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1 – 10 of over 175000Christian Janiesch and Jörn Kuhlenkamp
Changes in workflow relevant data of business processes at run-time can hinder their completion or impact their profitability as they have been instantiated under different…
Abstract
Purpose
Changes in workflow relevant data of business processes at run-time can hinder their completion or impact their profitability as they have been instantiated under different circumstances. The purpose of this paper is to propose a context engine to enhance a business process management (BPM) system’s context-awareness. The generic architecture provides the flexibility to configure processes during initialization as well as to adapt running instances at decision gates or during execution due to significant context change.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper discusses context-awareness as the conceptual background. The technological capabilities of business rules and complex event processing (CEP) are outlined in an architecture design. A reference process is proposed and discussed in an exemplary application.
Findings
The results provide an improvement over the current situation of static variable instantiation of business processes with local information. The proposed architecture extends the well-known combination of business rules and BPM systems with a context engine based on CEP.
Research limitations/implications
The resulting architecture for a BPM system using a context engine is generic in nature and, hence, requires to be contextualized for situated implementations. Implementation success is dependent on the availability of context information and process compensation options.
Practical implications
Practitioners receive advice on a reference architecture and technology choices for implementing systems, which can provide and monitor context information for business processes as well as intervene and adapt the execution.
Originality/value
Currently, there is no multi-purpose non-proprietary context engine based on CEP or any other technology available for BPM, which facilitates the adaptation of processes at run-time due to changes in context variables. This paper will stimulate a debate between research and practice on suitable design and technology.
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Youseef Alotaibi and Ahmad F. Subahi
This paper aims to introduce the goal-oriented requirements extraction approach (GOREA). It is an elicitation approach that uses, specifically, healthcare business goals to derive…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to introduce the goal-oriented requirements extraction approach (GOREA). It is an elicitation approach that uses, specifically, healthcare business goals to derive the requirements of e-health system to be developed.
Design/methodology/approach
GOREA consists of two major phases: (1) modelling e-health business requirements phase and (2) modelling e-health information technology (IT) and systems requirements phase. The modelling e-health business requirements phase is divided into two main stages: (1) model e-health business strategy stage and (2) model e-health business environment stage. The modelling e-health IT and systems requirements phase illustrates the process of obtaining requirements of e-health system from the organizational goals that are determined in the previous phase. It consists of four main steps that deal with business goals of e-health system: (1) modelling e-health business process (BP) step; (2) modelling e-health business goals step; (3) analysing e-health business goals step; and (4) eliciting e-health system requirements step. A case study based on the basic operations and services in hospital emergency unit for checking patient against COVID-19 virus and taking its diagnostic testing has been set and used to examine the validity of the proposed approach by achieving the conformance of the developed system to the business goals.
Findings
The results indicate that (1) the proposed GOREA has a positive influence on the system implementation according to e-health business expectations; and (2) it can successfully fulfil the need of e-health business in order to save the citizens life by checking them against COVID-19 virus.
Research limitations/implications
The proposed approach has some limitations. For example, it is only validated using one e-health business goal and thus it has to be authenticated with different e-health business goals in order to address different e-health problems.
Originality/value
Many e-health projects and innovations are not established based on robust system requirements engineering phase. In order to ensure the success delivery of e-health services, all characteristics of e-health systems and applications must be understood in terms of technological perspectives as well as the all system requirements.
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Henry Lau, Dilupa Nakandala and Paul Kwok Shum
Frequent food safety incidents caused widespread consumer concerns. Even though food safety is one of the weakest links in the fresh food supply chain and influences consumer food…
Abstract
Purpose
Frequent food safety incidents caused widespread consumer concerns. Even though food safety is one of the weakest links in the fresh food supply chain and influences consumer food choice in ways different from the quality dimension, this factor is hardly proposed as one of the key traditional supplier selection criteria (e.g. quality, delivery, and price) in the literature. The purpose of this paper is to develop a business process decision model to assess the non-compensating food safety sub-criteria in order to disqualify fresh food suppliers that cannot reach the minimum threshold for low probable food safety failure. The preferred fresh food suppliers can minimize the risk of food safety failure and the associated huge food safety failure costs spanning from private consumer anguish to social distress that cause unbearable costs of sales loss and damage to brand image in business.
