Value Creation In A Virtual World (создание стоимости в виртуальном мире)

BOND UNIVERSITY School of Information Technology Value Creation in a Virtual World A dissertation by Kieth Robert Hales BA, BBus, MBA This dissertation is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements from the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the School of Information Technology, Bond University. October 2005 ii Statement of Originality This dissertation represents the original work and contribution of the author, except as acknowledged by general and specific references, and has not been submitted for a higher degree at this or any other university. Signature Date iii Acknowledgements A work of research can rarely be accomplished as a completely independent undertaking and mine is no exception. I would like to acknowledge the contributions and support of a number of my colleagues and friends who have assisted me in this project. Firstly, I would like to express my sincerest thanks to my academic supervisor, Dr Jeff Barker. Jeff always made himself available for discussion and his unfailing positive attitude and gentle guidance contributed significantly to the success of my research. Although he was not my supervisor, Dr Gavin Finnie provided a listening ear and additional constructive advice. Professor Ron Davision was also kind enough to spend some of his valuable time with me and give much needed direction and counsel. I would also like to acknowledge the example and inspiration provided by Dr Zhaohao Sun, now at University of Wollongong. Sun’s example of intellectual application, hard work and dogged persistence was inspirational. I also acknowledge the support of other doctoral candidates at Bond University. The interchange of ideas and mutual support, usually in ‘corridor counseling’ sessions, was always encouraging, helpful, motivational and most importantly, fun. I wish them success in their respective fields. Finally, I would also like to acknowledge the valuable comments and suggestions made by the examiners. The contributions of this thesis are directly attributable to the best efforts of all these worthy souls; its shortcomings are my own. Dedication I dedicate this thesis to my wife Elaine, our three children, Keir, Kris and Kamaile and our five grandchildren, Amanda, Christopher, Rachael, Matilda and Jakinta. Elaine is the love of my life and without her unwavering confidence in me and her emotional and physical support this work would have remained unfinished. iv Abstract For centuries, information has been used in commerce as a basis for decision making and as a resource that could be used to gain advantage over peers, rivals and the environment. Historically, the economics of information and its asymmetrical distribution set the environmental conditions that formed the basis for inter-enterprise competition, trading relationships and enterprise and industry organisational structures. During the past two decades, increasingly powerful and capable information technologies have made information more accessible and valuable so that it has become the prime resource for business; ahead of the traditional resources of land, labour and capital. Improved information acquisition, usage and distribution has also driven and enabled globalisation which continues to impact the entire commercial landscape. The emergence of the virtual enterprise (VE) is one consequence of changed market conditions and advanced information communications technology (ICT). VE s are characterised by various configurations of