One noticeable trend in the maturing information technology (IT) outsourcing industry is the growing interest from client firms seeking to benefit from supplier-led innovations. Yet IT outsourcing suppliers still find it challenging to shift their reputation from the competent provision of a low-end service to a high-value innovative line of services, thus becoming known as business partners. We address this issue by examining the reputation formation efforts of an IT supplier experiencing a reputation deficit in terms of quality (its ability as a business partner) and intent (its intention to adopt trustworthy behavior). We develop a model based on a case study of a large IT supplier engaged in reputation formation with its outsourcing clients. We portray reputation formation as a process wherein an IT supplier alternately emits signals of quality and intent from a repertoire of signals. Our process model distinguishes between signaling at the market level, which relies on rhetorical mediums to broadcast a message promoting the supplier’s ability as a business partner, and signaling at the client level, which relies on substantive mediums such as demonstrations of the supplier’s ability to solve the client’s business problems and behavioral mediums that allow the client to assess the supplier’s intent to adopt trustworthy behavior.

中文翻译：

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建立作为信息技术外包业务合作伙伴的声誉（开放获取）

成熟的信息技术 (IT) 外包行业的一个显着趋势是寻求从供应商主导的创新中获益的客户公司越来越感兴趣。然而，IT 外包供应商仍然发现，要将他们的声誉从提供低端服务的能力转变为提供高价值的创新服务，从而成为众所周知的业务合作伙伴，仍然具有挑战性。我们通过检查在质量（其作为业务合作伙伴的能力）和意图（其采取值得信赖的行为的意图）方面存在声誉缺陷的 IT 供应商的声誉形成努力来解决此问题。我们开发了一个基于大型 IT 供应商与外包客户建立声誉的案例研究模型。我们将声誉形成描述为一个过程，其中 IT 供应商从一系列信号中交替发出质量信号和意图信号。我们的流程模型区分市场层面的信号和客户层面的信号，前者依靠修辞媒介广播消息，以提升供应商作为业务合作伙伴的能力，后者依赖实质性媒介，例如供应商解决问题能力的证明客户的业务问题和行为媒介，使客户能够评估供应商采取可信赖行为的意图。