The Economics of Systems Integration

Explores some theoretical elements of the economics of systems integration (and disintegration) by placing the idea of systems integration within the context of evolutionary economics. The authors argue that systems integrators (as firms) and systems integration (as a key capability within and across firms) perform a central function as the visible hand of much modern industrial activity, especially in complex products and systems. The latter include a significant subset of capital goods such as mobile communication systems, military systems, corporate information technology networks, train engines, aircraft, intelligent buildings, air-traffic control systems and tailored software packages.