Design/methodology/approach
This study proposes a novel approach that combines several well-established multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) techniques, including fuzzy AHP (FAHP), TOPSIS, and ELECTRE, and innovatively apply to analyze supplier performance and prioritize potential fresh food suppliers. This hybrid business process model can enforce compliance to all the five non-compensatory sub-criteria of food safety. Since ELECTRE is a non-compensatory MCDM method, it is therefore particularly applicable for disqualifying high risk fresh food suppliers from further full scale supplier performance evaluation by FAHP and TOPSIS. This hybrid business process decision model is able to capitalize on the strengths of these MCDM methods and offset their deficiencies.
Findings
This study uses data of an international supermarket chain to validate feasibility of the proposed model. Results indicate that this model is able to assess the non-compensating food safety sub-criteria via the ELECTRE method in order to disqualify fresh food suppliers that cannot reach the minimum threshold for low probable food safety failure. Only the preferred suppliers with the required food safety capability can proceed to the second stage of the supplier selection process. Assessment via the TOPSIS method reveals the ranking order of those top performing suppliers according to their relative scores along all the supplier selection criteria. The TOPSIS ranking results with the selection of the suppliers C, E, A, and F are robust and consistent across all the different scenarios.
Practical implications
Application to the fresh food industry is possible with the aid of the MCDM methods. The contribution to the body of knowledge in this teaching and research field demonstrates the importance of first identifying the order qualifier for disqualifying those suppliers that do not satisfy the food safety requirements via the ELECTRE method. The proposed assessment procedure complies with the regulatory policy on food safety, and would influence public policy in applying the best practice of food safety regulation. Without first qualifying the potential suppliers on the basis of food safety, wrong decision can be made to select those high food risk suppliers that have relatively higher overall scores in other supplier selection criteria. Using the assessment results has positive economic and commercial impact on the purchasing managers to formulate appropriate purchasing and supplier development strategy to enhance supplier’s food safety performance, whilst maximizing the overall supplier portfolio performance. The improved supplier’s food safety performance will certainly benefit the society’s quality of life as well.
Originality/value
Based on the analytical MCDM methods of FAHP, TOPSIS, and ELECTRE, purchasing managers can operationalize the Hill’s framework of order qualifier and winner that has primarily been used in the literature and manufacturing industry. This study represents the first move to innovatively apply the FAHP, TOPSIS, and ELECTRE methods to operationalize the Hill’s framework of order qualifier and winner that has primarily been used in the literature and manufacturing industry. Application to the fresh food industry to validate the feasibility of the proposed model has been conceived and implemented in this study. Analysis of the data inputs of a supermarket chain via the three MCDM methods generate the results that fulfill the purpose of achieving the research objective of identifying and managing the supplier base that can deliver the best supplier performance, conditional on first passing the fresh food safety test.
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Ismail W.R. Taifa, Steve G. Hayes and Iain Duncan Stalker
This study identifies and ranks the appropriate critical success decision criteria (CSDC) for the bulk order distribution (sharing) amongst multiple manufacturers (suppliers…
Abstract
Purpose
This study identifies and ranks the appropriate critical success decision criteria (CSDC) for the bulk order distribution (sharing) amongst multiple manufacturers (suppliers) working as an extended enterprise (EE).
Design/methodology/approach
The study deploys a qualitative approach to generate the appropriate decision criteria. The balanced scorecard and Pareto's chart (using Minitab® version 18) were used for gathering and analysing the pertinent criteria.
Findings
The process of evaluating and selecting the right manufacturers is essential. Manufacturer (supplier) selection is no longer decided solely based on cost/price criterion; currently, the quality and delivery criteria prevail. Additional incorporated criteria include price/cost, technical capability, production facilities and capacity, customer satisfaction and impression, geographical location, management and organisation, financial position, environmental concern, performance history, repair service, information technology and communication systems, procedural compliance, labour relation record, reputation, flexibility or diversification, attitude, operating controls, business desire, packaging ability, past business records, trust and loyalty, training aids, complaint handling service, warranties and claim policies, reciprocal arrangements, research and development and innovation, modern slavery concern, sustainable capability, collaborative/partnership and responsiveness. The study proposed a conceptual framework of an EE alongside how manufacturers working as a single virtual entity can consider the supply chain operations reference (SCOR®) model.
