Dynamic weaving in aspect oriented business process management

Reducing complexity in Information Systems is an important topic in both research and industry. One strategy to deal with complexity is separation of concerns, which results in less complex, easily maintainable and more reusable systems. Separation of concerns can be addressed through the Aspect Oriented paradigm. Although this paradigm has been well researched in programming, it is still at the preliminary stage in the area of Business Process Management. While some efforts have been made to extend business process modelling with aspect oriented capability, it has not yet been investigated how aspect oriented business process models should be executed at runtime. In this paper, we propose a generic solution to support execution of aspect oriented business process models based on the principle behind dynamic weaving of aspects. This solution is formally specified using Coloured Petri Nets. The resulting formal specification serves as the blueprint to the implementation of a service module in the framework of a state-of-the-art Business Process Management System. Using this developed artefact, a case study is performed in which two simplified processes from real business in the domain of banking are modelled and executed in an aspect oriented manner. Through this case study, we also demonstrate that adoption of aspect oriented modularization increases the reusability while reducing the complexity of business process models in practice.

Enterprise social networks : a business model perspective

Enterprise Social Networks continue to be adopted by organisations looking to increase collaboration between employees, customers and industry partners. Offering a varied range of features and functionality, this technology can be distinguished by the underlying business models that providers of this software deploy. This study identifies and describes the different business models through an analysis of leading Enterprise Social Networks: Yammer, Chatter, SharePoint, Connections, Jive, Facebook and Twitter. A key contribution of this research is the identification of consumer and corporate models as extreme approaches. These findings align well with research on the adoption of Enterprise Social Networks that has discussed bottom-up and top-down approaches. Of specific interest are hybrid models that wrap a corporate model within a consumer model and may, therefore, provide synergies on both models. From a broader perspective, this can be seen as the merging of the corporate and consumer markets for IT products and services.

Corporate ownership, corporate governance reform and timeliness of earnings : Malaysian evidence

This paper provides the first evidence showing that ownership concentration and the identity of the largest shareholder matter to the timeliness of corporate earnings, measured by a stock price-based timeliness metric and the reporting lag. Using panel data of 1276 Malaysian firms from 1996 to 2009, we find a non-linear relationship between concentrated ownership, measured by the largest shareholding in a firm, and the reporting lag but not the timeliness of price discovery. Although firms with government as the largest shareholder and political connections have a significantly shorter reporting lag, only the former are timelier in price discovery. Firms with family and foreigners as the largest shareholder however are less timely in price discovery. While the reporting lag is shorter in the period after the integration of the Malaysian Code of Corporate Governance (MCCG) into Bursa listing rules, its impact on the timeliness of price discovery is mostly immaterial.

How international entrepreneurship characteristics influence Internet capabilities for the international business processes of the firm

This research explores the relationship between international entrepreneurship characteristics and the use of Internet capabilities for the international business processes of the firm. It has been suggested, that the accumulation of a firms Internet capability can assist international operations, especially when operating in fast changing dynamic Internet environments. However, international entrepreneurship characteristics which are seen as a precursor to leveraging Internet capabilities are still vague. Given this finding, eight case studies of small and medium sized travel and tourism firms were selected to investigate the influence of international entrepreneurship characteristics, and Internet capabilities for international business processes. Based on the eight in-depth case studies, the results signify that successful international entrepreneurial firms which encompass high levels of international innovativeness and proactiveness behaviour integrate Internet capabilities to a greater degree. Our findings also indicate that the prior international business experience, international risk-taking propensity and international networking characteristics are not necessarily precursors to successful integration of Internet capabilities for international business processes. On the contrary, international business experience and international networks actually lead to a reliance on traditional mechanisms of internationalisation and can dilute the development of Internet capabilities for international business processes.

Modelling the salient factors influencing retired business professionals' participation in episodic skilled volunteering in rural settings

Retired business professionals represent an unexplored source of skill support for struggling rural communities. This research examined the feasibility of drawing on this valuable pool of knowledge and experience by engaging retirees in short term, project based volunteering roles in rural, not for profit agencies. Using the theory of planned behaviour and the functional approach to volunteering, the program of study generated a model comprising the key psychological and contextual factors determining the volunteers' decision to provide skill assistance in rural settings. The model provides a useful resource for creating suitable volunteering opportunities and for informing volunteer recruitment strategies.

Posttraumatic growth in family members living with a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia

Family members living with a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia have reported challenges and traumatic stressors, as well as perceived benefits and personal growth. This study explored factors associated with posttraumatic growth (PTG) within such families. Personality, stress, coping, social support and PTG were assessed in 110 family members. Results revealed that a multiplicative mediational path model with social support and emotional or instrumental coping strategies as multi-mediators had a significant indirect effect on the relationship between extraversion and PTG. Clinically relevant concepts that map onto the multi-mediator model are discussed, translating these findings into clinical practice to facilitate naturally occurring PTG processes.

Livable Housing Design : Who will take responsibility?

