Un modèle ancien d'entreprise virtuelle : le secteur de l'édition scolaire

Abstract

First researchers have described virtual corporation as a new organization for the 21st Century enabled by the Information and Communication Technologies improvements. But this empirical research based on French educational publishers establishes that the principles of virtual corporation are ancient. In a grounded theory approach, many interviews with executives of virtual corporation draw a representation of dynamic alliances systems, in which publishers are orchestra conductor and broker of a network of numerous specialists (authors, printer, artistic professionals,) designed to realize a project: a schoolbook publishing. This study exhibits two other empirical observations about the virtual corporation (in educational publishing industry). First, it is not due to ICT development. Second, it’s goal is not to use the services of best-in-the-world providers (but rather to regenerate creativity).