CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY IN ROMANIA

The purpose of this paper is to identify the main opportunities and limitations of corporate social responsibility (CSR). The survey was defined with the aim to involve the highest possible number of relevant CSR topics and give the issue a more wholesome perspective. It provides a basis for further comprehension and deeper analyses of specific CSR areas. The conditions determining the success of CSR in Romania have been defined in the paper on the basis of the previously cumulative knowledge as well as the results of various researches. This paper provides knowledge which may be useful in the programs promoting CSR.Corporate social responsibility, Supportive policies, Romania

Network Dynamics in the French-Speaking and English-Speaking IS Research Communities

Using bibliographic data, we illuminate and compare the main references and schools of thought of the French-speaking and the English-speaking Information Systems (IS) communities, as well as the main research themes that emerged from 1996 till 2016. With the help of bibliometric techniques, we investigate the intellectual organization of the two communities based on a dynamic mapping of their research networks over the two periods 1996–2006 and 2007–2016. For these periods, we investigate all articles published in a journal representative of each community (Systèmes d’Information & Management and Management Information Systems Quarterly), as well as the references cited by these articles. We highlight similarities and differences between the research networks of both communities

BRIDGING A SUPPOSEDLY UNBRIDGEABLE GAP: ELABORATING SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE FROM AND FOR PRACTICE

This article aims at advancing the still on-going conversations about the so-called research/practice gap. Some academics argue that it is not possible to develop knowledge that is both academically valuable and helpful for practice, while others hold the opposite view, justifying it on the basis of works published in top tier journals. The paper argues that the main reason scholars hold such contradictory views on this topic central to management science is the lack of explicitness of a number of founding assumptions which underlie their discourses, in particular the lack of explicitness of the epistemological framework in which the parties' arguments are anchored. The paper presents methodological guidelines for elaborating scientific knowledge both from and for practice, and illustrates how to use these guidelines on examples from a published longitudinal research project. In order to avoid the lack of explicitness pitfall, the paper specifies scientific and epistemological frameworks in which the knowledge elaborated in this methodological approach, when properly justified, can be considered as legitimate scientific knowledge.collaborative research ; constructivist epistemological paradigm ; sciences of the artificial ; organizational design science; rigor; actionability

Current trends on ICT technologies for enterprise information s²ystems

The proposed paper discusses the current trends on ICT technologies for Enterprise Information Systems. The paper starts by defining four big challenges of the next generation of information systems: (1) Data Value Chain Management; (2) Context Awareness; (3) Interaction and Visualization; and (4) Human Learning. The major contributions towards the next generation of information systems are elaborated based on the work and experience of the authors and their teams. This includes: (1) Ontology based solutions for semantic interoperability; (2) Context aware infrastructures; (3) Product Avatar based interactions; and (4) Human learning. Finally the current state of research is discussed highlighting the impact of these solutions on the economic and social landscape

Semantic discovery and reuse of business process patterns

Patterns currently play an important role in modern information systems (IS) development and their use has mainly been restricted to the design and implementation phases of the development lifecycle. Given the increasing significance of business modelling in IS development, patterns have the potential of providing a viable solution for promoting reusability of recurrent generalized models in the very early stages of development. As a statement of research-in-progress this paper focuses on business process patterns and proposes an initial methodological framework for the discovery and reuse of business process patterns within the IS development lifecycle. The framework borrows ideas from the domain engineering literature and proposes the use of semantics to drive both the discovery of patterns as well as their reuse

Les impacts de la technologie RFID et du réseau EPC sur la gestion de la chaîne d'approvisionnement : le cas de l'industrie du commerce de détail

