Reaching inter-institutional business processes in e-Society

Each business enterprise strives to achieve the most efficient organization of its operations. While business enterprises can influence internal factors of organization, external factors are more rigid. Public organizations have less of an incentive to be efficient. Furthermore, their organization is less favorable since the decision making is centralized and highly formal (i.e. legislative). Adoption of business process orientation (BPO) paradigm,with an emphasis on the management of internal factors of organization, has provided business organizations with substantial savings and improvements in efficiency. However, external factors also have a high potential for improvement of efficiency. For instance, development of supply chains or value chains has proven that external factors can be harnessed to provide additional sources of competitiveness. Other external factors can also beused to improve the performance of individual organizations, an entire industry or economy as a whole. These synergic effects can be achieved through a unified and virtualized communication infrastructure, document exchange and conduct of business transactions. The goal of this paper is to present business environment properties in an e-Society that can be further developed to enhance integration between organizations and public institutions, which in turn can be used to create and manage inter-institutional business processes. This typeof processes can promote e-business and e-business models to a new level of efficiency, making a whole industry or national economy comparatively more competitivein international markets.business processes; public administration; e-business; e-society; interactions

Paving the way to e-services: Innovation through online games

The transformative power of organizational and service innovations on value or supply chains has been the object of several studies. The question identified in this paper is how disruptive trends in the videogames world can have spill-over effects in the broader realm of e-services. Section 1 opens with a brief review of literature. Section 2 proposes a description of the on-line games industrial ecosystem, the characteristics of the production process and the value chain in the online video games industry. The main techno-economic models for the production and distribution of online games are described in a third section with an emphasis on service creation, and illustrated by some case studies. The last part highlights the trend of innovative paths towards an economy of e-Services which are driven by the evolution of online games in a converged environment. --Online value creation,virtual world,virtual good,value chain,digital content convergence,new business models,services

Understanding the effects of e-business on business processes, a simulation approach

This thesis defines a new approach to the analysis of the effect of e-business on business processes, utilising simulation as evaluation tool. This research was focused on answering five research questions about the suitability of simulation in this context, the role of static modelling and generic business processes, the identification of patterns for e-business activities and how to operationalise these patterns into components in simulation software, as well as how to use these components. Requirements for modelling of e-business processes were identified and documented. Pilot cases studies proved the potential of simulation for studying e-business processes (Feasibility). Generic e-business activities were derived and classified from the literature and case studies in order to fill gaps identified in existent process models. Re-usable simulation components are proposed as a result of the unique combination of simulation and e-activities in order to make simulation modelling of e-business easier. The components were tested in industrial case studies and quasi-experiments with end users for feasibility, usability and usefulness. Results show that the components' approach is feasible, that having re-usable components promotes a better analysis, (usefulness) and that it is easy to build models using the components (usability). The theoretical novelty of this research resides in bringing together three areas of study: ebusiness, simulation and business processes to analyse e-business implementations. The research contributes to the knowledge of components and re-use theory in simulation by proposing a new approach to component development, operationalisation and analysis of the degree of granularity required for these components. From a practical point of view, this research provides companies with an easier and more complete way of analysing e-business processes, breaking the barrier for the use of simulation, speeding up model building of eprocesses and getting a better understanding of the dynamics of e-processes. Future work in the area will include extending the component approach to supply chains and inter-company transactions.This thesis defines a new approach to the analysis of the effect of e-business on business processes, utilising simulation as evaluation tool. This research was focused on answering five research questions about the suitability of simulation in this context, the role of static modelling and generic business processes, the identification of patterns for e-business activities and how to operationalise these patterns into components in simulation software, as well as how to use these components. Requirements for modelling of e-business processes were identified and documented. Pilot cases studies proved the potential of simulation for studying e-business processes (Feasibility). Generic e-business activities were derived and classified from the literature and case studies in order to fill gaps identified in existent process models. Re-usable simulation components are proposed as a result of the unique combination of simulation and e-activities in order to make simulation modelling of e-business easier. The components were tested in industrial case studies and quasi-experiments with end users for feasibility, usability and usefulness. Results show that the components' approach is feasible, that having re-usable components promotes a better analysis, (usefulness) and that it is easy to build models using the components (usability). The theoretical novelty of this research resides in bringing together three areas of study: ebusiness, simulation and business processes to analyse e-business implementations. The research contributes to the knowledge of components and re-use theory in simulation by proposing a new approach to component development, operationalisation and analysis of the degree of granularity required for these components. From a practical point of view, this research provides companies with an easier and more complete way of analysing e-business processes, breaking the barrier for the use of simulation, speeding up model building of eprocesses and getting a better understanding of the dynamics of e-processes. Future work in the area will include extending the component approach to supply chains and inter-company transactions

