Enriching Collaboration Among Eastern European SMEs Through Dedicated Virtual Platform

Abstract

In the wake of Globalization, the Eastern European small and medium size manufacturers (SME) are facing ever-increasing competition from the larger and multi-national players. Collaboration with other companies may be the only economical way to overcome this challenge. In most cases, these communities are formed due to favourable socio-economic conditions found in a specific geographical area. Therefore, a specialized approach needs to be developed to cater the possible interactions for related SMEs in a specific industrial sector; this is only possible through an affordable collaboration platform. This article will present a research approach and the relevant challenges for the development and introduction of a collaboration tool based upon open source capabilities with industry specific business process functionalities.