The uptake and application of workflow management systems in the UK financial services sector

Workflow management systems (WFMSs) are an important new technology, which are likely to have a significant impact on the way in which clerical and administrative operations are organised and executed. This paper seeks to investigate how WFMSs are being exploited and utilised commercially by UK-based organisations operating in the financial services sector. In-depth interviews were conducted with fourteen project managers to explore the development, application and commercial implications of this powerful, yet flexible, technology. The results indicate that workflow technology has the potential to facilitate significant changes to the way in which an organisation conducts its business, through the automation of a wide range of document-intensive operations. Furthermore, when applied in a well-focussed manner it has the potential to realise significant increases in an organisation’s flexibility, and productivity, as well as delivering major improvements to the quality, speed and consistency of customer service

The role of the state in promoting microfinance institutions

In a context of liberalized financial systems, microfinance allows millions of households, usually excluded from classical financial services, to begin or reinforce their own activities and become microentrepreneurs. Yet, in spite of the success of numerous microfinance institutions (MFI), many difficulties remain which must be urgently resolved in view of their ambitious objectives. First, a large number of the rural households still lack access to financial services. Second, most of the existing MFI are not yet financially sustainable. Finally, while funds from governments and donors are rapidly increasing, financial institutions still need solid foundations to avoid management failures. These issues raise questions of the role of the state to promote MFI including (1) which state-owned institutions may be necessary? (2) which level and type of subsidization of the financial institutions can be accepted? (3) what can be the choice for the state between alternative investments in financial institutions or complementary services? (4) what are the necessary conditions for creating a favorable environment? This paper presents the evolution of views on the role of the state in the financial system including theoretical and empirical points of view from the interventionist period of the 1960s and 1970s to the current period of liberalization. Based on country case studies illustrating the divergent role of the state in the development of the rural financial system, the paper reviews the respective role of the state, the NGO and the private commercial banks in increasing their outreach and in adopting microfinance innovations. It also analyzes different issues regarding regulation of MFI.FCND ,Small business Finance. ,Financial institutions. ,Government. ,

Managerial preconditions for implementing major changes in corporate processes

This thesis investigates whether management behaviour impairs major changes in corporate processes. The focused areas were new complex product development process and business process re-engineering in post-privatisation companies. Several surveys were carried out in Brazil, North America, and Europe involving companies either that deal with new complex product development or companies that have experienced a privatisation process. An aircraft manufacturer company, located in Brazil, was selected as the case study company. The author selected top 10 preconditions to succeed in a Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) endeavour and observed their evolution in the case study company. The most important contribution of this thesis is related to the identification of a pattern in the case study company to deal with major changes in corporate process. The investigations at the case study company indicated that if the top ten BPR pre-conditions to succeed evolve, it is likely to have success in the BPR activities. The achieved results are compared with an extensive literature review, which covers topics such as cultural change, management behaviour, business process re-engineering, new product development, integrated product development, concurrent engineering, privatisation process, and organisational changes

Developing competitiveness of a company using a new business process engineering concept

