Fostering e-participation sustainability through a BPM-driven semantic model

According to a recent Eurobarometer survey (2014), 68% of Europeans tend not to trust national governments. As the increasing alienation of citizens from politics endangers democracy and welfare, governments, practitioners and researchers look for innovative means to engage citizens in policy matters. One of the measures intended to overcome the so-called democratic deficit is the promotion of civic participation. Digital media proliferation offers a set of novel characteristics related to interactivity, ubiquitous connectivity, social networking and inclusiveness that enable new forms of societal-wide collaboration with a potential impact on leveraging participative democracy. Following this trend, e-Participation is an emerging research area that consists in the use of Information and Communication Technologies to mediate and transform the relations among citizens and governments towards increasing citizens’ participation in public decision-making. However, despite the widespread efforts to implement e-Participation through research programs, new technologies and projects, exhaustive studies on the achieved outcomes reveal that it has not yet been successfully incorporated in institutional politics. Given the problems underlying e-Participation implementation, the present research suggested that, rather than project-oriented efforts, the cornerstone for successfully implementing e-Participation in public institutions as a sustainable added-value activity is a systematic organisational planning, embodying the principles of open-governance and open-engagement. It further suggested that BPM, as a management discipline, can act as a catalyst to enable the desired transformations towards value creation throughout the policy-making cycle, including political, organisational and, ultimately, citizen value. Following these findings, the primary objective of this research was to provide an instrumental model to foster e-Participation sustainability across Government and Public Administration towards a participatory, inclusive, collaborative and deliberative democracy. The developed artefact, consisting in an e-Participation Organisational Semantic Model (ePOSM) underpinned by a BPM-steered approach, introduces this vision. This approach to e-Participation was modelled through a semi-formal lightweight ontology stack structured in four sub-ontologies, namely e-Participation Strategy, Organisational Units, Functions and Roles. The ePOSM facilitates e-Participation sustainability by: (1) Promoting a common and cross-functional understanding of the concepts underlying e-Participation implementation and of their articulation that bridges the gap between technical and non-technical users; (2) Providing an organisational model which allows a centralised and consistent roll-out of strategy-driven e-Participation initiatives, supported by operational units dedicated to the execution of transformation projects and participatory processes; (3) Providing a standardised organisational structure, goals, functions and roles related to e-Participation processes that enhances process-level interoperability among government agencies; (4) Providing a representation usable in software development for business processes’ automation, which allows advanced querying using a reasoner or inference engine to retrieve concrete and specific information about the e-Participation processes in place. An evaluation of the achieved outcomes, as well a comparative analysis with existent models, suggested that this innovative approach tackling the organisational planning dimension can constitute a stepping stone to harness e-Participation value.

Racionalização e redução de custos das TIC na Administração Pública: o caso da PSP

Dissertação de mestrado integrado em Engenharia e Gestão de Sistemas de Informação

A perceção dos alunos de ciências económicas e empresariais sobre a profissão de contabilista e de auditor

Dissertação de mestrado em Contabilidade

Scientific mindfulness: A foundation for future themes in international business.

We conceptualize new ways to qualify what themes should dominate the future international business and management (IB/IM) research agenda by examining three questions: Whom should we ask? What should we ask, and which selection criteria should we apply? What are the contextual forces? Our main findings are the following: (1) wider perspectives from academia and practice would benefit both rigor and relevance; (2) four key forces are climate change, globalization, inequality, and sustainability; and (3) we propose scientific mindfulness as the way forward for generating themes in IB/IM research. Scientific mindfulness is a holistic, cross-disciplinary, and contextual approach, whereby researchers need to make sense of multiple perspectives with the betterment of society as the ultimate criterion.

Selección e implantación de un sistema Business Intelligence, como extensión del actual ERP, en un servicio de ingeniería biomédica

El presente proyecto consiste en la implantación de un sistema destinado a la gestión empresarial en el que se complementa el actual ERP con un sistema Business Intelligence.

