| This thesis offers an extended enterprise theoretical framework for managing production network. The framework demonstrates how the use of tools in the exploitation of linkages between a set of activities can address the competitive challenges to a group of firms. This approach significantly departs from the traditional information technology based approach that focuses on linking different firms together. While, intuitively, the information technology component remains important, institutionalizing them with best practices across individual firms can be an issue. The core of this study is to address other operational components of an extended enterprise that are relevant to managing production networks.;In order to address this, this research developed a conceptual model of inter-firm linkage identifying the value-technology-activity interdependency within a production networks. It is hypothesized that substantial organizational innovation from these firms are essential in allowing champions/change agents to secure new changes as opportunities arise. Based on the model, this research proposed other elements of an extended enterprise to form a template to guide the development of enterprise in practice. This research chose a best practice dissemination approach and the starting point of this is to analyze inter-organizational generic process that crosses a group of firms.;The first contribution of this research is based on the idea that the management of production network is important to gain competitive advantage. This research offers a vision of extended production paradigm to manage the formation of a networked organization for a group of firms. The second contribution developed, based on the evidence of multiple case studies and the extended production paradigm, a synthesis model of an extended enterprise template to shed light on the extended enterprise development in practice. This shares a platform strategy for the purpose of leading the customization of value chains by different players in the production network. A third contribution of this research is the development of a case protocol that encapsulates insights of the application of production network to guide practitioners to frame their business context with a purpose of aligning different players to create value. The case protocol guides practitioners to write case study reports from which the guiding process articulates organizational innovation for extended enterprise development. (Abstract shortened by UMI.). |
