Outsourcing was not formally identified as a business strategy until 1989 (Mullin,1996).However,most organizations were not totally self-sufficient; they outsourced those functions for which they had no competency internally.Publishers,for example,have often purchased composition,printing,and fulfillment services.The use of external suppliers for these essential but ancillary services might be termed the baseline stage in the evolution of outsourcing.Outsourcing support services is the next stage.In the 1990s,as organizations began to focus more on cost-saving measures,they started to outsource those functions necessary to run a company but not related specifically to the core business.Managers contracted with emerging service companies to deliver accounting,human resources,data processing,internal mail distribution,security,plant maintenance,and the like as a matter of “good housekeeping”.Outsourcing components to affect cost savings in key functions is yet another stage as managers seek to improve their finances
