Abstract:

There is a growing interest across the globe for software that are developed from foreign sources for a variety of reasons, including cost advantages, reliability, amongst others. This trend of developing software or using collaborating partners from abroad to develop software products may present some challenges. In fact, it is known that when businesses or organisations leave their local sphere of operation for foreign lands, they are usually faced with huge difficulties. For the same reasoning, challenges could arise when software products or IT systems are sourced from or developed in conjunction with partners in multi-site and multi-cultural environments. In this chapter, we will identity some of such challenges and offer suggestions as to how they could be tackled. This discourse may be useful for entities involved in such ventures. In this chapter, we will develop a conceptual framework to guide our discourse. The implications of the discourse for research and practice will be outlined.