I get asked this question from someone nearly everyday, so here is the reason: It's a horse-racing term. Certain horses run better on certain courses.
HORSES FOR COURSES - "A mostly British expression urging someone to stick to the thing he knows best, 'horses for courses' comes from the horse racing world, where it is widely assumed that some horses race better on certain courses than on others. In 1898 a British writer noted in the first recorded use of the expression: 'A familiar phrase on the turf is 'horses for courses.'" From the "Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins" by Robert Hendrickson (Facts on File, New York, 1997, Page 339); "A course of action or policy that has been modified slightly from the original to allow for altered circumstances. A horse that runs well on a dry course will run less well on a damp course and vice versa."
I always felt this phrase sums up the experiences of both vendors and buyers which have danced around with outsourcing relationships over the years. An outsourcing engagement that works well for one firm in its particular circumstances, may not be as successful for another; there is no one-size-fits-all solution, when you are dealing with a company's people, processes and technology. It took me about 30 seconds to come up with this goofy name after a few glasses of vino when I decided it was high-time to get a blog going...
Really awesome backstory on how you came up with the name of your site. [I like the old school graphic too!!] I've heard the phrase (I have some British friends), but I didn't know the whole meaning behind it. Now I do. Thanks!
Posted by: Jennifer in Florida | Oct 29, 2008 at 11:45 AM