Value-Based Business-IT Alignment in Networked Constellations of Enterprises

Business-ICT alignment is the problem of matching ICTservices with the requirements of the business. In businesses of any significant size, business-ICT alignment is a hard problem, which is currently not solved completely. With the advent of networked constellations of enterprises, the problem gets a new dimension, because in such a network, there is not a single point of authority for making decisions about ICT support to solve conflicts in requirements these various enterprises may have. Network constellations exist when different businesses decide to cooperate by means of ICT networks, but they also exist in large corporations, which often consist of nearly independent business units, and thus have no single point of authority anymore. In this position paper we discuss the need for several solution techniques to address the problem of business-ICT alignment in networked constellations. Such techniques include: -RE techniques to describe networked value constellations requesting and offering ICT services as economic value. These techniques should allow reasoning about the matching of business needs with available ICT services in the constellation. - RE techniques to design a networked ICT architecture that supports ICT services required by the business, taking the value offered by those services, and the costs incurred by the architecture, into account. - Models of decision processes about ICT services and their architecture, and maturity models of those processes.The techniques and methods will be developed and validated using case studies and action research

Modularization Assessment of Product Architecture

Modularization refers to the opportunity for mixing-and-matching of components in a modular product design in which the standard interfaces between components are specified to allow for a range of variation in components to be substituted in a product architecture. It is through mixing-and-matching of these components, and how these components interface with one another, that new systems are created. Consequently, the degree of modularization inherent in a system is highly dependent upon the components and the interface constraints shared among the components, modules, and sub-systems. In this paper, a mathematical model is derived for analyzing the degree of modularization in a given product architecture by taking into consideration the number of components, number of interfaces, the composition of new-to-the-firm (NTF) components, and substitutability of components. An analysis of Chrysler windshield wipers controller suggests that two product architectures may share similar interface constraints, but the opportunity for modularization of one module is significant higher than the other due to the higher substitutability of its components and lower composition of NTF components.Product architecture, modularization, substitutability, new product development

Business integration models in the context of web services.

E-commerce development and applications have been bringing the Internet to business and marketing and reforming our current business styles and processes. The rapid development of the Web, in particular, the introduction of the semantic web and web service technologies, enables business processes, modeling and management to enter an entirely new stage. Traditional web based business data and transactions can now be analyzed, extracted and modeled to discover new business rules and to form new business strategies, let alone mining the business data in order to classify customers or products. In this paper, we investigate and analyze the business integration models in the context of web services using a micro-payment system because a micro-payment system is considered to be a service intensive activity, where many payment tasks involve different forms of services, such as payment method selection for buyers, security support software, product price comparison, etc. We will use the micro-payment case to discuss and illustrate how the web services approaches support and transform the business process and integration model.

Discovering the Dynamics of Smart Business Networks

In an earlier paper ,was discussed the necessary evolution from smart business networks, as based on process need satisfaction and governance, into business genetics [1] based on strategic bonds or decay and opportunistic complementarities. This paper will describe an approach and diffusion algorithms whereby to discover the dynamics of emergent smart business network structures and their performance in view of collaboration patterns over time. Some real life early analyses of dynamics are discussed based on cases and date from the high tech sector. Lessons learnt from such cases are also given on overall smart network dynamics with respect to local interaction strategies, as modelled like in business genetics by individual partner profiles, goals and constraints. It shows the weakness of static "business operating systems", as well as the possibly destabilizing clustering effects amongst nodes linked to filtering, evaluation and own preferences.dynamics;network performance;smart business networks;SBN;business genetics

Discovering the dynamics of smart business networks

Earlier research discussed the necessary evolution from smart business networks, as based on process need satisfaction and governance, into business genetics [1] based on strategic bonds or decay and opportunistic complementarities. This paper will describe an approach and diffusion algorithms whereby to discover the dynamics of emergent smart business network structures and their performance in view of collaboration patterns over time. Some real life early analyses of dynamics are discussed based on cases and date from the high tech sector. Lessons learnt from such cases are also given on overall smart network dynamics with respect to local interaction strategies, as modelled like in business genetics by individual partner profiles, goals and constraints. It shows the weakness of static “business operating systems”, as well as the possibly destabilizing clustering effects amongst nodes linked to filtering, evaluation and own preferences.smart business networks; business genetics; network performance; SBN; dynamics

Intelligent Agents - a Tool for Modeling Intermediation and Negotiation Processes

Many contemporary problems as encountered in society and economy require advanced capabilities for evaluation of situations and alternatives and decision making, most of the time requiring intervention of human agents, experts in negotiation and intermediation. Moreover, many problems require the application of standard procedures and activities to carry out typical socio-economic processes (for example by employing standard auctions for procurement or supply of goods or convenient intermediation to access resources and information). This paper focuses on enhancing knowledge about intermediation and negotiation processes in order to improve quality of services and optimize performances of business agents, using new computational methods that combine formal methods with intelligent agents paradigm. Taking into account their modularity and extensibility, agent systems allow facile, standardized and seamless integration of negotiation protocols and strategies by employing declarative and formal representations specific to computer science.Business processes, Intelligent Agents, Intermediation and Negotiation, Formal Models.

Designing Scalable Business Models

Digital business models are often designed for rapid growth, and some relatively young companies have indeed achieved global scale. However despite the visibility and importance of this phenomenon, analysis of scale and scalability remains underdeveloped in management literature. When it is addressed, analysis of this phenomenon is often over-influenced by arguments about economies of scale in production and distribution. To redress this omission, this paper draws on economic, organization and technology management literature to provide a detailed examination of the sources of scaling in digital businesses. We propose three mechanisms by which digital business models attempt to gain scale: engaging both non- paying users and paying customers; organizing customer engagement to allow self- customization; and orchestrating networked value chains, such as platforms or multi-sided business models. Scaling conditions are discussed, and propositions developed and illustrated with examples of big data entrepreneurial firms