions the outsourcing will allow the company to gain maximum benefit therefrom and how these services affect the company’s organizational activity.

Olga S. Veremeenko

Papers

The Regional Market for the Development of Outsourcing Services