Knowledge based economy –technological perspective: implications and solutions for agility improvement and innovation achievement in higher education

Nowadays, the universities, as driving forces of innovative economy and as components of modern society, based on knowledge and collaboration, face a number of challenges and difficulties. In order to overcome them and to create/ensure the bases of eScience education and research activities, universities have to change culturally, strategically, and operationally. The paper highlights the need for ICT (Information and Communications Technology) use and its implications for higher education. In addition, the study places the theoretical aspects into a specific context, combining technologies through interfunctionality in order to ensure academic education agility and innovation. This involves the use of knowledge, process management, service oriented architectures, and Cloud solutions, exemplifying on the Academy of Economic Studies, Bucharest case. The integrated approach is extended using the SharePoint 2010 platform to improve academic management and achieve harmonization of teaching and research and development content and methods with European Union standards. The platform has been implemented and tested within two AES departments and the Master’s Degree Studies in Computer Economics. The results have encouraged the integration of the proposed solution within the institution. The study was based on the authors' competences in the areas addressed and was joined with a rigorous analysis of technology trends and various EU countries (Italy, Germany France, Belgium, Netherlands etc.) universities outputs regarding knowledge economy implications for economic higher education studies.knowledge-based economy, information and communications technology, university studies in economics, university management, agility, innovation, SharePoint 2010

ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks: a literature review

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation is a complex and vibrant process, one that involves a combination of technological and organizational interactions. Often an ERP implementation project is the single largest IT project that an organization has ever launched and requires a mutual fit of system and organization. Also the concept of an ERP implementation supporting business processes across many different departments is not a generic, rigid and uniform concept and depends on variety of factors. As a result, the issues addressing the ERP implementation process have been one of the major concerns in industry. Therefore ERP implementation receives attention from practitioners and scholars and both, business as well as academic literature is abundant and not always very conclusive or coherent. However, research on ERP systems so far has been mainly focused on diffusion, use and impact issues. Less attention has been given to the methods used during the configuration and the implementation of ERP systems, even though they are commonly used in practice, they still remain largely unexplored and undocumented in Information Systems research. So, the academic relevance of this research is the contribution to the existing body of scientific knowledge. An annotated brief literature review is done in order to evaluate the current state of the existing academic literature. The purpose is to present a systematic overview of relevant ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks as a desire for achieving a better taxonomy of ERP implementation methodologies. This paper is useful to researchers who are interested in ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Results will serve as an input for a classification of the existing ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks. Also, this paper aims also at the professional ERP community involved in the process of ERP implementation by promoting a better understanding of ERP implementation methodologies and frameworks, its variety and history

Business Process Management Education in Academia: Status, challenges, and Recommendations

In response to the growing proliferation of Business Process Management (BPM) in industry and the demand this creates for BPM expertise, universities across the globe are at various stages of incorporating knowledge and skills in their teaching offerings. However, there are still only a handful of institutions that offer specialized education in BPM in a systematic and in-depth manner. This article is based on a global educators’ panel discussion held at the 2009 European Conference on Information Systems in Verona, Italy. The article presents the BPM programs of five universities from Australia, Europe, Africa, and North America, describing the BPM content covered, program and course structures, and challenges and lessons learned. The article also provides a comparative content analysis of BPM education programs illustrating a heterogeneous view of BPM. The examples presented demonstrate how different courses and programs can be developed to meet the educational goals of a university department, program, or school. This article contributes insights on how best to continuously sustain and reshape BPM education to ensure it remains dynamic, responsive, and sustainable in light of the evolving and ever-changing marketplace demands for BPM expertise

A Comprehensive, Competency-Based Education Framework Using Medium-Sized ERP Systems

Graduates with industry-relevant ERP competencies are highly sought after. This requirement is due to a dominance of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and the positive affect which good quality ERP specialists have on the success rate of ERP system implementation projects. Universities are therefore increasingly pressurised to supply graduates with the appropriate competencies and as a result have adopted a hands-on approach to teaching ERP systems in Information Systems (IS) degree programmes. Whilst several frameworks for ERP education have been proposed, they are not comprehensive and do not link the competencies required for ERP specialists with an appropriate approach to ERP adoption in the IS curriculum. A comprehensive, competency-based education framework for ERP education is proposed and implemented at a South African university. Analysis of the results reveals that the students enjoyed the hands-on use of the ERP system and that there was a positive improvement in self-efficacy and the competencies of the students

