IS5542 Outsourcing and Offshoring Management

Part I

Course Duration: One Semester

Credit Units: 3

Level: P5

Medium of Instruction: English

Prerequisites: IS5540 Project Management and Quality Assurance

Precursors:  Nil

Equivalent Courses: Nil

Exclusive Courses: Nil

Part II      

Course Aims

This course aims to:

l        Explain the key concepts, frameworks, processes and strategies in outsourcing and offshoring in an international context;

l       Introduce project management principles in managing an organization’s outsourcing process;

l         Develop students’ managerial competence in the planning, development and management of outsourcing/offshoring programmes

l        Help students understand the considerations associated with selecting outsourcing service providers in different geographical locations, and developing and negotiating the contract for an outsourcing agreement;

l       Prepare students to develop generic skills in effective communication, working individually and in teams, time management, data analysis and reporting, and creative problem solving;

 

Course Intended Learning Outcomes (CILOs)
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:

No.	CILOs	Weighting (if applicable)
1.	Explain the key concepts, frameworks, processes and strategies in outsourcing and offshoring in an international context;	3
2.	Analyze, compare and contrast various sourcing options and geographical considerations, and apply sourcing and offshoring management strategies to relevant business contexts;	3
3.	Describe relevant project management principles in developing and managing the outsourcing/offshoring process;	2
4.	Demonstrate creative problem solving skills in formulating IT sourcing and offshoring strategies with reference to the specific business context;	2
5.	Exercise good communication and interpersonal skills in planning, executing, and controlling outsourced IT projects.	1

 (3: Relatively most focused ILOs; 2: moderately focused ILOs; 1: less focused ILOs)

Teaching and Learning Activities (TLAs)
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to facilitate students’ achievement of the CILOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)

Seminar:       3 hours per week

TLA1. Seminars: Concepts, frameworks and strategies of business information systems sourcing and offshoring are explained.

TLA2. Case Studies: Effective business and IT outsourcing and offshoring practices which have been successfully applied to some organizations are discussed and analyzed by students.

TLA3. In-class Exercises: Developing the practical skills of applying the concepts, frameworks and strategies learned to various exercises.

TLA3. On-Line Discussion/Blog: It is a means of self reflection and sharing concepts, techniques, and methods for business and IT outsourcing and offshoring within or after formal classes.

ILO No	TLA1	TLA2	TLA3	TLA4	Hours/week  (if applicable)
CILO 1	2	1		1	---
CILO 2	2	1		1	---
CILO 3	2		2		---
CILO 4		1	2		---
CILO 5		1		2	---

(1: Indirectly Supporting ILO; 2: Directly Supporting ILO)

Assessment Tasks/Activities
(Indicative of likely activities and tasks designed to assess how well the students achieve the CILOs. Final details will be provided to students in their first week of attendance in this course)

AT1.  In-class Exercises (20%): Each exercise consists of impromptu quizzes, paired/small group discussions, role-plays, self reflection, or student presentations to assess students’ understanding of the chosen topics and their abilities to apply their skills.

AT2.   Group Project (50%): A group project, which includes a project report and/or a presentation, will be assigned to let students apply management concepts and techniques to plan, develop, and/or manage a subset of the outsourcing/offshoring process.

AT3.   Examination (30%): A written examination is developed to assess student’s competence level of the topics taught.

** Students must pass BOTH coursework and examination in order to get an overall pass in this course. **

ILO No	AT1 (20%)	AT2 (50%)	AT3 (30%)	Remarks
CILO 1	1	1	2	1 – ILO moderately assessed by AT; 2 – ILO heavily assessed by AT.
CILO 2	1	1	2
CILO 3	2	2	1
CILO 4	1	2
CILO 5	1	2

Grading of Student Achievement: Refer to Grading of Courses in the Academic Regulations

ILO	Excellent	Good	Adequate	Marginal
CILO1	Accurately describe all key outsourcing/ offshoring concepts, and effectively compare and discriminate among the key concepts;	Accurately describe all key outsourcing/ offshoring concepts;	Accurately describe most key outsourcing/offshoring concepts;	Accurately describe some key outsourcing/ offshoring concepts;
CILO2	Accurately describe all outsourcing options, and effectively compare and discriminate among the options;	Accurately describe all outsourcing options;	Accurately describe most outsourcing options;	Accurately describe some outsourcing options;
CILO3	Creatively and effectively apply PM knowledge and skills to outsourced projects;	Effectively apply PM knowledge and skills to outsourced projects;	Most of the tasks of the outsourced projects are conducted appropriately;	Some of the tasks of the outsourced projects are conducted appropriately;
CILO4	Creatively and effectively formulate outsourcing and offshoring strategies with respect to specific business contexts;	Effectively formulate outsourcing and offshoring strategies with respect to specific business contexts;	Most of the outsourcing and offshoring strategies are appropriate with respect to specific business contexts;	Some of the outsourcing and offshoring strategies are appropriate with respect to specific business contexts;
CILO5	Demonstrate a cogent ability to exercise effective communication skills so that project details are communicated in the most cost-effective way;	Effectively communicate all project details by using appropriate communication channels;	Most of the project details are communicated effectively using appropriate communication channels;	Some of the project details are communicated effectively using certain communication channels;

Part III

Keyword Syllabus

IT Outsourcing, IT Offshoring, Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), Outsourcing & Offshoring Issues and Drivers, Sourcing Models, Managing the Sourcing Process, Selection of Service Providers, Contract and Service Level Agreement, and global distributed projects.