Standards play crucial roles in many different aspects of today’s economy. They can define meanings of semantics, product interfaces, process steps, or performance levels. Interorganisational standards are specifications that define business-related semantics and processes, which are made accessible to other organisations’ information systems. While modular organisation forms such as supply chain networks demand such standards for higher flexibility, XML-based Web Services offer a relatively new technological platform to develop such standards. The development of comprehensive interorganisational standards, however, is far from being completed. This book thus answers the questions, how interorganisational standards are developed and how different actors should get involved in it. The author uses actor-network theory to conduct two in-depth case studies on ebXML and RosettaNet. While researchers will find new explanations for the development of interorganisational standards, managers and executives will benefit from the strategic implications this book discusses.
Author(s): Ulrich M. Lower
Series: Contributions to Management Science
Edition: 1
Publisher: Physica-Verlag HD
Year: 2005
Language: English
Pages: 297
Contents......Page 9
1 Introduction......Page 12
1.1 The Challenges of Interorganisational Standards......Page 14
1.2 Research Questions and Chapter Overview......Page 18
2 Research Approach......Page 21
2.1 Epistemology and Focus......Page 22
2.2 Case Study Research Method......Page 29
2.3 Actor-Network Theory......Page 34
2.4 Summary and Conclusions......Page 40
3.1 The Nature of Interorganisational Relationships......Page 41
3.2.1 Concepts of Interorganisational Information Systems......Page 47
3.2.2 Electronic Data Interchange Systems......Page 52
3.3 Research on Interorganisational Information Systems......Page 55
3.3.1 Review of the Literature on the Management of IOS......Page 56
3.3.2 Lacking Research on the Development of Interorganisational Standards......Page 66
3.4 Summary and Conclusions......Page 76
4.1 The Nature of Standards......Page 78
4.2 Technical Development of Standards......Page 86
4.3.1 Neo-Classical Economics......Page 89
4.3.2 Neo-Institutional Economics......Page 93
4.4.1 Social Construction of Technology......Page 97
4.4.2 Social Construction of Standards......Page 99
4.5 Actor-Network Theory and Standards......Page 101
4.5.1 Basic Concepts......Page 105
4.5.2 Dynamics of Actor-Networks......Page 107
4.5.3 Illustrating Examples......Page 113
4.5.4 Evaluation......Page 117
4.6 Summary and Conclusions......Page 119
5 The Development of Interorganisational Standards......Page 121
5.1.1 The Emergence of Semantic Web Services Standards......Page 122
5.1.2 Web-Based Interorganisational Standards......Page 135
5.2 The Case of RosettaNet......Page 144
5.2.1 Formation......Page 145
5.2.2 Growth and Organisational Structure......Page 148
5.2.3 Architecture and Foundational Programs......Page 154
5.2.4 Partner Interface Processes and Milestone Programs......Page 164
5.2.5 Conclusions......Page 172
5.3.1 Organisational Structure of CEFACT, OASIS and ebXML......Page 173
5.3.2 Architecture......Page 182
5.3.3 Politics......Page 188
5.3.4 Conclusions......Page 197
5.4 A Process Model for Interorganisational Standards Development......Page 199
5.4.1 Formation......Page 201
5.4.2 Organisation......Page 205
5.4.3 Development......Page 211
5.4.4 Adoption, Use and Impact......Page 216
5.4.5 A Generic Process Model for Interorganisational Standards Development......Page 218
5.5 Summary and Conclusions......Page 222
6 Strategies for the Development of Interorganisational Standards......Page 225
6.1 The User Firm Perspective......Page 226
6.2 The Perspective of the Standards Development Organisation......Page 233
6.3 The Software Vendor Perspective......Page 236
6.4 The Governmental Perspective......Page 240
6.5 Summary and Conclusions......Page 241
7 Conclusions......Page 243
A. Primary Data Sources......Page 250
B. Theoretical Concepts for EDI Adoption, Use and Impact......Page 252
C. Interorganisational Standards Connections......Page 259
List of Figures......Page 261
List of Tables......Page 263
Abbreviations......Page 264
References......Page 269
D......Page 292
I......Page 293
O......Page 294
S......Page 295
U......Page 296
X......Page 297
