Summary
Outsourcing of human resource management tasks has a comparatively long tradition. This paper discusses the influences of the Internet on the value chain in managing independent workers (“freelancers”) in the IT area. A case study is presented and the influence of new, web-based intermediaries on restructuring the value chain is exemplified. The case demonstrates the shift of power from traditional to new service providers.
The case study based on many helpful discussions of the PBroker concept with Daniel Wägli and Martin Wittenwiller, PBroker AG, Münsungen, http://www.pbroker.ch/
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Ang, S., and Slaughter, S. “A Taxonomy of Employment Insourcing and Outsourcing Strategies in Information Systems,” in Information Systems Outsourcing in the New Economy, R. Hirschheim, A. Heinzl, and J. Dibbern (eds.), Springer, Berlin et al. 2002.
Ang, S., and Slaughter, S. “Alternative employment structures in information systems: A conceptual analysis,” in Proceedings of the 1995 ACM SIGCPR Conference. ACM, New York 1995, pp. 181–193.
Belous, R.S. The Contingent Economy: The Growth of Temporary, Part-Time and Subcontracted Workforce, National Planning Association, Washington, 1989
Benjamin, R., and Wigand, R. “Electronic Markets and Virtual Value Chains on the Information Superhighway,” Sloan Management Review (36:2), 1995, pp. 62–72.
Berghel, H. “Predatory Disintermediation,” Comm. ACM (43:5), 2000, pp. 23–29.
Buxmann, P., and Gebauer, J. “Internet-Based Intermediaries — The Case of the Real Estate Market,” in Proceedings of the 6 th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS’98), Aix-en-Provence, 1998 http://www.haas.berkeley.edu/~gebauer/publications/ecis98-buxmann-gebauer.pdf [1998–03–06; as of 2001–07–31]
Caldwell, B., Violino, B., and Kolbasuk McGee, M. “Hidden Partners, Hidden Dangers,” InformationWeek, 1997–01–20, pp. 38–52.
Cook, M.F. Outsourcing Human Resources Functions — Strategies for Providing Enhanced HR Services at Lower Cost, AMACOM, New York et al., 1998
Cunningham, S. “The Full Panel of the Federal Circuit Court Upholds the Microsoft Decision,” http://www.gcwf.com/articles/elu/elu8_97_2.html [2000–07–21; as of 2001–07–31]
Evans, A., and Bell, J. “Emerging themes in flexible work patterns,” in Flexible Patterns of Work, J. Curson (ed.), Institute of Personnel Management, London, 1986, pp. 1–25.
Evans, A., and Walker, L. “Sub-contracting,” in Flexible Patterns of Work, J. Curson (ed.), Institute of Personnel Management, London, 1986, pp. 143–165.
Fingar, P., Kumar, H., and Sharma, T. “21st Century Markets: From Places to Spaces,” First Monday (4:12), 1999 http://www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue4_12/fingar/index.html#f3 [1999–12–24; as of 2001–07–31]
Gaugier, T. Interorganisatorische Informationssysteme, Gabler/Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag, Wiesbaden, 2000
Handy, C. The Age of Unreason, 2nd ed., Business Books, London, 1991
Klein, S., and Teubner, R.A. “Web-based Procurement New Roles for Intermediaries,” Information Systems Frontiers (2:1), 2000, pp. 19–30.
Maier, M., and Prell, M. “Bestandsaufnahmen zu Jobbörsen im WWW,” FORWIN-Bericht FWN-2000–008, Bamberg et al., 2000.
Mohan, L., and Pelish, M.D. “Critical Success Factors for Infomediaries,” in Proceedings of the 2000 IRMA International Conference, M. Khosrowpour (ed.), Challenges of Information Technology Management in the 21st Century, Idea Group, Hershey-London, pp. 881–882.
McCall, T. “GartnerGroup’s Dataquest Says U.S. Human Resources Outsourcing Market to Exceed $37 Billion in 2003,” http://gartner11.gartnerweb.com/dq/static/about/press/pr-b9967.html [1999–11–22; as of 2001–07–31]
NN Statistics on Independent Contractors http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/employer/employerguide/adviceforemployers/statistics/ [2000; as of 2001 – 07–31]
Resnick, P., Zeckhauser, R., and Avery, C. “Roles for Electronic Brokers,” in Toward a Competitive Telecommunication Industry: Selected Papers from the 1994 Telecommunications, G.W. Brock (ed.), Policy Research Conference, Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 1995, pp. 289–304 http://ccs.mit.edu/papers/CCSWP179.html [1999–05–24; as of 2001–07–31]
Rossheim, J. “Persuading a Company to Hire You as a Free Agent,” http://content.talentmarket.monster.com/contractor/freeagentguide/managingyourbusiness/persuadingacompany/ [2000; as of 2001–07–31]
Saffo, P. “Disintermediation: Longer, Not Shorter, Value Chains Are Coming,” in 1998 Ten-Year Forecast, Institute for the Future, Menlo Park http://www.iftf.org/htrriyiftflibrary/businessorganization/disinteremediation.pdf [1998; as of 2001–07–31]
Sarkar, M.B., Butler, B., and Steinfield, C. “Intermediaries and Cybermediaries: A Continuing Role for Mediating Players in the Electronic Marketplace,” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (1:3), 1995 http://www.usc.edu/dept/annenberg/voll/issue3/sarkar.html [as of 2001–07–31]
Sarkar, M., Butler, B., and Steinfield, C. “Cybermediaries in Electronic Marketspace: Toward Theory Building,” Journal of Business Research (41:3), 1998, pp. 215–221.
Staffmarket “What is a PEO? How can using a PEO help your business?,” http://staffmarket.com/smdevmaster2/smpeoabout2.asp [2001; as of 2001–07–31]
University of Pennsylvania, Office of the Comptroller Independent Contractors and Consultants Guide http://www.finance.upenn.edu/comptroller/tax/contractor_guide.shtml [2001–06–06; as of 2001–07–31]
Zappala, G. Outsourcing and Human Resource Management: A Discussion Starter, Working Paper 60, Australian Centre for Industrial Relations Research and Training (ACIRRT), Sydney, 2000 http://www.econ.usyd.edu.au/acirrt/pubs/wp60.pdf [2000–04; as of 2001–07–31]
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2002 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Knolmayer, G.F. (2002). Cybermediaries Supporting the Management of Independent Workers: A Case Study of Extended Outsourcing Relationships. In: Hirschheim, R., Heinzl, A., Dibbern, J. (eds) Information Systems Outsourcing. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04754-5_19
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-04754-5_19
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-662-04756-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-662-04754-5
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive