This work aimed to study outsourcing strategies in public services and their relations with business continuity and resilience during budgetary constraints. A qualitative analysis was conducted using semi-structured interviews. This methodology was conducted with 51 public managers from the state of Pernambuco, Brazil. Findings showed that, during budget cuts periods, in the short term, due to the urgency of decision-making, it is common for outsourced services to suffer reductions or interruptions first, which directly affects public services continuity. Only a long-term view is able to correctly analyse this situation, but this does not always occur when the main factor observed is the law of fiscal responsibility. Therefore, this work brings new light to the literature concerning the problem situation, and may be useful for the planning of outsourcing strategies in public services.

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Purpose This paper aims to propose guidelines for public sector managers in assessing the impact of outsourcing on business continuity (BC) strategies. This paper evaluated how public managers from the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, perceive outsourcing, considering BC and how it relates to the outsourcing of services and activities. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical lenses of outsourcing and BC were used to derive the study hypotheses. A questionnaire was drawn up to collect information to test the hypotheses. To test the proposed hypotheses, binary logistic regression was used through an empirical analysis of a sample of 51 Brazilian public managers. Findings This study found that when the public sector suffers from negative impacts of financial restrictions, outsourced services are the first ones to receive the negative impacts. This has had an adverse impact on BC in the public sphere. On the other hand, the authors verified that the public sphere’s capacity for resilience and the existence of specific methodologies to support public managers in outsourcing decision-making can contribute to BC. Research limitations/implications This study assists public organizations to take advantage of internal outsourced services in the best possible way, making better use of public resources, gaining social legitimacy and legitimacy also in the provision of public services. However, each public sector can present different risks of non-continuity, and this aspect could not be considered in this research as well. Originality/value This study is a pioneer in highlighting the relationships between outsourcing strategies and BC in public services in Brazil. Through the guidelines discussed in this study, public managers could develop a more effective response to the implications of post-outsourcing budget constraints. In addition, the findings of this paper add to an understanding of the importance of business strategies for public services continuity and seek to help reduce uncertainties and better inform the government decision-making process.

A natureza competitiva dos mercados com foco em questões puramente econômicas, ainda que seja condição necessária para permanecer competindo em algum setor da indústria, não é mais condição suficiente. Os aspectos sociais e ambientais passaram a fazer parte da agenda estratégica dos tomadores de decisão e têm sido incorporados ao escopo de objetivos que norteiam as decisões corporativas. Neste sentido, o presente artigo propôs a aplicação da metodologia Value Focused Thinking (VFT) em conjunto com o método de apoio à decisão PROMETHEE II para identificação e priorização de ações socioambientais em contexto organizacional. A metodologia utilizada possui natureza qualitativa e quantitativa, baseando-se em aplicações do campo da Pesquisa Operacional. Por fim, com a intenção de validar o modelo proposto, um estudo de caso é apresentado como objeto de investigação.