The essence of this research is to contribute to the discourse and search for theoretical foundations for web services. The complexity and immaturity of current web services technology continues to be a hindrance to their acceptance. Complexities surrounding web services can be managed by developing boundary conditions for each aspects, design methodologies and business models and principles that are tailored towards web services. Development of such a methodology, boundary conditions, models and/or principles would require substantial guidance from a theoretical framework. A theoretical foundation can provide adequate guidance that can accelerate research related to web services, and their acceptance.

A theoretical framework for web services should have communication at its core, account for a layered view of web service aspects, and must be directed towards constructing web service solutions that achieve business goals.

We propose the Language-Action Perspective (LAP) as an important and necessary complement to the several theories implicitly in use for web services research. We argue that there is a close match between core of web services and the LAP approach.

The Language-Action Perspective (LAP) approach is based on the premise that much work in organizations are performed through language, i.e., communication is primarily action which, in turn, facilitates coordination and interaction. LAP considers communication to be a form of action performed by the participants. LAP recognizing the importance of communication in an organizational context, focuses on how communicative aspects are used for performing business actions.

For more information about: the LAP approach .