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The authors use the extension mechanism provided by the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) to define roles, which allows roles to be fully aligned with the BPMN standard. The authors describe how a pattern can be defined in terms of roles and present the formal semantics of pattern realization and refinement to support systematic reuse of patterns in business process development.

It is widely agreed that the use of business process patterns improves the efficiency and quality of business process development. However, few techniques are available to describe business process patterns at an appropriate level of abstraction to facilitate the reuse of patterns. To address this, this paper presents the role-based Business Process Model and Notation (R-BPMN), an extension of BPMN for abstract modeling of business process patterns based on a novel notion of role.

The authors apply R-BPMN in case studies for pattern realization and refinement and discuss tool support via an existing tool. The case studies demonstrate the practical benefits of R-BPMN in capturing pattern variability and facilitating pattern reuse.

The findings imply a potential impact of R-BPMN on practical benefits when it is supported at the metamodel level in tool development.

This study addresses the need for abstract modeling of process patterns at the metamodel level, which facilitates the formalization of pattern variability and tool development to support various realizations of process patterns at the model level.

The purpose of this paper is to present outcomes of efforts made over the last 20 years to extend the applicability of the Richardson extrapolation procedure to numerical predictions of multidimensional, steady and unsteady, fluid flow and heat transfer phenomena in regular and irregular calculation domains.

Pattern-preserving grid-refinement strategies are proposed for mathematically rigorous generalizations of the Richardson extrapolation procedure for numerical predictions of steady fluid flow and heat transfer, using finite volume methods and structured multidimensional Cartesian grids; and control-volume finite element methods and unstructured two-dimensional planar grids, consisting of three-node triangular elements. Mathematically sound extrapolation procedures are also proposed for numerical solutions of unsteady and boundary-layer-type problems. The applicability of such procedures to numerical solutions of problems with curved boundaries and internal interfaces, and also those based on unstructured grids of general quadrilateral, tetrahedral, or hexahedral elements, is discussed.

Applications to three demonstration problems, with discretizations in the asymptotic regime, showed the following: the apparent orders of accuracy were the same as those of the numerical methods used; and the extrapolated results, measures of error, and a grid convergence index, could be obtained in a smooth and non-oscillatory manner.

Strict or approximate pattern-preserving grid-refinement strategies are used to propose generalized Richardson extrapolation procedures for estimating grid-independent numerical solutions. Such extrapolation procedures play an indispensable role in the verification and validation techniques that are employed to assess the accuracy of numerical predictions which are used for designing, optimizing, virtual prototyping, and certification of thermofluid systems.

To contribute for a reliable estimation of the compressive strength of unreinforced masonry from the properties of the constituents (units and mortar).

Sophisticated non‐linear continuum models, based on damage, plasticity, cracking or other formulation, are today standard in several finite element programs. The adequacy of such models to provide reliable estimates of masonry compressive strength, from the properties of the constituents, remains unresolved. The authors have shown recently that continuum models might significantly overestimate the prediction of the compressive strength. Hence, an alternative phenomenological approach developed in a discrete framework is proposed, based on attributing to masonry components a fictitious micro‐structure composed of linear elastic particles separated by non‐linear interface elements. The model is discussed in detail and a comparison with experimental results and numerical results using a standard continuum model is provided.

Clear advantages in terms of compressive strength and peak strain prediction were found using the particle model when compared with standard continuum models. Moreover, compressive and tensile strength values provided by the model were found to be particle size‐ and particle distortion‐independent for practical purposes. It is also noted that size‐dependent responses were obtained and that shear parameters rather than tensile parameters were found to play a major role at the meso‐level of the phenomenological model.

This paper provides further insight into the compressive behaviour of quasi‐brittle materials, with an emphasis on the strength prediction of masonry composites. Reliable prediction of masonry strength is of great use in the civil engineering field, allowing one to reduce experimental testing in expensive wallets and to avoid the usage of conservative empirical formulae.

A general strategy is developed for adaptive finite element (FE) analysis of free vibration of elastic membranes based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique.

