ABSTRACT
Most products may be thought of as complex systems, or networks , composed of subsystems and components. This is especially true of many information technology products. Networks may be physical, as in the case of the telephone, cable television, or Internet communication networks; or they may be logical, as in the case of the different software modules/layers that must interact to support an application such as word processing, electronic mail, or customer billing. 1 The quality of these networks depends on the quality of the constituent subsystems. For example, the clarity of a long distance call depends on the qualities of the telephone sets on both ends, the originating and terminating local exchange networks, and the long distance carrier’s network. Coordinating design and investment decisions to assure appropriate quality-of-service levels is difficult enough when all of the components are owned by the same company. What happens when different firms own different parts of the network? Should we be concerned that changes in industry structure will lead to reductions in the quality of our information infrastructure?
