The Sourcing of Application Software Services Empirical Evidence of Cultural, Industry and Functional Differences

1 Introduction.- 1.1 Problem Statement.- 1.2 Research Focus and Objectives.- 1.3 Overview of Research Methodology.- 1.4 Study Organization.- 2 Theoretical Framework on Information Systems Sourcing.- 2.1 The Nature of the Information Systems Sourcing Decision.- 2.2 Analysis and Selection of Theoretical Lenses.- 2.3 Hypotheses from Selected Theoretical Lenses.- 2.4 Complementary Hypotheses from Selected Cultural Dimensions.- 3 Empirical Test of Sourcing Model.- 3.1 Structural Equation Modeling.- 3.2 Operationalization of Constructs.- 3.3 Data Collection.- 3.4 Sample Characteristics.- 3.5 Model Estimation and Evaluation.- 4 Discussion of Model Findings.- 4.1 Commonalities between Groups.- 4.2 Group Differences.- 4.3 Theoretical Implications.- 4.4 Practical Implications.- 4.5 Study Limitations.- 4.6 Future Research.- 5 Conclusion.- Appendix A: Literature Sources on Information Systems Outsourcing.- Appendix B: Research Approaches.- Appendix C: Cover Letters.- C.1 Initial Cover Letter in English.- C.2 Follow-up Cover Letter in English.- C.3 Initial Cover Letter in German.- C.4 Follow-up Cover Letter in German.- Appendix D: Questionnaires.- D.1 Questionnaire in English.- D.2 Questionnaire in German.- List of Figures.- List of Tables.- Literature.