In recent years, there has been much interest in the 'virtual' –teams, organizations and communities –in management research and practice. As technology and social practices change we have more opportunity to experience different forms of virtuality, and in the process our understanding and conception of virtuality changes.

As technology changes, so too have its applications and our uses and experiences with them have changed as well. The emergence of new technologies offer opportunities for new ways of interacting, playing, working and learning. It is within the context of simultaneous excitement and anxiety that we discuss Virtual Social Networks.

Although IT outsourcing is nothing new, it remains surprisingly challenging for professionals. This book assists the IT professional in several areas of the outsourcing process: establishing outsourcing relationships, maintaining and managing the relationship, and finally governing outsourcing projects successfully.

The goals of this book are to provide a comprehensive review of identity policies as they are being implemented in various countries around the world, to consider the key arenas where identity policies are developed and to provide intellectual coherence for making sense of these various activities.

Through case studies this volume provides evidence that a link between sourcing capabilities and organizational structure contributes to a positive sourcing performance. Reveals that providers who are able to adapt to changing client circumstances, whilst establishing a fit, succeed in achieving a sustainable performance.

Materiality, Rules and Regulation: New Trend in Management and Organization Studies concentrates on the relationship of rules and regulation to the materiality of artefacts, practices, and organizations. It combines the recent scholarly interest on sociomateriality with a focus on regulation and rules.

Evidence shows that organizations with both a CEO and a team involved in sourcing strategy and supplier configuration make more effective decisions. If the wrong supplier is chosen, performance can be negatively affected. Here the authors look at how companies can improve their outsourcing capabilities.