The Road to Outsourcing 4.0

This book provides valuable insights and guidance for firms looking to improve their operations in the face of disruption and uncertainty. It contributes to the body of knowledge in logistics and supply chain disciplines which will be useful to both industry practitioners and academics. With this, the book first emphasizes the road to outsourcing 4.0 by providing updated information and perspectives on these trends, given that outsourcing has evolved significantly over the years and new technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT), and machine learning are changing the way outsourcing is done. In addition, the book also explores new models such as third-party logistics (3PL) providers and crowdsourcing which have changed the landscape of outsourcing. Lastly, the book includes updated best practices for outsourcing, including how to choose outsourcing partners, manage outsourcing relationships, and minimize risks in the post-COVID-19 recovery period. Each chapter in the book goes through concepts, development histories, benefits, risks and challenges, and includes recent case studies. Dr. Mohammadreza Akbari (“Reza”) is an MBA Academic Director (JCUS), Course Coordinator (BBus, BCom), and Senior Lecturer (Supply Chain Management) at James Cook University, College of Business, Law, Governance. He has a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from Victoria University (Melbourne), a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from University Putra Malaysia (Serdang), a Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching and Learning from RMIT University (Melbourne), and a certificate of Teaching in Higher Education from Harvard University BOK Centre (Cambridge).