The Role of E-Commerce Applications in Polycentric Urban Regions Development: A Management Perspective

摘要

This paper examines the role of modern e-commerce applications in the development of polycentricity in regions where dynamic value constellations (virtual enterprises) exist. More specifically, a case study is presented concerning the clothing manufacturing sector in the Balkan Peninsula and how the industrial activity of networked enterprises leads to the development of polycentric urban regions. The case study reports the efforts of a research project carried out in the Balkan peninsula mainly focusing on the application of e-commerce technology in order to obtain co-operation among geographically dispersed regions. A structured methodology was followed throughout the whole project using appropriate business process modelling techniques supported by the software "ARIS Toolset (E-Business Suite 5.0)". The conclusions of this study refer mostly to the modern business model that has emerged (virtual enterprise) and the new way of regional organisation which is polycentricity. The outcomes suggest that information management and communication technologies play the most important role in the collaboration of industries and as a result to the development of polycentric urban regions.