A quiet revolution in back-office services has been taking place for over 20 years, one that is not only reshaping the way in which individual tasks are undertaken, but has proven the potential to impact the way in which we think about the design and operation of large organisations: the rise of the shared service centre (SSC).
Proponents for the SSC claim that significant efficiency savings can be achieved through business process re-engineering (BPR), the elimination of duplicate systems and moving to a cheaper location. While similar claims are made for outsourcing, the SSC enables a quasi-market feel to relationships with customers in the business units but crucially allows management to retain control over service activities.
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Professor Will Seal and Ian Herbert FCMA are based at Loughborough University Business School and share research interests in the future of finance and shared service centers. If you would like a copy of their research paper or have any other queries on this topic, please e-mail louise.ross@cimaglobal.com or check out the following website - www.shared-services-research.com
 This interview is sponsored by CIMA General Charitable Trust. For more information, please check out www.cimaglobal.comÂ
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