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Manufacturing organisations are evolving towards virtual corporations, under the influence of an increasing need for specialisation. In the literature and in management the virtual corporation is advocated as the way of doing business for the twenty‐first century. However, in the construction industry, co‐operation in networks has long since been common practice. At the same time, the construction industry is known for its poor controllability. The manufacturing industry should, therefore, learn from the construction industry in order to avoid such problems. A typology for co‐operation and co‐ordination in construction is presented in this paper. Each of the types is evaluated for its strengths and weaknesses and conclusions are drawn regarding their applicability in manufacturing.

Reviews the inter‐organizational co‐operation that may be required during an emergency. Looks at the diverse cultures of diffferent organizations together with legislation and bureaucratic procedures that need to be considered in order for this process to take place. Reinforces the need to develop an exchange model of co‐ordination. Reviews number of salient findings regarding emergency services and suggests directions that may improve inter‐organizational relationships.

Networks are by now popular inter-organizational coordination modes. However, there is still much to know regarding how networks are governed and how their governance develops and changes through time.

This paper addresses the research question how does the governance form of networks develops over time by empirically studying the European telecommunications regulatory network using a case study approach.

We find that the network’s governance system is determined by the dialectical tension between network members (National Regulatory Agencies) and an external very influential body (the European Commission).

This tension unifies the group in the classic external conflict–internal cohesion fashion. We also identify a second dialectical tension internal to the network among its members. The tensions are triggered by evaluations carried out by an external actor (the European Commission). In general, the process observed confirms the propositions that predict a formalizing of the governance as the network grows older.

This research is based on a single case, a broader analysis of other regulatory networks among network industries at the European Union level will help researchers to establish a more comprehensive picture on the development of the governance form of this specific subset of goal-directed networks.

Food supply chains are facing significant changes and challenges coming from the need to adopt inclusive business practices and foster sustainable development. The current research aims to provide insights related to the inclusiveness of sustainable business practices of a dairy production co-operative where the smallholders are engaging with a traditional business mind-set. The purpose of the research is to deliver insights about the linkages between accounting and business practices in the adoption of an inclusive business model.

This research is based on the qualitative case study of a medium-sized production cooperative company operating in the dairy industry supply chain.

This study answers the call for research on accounting and control systems in the food sector, by exploring how management and control system is practised within contemporary supply chains. The research aims to analyse the contextual insights of managerial and organizational practices that facilitate inter-organizational relationships and coordination among actors that engage along the supply chain.

The main limitation relates to the conditions of the time available and the limited number of interviews. Even if key actors were interviewed, a larger sample would have been more beneficial to the research. However, the lack of proper results for accounting tools and software access caused some loss to the research.

This paper emphasizes the effects of the “inclusiveness” of the sustainable business models between suppliers and leading companies by enhancing the sustainable business development within the supply chain, as part of a wider business model in the food sector from an inter-organizational perspective.

Argues that, in order to use electronic data interchange (EDI) optimally, the current ways of working need to be redesigned. Here the subject‐matter for redesign is the boundary‐crossing logistical processes in the value‐adding partnerships of two organizations. The business redesigner needs, among other things, an understanding of the basic capabilities of EDI and of the concept of interorganizational co‐ordination. From the analysis of co‐ordination a classification of the information needed by logistical organizations results. Together with three basic co‐ordination mechanisms and a classification of messages, the classification provides a sound basis of understanding for the business redesigner.

The purpose of this paper is to present an approach to support understanding of inter‐organisational systems.

The approach combines two types of graphical snapshots of relevant properties of each organisation, based on concrete data. The first type of snapshot provides a bird's eye view of the network that enables matching partners to form groups based on similarity. The second type of snapshot can be used to compare and contrast the information technology (IT) portfolio of partners to assess the extent to which each portfolio is ready to meet the needs of the inter‐organisational system. The approach has been applied in a case study that analysed E‐CUSTOMS, a large distributed system that connects the customs organisations of a number of member states of the European Union. The approach has been validated by showing the results to experts in the E‐CUSTOMS project, who confirmed the findings.