By linearizing the free vibration problem of elastic membranes into a series of linear equivalent problems, reliable a posteriori point-wise error estimator is constructed via EEP super-convergent technique. Hierarchical local mesh refinement is incorporated to better deal with tough problems.

Several classical examples were analyzed, confirming the effectiveness of the EEP-based error estimation and overall adaptive procedure equipped with a local mesh refinement scheme. The computational results show that the adaptively-generated meshes reasonably catch the difficulties inherent in the problems and the procedure yields both eigenvalues with required accuracy and mode functions satisfying user-preset error tolerance in maximum norm.

By reasonable linearization, the linear-problem-based EEP technique is successfully transferred to two-dimensional eigenproblems with local mesh refinement incorporated to effectively and flexibly deal with singularity problems. The corresponding adaptive strategy can produce both eigenvalues with required accuracy and mode functions satisfying user-preset error tolerance in maximum norm and thus can be expected to apply to other types of eigenproblems.

While the business process management (BPM) literature highlights the significance of aligning employee appraisals and rewards practices with business processes, little is known about the realization. The purpose of this paper is to concretize the impact of process-oriented appraisals and rewards on business process performance and to provide empirical evidence on how organizations actually align their appraisals and rewards practices with BPM.

A mixed-method approach has been employed by combining survey results with case studies to offer first-hand evidence. Survey data have been used to quantify the real impact of process-oriented appraisals and rewards. Next, case studies with 10 organizations have allowed us to gain deeper insight into organizational practices for making appraisals and rewards more process-oriented.

The survey proves that process-oriented employee appraisals and rewards positively affect performance if different employee levels are involved. The case studies reveal similarities and differences in alignment efforts across organizations, based on pattern-matching and a multidimensional analysis, resulting in four alignment patterns.

The findings extend knowledge about appraisals and rewards within a business process context by providing a quantification and pattern refinement, which specifically advance a BPM-facilitating culture.

Managers and executives benefit from the recommendations for a gradual BPM adoption to improve the success of their business processes and their people-related practices.

The authors offer one of the first in-depth, cross-disciplinary studies that intend to bridge between the disciplines of BPM and human resource management (HRM).

This study aims to propose a general and efficient adaptive strategy with local mesh refinement for two-dimensional (2D) finite element (FE) analysis based on the element energy projection (EEP) technique.

In view of the inflexibility of the existing global dimension-by-dimension (D-by-D) recovery method via EEP technique, in which displacements are recovered through element strips, an improved element D-by-D recovery strategy was proposed, which enables the EEP recovery of super-convergent displacements to be implemented mostly on a single element. Accordingly, a posteriori error estimate in maximum norm was established and an EEP-based adaptive FE strategy of h-version with local mesh refinement was developed.

Representative numerical examples, including stress concentration and singularity problems, were analyzed; the results of which show that the adaptively generated meshes reasonably reflect the local difficulties inherent in the physical problems and the proposed adaptive analysis can produce FE displacement solutions satisfying the user-specified tolerances in maximum norm with an almost optimal adaptive convergence rate.

The proposed element D-by-D recovery method is a more efficient and flexible displacement recovery method, which is implemented mostly on a single element. The EEP-based adaptive FE analysis can produce displacement solutions satisfying the specified tolerances in maximum norm with an almost optimal convergence rate and thus can be expected to apply to other 2D problems.

Collaborative information search (CIS) is a growing and significant research area. Query formulation and reformulation is an important search strategy in information search. However, limited research has investigated query behavior during CIS. The purpose of this paper is to characterize collaborative query reformulation (CQR) by exploring the sources of collaborative query (CQ) terms and the types and patterns of CQR in the context of tourism information search.

An empirical study was designed to investigate search query reformulation as tourists performed CIS on a devised interface. A total of 36 participants (in 18 pairs) took part in the study; data were documented in pre- and post-search questionnaires, search logs and chat logs.

The findings show that participants intermixed individual search and collaborative search during CIS. Participants constructed CQ terms mainly by selecting terms from individual search queries and discussion chat logs. Eight types of CQR were identified, with specialization (82 percent) accounting for the most used search tactics. At most times, participants were found to add terms to the previous query. Findings demonstrated 27 specific CQR patterns; in excess of two-third participants (69 percent) took only one move to reformulate CQ by adding terms, or replacing/using new words.

