Outsourcing

The practice of purchasing a significant percentage of intermediate components from outside suppliers. The New York Times Financial Glossary

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outsource out‧source [ˈaʊtsɔːs ǁ -sɔːrs] verb [transitive] HUMAN RESOURCES

if a company, organization etc outsources its work, it employs another company to do it; = SUBCONTRACT:

• As more companies outsource design skills and expertise, the sector is likely to expand.

• It is highly desirable to outsource a portion of our production needs.

— outsourcing noun [uncountable] :

• Workers affected by outsourcing will have the right to take the issue to a tribunal.

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outsourcing UK US /ˈaʊtˌsɔːsɪŋ/ noun [U] PRODUCTION, HR, WORKPLACE

► a situation in which a company employs another organization to do some of its work, rather than using its own employees to do it: »

E-commerce, globalization, and outsourcing are all changing the production and distribution of products and services.

the outsourcing of sth (to sth) »

Proposals to reduce the current workload are expected to include the outsourcing of some planning work to the private sector.

→ Compare INSOURCING(Cf. ↑insourcing)

→ See also STRATEGIC OUTSOURCING(Cf. ↑strategic outsourcing)