An investigation into how small companies in London and the South East UK engage in IT offshore outsourcing and the impact of culture on this phenomenon

Small businesses are increasingly engaged in IT offshore outsourcing but are as yet few academic studies into this phenomenon. One of the major stumbling blocks of IT offshore outsourcing is cultural difference. A framework of propositions was empirically tested by means of case study of three small businesses based in London and the southeast of England in order to understand the specific challenges and changes for small companies and micro firms engaging in IT offshore outsourcing. Cultural differences are found to play a large part in the outcome of these projects.