On formal theories and formalisms for virtual enterprises

Abstract

One of the issues in development and implementation of Virtual Enterprise (VE) is a formal theory, or formal theories, of VE. There are serious problems concerning VE formal theory(ies) development. Besides the ones which are commonly known and easily perceived, one of the biggest problems is a general misunderstanding about formalisms and formal theories (FTs) that occurs too often, substituting the formal theory by the formalism. The paper clarifies in an informal way the differences and some implications between formal theory and formalisms, expecting that it will contribute to a better perception of the problem as well as to the directions and approaches concerning VE formal theory development.