A Multiple Case Study on Small and Mid-Size Enterprise Managers’ Lived Experiences on the Impact of Job Losses on Outsourcing Practices

Authors

Nicholas M. Watson, International University of the CaribbeanFollow

Abstract

There is a greater need to understand how economic insecurities contribute to outsourcing practices. Previous research documented that small and medium-sized enterprises gained limited advantages from outsourcing. The purpose of this qualitative multiple case study design was to explore the contribution of consumer job losses on outsourcing practices. A semi-structured open-ended interview was used to collect data from the 13 participants from the furniture, bedding, and wooden industries in Jamaica. From the analysis of the data collected, two themes emerge: (1) affordability and (2) market trends. The findings obtained from this research suggest that consumer job losses contributed to outsourcing practices. This knowledge might change current views on the factors that lead to outsourcing and the benefits of this strategy to manufacturing small and mid-size enterprise from developing countries. The results may also contribute to more informed macroeconomic policies. The following recommendations emerged from the findings: (a) utilize employment forecast to gauge production; (b) hedge prices for procured materials, and (c) quote selling price in primary outsourcing currency. Future research directed at SMEs managers’ lived experiences of a specific economic insecurity, additional manufacturing industries, and adopting different methodological designs could create a larger body of knowledge for comparisons.

Keywords

outsourcing, economic insecurities, small and medium-sized enterprises, emerging markets, qualitative, multiple case study

Author Bio(s)

Nicholas Watson graduated from Northcentral University in 2016, earning a Ph.D. in Business Administration. He is a 19-year educator and administrator. His research interest is in economic insecurities and outsourcing practices. Please direct correspondence to nicholaswatson2017@gmail.com.

Acknowledgements

"The author thanks Dr. Michelle Albert Vachris, PhD for her guidance expertise.

Publication Date

8-25-2022

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2022.4439

Recommended APA Citation

Watson, N. M. (2022). A Multiple Case Study on Small and Mid-Size Enterprise Managers’ Lived Experiences on the Impact of Job Losses on Outsourcing Practices. The Qualitative Report, 27(8), 1746-1764. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.4439

ORCID ID

0000-0001-5096-8528

ResearcherID

0000-0001-5096-8528