The area of Virtual Organizations as a main component of the new discipline of Collaborative Networks has been the focus of research globally. The fast evolution of the information and communication technologies and in particular the so-called Internet technologies, also represents an important motivator for the emergence of new forms of collaboration. However, the research in many of these cases is highly fragmented, considering that each project is focused on solving specific problems. As such, there is no effective consolidation/harmonization among them in order to have an effective impact and facilitate the interaction among the involved experts.

Provides valuable elements for the researchers, engineers, managers and industry planners, Ph.D. students, and decision-makers interested in research and innovative development activities in the area of e-business and collaborative networks

Concepts and Models.- Brief Historical Perspective for Virtual Organizations.- Base Concepts.- Modeling for Virtual Organizations.- Reference Models for Virtual Organisations.- Ontology and Knowledge Management.- Collaborative Networks: A New Scientific Discipline.- Infrastructures.- ICT Infrastructures for VO.- Emerging Technologies and Standards.- Security Frameworks for Virtual Organizations.- Interior Facilities.- Implementation Issues.- Legal and Contractual Framework for the VO.- Performance Measurement.- Socio-Organizational Issues.- Case Studies.- Survey of Industry Case Studies.- Virtual Organizations in the Electronics Sector.- Virtual Organizations in One-of-a-Kind Industry.- Virtual Organisations in the Service Industry.- Virtuellefabrik.Ch - A Source Network for VE in Mechatronics.- Virtual Organizations in the Courier, Express and Parcel Industry.- Towards Structuring the Research on Virtual Organizations.- Towards Structuring the Research on Virtual Organizations.