Elix-IRR Articles & White Papers
An Elix-IRR Team teleconferencing
Elix-IRR fills the gap in the market for advisors with real operational experience in all forms of sourcing. We have published a number of “thought pieces” based our points of view, and welcome any opportunities to discuss these with you. Find below a summary of our most recent White Papers.
Articles & White Papers
Outsourcing: Is there an opportunity in the wake of a recession?
How do you decide the balance of cost reduction versus investment at a time of economic uncertainty? The current economic climate has forced organisations to focus on reducing their cost base over the last number of years. But will continuing on this trajectory support the increasing demand for growth, innovation and technology advances as part of wider transformation? Elix-IRR’s latest White Paper suggests that 2012 will be the year that organisations gain confidence to invest in the outsourcing market, and suggests those that approach it with their eyes open could see significant gains over the longer term and achieve vital competitive advantage.
To read more: Download PDF
African Lions vs Asian Tigers
Africa is and will remain one of the world’s fastest-growing regions. How will Outsourcing help drive these expectations of growth? Elix-IRR’s latest whitepaper discusses recent success stories in the African Outsourcing industry, highlights barriers to its continued success and touches on the crucial role governments need to play if Africa as a region is going to succeed as an Outsourcing destination.
To read more: Download PDF
Lessons from the External Marketplace – Organisational Excellence Through Service Management
What common practise in the external marketplace can firms learn from, in order to be able to achieve Organisational Excellence? Elix-IRR’s latest White Paper describes how emulating a ‘synthetic company’ and the Service Mindset found within the external marketplace can help an organisation to achieve operational efficiency and improve operating margins. The cultivation of a Service Mindset and the implementation of a formalised Service Management Framework are shown as the key to achieving Organisational Excellence by driving a culture of ongoing Continuous Improvement and Innovation.
To read more: Download PDF
The Vickers Report – what does the new regulations mean for banks?
What do proposed new regulations mean for UK banks? Elix-IRR’s latest white paper gives a summary of the implications of the recent Independent Commission on Banking report, the outcomes of which will shape the future of the UK banking industry. There are a number of key considerations that Banking Executives must address in 2012 to in order to respond effectively and make the most of the opportunities that are opening up to them, rather than perceiving the reforms to be an obstacle to success.
To read more: Download PDF
The Outsourcing ‘Fashion’
The latest wave of outsourcing has clients, advisors and suppliers all focusing on the number of FTEs to take offshore and the average cost of those FTEs in low cost locations. This has been motivated by executives wishing to cut costs and reduce the administrative burden of managing large back office functions. As conceptually simple and fashionable as this may be for company boards faced with volatile and declining revenue streams, it only leads to an increase in the very problems companies are trying to resolve!.
To read more: Download PDF
Operating Strategy
How do you make a business strategy real and avoid such an output from gathering dust in a Chief Executive’s in-tray? How do you connect an overall vision with practical operational change at the coal-face and ensure individual contributors to your capability landscape recognise and are explicitly linked to the underlying measures of success? And how do you maintain robust change control throughout the lifecycle of a business strategy when market changes or opportunities for growth avail themselves to you?
To read more: Download PDF
Why use an advisor?
Most clients who have embarked upon a ‘sourcing’ journey with the services of a well qualified advisor would not have to ask these questions. It is also true to say that some of the more established suppliers will no longer engage with a client unless they have secured the services of an advisor. This paper seeks to clarify why this is the case and further, why it is just as important to secure the services of the ‘right’ advisor as it is to ultimately contract with the ‘right’ supplier.
To read more: Download PDF
To RFP or not to RFP?
When embarking upon an outsourcing journey, most advisors in the market today will suggest putting the bid out to tender amongst suppliers. Request for Proposals (RFPs) can be an efficient way of comparing vendors in terms of commercials and agreement to contractual terms. But it is also an efficient way of making sourcing advisors healthy margins, delaying the business case by up to a year, and of disconnecting the solution from the original strategic intent. Whilst the RFP process certainly has a time and a place, it should not be the default journey companies embark upon. Indeed, often it is simply the wrong commercial decision.
To read more: Download PDF
Compliance – Year 2 and beyond
Doing it more easily, more effectively, with less pain and lower cost. When building something for the first time experience tells us to ‘be prepared to throw the first one away’! Those of us involved in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance can certainly relate to this – who would want to do Year 2 the way we did Year 1? Our researchers interviewed executives from 470 different companies, including 437 compliance managers, 22 software providers, 3 research firms, 43 auditors, 32 CFOs and 19 CEOs. We have analysed and cross-referenced their responses into this executive summary – things to consider when selecting compliance software or comparing vendors.
To read more: Download PDF
Cloud Computing – What Is It?
‘Cloud Computing’ is the new great thing that will save our souls. Of course, the consultants can tell you what it is, as the dollar signs whizz round in their eye sockets, but most of them talk in the language of the land of fluff. So what is ‘Cloud computing’ to the rest of us?
To read more: Download PDF
Managing Risks In Outsourcing
An article published in Financier Worldwide, written by Ian Ferguson and Stephen Newton.
“Outsourcings can offer significant commercial benefits but they also present challenges and risks throughout the outsourcing life-cycle whether during supplier selection, contract negotiations, implementa- tion and day to day operation, or on exit”.
To read more: Download PDF
Elix-IRR and Pillsbury Outsourcing
An article providing an overview of the Elix-IRR and Pillsbury approach to outsourcing advice.
To read more: Download PDF
Outsourcing Training
Elix-IRR understands that your team need the knowledge and skills to design, build and operate successful sourcing relationships that also work for you. Better Sourcing is a highly effective training service that levels the playing field with unique insight from the sourcing trenches, so you too can achieve better results. We offer a number of different training services designed specifically to cater for varying levels of engagement – from in- depth and intensive to half day modules.
To read more: Download PDF
