THE ROLE OF OUTSOURCING IN THE ENHANCEMENT OF COMPETITIVENESS OF LARGE CROATIAN COMPANIES ON THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET

U današnjim uvjetima snažne međunarodne konkurencije vrhunska izvedba i niski troškovi svih aktivnosti nužni su za uspješno poslovanje, ali i za sam opstanak poduzeća. Sve više svjetskih poduzeća ograničava svoje poslovanje na strateške aktivnosti u područjima koja stvaraju najveću dodanu vrijednost, a ostale aktivnosti izdvajaju i prepuštaju vanjskim specijaliziranim partnerima koji će ih obaviti jef inije i kvalitetnije. U ovom radu istraženo je u kojoj se mjeri i kojim aktivnostima primjenjuje outsourcing u velikim hrvatskim poduzećima, te kakve su implikacije njegove primjene na poslovanje i izvoznu konkurentnost poduzeća. Prikazani su razvoj outsourcinga, svrha i ciljevi outsourcinga, proces izvođenja, te rezultati empirijskog istraživanja provedenog na reprezentativnom uzorku hrvatskih pouzeća. Rezultati pokazuju da primjena outsourcinga pozitivno utječe na povećanje konkurentnosti velikih hrvatskih poduzeća na međunarodnom tržištu.Under current conditions of strong international competition, top performance and low costs of all activities are essential not only for successful operation, but also for the very survival of companies. An increasing number of companies worldwide have been limiting their operation to strategic activities in areas generating the highest added value, simultaneously separating other activities and entrusting them to external specialized partners able of performing them at a lower cost and with higher-quality. This paper examined the extent of outsourcing and the activities outsourced by large Croatian companies, as well as the implications of the application of outsourcing to the business operation and export competitiveness of companies. The development of outsourcing, the purpose and goals of outsourcing, the process of its realization and results of empiric research conducted on a representative sample of Croatian companies are presented. Results demonstrate that outsourcing has a positive impact on the increase of competitiveness of large Croatian companies on the international market