Outsourcing decisions in the Dutch software industry : a multiple case study

Outsourcing decisions regarding the development of software has become a major topic for software developing companies in the past decade. Through ongoing globalization it has now become a major topic for small- and medium enterprises (SME’s). Current literature mainly views outsourcing decisions regarding software development from an organizational perspective and has been focussing on large enterprises. Views from SME’s and from an operational perspective are neglected. Through a multiple-case study this research provides insights in the outsourcing behaviour of SME’s in the Dutch software industry. This research seeks to explore the decision making of SME’s on both organizational and operational level to provide practical implications for SME’s.