Assessing the Role of CSR in Outsourcing Decisions

How do organizations view Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in IT outsourcing (ITO) decisions? That is the focus of this research paper. Organizations have recognized offshore outsourcing of IT and IT enabled services as an effective cost reduction method. Corporate Social Responsibility is also well recognized as a business strategy to define and defend an organization's position in the marketplace. The key question this research seeks to answer is this: what role, if any, does CSR play when organizations decide to outsource? Preliminary findings suggest that CSR issues, especially environmental issues, will increase in importance.