Partner Evaluation And Selection In Virtual Enterprises Using A Profile Theory Based Approach

Virtual enterprises have been widely promoted as a new business paradigm that will allow participants front several organisations to jointly respond to business opportunities that would have been beyond the reach of them individually. Several reference models have been proposed that address issues such as the co-ordination and management of virtual enterprises, but are missing a crucial element, namely the prior evaluation of the potential for success, based on the resources brought together by the participating organisations. What is required is a systematic approach, which will provide for selection and evaluation of participants in order to form viable virtual enterprises. This paper discusses the importance of capability and compatibility factors of the candidate companies that wish to join a virtual enterprise. An approach has been developed and is presented here together with the results of an evaluation.