«RÉSUMÉ» : Définie comme une technologie sans-fil d’identification et de collecte automatique des données, la technologie d’identification par radiofréquence (RFID) est en train d’émerger comme un nouveau système inter-organisationnel, qui va profondément transformer les processus et pratiques d’affaires de la chaîne d’approvisionnement. Toutefois, l’importance de la co-adoption de la technologie RFID et du réseau EPC dans la chaîne d’approvisionnement a jusqu’à présent reçu peu d’attention dans la littérature et très peu d’études empiriques ont été menées sur la valeur et les impacts de cette co-adoption de la RFID et du réseau EPC dans un contexte de chaîne d’approvisionnement. Cette recherche représente un premier effort visant à combler cette lacune dans la littérature sur ces questions spécifiques. Notre étude s’appuie sur la revue de littérature existante sur la technologie RFID et le réseau EPC, la théorie de la gestion de l’innovation, la gestion de la chaîne et les systèmes inter-organisationnels pour répondre aux questions de recherche suivantes : (i) Que comprend précisément la technologie RFID?; (ii) Quelle est l’infrastructure minimale que requiert cette technologie?; (iii) Quel lien existe-t-il entre la technologie RFID et le réseau EPC?; (iv) Quel rôle pourrait jouer un laboratoire universitaire dans le processus d’adoption de la technologie RFID et du réseau EPC?; (v) Quels sont les impacts de la technologie RFID et du réseau EPC sur les processus d’affaires et les flux d’informations intra- et inter-organisationnels, sur la main-d’œuvre, et sur les modèles d’affaires; (vi) Quelles sont les stratégies à mettre en œuvre pour, d’une part, guider l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre des divers scénarios d’adoption intégrant la technologie RFID et le réseau EPC et, d’autre part, faciliter la communication entre les différents acteurs impliqués dans le processus d’identification des modèles d’affaires appropriés et les infrastructures technologiques pouvant supporter l’adoption d’un scenario intégrant de ces technologies?»----------«ABSTRACT : Defined as a wireless automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technology, the Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology is emerging as an innovative inter-organizational system (IOS) that will profoundly transform the supply chain business processes and practices. However, the importance of the co-adoption of RFID and the EPC network within the supply chain has so far received insignificant attention in the literature and very few empirical studies have been conducted on the value and impacts of the co-adoption of RFID and EPC network in a supply chain context. This research represents an initial effort towards bridging the existing knowledge gap on these specific issues. Our study draws from the literature review on the RFID technology and the EPC network, the innovation management theory, the supply chain management and the inter-organizational systems to examine the following research questions : (i) What precisely does the RFID infrastructure include?; (ii) What is the link between the RFID technology and the EPC network? (iii) What role could play a university-based laboratory in the adoption process of the RFID technology and the EPC network?; (iv) What are the impacts of the RFID technology and the EPC network on intra-organizational and inter-organizational business processes and information flows, on the workforce, and on the existing business models; (v) What strategies should be implemented in order to, first, guide the development and the implementation of various adoption scenarios integrating the RFID technology and the EPC network, and, secondly, facilitate communication between the different stakeholders involved in the process of identifying the appropriate business models and technological infrastructure supporting the adoption of an optimal scenario integrating these technologies?

Les facteurs critiques de succès de l’implantation de l’ERM

Notre recherche vise à identifier les facteurs critiques du succès de l’implantation de l’Entreprise Risk Management (ERM). À cette fin, nous avons élaboré un modèle, c’est-à-dire une sorte de cadre de référence susceptible d’améliorer nos connaissances des déterminants de succès dans l’implantation de l’ERM, d’une part, et de guider les entreprises impliquées dans cette implantation, d’autre part. Étant donné le caractère holistique de l’ERM, nous avons adopté une approche systémique. Cette dernière nous a permis : 1) de conceptualiser les enjeux associés à l’implantation de l’ERM comme un tout au sens d’identifier les éléments et leurs attributs; 2) de déterminer les relations entre les éléments; 3) et de tenir compte de la dynamique de la gestion intégrée des risques que préconise l’ERM. Comme cadre théorique général, nous avons eu recours à la théorie sociotechnique, ce qui a orienté notre réflexion vers des construits : pilotage stratégique, implication des acteurs, parrainage de la direction, adaptation structurelle et climat organisationnel, du côté social, et capacité d’intégration des connaissances, capacité TI et capacité de changement, du côté des aspects techniques. L’approche de notre recherche est exploratoire avec un design d’étude corrélationnel et une recherche par enquête. Les données ont été collectées entre le 2 décembre 2012 et le 28 février 2013, par l’intermédiaire d’un questionnaire électronique. Nous avons procédé à la réduction des données à l’aide d’une analyse factorielle exploratoire. Pour la modélisation statistique proprement dite, nous avons eu recours aux équations structurelles par la méthode des moindres carrés partiels. Pour ce, nous avons utilisé le logiciel SmartPLS. Les résultats sont satisfaisants et nous ont permis : a) de déceler des problèmes dans l’opérationnalisation de certains construits, b) de valider certaines des hypothèses, c) de tirer des conclusions que nous avons ventilées au début. Ces résultats nous ont aussi montré qu’il y avait d’autres facteurs qu’il n’était pas nécessaire de considérer dans une telle implantation. De manière générale, la recherche répond à notre question de recherche : « Quels sont les facteurs critiques du succès de l’implantation de l’ERM? ». Il en ressort aussi des contributions théoriques et pratiques. En ce qui a trait aux contributions théoriques, en premier lieu, notre étude contribue à une meilleure compréhension des facteurs de succès de l’implantation de l’ERM, car elle permet d’identifier de manière empirique les facteurs : Pilotage Stratégique, Implications des Acteurs, Parrainage de la Direction, Adaptation Structurelles, Capacité TI et Capacité de Changement Organisationnelle. En second lieu, notre recherche se distingue des études antérieures sur l’ERM également, car elle contribue à développer une perspective théorique relative à l’ERM en proposant de considérer l’ERM comme étant une innovation administrative et technologique, d’une part, et comme un système sociotechnique, d’autre part. En ce qui a trait aux contributions pratiques, les résultats empiriques suggèrent 1) que les gestionnaires accordent une attention importante au soutien de la haute direction avant de s’engager dans l’adoption et l’implantation de l’ERM; 2) que l’implantation réussie de l’ERM ne dépend pas uniquement de la disponibilité des ressources techniques physiques et humaines, les gestionnaires doivent s’assurer d’intégrer les processus opérationnels et technologiques.Abstract : Our research aims to identify the critical success factors for the implementation of the Enterprise Risk Management (ERM). To this end, we have developed a model, meaning a kind of framework to improve our knowledge of the determinants of success in implementing ERM, on the one hand and guide companies involved in this implementation, on another hand. Given the holistic nature of the ERM, we have adopted a systemic approach, which allowed us to: 1) to conceptualize the issues associated with the implementation of ERM as a whole in the sense of identifying the elements and their attributes; 2) to determine the relationship between the elements; 3) and take into account the dynamics of integrated risk management advocated by the ERM. As a general theoretical framework, we used the socio-technical theory, which guided our thinking towards the variables: strategic management, stakeholder involvement, sponsorship management, structural adjustment and organizational climate, on the social side, and capacity integration of knowledge, IT capability and capacity for change, on the side of the technical aspects. The approach of this research is exploratory with a design of correlation study and survey research. Data collection was done between December 2, 2012 and February 28, 2013, via an electronic questionnaire. We performed data reduction using an exploratory factor analysis. For the statistical modeling, we used Structural Equations Modeling (SEM) technique with Partial Least Squares (PLS) as the method. For this, we used the SmartPLS software. The results are satisfactory and allowed us to: a) identify problems in the application of some variables, b) validate some of the hypothesis, c) to confirm some 8 ideas which we have in the beginning. These results also showed that there were other factors that it was not necessary to consider in such implementation. In general, the research responds to our research question: "What are the critical success factors for the implementation of the ERM?". It also gives some theoretical and practical contributions. Concerning the theoretical contributions, in the first place, our study contributes to a better understanding of the factors of successful implementation of ERM, as it allows to identify empirically the follow factors: Strategic Driving, Employee Implication, Board Implication, Structure Adaptation, IT Capacity and Change Capacity. Second, our research differs from previous studies on the ERM because it helps to develop a theoretical perspective on the ERM proposing to consider the ERM as an administrative and technological innovation on the one hand, and as a sociotechnical system, on the other hand. Moreover, in respect to practical contributions, empirical results suggest 1) Members of the board and senior managers are supposed to understand the importance of giving support for the implementation team even before engaging in the adoption and implementation of ERM; 2) the successful implementation of ERM does not depend only on the availability of physical, technical and human resources, Senior managers should be engaged in the integration of operational and technological processes

