A revealing insight into the issues surrounding information infrastructure implementation in large, global corporations. Case study material from six different international corporations-AstraZeneca, IBM, Norsk Hydro, Roche, SKF, and Statoil-shows a complex picture of implementation, and one that cannot be interpreted using current management thinking. The authors suggest that the economics of standards and increasing returns be joined with the perspectives from the social studies of science and technology to provide the fundamentals for a fresh view of the management of IT in global corporations.

Firms are investing considerable resources to create large information infrastructures able to fulfil their varied information-processing and communication needs.

The more the drive towards globalization, the more such infrastructures become crucial. The "wiring" of the corporation should be done in a way that is aligned with its corporate strategy - it is global and generates value.

This book presents six in-depth case studies of large corporations - AstraZeneca, IBM, Norsk Hydro, Roche, SKF, and Statoil - which offer a picture of the main issues involved in information infrastructure implementation and management. Far from being a linear process, the use of the information infrastructure is in fact an open-ended process, in many cases out of control.

Current management models and consulting advice do not seem to be able to cope with such a business landscape. This book provides the reader with interpretations and theories that can foster a different understanding and approach.

There is presently a gap between the pace of technological change and the progress of organizational transformation in business. This book provides a new set of concepts linking the latest technology with our understanding of economic organizations. The author uses the principles of institutional economics to show how information technology can be put to work to transform business organizations, improving their effectiveness and the quality of working life of their members, using examples from airlines, financial markets, and nonprofit organizations.