Virtually all Enterprise Systems (ES) implementation projects start with a purchase contract. Yet there has been little research on ES contracting approaches, and how those approaches relate to the previous literature on productivity gains from spending on those systems. Building on the IT productivity paradox notion, this paper proposes a model of divergent ES contracting approaches in the ser...

We study an incomplete information game in which players can coordinate their actions by contracting among themselves. We model this relationship as a reciprocal contracting procedure where each player has the ability to make commitments contingent on the other players’commitments. We characterize the outcomes that can be supported as perfect Bayesian equilibrium outcomes in this reciprocal con...

Why do competing platforms or networks exist? This paper focuses on instances where the value of a platform depends on the adoption decisions of a small number of firms, and analyzes the strategic competition among platforms to get this oligopolistic side on-board. I study a bilateral contracting game among platforms and firms that allows for general externalities across both contracting and no...

Empirical evidence shows local government contracting is a dynamic process that includes movements from public delivery to markets and from market contracts back to in-house delivery. This ‘‘reverse contracting’’ reflects the complexity of public service provision in a world where market alternatives are used along with public delivery. We develop a methodology to link responses to national sur...

L i k e many libertarians, I used to accept without question the idea that contracting out for government services was a good idea. After all, it puts production back into the hands of relatively efficient private producers. However, after reviewing the literature o n contracting out for law enforcement services (Benson 1990, pp. 17999), I had some second thoughts, concluding that while contrac...

We consider the potential roles of formal logic in decision support systems for electronic contracting and so address the problem of representation of business process knowledge in a usable form when there are particular concerns of complexity, communicability and clarity.

The use of electronic contracts is emerging as a way to improve the efficiency of contracting processes. Electronic contracts are, however, often used as a direct replacement for traditional paper contracts – which we call shallow e-contracting. Consequently, business processes in general and contracting processes in particular do not change much through the use of electronic contracts. New bus...

The use of electronic contracts is emerging as a way to improve the efficiency of contracting processes. Electronic contracts are, however, often used as a direct replacement for traditional paper contracts – which we call shallow e-contracting. Consequently, business processes in general and contracting processes in particular do not change much through the use of electronic contracts. New bus...

Governments engage with the private sector in several ways, one of which is through contractual agreements to provide services to the population on the governments’ behalf (the process of ‘contracting out’). The importance, feasibility and effectiveness of this contracting process in the health sector is disputed, particularly in states where the government is unable to adequately deliver funda...

Technological advances, financial possibilities and changes of demands have increasingly affected the pavement maintenance environment for outsourcing in recent years. This induces complexity in the contracting methods of pavement maintenance activities. Despite the fact that current contracting practices on pavement maintenance activities are not sufficient to deal with changes providing the i...