In this chapter, the concept of the virtual enterprise
is developed. A motivating case at the beginning points
to dilemma that acting manufacturing managers are
facing. For the conditions of unpredictable change and
dynamic markets the concept of the virtual enterprise is
characterized, first, as a business model to create
business value, second, as an operational model to
co-operate temporarily and third, as an organizational
model of restructuring. The concept of the virtual
enterprise, then, is structured in three elements that
form a coupled system, first, the business value that
drives the change, second, the virtual operation that is
temporarily configured to capture the value, and finally
the network, that provides the platform for rapid
restructuring. Contemporary manufacturing practices are
placed in the context of the virtual enterprise to
synthesize the development towards the enterprise of the
global information society. pdf
