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1 – 10 of over 3000Jeongwook Kim, Jintae Kim, Sooyong Park and Vijayan Sugumaran
As systems get complex, requirements elicitation and analysis are becoming increasingly difficult and important in software development. Even though various analysis methods have…
Abstract
As systems get complex, requirements elicitation and analysis are becoming increasingly difficult and important in software development. Even though various analysis methods have been proposed, including scenario‐based analysis, goal‐based analysis, combining goal with scenario and use case‐driven analysis – each method has its own strengths and weaknesses and do not support requirements elicitation and analysis efficiently. This paper proposes a multi‐view approach to analyze the requirements of complex software systems. The multi‐view approach comprises four views, which incorporate many factors that are part of existing methods. This paper discusses the need for these four views, the activities that are part of each view and how they are carried out. As a proof of concept, we apply the multi‐view approach to an automatic teller machine system development.
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The purpose of this paper is to create a resilient supply chain (SC) plan to contain disruptions and risks in the overall operations of a business.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to create a resilient supply chain (SC) plan to contain disruptions and risks in the overall operations of a business.
Design/methodology/approach
The study integrates resilience considerations in a business planning model that formulates resilience performance (RP) of SC functions in terms of flexibility, reliability, and similar system factors. It evaluates the RP of SC plans and determines their vulnerability considering required and planned resources. The model estimates the possible effects of disasters on vulnerable functions using a scenario-based analysis and plans containment options. It also includes decision options for deploying resources to achieve the expected levels of resilience by preventing potential vulnerabilities. The model takes optimum decision in a what-if approach by comparing performance of the existing business plan, with options for containing the vulnerabilities inherent in not considering potential risks when planning to fulfill market demand, and the performance of a resilient plan that includes decision options to prevent vulnerabilities where possible and mitigate them otherwise.
Findings
It is possible, for example, to evaluate RP of SC plans, identify vulnerable functions, and decide optimum option to create resilient business system.
Research limitations/implications
The present study takes a generic approach and creates bases to explore its application in any industry-based case.
Originality/value
The research introduces formulations for RPs and vulnerability indices that can be included in a planning model to create a resilient SC.
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This paper aims to classify different types of “user-visible cryptography” and evaluate the value of user-visible cryptographic mechanisms in typical email and web scenarios for…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to classify different types of “user-visible cryptography” and evaluate the value of user-visible cryptographic mechanisms in typical email and web scenarios for non-expert IT users.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors review the existing literature, and then identify user stories typical to their users of interest. They analyse the risks, mitigations of risks and the limits of those mitigations in the user stories.
Findings
The scenarios identified suggest that background, opportunistic encryption has value, but more explicit, user-visible cryptographic mechanisms do not provide any further mitigation. Other mechanisms beyond technological mitigations provide the required mitigation for the users.
Research limitations/implications
Further work should be carried out on the trust issues with trusted third parties, as they are intrinsic to global, automated cryptographic mechanisms. The authors suggest that deployed systems should rely on automation rather than explicit user involvement; further work on how best to involve users effectively remains valuable.
Practical implications
Deployed systems should rely on automation rather than explicit user dialogues. This follows from recognised aspects of user behaviour, such as ignoring dialogues and unconsciously making a holistic assessment of risk that is mostly mitigated by social factors.
Social implications
The user populations concerned rely significantly on the existing legal and social infrastructure to mitigate some risks, such as those associated with e-commerce. Guarantees from third parties and the existence of fallback procedures improve user confidence.
Originality/value
This work uses user stories as a basis for a holistic review of the issues surrounding the use of cryptography. The authors concentrate on a relatively large population (non-expert IT users) carrying out typical tasks (web and email).
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Dan Wang, Xueqing Wang, Lu Wang, Henry Liu, Michael Sing and Bingsheng Liu
This study aims to develop a Stackelberg Game Model for seeking the optimal subsidy plans with varying levels of government financial capability (GFC). Furthermore, the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to develop a Stackelberg Game Model for seeking the optimal subsidy plans with varying levels of government financial capability (GFC). Furthermore, the scenario-based analysis is conducted and will enable governments to identify a comprehensive subsidy plan as follows: improve project performance and optimise social welfare.
Design/methodology/approach
A Stackelberg Game Model is developed to optimise the effectiveness of subsidies on the performance of public-private partnerships (PPPs).
