Europe Turns To Outsourcing

Well established in the U.S., especially in the electronics industry, outsourcing is gaining a foothold in Europe, with Britain about two to three years ahead of the continent. Contract manufacturing is making its mark, and information-technology outsourcing is becoming a big business, observes London-based Hugh Morris, a managing partner in the business process management practice of Andersen Consulting. And "people are looking very hard at logistics and accounting. [And you're] just starting to see people thinking about HR [human resources]," Morris says.