Using Information Technology to Coordinate Transnational Service Operations: A Case Study in the European Union

When multinational organizations operate across borders they must solve a host of problems relating to culture, currencies, language, customs and laws. In addition to these local variables, organizations are under increasing pressure to integrate or coordinate operations. This study explores the information strategy adopted by a new organization located in Holland and serving the European (EU) market. It identifies the way in which local variables affected its strategy and examines the way in which the organization used information technology to coordinate an operation that served over a dozen countries in the EU. Implications are drawn for organizations that find it increasingly necessary to coordinate transaction and planning activities across national borders.