Findings
According to the scenarios that are generated from the model, governments that are confronting with limited public budgets could reduce the intensity of performance incentives and increase the participation-oriented subsidy. Whilst a participation-oriented subsidy can stimulate private organisations’ willingness to participate in infrastructure PPPs, a performance-oriented subsidy is capable of facilitating the projects’ performances. Intuitively, the performance-oriented subsidy enables the private entities of PPPs to improve their efforts on the projects to realise higher profits. However, the participation-oriented subsidy is unable to affect the level of their effort spent on the projects. To satisfy both parties’ expectations in a PPP, the performance-oriented subsidy needs to be prioritised for a purpose of enabling higher quality outputs.
Practical implications
The game model developed in this study contributes to the literature by offering new insight into the underlying mechanism of governments and private entities, in terms of their decision-making for subsidy planning and contributions (i.e. resource allocation and spending) during the life-cycle of PPPs. This research enriches the government subsidy model by revealing the effects of the GFC and clarifies the impacts of two different schemes of subsidy on the performance of PPPs.
Originality/value
The government has been conventionally viewed as being omnipotent to provide PPPs with a wide range of subsidies. However, the subsidies are not unlimited, due to GFC. In addressing this void, this study has modelled the impacts of government subsidy plans with a consideration of GFC-related constraints. The combined effects of the participation- and performance-oriented subsidies on the project performance of PPPs have been examined.
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Shekhar Shukla, B.K. Mohanty and Ashwani Kumar
The purpose of this paper is to highlight an innovative approach to explore and evaluate the sustainability perspectives in e-commerce channels for additive manufacturing (AM)…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to highlight an innovative approach to explore and evaluate the sustainability perspectives in e-commerce channels for additive manufacturing (AM). This approach helps the stakeholders to perform strategic planning dependent on a scenario-based analysis.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper structures the problem of understanding the sustainability perspectives of e-commerce channels for AM using value-focused thinking to identify the related fundamental objectives. These objectives assist in creating dynamic scenarios based on fuzzy cognitive maps of different e-commerce channels for AM.
Findings
To evaluate the proposed research methodology, four scenarios were developed for each e-commerce channel for AM. The exploration and evaluation of one of these scenarios assisted in explaining the whereabouts of the process to aid in strategizing decision situations and understanding these channels better from the sustainability perspective.
Practical implications
The approach presented in this paper can be used by the practitioners to perform strategic planning for prioritizing sustainability in e-commerce channels for AM; considering the consequences and trade-offs wrt the other factors. Moreover, the scenario-based analysis can be performed depending on the problem requirements of the stakeholder.
Originality/value
The paper addresses the gap of understanding the theoretical aspect of the sustainability perspective in e-commerce channels for AM and the practical aspect of exploring and evaluating them. A scenario-based analysis for each e-commerce channel based on the fundamental objectives of sustainability provides insights for implementation and directions for future research.
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Joanne Louise Tingey-Holyoak and John Dean Pisaniello
This study aims to explore the need for improved data sources and models for COVID-19 and climate-related risk scenario analysis in primary production. The COVID-19 pandemic is…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the need for improved data sources and models for COVID-19 and climate-related risk scenario analysis in primary production. The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting global markets for agricultural produce, making short-term forecasting highly uncertain. Meanwhile climate-related risk continues for agricultural businesses. Farmers and their accountants need to plan and make estimates about the potential effect of COVID-19 and ongoing climate risks to their natural and financial capital and so they need accounting-integrated biophysical and socio-economic data streams.
Design/methodology/approach
This research note reviews the current state of scenario-based planning for COVID-19 and other risks for Australian businesses generally, in addition to planning for farming businesses more specifically. Discussion of the authors’ current research in integrating accounting and farming data for water-related risk caused by climate and other challenges is presented as an analogous case.
Findings
Review and analogous case comparison demonstrate the need for farm data to be integrated more efficiently and effectively with accounting data for accurate scenario planning for COVID-19 and other risks, including those posed by climate.
Practical implications
While not strangers to the need for scenario analysis, given exposure to ever-increasing natural resource and climate variability, this research note highlights how primary producers and their accountants require increased accounting-integrated farm data and systems to make judgements, assumptions and estimates about the potential effect of COVID-19 and ongoing climate risks to their business.
Social implications
The sustainability of the agricultural sector is of great relevance to all of us and so the development of tools and resources that can assist food producers in times of ongoing climate pressures and new crises, such as COVID-19, is important. Better understanding of such risks can help farm businesses develop effective strategies which minimise the potential loss of agricultural value resulting in improved flows of greater capital value for society.