The results of this research can be used to inform the design of search systems supporting collaborative querying in CIS.

This study is highlighting an important research direction of CQ reformulation in collaborative search while previous studies of the topic are limited, comparing to the vast body of work on query reformulation in individual information search using regular search systems.

Much research has been conducted on how consumption is related to human relationships. Only a scarcity of studies has examined brand and product selection, as well as the consumption activities that individuals follow when pursuing a sense of group belonging. The literature comprises a single theoretical framework describing this phenomenon, a nascent proposition on which further research remains undeveloped. This study aims to examine the transferability of that theoretical framework in a different context to that used for its elaboration and its descriptive scope on purchasing goods and engaging in consumption activities to leverage belonging.

A deductive qualitative case study and pattern matching analysis technique were used, followed by structural coding analysis of interview data.

Findings reveal that the model is transferable, although its conceptual scope faces limitations. Individuals follow paths that need little or no excessive calculation in identifying a group to which they desire to belong, or the conduits to do so, and in certain cases the sense of belonging mediated by consumption is independent of display and confirmation by others. A refinement of the studied theoretical framework was carried out based on the findings, proposing an alternative framework termed the belonging-oriented consumption model, which provides a basis for future research on consumption related to pursuing a sense of belonging.

This study was limited to analysing those events in which consumption for the purpose of pursuing group belonging is intentional. However, much of our consumption happens in a nuanced and unreflective way, and the same must go for consumption related to belonging.

The symbolic meaning that consumers attach to products and brands can vary based on how they are used and how consumers pursue a sense of belonging. The personality and distinctiveness of a product is influenced by the relationship between individuals and its use. Managers can establish concepts and elements of brand identity that ease brand display as a sign of belonging. They can also promote brand salience when the brand is used as a belonging conduit.

This study is significant because there is limited development in the academic literature, nor agreement among the authors, of a model that describes the components of consumption oriented towards pursuing a sense of group belonging. The author proposes the belonging-oriented consumption model, which provides a theoretical basis for future research on this topic.

The purpose of this paper is to consider double‐diffusive convection in a heated porous medium saturated with a fluid. Of particular interest is the case where the fluid has a stabilizing concentration gradient and small diffusivity.

A fully‐coupled stabilized finite element scheme and adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) methodology are introduced to solve the resulting coupled multiphysics application and resolve fine scale solution features. The code is written on top of the open source finite element library LibMesh, and is suitable for parallel, high‐performance simulations of large‐scale problems.

The stabilized adaptive finite element scheme is used to compute steady and unsteady onset of convection in a generalized Horton‐Rogers‐Lapwood problem in both two and three‐dimensional domains. A detailed study confirming the applicability of AMR in obtaining the predicted dependence of solutal Nusselt number on Lewis number is given. A semi‐permeable barrier version of the generalized HRL problem is also studied and is believed to present an interesting benchmark for AMR codes owing to the different boundary and internal layers present in the problem. Finally, some representative adaptive results in a complex 3D heated‐pipe geometry are presented.

This work demonstrates the feasibility of stabilized, adaptive finite element schemes for computing simple double‐diffusive flow models, and it represents an easily‐generalizable starting point for more complex calculations since it is based on a highly‐general finite element library. The complementary nature of h‐adaptivity and stabilized finite element techniques for this class of problem is demonstrated using particularly simple error indicators and stabilization parameters. Finally, an interesting double‐diffusive convection benchmark problem having a semi‐permeable barrier is suggested.

This empirical paper investigates the relationships between the amount of human capital that flows into a firm and two activities underlying a firm’s knowledge production, variation or change and knowledge retention. We track the flow of human capital within and across organizational and geographic space for all multi‐unit banks operating in the world foreign exchange trade industry from 1973 to 1993. The findings indicate that an increased reliance on past experience reduces how much human capital a firm imports in the future. This effect is moderated by a self‐reinforcing cycle of human capital inflow. Inflows of human capital also decline when a firm has recently adopted novel changes in its operations. The paper uses evolutionary thinking to define a model for intrafirm knowledge production.