Current housing design and construction practices do not meet the needs of many people with disability and older people, and limits their inclusion and participation in community and family life. In spite of a decade of advocacy for regulation of access within residential environments, the Australian government has opted for a voluntary approach where the housing industry takes responsibility. Housing industry leaders have indicated that they are willing to transform their established practice, if it makes good business to do so, and if there is a demand from home buyers. To date, there has been minimal demand. In 2010, housing industry and community leaders formalised this commitment in an agreement, called Livable Housing Design, to transform housing design and construction practices, with a target of all new housing providing minimal access by 2020. This paper reports on a study which examined the assumption behind Livable Housing Design agreement; that is, individuals in the housing industry will respond voluntarily and take responsibility for the provision of inclusive housing. From interviews with developers, designers and builders in Brisbane, Queensland, the study found a complex picture of competing demands and responsibilities. Instead of changing their design and construction practices voluntarily to meet the future needs of users over the life of housing, they are more likely to focus on their immediate contractual obligations and to maintain the status quo. Contrary to the view of the government and industry leaders, participants identified that an external regulatory framework would be required if Livable Housing Design’s 2020 goal was to be met.

Small business prosperity and wellbeing : an alternative measure for success among small business owners

This study investigated the influences of business prosperity on small business owners’ wellbeing with gender as a moderator. A sample of 687 Australian small business owners from the Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey (HILDA) from 2008 to 2010 was utilised. Findings suggest that procedural utility contributed to small business owners’ wellbeing over economic utility. Procedural utility was significantly related to small business owners’ wellbeing for males and females. However, economic utility contributed only to male small business owners’ wellbeing. In order to increase the understanding of these findings it is suggested that more theoretical work regarding gender differences in procedural and economic utility should be carried out.

Improving work and life balance : building a multilevel model of work-life balance focusing on group structure and relational job design

One in five Australian workers believes that work doesn’t fit well with their family and social commitments. Concurrently, organisations are recognising that to stay competitive they need policies and practices that support the multiple aspects of employees’ lives. Many employees work in group environments yet there is currently little group level work-life balance research. This paper proposes a new theoretical framework developed to understand the design of work groups to better facilitate work-life balance. This new framework focuses on task and relational job designs, group structures and processes and workplace culture.

Domestic violence and family law : recognition and appropriation

The battered women’s movement in the United States contributed to a sweeping change in the recognition of men’s violence against female intimate partners. Naming the problem and arguing in favour of its identification as a serious problem meriting a collective response were key aspects of this effort. Criminal and civil laws have been written and revised in an effort to answer calls to take such violence seriously. Scholars have devoted significant attention to the consequences of this reframing of violence, especially around the unintended outcomes of the incorporation of domestic violence into criminal justice regimes. Family law, however, has remained largely unexamined by criminologists. This paper calls for criminological attention to family law responses to domestic violence and provides directions for future research.

Business value from intelligent fields

The Smart Fields programme has been active in Shell over the last decade and has given large benefits. In order to understand the value and to underpin strategies for the future implementation programme, a study was carried out to quantify the benefits to date. This focused on actually achieved value, through increased production or lower costs. This provided an estimate of the total value achieved to date. Future benefits such as increased reserves or continued production gain were recorded separately. The paper describes the process followed in the benefits quantification. It identifies the key solutions and technologies and describes the mechanism used to understand the relation between solutions and value. Examples have been given of value from various assets around the world, in both existing fields and in green fields. Finally, the study provided the methodology for tracking of value. This helps Shell to estimate and track the benefits of the Smart Fields programme at company scale.

Risky Business : managing creative practice postgraduates

In Australia, as elsewhere, universities are being encouraged to grow their postgraduate research candidature base while at the same time there is increasing pressure on resources with which to manage the burgeoning groups. In this environment HDR supervision strategies are seen as increasingly important as research managers seek the best possible ‘fit’ for an applicant: the candidate who will provide a sound return on investment and demonstrate endurance in the pursuit of a timely completion.

A critical analysis of business process management education and alignment with industry demand : an Australian perspective

Business Process Management (BPM) is accepted globally as an organizational approach to enhance productivity and drive cost efficiencies. Studies confirm a shortage of BPM skilled professionals with limited opportunities to develop the required BPM expertise. This study investigates this gap starting from a critical analysis of BPM courses offered by Australian universities and training institutions. These courses were analyzed and mapped against a leading BPM capability framework to determine how well current BPM education and training offerings in Australia address the core capabilities required by BPM professionals globally. To determine the BPM skill-sets sought by industry, online recruitment advertisements were collated, analyzed, and mapped against this BPM capability framework. The outcomes provide a detailed overview on the alignment of available BPM education/training and industry demand. These insights are useful for BPM professionals and their employers to build awareness of the BPM capabilities required for a BPM mature organization. Universities and other training institutions will benefit from these results by understanding where demand is, where the gaps are, and what other BPM education providers are supplying. This structured comparison method could continue to provide a common ground for future discussion across university-industry boundaries and continuous alignment of their respective practices.