CALL FOR PAPERS FOR A SPECIAL ISSUE VALUE CREATION NETWORKS: OPPORTUNITIES AND THREATS

摘要

Business networks are ubiquitous throughout the economy: increasingly the delivery of bundles of products and services is dependent upon the work of inter-organizational networks of that design, manufacture, and deliver them.rnTechnology intensive industries - such as aeronautics, automotive, microelectronics, chemistry, pharmaceutical and software - are characterized by fierce competition, increasing knowledge specialization, and spiralling costs of product and process development. In these contexts, in order to introduce innovations firms must be able to integrate multiple streams of scientific and technological knowledge often belonging to different institutions - such as suppliers, research centres, universities and competitors. Therefore, lead firms become systems integrators of activities, knowledge, and skills provided by other institutions to create value for customers over time, to be embedded in new products and services. In this context, knowledge and skills protection becomes paramount. Indeed, a new security management model should be derived in order to grant companies and knowledge workers in value network. This new approach has to be built on new policies, procedures, mechanisms that allow a new equilibrium among sharing and protection of knowledge, according to the business models of the firms, the regulatory framework, the specific contract statements and the engagement rules among companies.