Managing Business Processes in Corporate Expansion

Yrityksen laajentuessa kansainvälisesti, olemassa olevat rutiinit jäävät vanhoiksi ja liiketoimintaprosessien johtaminen muuttuu. Kyseisten prosessien täytyy olla läpinäkyviä ja tietovirtojen hyvin suunniteltuja. Prosessien harmonisointi aiheuttaa haasteita yrityksessä ja konsernin etu tulee ottaa huomioon. Ahlstrom konserni laajentuu merkittävästi kaikilla liiketoiminta-alueillaan ja kansainvälinen laajentuminen vie Ahlstrom Glassfibre Oy:n täysin uuteen tilanteeseen. Liiketoimintaprosessien johtamiseen vaikuttavat konsernin ohjaus, mahdollisuudet muutosten implementoimiseksi, toimintaympäristön tekijät ja järjestelmien muodostama arkkitehtuuri. Tässä tutkimuksessa keskitytään ydinprosessien tietovirtoihin ja työ on tehty Karhulan tehtaalla Suomessa. Johtamismallin luomiseksi vaaditaan yrityksessä ongelmia määrittelevää työskentelyä. Tämä ongelmanmääritys oli työn tärkein tavoite. Ongelma-alueiden tutkimuksen pohjalta muodostettiin ratkaisu, jossa käsiteltiin systemaattisen liiketoimintaprosessien johtamisen mahdollisuuksia ja vaatimuksia. Lopputuloksena voidaan todeta, että suurin painopiste löytyy informaatioteknologian ja liiketoiminnan rajapinnoista. Tähän työhön liittyvät myös prossien harmonisointi ja integrointi.

Choice of Business Process Modeling Methodology - Case Northern Dimension Research Centre (NORDI) in Lappeenranta University of Technology

The main outcome of the master thesis is innovative solution, which can support a choice of business process modeling methodology. Potential users of this tool are people with background in business process modeling and possibilities to collect required information about organization’s business processes. Master thesis states the importance of business process modeling in implementation of strategic goals of organization. It is made by revealing the place of the concept in Business Process Management (BPM) and its particular case Business Process Reengineering (BPR). In order to support the theoretical outcomes of the thesis a case study of Northern Dimension Research Centre (NORDI) in Lappeenranta University of Technology was conducted. On its example several solutions are shown: how to apply business process modeling methodologies in practice; in which way business process models can be useful for BPM and BPR initiatives; how to apply proposed innovative solution for a choice of business process modeling methodology.

Yritysvastuu ympäristönäkökulmasta

Diplomityön tavoitteena on selvittää yritysvastuun sisältöä ja merkitystä yritysten toiminnassa. Vastuullinen yritystoiminta sisältää taloudellisen, sosiaalisen ja ympäristön näkökulman. Ne ovat yksi edellytys yrityksen toiminnan jatkuvuudelle ja menestykselle. Työssä keskitytään erityisesti yritysvastuun ympäristönäkökulmaan, sillä ympäristöasiat ovat yhä enemmän esillä. Huoli ympäristön tilasta on lisääntynyt selvästi ja myös kuluttajat vaativat yrityksiltä vastuullista toimintaa. Lisäksi ympäristöön liittyvä lainsäädäntö kiristyy ja säädökset lisääntyvät. Kestävän kehityksen mukainen toiminta säästää luonnonvaroja ja vähentää ympäristön saastumista. Ympäristöasiat on huomioitava yrityksen kaikessa toiminnassa. Vihreässä taloudessa ympäristölle aiheutuu mahdollisimman vähän haittaa. Yrityksillä on merkittävä asema vihreän talouden kehittämisessä, sillä yritykset voivat vähentää toiminnasta aiheutuvia ympäristövaikutuksia, tuottaa ympäristöä säästäviä tuotteita sekä tarjota ratkaisuja ympäristövaikutusten pienentämiseen. Uuden teknologian kehittäminen on kestävän kehityksen kannalta oleellista ja siten voidaan myös saavuttaa kilpailuetua. Yritysten ympäristövastuullista toimintaa tukevat ympäristöpolitiikka ja –strategia, ympäristöjohtaminen, ympäristöjärjestelmät, ympäristöriskianalyysit, ympäristölaskenta sekä ympäristönmyötäinen tuotesuunnittelu. Nämä ovat työkaluja, jotka selventävät yritysten ympäristöön liittyviä tavoitteita ja päämääriä. Niitä voidaan hyödyntää päätöksenteon tukena ja ympäristöasioiden kehittämisessä. Ympäristökysymykset on myös tärkeää saada yhdistetyksi yritysten taloudelliseen ohjaukseen ja tuotesuunnitteluun. Työn perusteella voidaan todeta, että vastuullinen toiminta on merkittävä osa yritysten kilpailukykyä ja se on tärkeää yrityksen tulevaisuuden kannalta. Vastuullisuus on ehdottomasti yksi edellytys yritysten toiminnan jatkuvuudelle. Vastuullinen toiminta edistää yrityksen kilpailukykyä ja sen avulla voidaan saavuttaa myös uusia asiakkaita ja markkina-alueita. Ympäristöystävällisempien tuotteiden kehittäminen, jätteen määrän vähentäminen ja prosessien tehostaminen tuovat yrityksille kustannussäästöjä. Vastuullinen toiminta lisää yritysten innovatiivisuutta ja uusien liiketoimintamallien syntymistä. Kuluttajavalinnoissa painottuvat enemmän myös ympäristöön ja yhteiskuntaan liittyvät arvot, joten vastuullisuus voi lisätä kysyntää ja asiakkaiden määrää. Myös rahoittajat ja uudet työntekijät ovat kiinnostuneita vastuullisista yrityksistä. Vastuullinen yritys nähdään houkuttelevana ja luotettavana yhteistyökumppanina.