Research limitations/implications
The identified CSDC are suitable for order allocation to domestic manufacturers. The deployed approaches could be extended to the mixed and quantitative approaches for increasing the generalisability.
Originality/value
The study establishes the pertinent CSDC that are important to execute equitable order distribution to manufacturers in an EE framework.
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Mar Vazquez-Noguerol, Iván González-Boubeta, Iago Portela-Caramés and J. Carlos Prado-Prado
Grocery sellers that have entered the online business must now carry out order fulfilment activities previously done by the customer. Consequently, in a context of online sales…
Abstract
Purpose
Grocery sellers that have entered the online business must now carry out order fulfilment activities previously done by the customer. Consequently, in a context of online sales growth, the purpose of this study is to identify and implement best practices in order to redesign the order picking process in a retailer with a store-based model.
Design/methodology/approach
To identify different work alternatives, an approach is developed to analyse the methods used in distinct stores of one large Spanish grocer. The methodology employed is a three-step statistical analysis that combines ANOVA and MANOVA techniques to settle on the best alternatives in each case.
Findings
Substantial improvements can be achieved by analysing the different working methods. The three-step statistical analysis identified best practices in terms of their impact on preparation time, allowing a faster working method.
Practical implications
To manage business processes efficiently, online grocers that operate store-based fulfilment strategies can redesign their working method using a criterion based on their own performance.
Originality/value
This is one of the few contributions focusing on the improvement of e-grocery fulfilment operations by disseminating best practices through decision-making criteria. This study contributes by addressing the lack of approaches studying the order picking process by considering its various features and applying best practices.
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Gregor Polančič and Boštjan Orban
Despite corporate communications having an immense impact on corporate success, there is a lack of dedicated techniques for their management and visualization. A potential…
Abstract
Purpose
Despite corporate communications having an immense impact on corporate success, there is a lack of dedicated techniques for their management and visualization. A potential strategy is to apply business process management (BPM) approach with business process model and notation (BPMN) modeling techniques.
Design/methodology/approach
The goal of this study was to gain empirical insights into the cognitive effectiveness of BPMN-based corporate communications modeling. To this end, experimental research was performed in which subjects tested two modeling notations – standardized BPMN conversation diagrams and a BPMN extension with corporate communications-specific concepts.
Findings
Standard conversation diagrams were demonstrated to be more time-efficient for designing and interpreting diagrams. However, the subjects made significantly fewer mistakes when interpreting the diagrams modeled in the BPMN extension. Subjects also evolved positive perceptions toward the proposed extension.
Practical implications
BPMN-based corporate communications modeling may be applied to organizations to depict how formal communications are or should be performed consistently, effectively and transparently by following and integrating with BPM approaches and modeling techniques.
Originality/value
The paper provides empirical insights into the cognitive effectiveness of corporate communications modeling based on BPMN and positions the corresponding models into typical process architecture.
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Diego Toralles Avila, Rubens Ideron dos Santos, Jan Mendling and Lucineia Heloisa Thom
Process modeling guidelines are a valuable instrument for increasing the quality of process models. Since finding and selecting suitable guidelines are challenging, this paper…
Abstract
Purpose
Process modeling guidelines are a valuable instrument for increasing the quality of process models. Since finding and selecting suitable guidelines are challenging, this paper aims to find and select suitable guidelines because they are scattered across the many studies of the literature. Also, not all of them are supported by empirical studies.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a systematic literature review to collect and analyze process modeling guidelines present in the literature and the empirical evidence that supports them.
Findings
The authors investigated a total of 793 articles and identified a total of 45 process modeling guidelines in five different categories. For each of these guidelines, the authors report empirical evidence together with corresponding measures, such as comprehension accuracy and error probability.
Originality/value
Compared to the prior literature reviews on process model quality and process modeling guidelines, this article extends current knowledge by analyzing the empirical evidence and variables associated with each guideline. This analysis provides guidance for practitioners and scholars on which guidelines to use while modeling a process and perform further research on.
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Jan vom Brocke, Theresa Schmiedel, Jan Recker, Peter Trkman, Willem Mertens and Stijn Viaene
The purpose of this paper is to foster a common understanding of business process management (BPM) by proposing a set of ten principles that characterize BPM as a research domain…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to foster a common understanding of business process management (BPM) by proposing a set of ten principles that characterize BPM as a research domain and guide its successful use in organizational practice.