Semantic data integration for supply chain management: with a specific focus on applications in the semiconductor industry

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is essential to monitor, control, and enhance the performance of SCs. Increasing globalization and diversity of Supply Chains (SC)s lead to complex SC structures, limited visibility among SC partners, and challenging collaboration caused by dispersed data silos. Digitalization is responsible for driving and transforming SCs of fundamental sectors such as the semiconductor industry. This is further accelerated due to the inevitable role that semiconductor products play in electronics, IoT, and security systems. Semiconductor SCM is unique as the SC operations exhibit special features, e.g., long production lead times and short product life. Hence, systematic SCM is required to establish information exchange, overcome inefficiency resulting from incompatibility, and adapt to industry-specific challenges. The Semantic Web is designed for linking data and establishing information exchange. Semantic models provide high-level descriptions of the domain that enable interoperability. Semantic data integration consolidates the heterogeneous data into meaningful and valuable information. The main goal of this thesis is to investigate Semantic Web Technologies (SWT) for SCM with a specific focus on applications in the semiconductor industry. As part of SCM, End-to-End SC modeling ensures visibility of SC partners and flows. Existing models are limited in the way they represent operational SC relationships beyond one-to-one structures. The scarcity of empirical data from multiple SC partners hinders the analysis of the impact of supply network partners on each other and the benchmarking of the overall SC performance. In our work, we investigate (i) how semantic models can be used to standardize and benchmark SCs. Moreover, in a volatile and unpredictable environment, SC experts require methodical and efficient approaches to integrate various data sources for informed decision-making regarding SC behavior. Thus, this work addresses (ii) how semantic data integration can help make SCs more efficient and resilient. Moreover, to secure a good position in a competitive market, semiconductor SCs strive to implement operational strategies to control demand variation, i.e., bullwhip, while maintaining sustainable relationships with customers. We examine (iii) how we can apply semantic technologies to specifically support semiconductor SCs. In this thesis, we provide semantic models that integrate, in a standardized way, SC processes, structure, and flows, ensuring both an elaborate understanding of the holistic SCs and including granular operational details. We demonstrate that these models enable the instantiation of a synthetic SC for benchmarking. We contribute with semantic data integration applications to enable interoperability and make SCs more efficient and resilient. Moreover, we leverage ontologies and KGs to implement customer-oriented bullwhip-taming strategies. We create semantic-based approaches intertwined with Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms to address semiconductor industry specifics and ensure operational excellence. The results prove that relying on semantic technologies contributes to achieving rigorous and systematic SCM. We deem that better standardization, simulation, benchmarking, and analysis, as elaborated in the contributions, will help master more complex SC scenarios. SCs stakeholders can increasingly understand the domain and thus are better equipped with effective control strategies to restrain disruption accelerators, such as the bullwhip effect. In essence, the proposed Sematic Web Technology-based strategies unlock the potential to increase the efficiency, resilience, and operational excellence of supply networks and the semiconductor SC in particular