The Present State and Future Prospects of a Manpower Pool as Part of Project Business

This research focused on operation of a manpower pool within a service business unit in Company X and aimed to identify how the operation should be improved in order to get most out of it concerning the future prospects of the service business unit. This was done by analyzing the current state of the manpower pool related operations in means of project business, project management and business models. The objective was to deepen the understanding and to highlight possible areas of improvement. The research was conducted as a qualitative single-case study utilizing also an action research method; the research approach was a combination of conceptual, action-oriented and constructive approaches. The primary data was collected with executing a comprehensive literature review and semi-structured theme interviews. The main results described how the manpower pool operates as part of the service business unit in project business by participating in different types of delivery projects; process flows for the project types were mapped. Project management was analyzed especially from the resource management point of view, and an Excel-based skills analysis model was constructed for this purpose. Utilization of operational business models was also studied to define strategic direction for development activities. The results were benchmarked against two competitors in order to specify lessons to be learnt from their use of operational business models.

Towards Inter-organizational Working Capital Management

Working capital is an investment which is tied up into the inventories and accounts receivable and which is released with accounts payable. Due to the current business landscape with tightened financial conditions and finance markets, organizations emphasize efficient working capital management. With efficient working capital management, a company can reduce the need of finance, free up cash, increase profitability, improve liquidity, increase the efficiency of operations, and decrease (financing) costs. From the perspective of an individual company, efficient working capital management means decreasing inventory levels by shortening the cycle time of inventories, decreasing accounts receivable by shortening the trade credit terms and effective collection procedures, and increasing the level of accounts payable by paying the suppliers later. From an inter-organizational perspective, however, working capital should not be sub-optimized by a single company but holistic view to working capital management through the supply chain should be adopted to create value and improve performance together. The purpose of this research is to take academic research as well as practical management towards inter-organizational working capital management. The thesis discusses the benefits as well as mechanisms of working capital management in the inter-organizational context and has two main objectives: (1) to examine the effect of inter-organizational working capital management on performance in the value chain context and (2) to develop models of working capital management for internal as well as inter-organizational value chains. The results of the archival research conducted in the value chain of the pulp and paper industry and the value chain of the automotive industry indicate that companies can increase relative profitability by managing working capital comprehensively by taking into account all three components, and holistically though the value chain. Companies in the value chain benefit from different strategies in working capital management depending on the position of the company in the value chain. This can be taken into account in inter-organizational working capital management. The effects of inter-organizational working capital management actions on the financing costs of working capital were studied via simulations. Simulations also show that the value chain and individual companies benefit from an inter-organizational view to working capital management. Inter-organizational working capital management actions include for example: shortening the cycle time of inventories, reducing product costs, shifting inventories, shortening payment terms, and considering the cost of capital. The thesis also provides solutions for the practical requirements for tools to control working capital. The design science part of the research introduces the adjusted cash conversion cycle (ACCC) model for internal value chains, as well as models for working capital management in the inter-organizational value chain context: the working capital management model (WCMM) and the financial cycle time model (FCTM) designed in corporation and product levels respectively. This research contributes to literature on working capital management and interorganizational accounting. The research gives a holistic, inter-organizational view to the management of working capital. It advances the knowledge in working capital management on operational level, increases knowledge in the recently risen theme of supply chainoriented, collaborative working capital management, combines management accounting research with supply chain management research, and contributes to the demand of practical inter-organizational accounting methods. In addition, the research has strong practical focus as new managerial methods are introduced.

