Standards Setting Processes in ICT: The Negotiations Approach

ICT, negotiation, standards

Environmental Standards, Management Systems and the Illusion of Progress

This paper aims to specify the conceptual and operational limits of codified environmental management systems (EMSs). Taking technical standardization as a departure-point, it is argued that key shortcomings regarding the contribution of EMSs towards environmental performance improvement (and thus ecological sustainability) can be identified: First, there are limitations to the self-regulatory framework adopted by organizations. Second, there are problems inherent within the development of EMS from prior management systems approaches, mostly based on a narrow and limited definition of quality. Third, there are errors of implementation and associated certification which compound a lack of progress in environmental improvement and progress towards sustainability. The implications of these limitations are presented and it is demonstrated that they are compounded by an appearance of progress, when in reality, little is changing. The authors point out that this failure of system based self-regulation argues for a move to performance based regime, driven if necessary by regulation

The Web Science Observatory

To understand and enable the evolution of the Web and to help address grand societal challenges, the Web must be observable at scale across space and time. That requires a globally distributed and collaborative Web Observatory

Bandwagon or Barriers? The Role of Standards in the European and American Marketplace. Working Paper #1, November 1997

Industrial Standards - a highly technical and even obscure topic to many scholars and policy-makers - are crucial in shaping market access and conditions. They act as non-tariff barriers (NTBs) and may affect relations between governments and businesses. The paper examines the evolution of EU policy toward standards and evaluates recent efforts to foster greater cooperation between the EU and the US in reducing trade inhibiting of industrial standards

Inter-firm Alliances during Pre-standardization in ICT

alliances, ICT, standardization

From Value Protection to Value Creation: Rethinking Corporate Governance Standards for Firm Innovation

A company’s pro-innovation needs are often met by the exploitation of its resources, widely defined. The resource-based theory of the firm provides immense empirical insights into how a firm’s corporate governance factors can contribute to promoting innovation. However, these implications may conflict with the prevailing standards of corporate governance imposed on many securities markets for listed companies, which have developed based on theoretical models supporting a shareholder-centered and agency-based theory of the firm. Although prevailing corporate governance standards can to an extent support firm innovation, tensions are created in some circumstances where companies pit their corporate governance compliance against resource-based needs that promote innovation. In the present context of steady internationalization and convergence in corporate governance standards in global securities markets towards a shareholder-centered agency-based model, we argue that there is a need to provide some room for accommodating the resource-based needs for companies in relation to promoting innovation. We explore a number of options and suggest that the most practicable option would be the development of recognized exceptions that deviate from prevailing corporate governance standards. We further suggest as to how an exceptions-based regime can be implemented in the U.K. and U.S., comparing the rules-based regime in the U.S. with the principles-based regime in the U.K

Interorganizational Networks : the Issue of Global Sovereignty

One of the most striking phenomena of the past decade has been the internationalisation of service firms (Tersen and Bricout, 1996). Previously considered “un-exportable” (Segal-Horn, 1993), they have proven day after day that they have the necessary characteristics to undertake an international development, and even a globalization of their offering systems (Vandermerwe, 1989 ; Campbell and Verbeke, 1994 ; Gadrey, 1994 ;). Retail banking and financial services are remarkable illustrations of this phenomenon (Michalet, 1985 ; Andreff, 1995). And bank cards in the first place. However, management scholars have been slow in reacting to this challenge. Focused on industry (and surprisingly enough on the automotive industry), the scholars have rather neglected the emerging field of international service firms. This Research gap has motivated our project on the international deployment of services. The field study we have selected is relative to the bank card organizations. This industry illustrates the functioning of service firms as political institutions. A striking example relates to the emergence and development of international standards bodies, specifically in the area of Internet payments. We are faced here with the construction of a transnational regulation. This paper brings twofold a contribution. On one hand, it enriches the interpretation of a very important, peculiar and potentially generic research object, through the lenses of the translation theory. On the other hand, it has key managerial implications regarding « political » strategies with regard to positioning as a regulatory institution. Discussion follows on the consequences of these agencies' activities for business enterprises.