The Impact of COVID-19 on Supply Chains and E-commerce Logistics

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, supply, demand, and logistics have all been affected. Due to its unpredictable severity, the pandemic has highlighted the need to modify the existing supply chain model, the consumer structure model, and the digitization of markets. At the same time, the situation under COVID-19 offers increasing opportunities for e-commerce, including new business models and online commercial activities. This master's thesis aims to analyze how COVID-19 will affect global supply chains and e-commerce. Moreover, it will try to analyze the practices of major e-commerce platforms during the pandemic to determine whether there are opportunities for innovation and development in the future. The study will examine how retailers adapted to supply chain disruptions caused by the pandemic from a practical perspective and highlight the critical role of technology in these processes. The research provides insights into how companies are coping with long-term disruptions. The study we conducted used a qualitative approach, which included a case study and a SWOT analysis. In addition, we analyzed quantitative operational data from public financial reports released by JD.com.Our study examines the effects of a pandemic on supply chains. It also summarises the challenges faced by the retail sector and the strategies used by JD.com during the challenging period. During the pandemic, JD.com was able to handle the various aspects of its supply chain management through an integrated supply chain and intelligence platform. This study presents a supply chain resilience analysis by using actual operational data. Moreover, It suggests that companies should consider operational flexibility and collaboration outside the supply chain to adapt to significant supply chain disruptions like COVID-19

A Measurement Model for Web-enabled Supply Chain Integration

Recent developments in supply chain management information systems have greatly increased the ability of firms to integrate processes, systems, and information with their supply chain partners. Despite the apparent benefits of web-enabled supply chain integration, its further study and application is hindered by the lack of an empirically supported model for classifying the varying levels of supply chain integration that are now possible using e-business technologies. This paper presents findings from a multiple case study used to explore web-enabled supply chain integration and identify potential questionnaire measures for further study. The questionnaire findings were corroborated by rich qualitative evidence from the five manufacturers studied, but highlighted several issues in measuring integration in web-enabled supply chains. In contrast to well-publicized examples such as Dell Computer, the cases studied exhibited a very modest level of supply chain integration, despite each having large investments in supply chain partnerships. This discrepancy highlights the need to measure supply chain integration using empirically-supported models such as the one described, rather than relying on managerial assumptions about how integrated a firm is with its supply chain partners

Hybrid Control of Supply Chains: a Structured Exploration from a Systems Perspective

[EN] Supply chains are becoming increasingly complex these days, both in the structure of the chains and in the need for fine-grained, real-time control. This development occurs in many industries, such as manufacturing, logistics, and the service industry. The increasing structural complexity is caused by larger numbers of participating companies in supply chains because of increasing complexity of products and services. Increasing requirements to control are caused by developments like mass-customization, pressure on delivery times, and smaller margins for waste. Maintaining well-structured strategic, tactic, and operational control over these complex supply chains is not an easy task ¿ certainly as they are pressured by end-to-end synchronization requirements and just-in-time demands. Things become even more complex when chains need to be flexible to react to changing requirements to the products or services they deliver. To enable design of well-structured control, clear models of control topologies are required. In this paper, we address this need by exploring supply chain control topologies in an organized fashion. The exploration is based on integrating a supply chain model and a control model in two alternative ways to obtain two extreme models for supply chain control. These two models are next combined to obtain a hybrid chain control model in which control parameters can be adapted to accommodate different circumstances, hence facilitating agility in supply chains and networks. We apply the developed model to a number of case studies to show its usability. The contribution of this paper is the structured analysis of the design space for chain-level control models - not the description of individual new models.Grefen, PWPJ.; Dijkman, RM. (2013). Hybrid Control of Supply Chains: a Structured Exploration from a Systems Perspective. 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An information model for lean, agile, resilient and green supply chain management