Business process re-engineering -menetelmät myyntiprosessin tehokkuuden parantamisessa (Case-yritys)

Tämän Pro Gradu-tutkielman tavoite on tutkia Business Process Re-engineering menetelmiä myyntiprosessien tehostamisessa. Tutkimuksen teoreettinen viiteke-hys rakentuu myynninjohtamisen, myyntiprosessien ja Business Process Mana-gementin ja Business Process Re-enineeringin ympärille. IT-järjestelmät ovat myös oleellinen osa-alue tutkimuksen kannalta ja niiden osuutta kuvataan niin myyntiprosesseissa kuin Business Process Re-engineering -menetelmien yhtey-dessä. Tutkielmassa perehdytään aikaisempaan tutkimusmateriaaliin ja akateemiseen kirjallisuuteen yllämainituilla osa-alueilla. Tavoitteena on löytää aikaisempia tutki-muksia myyntiprosessien tehostamisesta ja BPR:n roolista näissä tapauksissa. Myös myynninjohtamisen vaikutusta tehokkaaseen myyntiprosessiin tutkitaan, kuten myös IT-järjestelmien erilaisia rooleja tehokkaissa myyntiprosesseissa. Tutkielman empiirinen osio on kvalitatiivinen Case-tutkimus eräässä rahoitusalan yrityksessä. Tutkimus tehdään haastattelemalla myyntihenkilöstöä ja esimiehiä. Lisäksi analysoidaan yrityksen myyntiprosessiin liittyvää muuta materiaalia. Case-tutkimuksen tuloksia peilataan aiempaan akateemiseen tutkimukseen ja tuloksista pyritään löytämään ratkaisuja, miten BPR -menetelmillä voidaan tehostaa yrityksen myyntiprosessia.

Improving business processes in a globally dispersed make-to-order supply chain. Case study on outbound logistics in a Multinational Corporation

The purpose of this thesis is to find out how outbound logistics process can be improved by reducing unnecessary waste in a globally dispersed make-to-order (MTO) supply chain. The research problem was addressed by a multinational corporation that aims to find a solution for reducing unnecessary waste in their outbound logistics process. The focus is on customized products that are delivered via sea transportation. Theoretical framework for improving outbound logistics processes in globally dispersed MTO supply chain was created based on business process management, Porter’s value chain theory, value stream mapping and current reality tree. The empirical research was conducted by using constructive approach due to its ability to research a practical problem and to improve the existing practices. The data was collected from ten semi-structured interviews and three non-participant observations. By analysing the data and applying the theoretical framework, five types of waste were detected in the process that were seen to derive from six root causes. Practical solution was constructed to reduce the waste in the process by combining the existing literature with the ideas raising from empirical data. The results of this thesis suggest that a MNC with a globally dispersed MTO supply chain can improve its outbound logistics process by applying activities that enhance internal and external integration, collaboration and coordination, and increase predictability of the process. This research has practical relevance both for the case company as well as for other MNCs with globally dispersed MTO supply chains that aim to improve their outbound logistics processes. This research contributes to the BPM and CRA research by providing an evidence for their applicability in the new context.

