A Multi-dimensional Service Chain Ecosystem Model

International audienceThe globalised and moving economical environment leads enterprises to develop networked strategies. Such collaborative networks are by now often based on trusted and well known communities and require IT support agility and interoperability. The European Union promotes solutions to support and favor innovative business networks on the basis of an internet of services: these FP6 and FP7 projects results provide a consistent environment (including design, methods and developments related to Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) technology) to support technologically Business Service oriented organizations and the large-scale reinforcement of collaborative business and networked organization strategies. Nevertheless these works are mostly focused on an IT vision without taking into account business constraints. To overcome this limit, we propose a multi-dimensional service-chain ecosystem model, paying attention on service functional and non-functional properties description to support an efficient and consistent business service selection and composition process so that large-scale service based collaborative organization can emerge

Using grounded theory for theory building in operations management research:a study on inter-firm relationship governance

Purpose – Qualitative theory building approaches, such as grounded theory method (GTM), are still not very widespread and rigorously applied in operations management (OM) research. Yet it is agreed that more systematic observation of current industrial phenomena is necessary to help managers deal with their problems. The purpose of this paper is to provide an example to help guide other researchers on using GTM for theory building in OM research. Design/methodology/approach – A GTM study in the German automotive industry consisting of 31 interviews is followed by a validation stage comprising a survey (110 responses) and a focus group. Findings – The result is an example of conducting GTM research in OM, illustrated by the development of the novel collaborative enterprise governance framework for inter-firm relationship governance in the German automotive industry. Research limitations/implications – GTM is appropriate for qualitative theory building research, but the resultant theories need further testing. Research is necessary to identify the transferability of the collaborative enterprise governance concept to other industries than automotive, to other organisational areas than R&D and to product and service settings that are less complex and innovative. Practical implications – The paper helps researchers make more informed use of GTM when engaging in qualitative theory building research in OM. Originality/value – There is a lack of explicit and well-informed use of GTM in OM research because of poor understanding. This paper addresses this deficiency. The collaborative enterprise governance framework is a significant contribution in an area of growing importance within OM

Framing the Conundrum of Total Cost of Ownership of Open Source Software

Part 1: PapersInternational audienceThis paper reflects the results of phase I of our study on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of open source software adoption. Not only have we found TCO to be an intriguing issue but it is contentious, baffling and each company approaches it in a distinctive manner (and sometimes not at all). In effect it is a conundrum that needs unpacking before it can be explained and understood. Our paper discusses the components of TCO as total cost of ownership and total cost of acquisition (and besides). Using this broad dichotomy and its various components we then analyze our data to make sense of procurement decisions in relation to open source software in the public sector and private companies