Exploring Divergent Development Paths in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains

Wednesday, June 18, 2008, Hotel Golf Libertas, 11:00 - 12:30

Co-chairs:
Stefan Klein, Professor for Interorganizational Systems
University of Muenster, Germany
Kai Reimers, Professor of Information Systems
RWTH Aachen University, Germany

Presenters:
Matthew Guah, Assistant Professor
Erasmus University Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Robert Johnston, Professor of Information Systems and Organisation
University College Dublin, Ireland
Reima Suomi, Professor of Information Systems Science   to be confirmed
Turku School of Economics, Finland  

Workshop outline

The development of interorganizational information systems (IOIS) can be described as a history of collaboration and conflict. Joint activities and solutions are developed while at the same time competition and conflict among competitors or supply chain partners is contained. Yet, latent or manifest conflict often influences the development over time as the partners (re-)consider their positions.

In order to extend our understanding of the dynamics of IOIS, the workshop will explore alternative interpretations referring to the same case evidence. The workshop will start with a brief historical reconstruction of two sets of case data of divergent development paths of eOrdering systems linking pharmacies and wholesalers in otherwise similar industry environments. The participants will be invited to provide theoretically grounded interpretations of the findings using different approaches such as

• Path dependency theory;
• Structuration theory;
• Practice theory;
• Innovation and standardization;
• Strategy theory;
• Systems theory;
• Institutional theory. 

The format of the workshop will be an open discussion. In a first round, participants will be asked to comment on the empirical evidence and provide their interpretations. In a second round, the workshop will explore possible linkages between the theoretical approaches.

It is explicitly intended that participants will not make mini presentations; rather, participants will be encouraged to engage in a debate. At the beginning of each round of discussions, the chairs will take turns in introducing and motivating some of the open issues.