No sharing for the local market

Shared services are playing an important role globally in creating lithe, battle-ready companies seeking to achieve high performance.

The concept of shared services is moving up the agendas of C-level executives in companies across the world. As global competitiveness becomes the norm, it's not enough for companies to drive costs down, they also need to improve business performance overall. The promise of shared services to do both is causing many companies to explore this operating model.

For South African companies, shared services are becoming an option that cannot be ignored. Reintegration into the global economy in 1994 opened up tremendous opportunities in the form of access to new markets. However, local companies were made vulnerable to competition from the best global companies for these markets.

South African organisations, including the public sector, acknowledge the benefits of creating shared services centres, but have not fully embraced global best practices.

It is imperative for local organisations to consider these practices if they are to realise the competitive advantages inherent in the shared services model.

For more information on the study, visit www.accenture.com.