The term “value chain” encompasses a variety of ideas and concepts. This paper identifies two major themes: a “macro” perspective of how markets operate and, at the other extreme, a process‐driven “micro” view of the individual firm itself. Focusing on the latter in particular, it...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to briefly review earlier contributions to partner/cooperative innovation with the aim of evaluating the application of the concept to the increasingly popular virtual/value chain business model. Design/methodology/approach – A number of example cases...

Towards the end of the twentieth century a number of changes occurred that suggest that organisational structures and management attitudes and behaviour in the foreseeable future will differ markedly from the traditional model. Not only had business become global in every respect, but in almost...

The new economy brought with it a new approach to designing business models. Not too many years ago the familiar organisation structure was dominated by a traditional view of managers that was based on asset ownership and vertical organisation structures. The prevalent view was that ownership...

Addresses the appropriate structuring of the firm's business model in the context of new economy holonic networks. States that this requires some framework for analysing the firm's business model relative to the opportunities offered by those networks and alliances. Proposes that some...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyse the interactions that are engaged in when specialist organizations collaborate in business networks organized around global value chains. Interaction costs are defined as including transaction costs plus the costs for exchanging information and...

The notion of what is meant by “value” is explored and summarised in terms of its involvement in delivering the product/service attributes, considered necessary to create customer satisfaction. Investigates the business system in relation to the value chain, as well as citing the conflicting...

Proposes the idea that as the Internet is a new channel for commerce, a structured approach is necessary in order to identify opportunities and threats. Looks at the ways in which value can be added throughout the process, from product development to every part of the value chain. Examines the...

This article is a corollary to three articles published earlier in Management Decision . More precise definitions of a modern value chain are proposed, in terms of it being a business system that creates end‐user satisfaction and realises the objectives of other member stakeholders....

Quality and value are currently convergent concepts in healthcare. The importance of patients as customers has increased the focus on quality management and value delivery. The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Rotorua is a specialist hospital for rheumatic disease and rehabilitation. It has a clear...