Originality/value
Through application to the analogous case of water-related risk and decision-making, the research note demonstrates that linking of biophysical and accounting data streams will be essential for evidence-backed numbers included in scenario plans with enough legitimacy to be interrogated inside and outside of the business. The “best estimate of the directors” is no longer enough in challenging socio-economic and biophysical times ahead for primary producers.
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Michael Hiete, Mirjam Merz and Frank Schultmann
Power outages which may be triggered, for example, by natural hazards and system failures are a common phenomenon, associated with large impacts on society including the…
Abstract
Purpose
Power outages which may be triggered, for example, by natural hazards and system failures are a common phenomenon, associated with large impacts on society including the healthcare sector. Minimising adverse impacts effectively requires an analysis of possible impacts and the identification of measures aiming at reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience.
Design/methodology/approach
To systematically identify impacts as well as preparation, mitigation and recovery (PMR) measures, a moderated workshop with participants representing different healthcare sub‐sectors in Germany was conducted and complemented by semi‐structured interviews and a thorough analysis of literature. Impacts were determined for three scenarios of power outage duration, <8, 8‐24 and >24 hours.
Findings
Whereas hospitals are in general well prepared with respect to shorter outages, due to obligatory emergency power in Germany, outpatient medical care, nursing homes (NH) and, in particular, home‐care nursing are early affected. Failure of these sub‐sectors puts additional strains on hospitals. If outages last more than one day and are associated with failure of other critical infrastructures (CIs), especially water supply, hospitals may be severely affected. Effective preparation and mitigation measures identified based on a facility‐specific impact analysis, as well as good cooperation between actors, may reduce impacts.
Originality/value
The largely case‐study‐based literature is complemented by a systematic and extensive analysis of direct and indirect impacts on the main healthcare sub‐sectors in Germany, followed by an identification of specific PMR measures. As a novelty outage duration is explicitly accounted for. Also, interdependencies between the healthcare sub‐sectors as well as dependencies on other CI are considered.
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Reza Alizadeh and Leili Soltanisehat
The purpose of this paper is to envision the alternative futures of the design and manufacturing industry using an integrated foresight method based on scenario planning. Also…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to envision the alternative futures of the design and manufacturing industry using an integrated foresight method based on scenario planning. Also, the authors aim at developing robust strategies for an enterprise that aims to be placed as a leading high-tech international design and manufacturing company in 2035.
Design/methodology/approach
The proposed approach is created by integrating several foresight methods such as Delphi, scenario planning, MICMAC and cross-impact analysis.
Findings
Automation and sustainable development are found as the fundamental driving forces in the design and manufacturing industry. Four scenarios based on these driving forces and expert knowledge are created: innovation adaptation, forced automation (business-as-usual), sustainable era and automationless scenarios. For the developed scenarios, a set of strategies are proposed by asking experts about the strategies which can be taken to make the enterprise competitive in all developed scenarios in 2035. The main macro-level outcome is that economic and technological drivers will be the most important factors for design and manufacturing, followed by environmental and social factors.
Originality/value
The proposed method uses the strengths of traditional scenario planning but overcomes its weaknesses by suggesting a systematic process for scenario building and easy application.
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Rekha Raju, Manish Kumar and Manoj Changat
The purpose of this study is to show how scenario-based forecasting can give a better understanding of future commercial potential of a newly developed technology. This study aims…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to show how scenario-based forecasting can give a better understanding of future commercial potential of a newly developed technology. This study aims to bridge the existing gaps in technology commercialization process for various projects supported under innovation support schemes in India.
Design/methodology/approach
The scope of this study is to understand the commercial potential and future deployment prospect of “sun direct hot water system (SDHWS)”. Scenarios have been drawn using “cone of plausibility” method and the commercial potential forecasted under different scenarios using arithmetic and linear regression forecasting tool.
Findings
The SDHWS is an incremental innovation but has great potential to overcome major constraints and barriers associated with existing solar water heater (SWH) technologies. Among the three scenarios drawn, plausible scenario is most likely to happen in future. The SDHWS is technically and economically capable of replacing existing conventional systems of SWHs.
Research limitations/implications
The study is limited to developing alternate qualitative scenarios and, further, an attempt to quantify the commercial potential. Various assumptions have been taken because of non-availability of past data on SDHWS technology.
Originality/value
Scenario-based forecasting to understand commercial potential for innovative technology is a new approach. The adoption of such insight and analysis would brighten the chance of SDHWS technology to reach the market.
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