Value creation in web services: An integrative model

Web services are redefining the way organizations exchange business-critical information internally and externally with customers, suppliers, and other business associates. In this paper, we develop an integrative model for understanding value creation in web services from a provider's perspective. The model integrates the static representation of conventional business values with the fluidity of the emergent IT services domain. It captures the complexity and contradictions facing Web services providers in their drive towards market leadership, strategic differentiation and revenue generation from web services. The model comprises twelve propositions to guide our understanding and future research and practice in this increasingly important segment in the IT field.