Innovation in Outsourcing Relationships: Evidence from a Multiple Case Study

Abstract

The themes of Innovation and Outsourcing have been the subjects of extensive studies in the academic literature for a long time. However, the simultaneous combination of these two topics and the analysis of how innovation can arise within outsourcing relationships are relatively recent issues still open to discussion. This thesis aims to combine the complexity of the themes relate to the practice of both Outsourcing and Innovation pursuing the objective to provide an analysis of the main mechanisms thanks to which relationships between customers and suppliers can give life to innovative results. For this purpose, my thesis presents initially an analysis of the main theories that have influenced academic studies in the field of Outsourcing and Innovation, proceeding then with the presentation of empirical evidences from a multiple case study.