What is the Difference Between Outsourcing and Offshoring

The main difference between outsourcing and offshoring is that outsourcing does not necessarily involve hiring the services of a third-party company outside the home country, while offshoring always involves hiring the services of a third-party company outside the home country.

Outsourcing is a popular business strategy that involves hiring a third-party company to complete certain services or job functions. Offshoring is a type of outsourcing. Both these business practices have many advantages like lower cost and increased efficiency.

Key Areas Covered

1. What is Outsourcing 
     – Definition, Features
2. What is Offshoring
     – Definition, Features
3. Difference Between Outsourcing and Offshoring
      – Comparison of Key Differences

Key Terms

Outsourcing, Offshoring

Difference Between Outsourcing and Offshoring - Comparison Summary

What is Outsourcing

Outsourcing is the business practice of farming out services and job functions to a third party. This involves hiring an outside company to create goods or perform services that were originally carried out in-house by the company’s own employees. Sometimes, outsourcing can also involve transferring assets and employees from one company to another. Companies can outsource various services, including information technology services, customer service functions, human resources tasks, manufacturing processes, as well as financial services like bookkeeping. The concept of outsourcing began to be popular in the 1990s.

Companies may outsource services for many reasons. One of the main reasons for outsourcing is to reduce costs. Outsourcing can also improve efficiency and increase speed. The third-party service providers hired by companies are usually experienced and excel at a specific task; therefore, they are able to do it faster, better, and cheaper than the original company. Furthermore, companies sometimes outsource because they are unable to hire employees with certain skills and experience necessary for a job.

There are several ways of outsourcing a task. Onshore outsourcing is outsourcing within their own country, while nearshore outsourcing is hiring a third party from a neighboring country or a country in the same time zone. Offshoring, on the other hand, involves hiring a company in a distant country. One of these types may be more suitable for a company than other types depending on various factors.

What is Offshoring

Offshoring is the practice of transferring business processes or work functions to a different country. These business processes can include operational processes such as manufacturing, as well as supporting processes such as human resources and accounting. Offshoring typically involves companies from industrialized countries using third-party service providers from less developed countries. The main reasons for such decisions include low labor costs, favorable tax conditions, proximity to raw materials, less stringent labor regulations, and more lenient environmental regulations. Offshoring may also help a business to access additional skilled labor or to establish a business presence in a foreign country.

 Compare Outsourcing and Offshoring - What's the difference?

Furthermore, we can also describe offshoring as a type of outsourcing. When compared to nearshoring, offshoring involves countries that are far away from each other. For instance, an American company using the services of an Indian third-party service provider.

Difference Between Outsourcing and Offshoring

Definition

Outsourcing is the business practice of farming out services and job functions to a third party while offshoring is the practice of transferring business processes or work functions to a different country.

Types

There are three types of outsourcing; they are the as insourcing, nearshoring, and offshoring. Therefore, offshoring is a type of outsourcing.

Geographical Location

Outsourcing does not necessarily involve farming out to a company outside the home country, but offshoring always involves outsourcing to a company outside the home country, typically a country far away from the home country.

Cost

Offshoring can be more expensive, but it may be cost-saving in the long run.

Time Taken

Outsourcing can be best if a company is looking to get a project done quickly with a set time frame and budget; however, offshoring may require more time to set up.

Conclusion

Outsourcing is the business practice of farming out services and job functions to a third party company while offshoring is the practice of transferring business processes or work functions to a different country. Thus, this is the main difference between outsourcing and offshoring.

Reference:

1. Twin, Alexandra. “Outsourcing.” Investopedia.
2. “Offshoring.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia Foundation.

Image Courtesy:

1. “International Business Agreement” (CC0) via Stock Vault

About the Author: Hasa

Hasanthi is a seasoned content writer and editor with over 8 years of experience. Armed with a BA degree in English and a knack for digital marketing, she explores her passions for literature, history, culture, and food through her engaging and informative writing.

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