Business Research: Deloitte Outsourcing Impact Reflection Report

This report reflects on a student's research on the impact of outsourcing on business performance, using Deloitte as a case study. The research explores the benefits of outsourcing, such as focusing on core functions and gaining expertise, and the associated risks, including reduced control and potential hidden costs. The student utilized secondary data and a literature review to understand different perspectives on outsourcing. The learning experience enhanced the student's knowledge of research methodologies, data collection, and the decision-making processes involved in outsourcing. The report also discusses the application of this knowledge in future career endeavors and the potential for starting a business. The student learned about various outsourcing types, legislative terms, and the importance of cost-benefit analysis and resource-based views in making outsourcing decisions, highlighting the complexities and challenges in preparing a research report.

Business Research

Assignment 3 1
Reflection on Business Research
Evaluation of effectiveness and usefulness of the learning experience
The reflective report is about my own learning and experience by conducting a research on
the topic ‘The impact of the outsourcing function on performance of the business case study
of Deloitte’. The research is effective and useful for me because it makes me understand the
effect of outsourcing business functions on the organisations. Outsourcing business functions
can be understood as the process of transferring the activities and functions of business to
third party and a decided fee is paid for getting the work done (Rivard and Aubert, 2015). It is
helpful in gaining perfection in the functions and also save the time of the business
organisations (Chou, Techatassanasoontorn and Hung, 2015). This research helped me in
knowing about the term outsourcing and how it helps businesses in focussing on the core
functions and getting expertise on the functions. The research report was prepared and the
data for research was gathered from secondary data which is also shown in the literature
review. The section of literature review helped me in understanding different thoughts and
views of different authors on outsourcing the business functions. I came to know that with
outsourcing several risks and benefits are associated which affects the performance of the
organisation.
Usefulness of the learning experience
The learning process will further be useful for me as I have gained much information about
the same during the progress of research. There has been an increase in the small and medium
sized business in recent times which outsource their activities to gain expertise and to provide
better services to the clients (Gerbl, et al., 2015). This learning is useful as it will help me in
completing my course successfully with good grades and in completing the program without
any problems. It will further help me in the growth of my career and increases my knowledge
about such a recent trend. This knowledge can be applied in my future job where I will be
asked to provide my point of view for outsourcing the business functions. This also give me
an idea that how the organisations are benefitted by using outsourcing services. In future, if I
start up my own business, it also provides me an idea of the benefits to the business when the
business functions are outsourced.

Assignment 3 2
What happened in the process of learning?
The learning process enhanced my knowledge on the topic. I learned that Delloitte is
outsourcing its functions after the proper cost benefit analysis. They make final decisions
after making proper analysis. The other approach for making decisions is Resource based
view which aims at creating a competitive advantage for the firm by considering the
resources of the company (Edvardsson and Durst, 2014). There are different theories which
determine outsourcing of resources. I learned how outsourcing can benefit the company in
various ways. Outsourcing of business functions to third parties helps businesses in focussing
on their core activities and in saving costs (Schniederjans, Schniederjans and Schniederjans,
2015). It also possesses some of the risks like it reduces the control from the business and
also includes hidden costs which increase the costs of the business functions (Perera, 2014).
It possesses security to the confidential information of the business and also affects the
quality of the work. There are different types of outsourcing which a company can adopt. It
created insights on various types of outsourcing and helped me to know which one should be
adopted for different business types (Atkinson, Bayazit and Karpak, 2015).
I learned the legislative terms about outsourcing and how they influence the outsourcing. This
is how I learned that how outsourcing decisions are taken to fulfil the requirements of the
organisation. Outsourcing needs proper decisions to be taken to improve the profitability of
the company (Oshri, Kotlarsky and Willcocks, 2015).
Evaluation of learning
This learning is very useful for my future career and for nay business I start up on my own.
Not only on the topic, but I have also been benefitted as the research has enhanced my
knowledge about different research methods and data collection. It will help me in attempting
my course and program and achieve good grades. I can further attempt any research after
learning about research methodologies.
Explanation of learning process
The process of learning started with the general idea of business research. All the planning
activities were done in order to implement them successfully. A limited time was given to
complete the business research so proper methodologies were learned in order to finish the
research successfully. The learning process involved data collection in which I learned about
various sources of data which can be used to make research genuine and valid. There is

Assignment 3 3
qualitative and quantitative form of data which are both collected to ensure the success of the
research and to achieve the objectives of the research. I also learned about sampling
techniques and how to use them for collecting data. I have gone through the limitations which
can hamper the research progress and time management by building the time schedule for the
research. It enabled me to complete the research in the given time period.
I learned self-awareness and this project also enhanced my self-confidence. I prepared me for
my future endeavours and I learned how a research project is prepared and what its uses are. I
learned that there are various complexities which are faced while doing the research and these
should be considered and solved in order to prepare a good research report.
Explanation of the plan for applying the learning
The understanding is built on the topic and on the process of research. Planning has been
done on the same so that the learning gained can be applied successfully. This learning can be
applied while preparing the report for the research or in future while taking the outsourcing
decisions. This will help me definitely to fulfil my responsibilities towards the organisation
and to take a valid and strong decision.

Assignment 3 4
References
Atkinson, M.A., Bayazit, O. and Karpak, B., 2015. A case study using the analytic hierarchy
process for IT outsourcing decision making. International Journal of Information Systems
and Supply Chain Management (IJISSCM), 8(1), pp.60-84.
Chou, S.W., Techatassanasoontorn, A.A. and Hung, I.H., 2015. Understanding commitment
in business process outsourcing relationships. Information & Management, 52(1), pp.30-43.
Gerbl, M., McIvor, R., Loane, S. and Humphreys, P., 2015. A multi-theory approach to
understanding the business process outsourcing decision. Journal of World Business, 50(3),
pp.505-518.
Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J. and Willcocks, L.P., 2015. The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and
Offshoring 3rd Edition. Springer.
Perera, W.W.S., 2014. A Study on outsourcing core business functions in the Sri Lankan context: two
case studies.
Rivard, S. and Aubert, B.A., 2015. Information technology outsourcing. Routledge.
Runar Edvardsson, I. and Durst, S., 2014. Outsourcing of knowledge processes: a literature
review. Journal of Knowledge Management, 18(4), pp.795-811.
Schniederjans, M.J., Schniederjans, A.M. and Schniederjans, D.G., 2015. Outsourcing and
insourcing in an international context. Routledge.