Dissertação para a obtenção de Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialIn modern business environments, an effective Supply Chain Management (SCM) is crucial to business continuity. In this context, Lean, Agile, Resilient and Green (LARG), are advocated as the fundamental paradigm for a competitive Supply Chain (SC) as a whole. In fact, competition between supply chains (SC) has replaced the traditional competition between companies. To make a supply chain more competitive, capable of responding to the demands of customers with agility, and capable of responding effectively to unexpected disturbance, in conjugation with environmental responsibilities, and the necessity to eliminate processes that add no value, companies must implement a set of LARG SCM practices and Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to measure their influence on the SC performance. However, the selection of the best LARG SCM practices and KPIs is a complex decision-making problem, involving dependencies and feedbacks. Still, any decision-making must be supported by real and transparent data. This dissertation intends to provide two integrated models to assist the information management and decision-making. The first is an information model to support a LARG SCM, allowing the exchange and storage of data/information through a single information platform. In this model three types of diagrams are developed, Business Process Diagram (BPD), Use Cases Diagram and Class Diagram to assist the information platform design. The second is a decision-making model, designated LARG Analytical Network Process (ANP) to select the best LARG SCM practices/KPI to be implemented in SCs. Both models are developed and validated within the automotive SC, namely in Volkswagen Autoeuropa

Co-creators vs e-retailers: an analysis of power in the digital value chain

Servitization 2014: The third Conference on Business Servitization. Bilbao from November 13 to 14th, 2014.Supply chains as descriptors of business models provide processes of value creation and value delivery, which are often performed by a number of different companies. This article develops a framework of unbalanced power in capturing value between those who create value and those who deliver it, giving a better academic comprehension of how empowerment distorts B2B relations throughout the value chain. The context of analysis is the book industry, in which authors and publishers are considered as co-creators of value and E-retailers deliver value. We propose that servitization and digitalization of the industry has brought the industry towards a demand chain approach empowering E-retailers. We empirically validate this proposition through a unique survey containing information of 8,000 consumers residing in UK and US. The estimation of demand functions using the payment card method determines that while in new releases market price equals profit-maximization point for publishers, in book categories in which there are not well defined property right like classic novels, E-retailers impose discounts of 30%-40% in respect to the publisher’s profit maximization price. Results have implications for practitioners and policy makers

Accelerating System Development for the Food Chain: a Portfolio of over 30 Projects, Aiming at Impact and Growth

Supply of fresh food is of vital importance to feed Europe in a healthy way, while Europe has also an important role in feeding the world. Food products and other perishables such as flowers impose very challenging demands on the management of its supply chains. Food networks are struggling with an integrated usage of information and communication technology (ICT) that enables the heterogeneous stakeholders in the food chain to exchange information in real-time and control workflows based on requirements with respect to quality, costs and schedule. Innovative ICT systems that are addressing such challenges are currently being developed by a large European initiative, called FIWARE. Within this paper, we will discuss a portfolio of 31 projects that are realising solutions for the food chain in close collaboration with supporting business partners. Diverse food related topics are addressed, such as logistics, transport, planning & control, tracking & tracing, information management as well as new ways to realise e-commerce within the chain as well as for consumers.The FIWARE initiative is accelerating startups and supporting SME type technology developers that are realising solutions for real world business cases, which are serving as reference customers and test cases to assure an end-user acceptance and valid business models. This paper discusses the main food chain related topics and innovation potentials that are addressed as well as outlining the related methodological and technological approaches that are used to facilitate the realisation of impact and growth for commercial exploitation