Innovation through process automation: Factors for success

This paper identifies critical success factors and inhibitors in process improvement initiatives, such as process automation and application integration. Business processes are considered vital organizational assets and key differentiator in a global competitive environment (Seethamraju, 2010). Several business process methodologies were considered to understand the efficacy of process improvement to realise desired benefits. A combined research methodology is used to deep dive into these factors. A pragmatic analysis of the phenomenology of an end-to-end study abroad application process of an Australian university after enabling automation and application integration is presented. In addition, a supplementary analysis of case studies on how different process improvement frameworks influence or inhibit success of process improvement initiatives. Factors in the BPM capability framework were mapped to identify these critical success factors and inhibitors. The outcome of this research will introduce a model to support organisations in continuous improvement initiatives

Um modelo de benchmarking de gestão de processos para instituições de ensino superior

Purpose: This research presents a multicriteria benchmarking participatory model able to classify Federal Higher Education Institutions (FHEIs) into three levels of process management maturity. Design/methodology/approach: The research was conducted into three stages: (i) assessment model development using the Delphi technique, (ii) data collection through a self-assessment process, and (iii) classification of the FHEIs using PROMSORT. Findings: The results showed that, regardless of the adoption of an optimistic or pessimistic perspective, most FHEIs (51.6% in the optimistic perspective and 54.8% in the pessimistic one) were classified as regular. It is also noteworthy that approximately 80% of the research participating FHEIs maintained their classifications in the sensitivity analysis. Among the six alternatives that presented classification variations, only three varied significantly, confirming the results obtained stability. Research limitations/implications: The use of a participatory approach promotes a consistent benchmark in terms of indicators and metrics to measure performances. Practical implications: PROMSORT provided flexibility to the model, since it is possible to modify the parameters and thresholds in order to adjust the model strictness. Originality/value: The development of a model through which the Federal Higher Education Institutions (FHEIs) can be continually evaluate their process management maturity level.Objetivo: Esta pesquisa apresenta um modelo participativo de benchmarking multicritério capaz de classificar as Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior (IFES) em três níveis de maturidade de gestão de processos. Desenho/metodologia/abordagem: A pesquisa foi conduzida em três estágios: (i) construção do modelo de avaliação utilizando a técnica Delphi, (ii) coleta de dados através de um processo de autoavaliação, e (iii) classificação das IFES utilizando o PROMSORT. Resultados: Os resultados mostraram que, independentemente da adoção de uma perspectiva otimista ou pessimista, a maioria das IFES (51,6% na perspectiva otimista e 54,8% na pessimista) foram classificadas como regulares. Também é notável que aproximadamente 80% das IFES participantes da pesquisa mantiveram suas classificações na análise de sensibilidade. Entre as seis alternativas que apresentaram variações de classificação, apenas três variaram significativamente, confirmando os resultados obtidos em termos de estabilidade. Limitações/implicações da pesquisa: O uso de uma abordagem participativa promove uma referência consistente em termos de indicadores e métricas para medir o desempenho. Implicações práticas: O PROMSORT proporcionou flexibilidade ao modelo, uma vez que é possível modificar os parâmetros e limiares a fim de ajustar o rigor do modelo. Originalidade/valor: Desenvolvimento de um modelo através do qual as Instituições Federais de Ensino Superior (IFES) podem avaliar continuamente seu nível de maturidade em gestão de processo

A model-driven method for the systematic literature review of qualitative empirical research

This paper explores a model-driven method for systematic literature reviews (SLRs), for use where the empirical studies found in the literature search are based on qualitative research. SLRs are an important component of the evidence-based practice (EBP) paradigm, which is receiving increasing attention in information systems (IS) but has not yet been widely-adopted. We illustrate the model-driven approach to SLRs via an example focused on the use of BPMN (Business Process Modelling Notation) in organizations. We discuss in detail the process followed in using the model-driven SLR method, and show how it is based on a hermeneutic cycle of reading and interpreting, in order to develop and refine a model which synthesizes the research findings of previous qualitative studies. This study can serve as an exemplar for other researchers wishing to carry out model-driven SLRs. We conclude with our reflections on the method and some suggestions for further researc