Some of them are
complementary, the other are contradictory. This creates confusion among the researchers of the outsourcing
phenomenon. This paper has an aim to contribute to the existing body of knowledge on outsourcing process
by exploring how theories have been used to study, understand and describe activities within the phases of
the outsourcing process. We associate those theories with certain phases of the process, where they could
contribute towards understanding the embedded activities and mechanisms. The final result of the paper is a
map showing the phases of the outsourcing process with the associated theories that have been used and
could be used in exploring and explaining the outsourcing process.