Design/methodology/approach
The identification and discussion of the principles reflects the viewpoint, which was informed by extant literature and focus groups, including 20 BPM experts from academia and practice.
Findings
The authors identify ten principles which represent a set of capabilities essential for mastering contemporary and future challenges in BPM. Their antonyms signify potential roadblocks and bad practices in BPM. The authors also identify a set of open research questions that can guide future BPM research.
Research limitations/implications
The findings suggest several areas of research regarding each of the identified principles of good BPM. Also, the principles themselves should be systematically and empirically examined in future studies.
Practical implications
The findings allow practitioners to comprehensively scope their BPM initiatives and provide a general guidance for BPM implementation. Moreover, the principles may also serve to tackle contemporary issues in other management areas.
Originality/value
This is the first paper that distills principles of BPM in the sense of both good and bad practice recommendations. The value of the principles lies in providing normative advice to practitioners as well as in identifying open research areas for academia, thereby extending the reach and richness of BPM beyond its traditional frontiers.
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Olga G. Semenyuta, Irina V. Orobinskaya, Neonila M. Shiryaeva and Yuliya A. Kruchanova
The purpose of the chapter is to determine the perspective directions of improving the process of decision-making in business systems by the example of modern Russia.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of the chapter is to determine the perspective directions of improving the process of decision-making in business systems by the example of modern Russia.
Methodology
The scientific and methodological platform of this research is the Russian model of decision-making in modern business systems. For determining the perspective directions of improvement of the process of decision-making in business systems according to this model, the methods of systemic and problem analysis, modeling, and formalization are used.
Conclusions
It is shown by the example of modern Russia that perspectives of improving the process of decision-making in business systems are connected not to usage of alternative regional models of this process but to modernization of own models by usage of new organizational tools and innovational technologies. The perspective directions of improving the process of decision-making in business systems of modern Russia include development of systemic feedback and marketing with the help of outsource, increase of flexibility of organizational structure with the help of mediation, and usage of means of authomatization of managerial decisions with the help of intellectual technologies.
Originality/value
The compiled improved Russian model of decision-making in a modern business system showed the advantages of practical implementation of the offered perspective directions, connected to the most complete solution of the problem and implementation of possibilities of the business system, accelerated practical implementation of managerial decisions, and reduced the load on business managers. The presented example of improving the Russian model of managerial decisions in modern business systems reflects the possibilities and perspectives of improving other regional models.
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Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured…
Abstract
Contemporary literature reveals that, to date, the poultry livestock sector has not received sufficient research attention. This particular industry suffers from unstructured supply chain practices, lack of awareness of the implications of the sustainability concept and failure to recycle poultry wastes. The current research thus attempts to develop an integrated supply chain model in the context of poultry industry in Bangladesh. The study considers both sustainability and supply chain issues in order to incorporate them in the poultry supply chain. By placing the forward and reverse supply chains in a single framework, existing problems can be resolved to gain economic, social and environmental benefits, which will be more sustainable than the present practices.
The theoretical underpinning of this research is ‘sustainability’ and the ‘supply chain processes’ in order to examine possible improvements in the poultry production process along with waste management. The research adopts the positivist paradigm and ‘design science’ methods with the support of system dynamics (SD) and the case study methods. Initially, a mental model is developed followed by the causal loop diagram based on in-depth interviews, focus group discussions and observation techniques. The causal model helps to understand the linkages between the associated variables for each issue. Finally, the causal loop diagram is transformed into a stock and flow (quantitative) model, which is a prerequisite for SD-based simulation modelling. A decision support system (DSS) is then developed to analyse the complex decision-making process along the supply chains.
The findings reveal that integration of the supply chain can bring economic, social and environmental sustainability along with a structured production process. It is also observed that the poultry industry can apply the model outcomes in the real-life practices with minor adjustments. This present research has both theoretical and practical implications. The proposed model’s unique characteristics in mitigating the existing problems are supported by the sustainability and supply chain theories. As for practical implications, the poultry industry in Bangladesh can follow the proposed supply chain structure (as par the research model) and test various policies via simulation prior to its application. Positive outcomes of the simulation study may provide enough confidence to implement the desired changes within the industry and their supply chain networks.
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