Managing Finnish-Russian Business Relationships and Networks During Conflicts

This thesis examines management of business relationships during conflicts. The context of this study is the international political conflict which started in 2013 and is still affecting international trade relations in 2016. More specifically, this study researches the effects of the conflict in Finnish-Russian trade. The research aim is to identify the implications of a political conflict in the Finnish-Russian business relationships and networks. Furthermore, the study will explore how does a company adapt or overcome the challenges and barriers posed by the international business environment. This research combines relevant theories in management of business relationships and networks in order to review the research data through a critical research frame. The theoretical frameworks are different structures of business relationship development processes, various stages of interaction, and characteristics and functions of business relationships. Moreover, this study will examine the effect of interdependency, commitment and trust in trade relations. Also, what are the important exchange processes and how do these processes affect business relationship and overall performance of joint business operations. Qualitative single case study method was used in this research. Case company was a Finnish multinational company. To understand the changes, the data was collected and analysed through process research approach by pattern-matching and drawing temporal bracketing over two different periods of time, first period in years 2011-2013 and second period in years 2014-2016. Empirical data was collected through a semi-structured interview and additional data was collected from internal and external secondary data sources. The findings of the study confirmed the relationship between trade and conflict. However, the effects are not significant for a company in grocery retail industry which has had earlier experience in Russia and has managed its business relationships and operations effectively. Macroeconomic factors affect companies operating in foreign dynamic markets and in order to sustain changes and to adapt, companies should invest in their business relationships. Trust-based relationships and a higher level of commitment allow companies to have more efficient and beneficial outcomes before and during uncertainty. Furthermore, well-maintained and coordinated business relationships provide the ability to adapt and overcome challenges during uncertainty. Such relationships have information, financial and social exchange processes which allow the partnering firms to have successful business relationship management in dynamic market environments.

Management decision-making in nursing

This study developed a new, valid and reliable evaluation instrument to measure the level, type and pattern of management decisions of fifteen nursing students. The management decision score achieved using this instrument was correlated with two psychological determinants of management decision making: creativity and problem-solving ability. The instrument was a written patient management problem in case format, answered by a free form written response. The student responses were classified for type of management decision according to the sub-categories of technical, inter-personal, environmental and unique. Using statistical analysis a significant difference was found in the type of management decisions most frequently selected by the study sample. The students predominantly selected technical type decisions. This preference for one type of management decision may be due to a number of psychological and environmental factors. These factors may program and mold the type of management decisions student nurses make early in their career. Low but positive correlations were found between the total management score and the two psychological tests. This finding supports the authors cited in the literature who state that although creativity augments the type of management decision making, it is not present or encouraged widely in the nursing profession. These factors are worth considering when the profession becomes concerned over ritualization and lack of individuality in patient care. The tool is easy to administer, lends itself to a variety of professional settings and shows promise with further refinement for computer application.

La gestion des ressources humaines et le succès des projets : le cas des pays en voie de développement

Les spécialistes de la gestion de projet sont partagés entre ceux qui défendent l’importance des pratiques de la GRH dans le succès global des projets et ceux qui demeurent sceptiques quant à l’existence d’une telle relation. Notre étude a pour objectif d’enrichir ce débat en tentant de confirmer ou infirmer l’existence d’une relation entre la GRH et le succès des projets dans les pays en voie de développement (PVD). La réalisation d’une étude dans les PVD, où les conditions (économiques, sociologiques, politiques, et cultuelles) sont différentes des pays industrialisés, permettra de savoir si la relation entre la GRH et le succès de projet varie en fonction des pays où le projet est implanté. Le choix de ce sujet de recherche est d’autant plus justifié que les études portant sur les facteurs de succès des projets dans les PVD, et en particulier sur la relation entre la GRH et le résultat de projets dans ses pays, sont plutôt rares. Nos résultats ont révélé que, bien que la GRH ait une relation significative avec le succès des projets dans les PVD, elle présente la corrélation la moins forte avec ce succès par rapport aux autres facteurs de succès étudiés. Ce résultat surprenant peut être expliqué essentiellement par les caractéristiques des PVD qui affectent la gestion de projet et la gestion des ressources humaines dans cette catégorie de pays. Il pourrait s’expliquer également par les caractéristiques spécifiques à la GRH dans le contexte de projet. Afin de mieux comprendre la relation entre les pratiques de GRH et le succès des projets dans les PVD, les recherches futures devraient accorder une attention particulière aux caractéristiques de la GRH propres au contexte de projet en général et au contexte de projet dans les PVD en particulier.