Towards Understanding the Sources of the Economic Potential of Service-Oriented Architecture

This article presents a model that describes the sources of the economic potential of Service-Oriented
Architecture (SOA). The model, initially based on a literature review, was thereafter refined by means
of empirical evidence collected in the automotive distribution sector and the banking industry. The
authors suggest that the economic potential of this new information systems architecture depends on
its fundamental characteristics as well as on the individual business models and IT strategies of the
companies wishing to use SOA. In addition to presenting a comprehensive model, this paper also
presents selected examples from the fieldwork that illustrate how SOA can be used to create economic
potential in the considered industries.
The authors furthermore introduce their current research efforts that are aimed at extending the
developed qualitative model by using the identified drivers of SOA’s economic potential as the basis of
a quantitative profitability analysis.