(WP 09/03 Clave pdf) This study adopted a historical perspective to trace back outsourcing through examination of the case of cigarette manufacturing by poor Catholic nuns during 1817-1819, that is, from the launch of said product until the cessation of operations as a consequence of low demand....

The rhetoric of dissemination of outsourcing stresses its alignment with organizational strategy and its linkage to the interests of firms' stakeholders. In practice, however, performance improvements attributed to outsourcing are sometimes caused by deliberate malpractices like extensive hiring...