The Provision of Inter-organisational Infrastructure as An Appropriate Role for Cosourcing

A case study of credit unions in the financial services sector in Australia designed to examine the motivations and constraints to cosourcing – or the sourcing of a common activity jointly by a group of organizations – and assess whether the provision of inter-organisational infrastructure is an appropriate focus for cosourcin

ARCHITECTURE CONCEPTS FOR VALUE NETWORKS IN THE SERVICE INDUSTRY

Value networks are one of the main forms of value creation today. Suppliers, manufacturers and customers form a dynamic collaboration structure. Networks and companies alike are always subject to external and internal influences which require changes in the way things are done. To make sure that the required changes take their intended effect, they have to be implemented on all levels of the enterprise architecture (EA). Research with respect to EA in value networks in the service industry (VNSI) is only in its beginnings. To understand the state of the art, we analyzed 88 papers with respect to the architecture layers in VNSI. Since we base on the fact that a successful introduction of change, e.g. new IT solutions, requires a holistic view on EA, we analyzed the papers according to their covering of the different levels of an EA. Our hypothesis is that most of the papers only cover very specific aspects without positioning their proposed solution in a holistic context. We propose a reference model based on a literature review as well as the results of the paper analysis. This reference model allows for a positioning of solutions in a holistic context and with that adds to a better basis for implementing change in VNSI

INTER-ORGANISATIONAL INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE AUSTRALIAN TRAVEL SECTOR

Recent advances in technical capabilities have facilitated an increase in the reach and range of the connectivity of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs). It is proposed that one resultant opportunity is an enhanced ability to supply a common service to a group of firms that operate at a similar point in the value chain – referred to here as Joint Service Provision (JSP). It is argued that JSP will be most appropriate for the development of inter-organisational infrastructure as a result of organisational, institutional and industry level considerations. One specific issue, for noninfrastructural services, is the potential impact on the relative competitive positions of organisations using such services. A case study of electronic distribution in the Australian travel sector was conducted to determine whether use of JSP was indeed increasing. The study also sought to ascertain whether the implications for the source and location of value within the sector varied depending upon whether the JSP represented the development of inter-organisational infrastructure or not