Shared Services
Many truly global companies adopt the practice of shared services. Originally, the concept of sharing some corporate service or function was limited to the area of human resource management. This is one department that justifies implementing shared services because a firm makes hiring policies that are department-wide or company-wide. Later, the concept was extended or also adopted by other departments to cut expenses and also to rationalize overlapping functions. Marketing and advertising functions used this shared services concept when launching new products. Information technology was also an ideal candidate for adoption of shared services since a firm should ideally have only one IT or information management system to safeguard its proprietary secrets in the business. So besides the cost-cutting benefits, shared services help improve efficiency in a company due to the adoption of a single policy that will not confuse employees. For example, Dole uses shared services in the accounting function of its various subsidiaries in Asia. The whole accounting department is located in the Philippines effectively outsourcing the accounting jobs of its other sister firms in the region.
Partnership Services
Site Name: Credit Information Officer Council
Domain Name: http://www.cio.gov.uk/shared_services/introduction/
This is the official site of the Cabinet Office of the U.K. government intended to help all public agencies implement shared services as part of their future strategies. The stated aim of this site is improve the delivery government services to the general public.
Site Name: Shared Services Benchmarking Association
Domain Name: http://www.ssbenchmarking.org
This is the official website of the benchmarking association composed of some 140,000 members and various other participants. The sole purpose of this group is to conduct studies on the effectiveness of shared services proposals that aim to provide an increased efficiency of between 20% and up to 50% in some rare instances.
Site Name: International Quality and Productivity Centre
Domain Name: http://www.site-members.com/sss/index.php
The website of the 12th annual shared services summit scheduled in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. It has an impressive line-up of distinguished speakers from many industries who had adopted shared services and how their firms benefited from it immensely.