Outsourcing arrangements continue to evolve from peripheral activities, such as food services and back office transaction processing, to encompass more core activities such as new product development. Some arrangements maintain a clear lead organization while others, such as open source...

Firms in advanced economies are increasingly outsourcing software and technology development as well as other knowledge work to a worldwide supply base. Standard economic and learning models predict that focal firms should outsource either all or none of a particular activity unless extra...