Evolutionary paths of interorganizational information systems (IOIS)

This paper is based on a comparative case study on the development of electronic orderingsystems - an example of inter-organizational information systems (IOIS) - linkingpharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies in Ireland and Australia respectively. Based on abrief account of the market structure we will reconstruct core elements of wholesalers andpharmacies strategies with respect to (electronic) ordering and delivery. In order to explainthe implementation, enactment and subsequent modification of the wholesalers strategies inthe two countries, we will scrutinize the role of third parties, namely the role of the pharmacyassociations and the software vendors. The analysis emphasizes the role of associations andsoftware vendors for the stabilization of the IOIS albeit in markedly different ways. Moreoverthe role of standards, specifically product codes, and systems architectures becomes obvious.The case studies cover a period of about 20 years and thus allow us to develop explanationsfor the observed dynamics and stability in a historical perspective. While we have used pathdependency theory as sensitizing device for the historical analysis, we have also foundshortcomings of its explanatory power regarding mechanisms of stabilization. Hence wesuggest to extend the path perspective by a more elaborate study of social dynamics.