An approach based on quantifiable and non‐quantifiable data that combines two visualisation techniques was used. The graphical snapshots obtained by applying this approach showed similarities and differences between countries that indicate opportunities and challenges in IT integration.

The approach provides a semi‐automatic method to understand inter‐organisational systems. If in need of successful co‐operation in groups within an inter‐organisational network, this approach will help the expert to ask the right questions.

An understanding of inter‐organisational systems is necessary, as co‐operation in inter‐organisational networks usually requires considerable up‐front investments in IT specific for this co‐operation.

Process management is a managerial approach characterised by the focus on business processes that can provide an important contribution to the management of public sector organisations. The significance of this approach for the management of inter‐organisational relations in the public sector is highlighted. A model for the analysis of the factors enabling the implementation of process management in the public sector is proposed. The Italian experience of the one‐stop shops for businesses is studied; the relevance of process management approaches for the success of this reform is shown. Implications for public managers at all levels of government are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to look at process initiatives in the Swedish social insurance administration, focusing on the problems of crossing functional boundaries, co‐ordinating processes over inter‐organisational boundaries and the issue of whether to aim for radical or incremental change.

The survey involved data collection including a study of internal documents and 16 individual personal interviews.

The organisation experiences collaboration problems when cross‐functional work and processes collide with the traditional and hierarchical command and control structures. These are not easily dismantled, meaning intensive work to change the culture and break functional mind‐sets. Furthermore the administration struggles with and can benefit from co‐ordination of processes over the inter‐organisational boundaries. Changes in the customer front‐line affect the rest of the organisation and its processes. The study has shown that both functional units and support processes deep inside the organisation, like the systems development process, are affected, and that deficiencies in the underlying structure and organisation are revealed. The process efforts so far are scattered, but it may be more important for organisations to deploy process change, as a continuous strategic initiative, rather than embarking on huge radical redesign programmes.

Little information regarding processes and the public sector exists, and problems likely to be encountered by other public organisations are pointed out. The survey also puts light on support processes – not only business processes – required for e‐government.

Inter‐organizational innovation networks provide opportunities to exploit complementary resources that reside beyond the boundary of the firm. The shifting locus of innovation and value creation away from the “sole firm as innovator” poses important questions about the nature of these resources and the capabilities needed to leverage them for competitive advantage. The purpose of this paper is to describe research into producing design‐oriented knowledge, for configuring inter‐organizational networks as a means of accessing such resources for innovation.

This exploratory investigation conflates emerging constructs and themes analytically induced from a systematic survey of 142 scholarly and practitioner articles and 45 expert interviews with senior professionals operating in the biopharmaceuticals industry.

The findings identify seven theoretically and empirically grounded technological rules associated with effective inter‐organizational networking for innovation. They embody evidence ex post of networking theory and practice. Based on van Aken's seminal work, they comprise design‐oriented knowledge to provide a solution architecture of viable action options for managers, a priori, to purposefully design innovation networks. Collectively these rules represent a tentative taxonomy, a means of classifying design principles, to assist managers in navigating their decision‐making processes.

This study demonstrates the need for explicit design‐oriented knowledge for configuring inter‐organizational networks. Finally, the implications of the findings for strategic management theory are discussed from a dynamic capabilities view. The significance of a dynamic capability which addresses the renewal of network‐specific resources is highlighted.

An information/communication revolution is being brought about by recent developments and innovations in computer and related technologies. Recognizes that many of the consequences will be very positive for all aspects of social life, but focuses on probable and possible negative effects of the currently accelerating cyberspace revolution. Discusses ten problematical aspects for disaster planning, management and research ranging, for example, from the creation of a new kind of disaster ‐ computer‐related system failures ‐ and the increased difficulties that will be generated for intra‐ and inter‐organizational communication and co‐ordination, to the problems that will come from an inevitable information overload and the diffusion of inappropriate or incorrect disaster relevant “facts” and “ideas”.