Читать книгу End Of Competition, The: The Impact Of The Network Economy - C N A Molenaar - Страница 25

For many years, governments have sought to remove trade restrictions. Bilateral and multilateral trade agreements, close collaborations between countries (such as within the European Union, and the European Union with other countries), have led to an increase in global trade and prosperity. The first step, removing barriers, had been taken, but within the old structures (product-based). The second step, as a result of the changing competitive position in the markets, quickly followed. Companies had to meet international norms and international competition conditions. This meant that companies started to strive for both quality improvements and efficiency.

By responding to these changes and applying new possibilities, opportunities for new business models arose. New communities have been created (such as social networks) where like-minded people can find one another. But this has also led to frictions in companies, which suddenly have to become part of a network, which causes major changes to competitive relationships. This requires changes to a company’s business model, to the organisation and to the company’s focus. Organisations are no longer those independent entities working in a stable and predictable market. The market has become difficult to predict and the changes require constant monitoring and adaptation. Dynamism and speed of change are essential in order to be able to compete in the network economy. This requires not only flexibility from an organisation but also the appropriate expertise and skills.