Improving competitive responsiveness via the virtual environment

The changing nature of the global competitive environment is bringing with it significant changes to both the internal and external activities of companies. One of the key competitiveness drivers of the new environment is a company's degree of "agility" or responsiveness. The need to retain and concentrate on core competencies means that many needed activities have to be resourced externally, in dispersed locations. The way in which these internal and external resources are accessed and managed is a key component in defining a company's responsiveness capability. This paper addresses the concept of an organisation's responsiveness capability, how it can be modelled for practical purposes and addresses the roles the virtual enterprise and IT in improving overall responsiveness.