Suomessa ja muissa länsimaissa yritysten toimintaympäristössä on tapahtunut 2000-luvulla kaksi laajaa ja merkittävää muutosta. Ensinnäkin länsimaiset yhteiskunnat ovat siirtyneet jälkiteollisesta aikakaudesta kohti informaatioajan aikakautta, ja toiseksi yritysten välinen kilpailu on muuttunut laajempien kokonaisuuksien, verkostojen väliseksi kilpailuksi. Näiden muutosten voidaan nähdä kulkevan rinnakkain toisen suuren yhteiskunnallisen muutoksen, globalisaation kanssa, jossa suuryritykset toimivat maailmanlaajuisesti yli maanosien ja valtioiden rajojen. Tämä tapaustutkimus luo taloudellisesti ja teknisesti kilpailukykyisen liiketoiminnan hallintajärjestelmän tehokkuuden ja laadun suorituskyvyn parantamiseksi keskikokoisessa elektronisia tuotteita valmistavassa yrityksessä. Tutkimus keskittyy yritysten kilpailukyvyn tutkimiseen ja tutkimustulosten pohjalta kehittää kohdeyrityksen kilpailukykyä toteuttamalla prosessijohtamisen lähestymistapaa haastavassa ja dynaamisessa globaalissa liiketoimintaympäristössä. Teoriaosassa käsitellään liiketoimintaprosessien kehittämiseen liittyviä menetelmiä yrityksen strategisesta, asiakkaan kokeman laadun ja asiakkaan saaman lisäarvon näkökulmasta. Teorian pohjalta laaditaan liiketoimintaprosessien kehittämiskonsepti, joka koostuu vaiheittain etenevistä kehitystoimenpiteistä kilpailuedun kehittämiseksi ja ylläpitämiseksi case-yrityksessä. Tutkimus vahvistaa olemassa olevaa teoriaa liiketoimintaprosessien kehittämismenetelmästä (business process reengineering, BPR) ja sen toimivuutta kilpailukyvyn parantamisessa yleisesti. Sen lisäksi tutkimus vahvistaa liiketoimintaprosessien kehittämismenetelmän toimivuutta 2000-luvun kilpailussa dynaamisessa ja verkostoituneessa toimintaympäristössä.In Finland and other Western countries, companies’ operating environments have faced two broad and significant changes in the 2000s. Firstly, Western societies have moved from the postindustrial age towards the information society age and, secondly, for larger entities, competition has changed from that between enterprises to that between networks. These changes can be seen to run in parallel with another major social change, globalization, under which large enterprises operate on a global scale across continents and state borders. This case study involves the creation of an economically and technically competitive operating management system so as to improve efficiency and quality performance in a midsized electronics manufacturing company. The study focuses on enterprise competitiveness and, based on the research findings, develops the case company’s competitiveness by implementing a process management approach to its challenging and dynamic global business environment. The theoretical part of this thesis deals with business process development methodology for the company's strategy, the customer's perception of quality and perspectives on added value creation. On the basis of the theory, a process development concept is drawn up, comprising a number of sequential stages for developing and maintaining the case company’s sustainable competitive advantage. The study confirms the existing theory of business processes development (business process reengineering, BPR) and its functionality for improving competitiveness in general. In addition, the study will strengthen the BPR’s functionality in the competitive, dynamic and networked business environment of the 2000s.fi=vertaisarvioitu|en=peerReviewed

All that Glitters is not Gold: Understanding the Impacts of Platform Recommendation Algorithm Changes on Complementors in the Sharing Economy

Sharing platforms often leverage recommendation algorithms to reduce matching costs and improve buyer satisfaction. However, the economic impacts of different recommendation algorithms on the business operations of complementors remains unclear. This study uses natural quasi-experiments and proprietary data from a home-cooked food-sharing platform with two recommendation algorithms: word-of-mouth recommendation (WMR) and botler personalization recommendation (BPR). Results show the WMR negatively affects revenue while BPR has a positive effect. The contrast revenue effects have been attributed to capacity constraints for complementors and matching frictions for consumers. WMR encourages sellers to specialize in high-quality products but limits new product development. BPR promotes innovation to suit diverse customer tastes but may reduce quality. This reflects the exploration-exploitation trade-off: WMR exploits existing competences, while BPR explores new products to satisfy personal preferences. The authors discuss implications for how to utilize recommendation algorithms and artificial intelligence for the prosperity of sharing economy platforms

An extra-memetic empirical methodology to accompany theoretical memetics

Abstract Purpose: The paper describes the difficulties encountered by researchers who are looking to operationalise theoretical memetics and provides a methodological avenue for studies that can test meme theory. Design/Methodology/Approach: The application of evolutionary theory to organisations is reviewed by critically reflecting on the validity of its truth claims. To focus the discussion a number of applications of meme theory are reviewed to raise specific issues which ought to be the subject of empirical investigation. Subsequently, the empirical studies conducted to date are assessed in terms of the progress made and conclusions for further work are drawn. Findings: The paper finds that the key questions posed by memetic theory have yet to be addressed empirically and that a recurring weakness is the practice of assuming the existence of a replicating unit of culture which has, however, yet to be demonstrated as a valid concept. Therefore, an 'extra-memetic' methodology is deemed to be necessary for the development of memetics as a scientific endeavour. Narrative analysis is abducted as an appropriate avenue for the operationalisation of extra-memetic empirical research. Originality/Value: The paper highlights inconsistencies, embedded in much of the memetic literature, which have not previously been recognised and the colloquial nature of the discipline is challenged from a positive but critical perspective. Consequently, the paper develops a rationale for the adoption of a widely recognised social science methodology for memetics which has been absent to date. In proposing narrative orientated research, knowledge concerning memes' validity can be facilitated whilst avoiding the current circularity in memetic truth claims. Key Words: Meme, Memetics, Narrative, Complexity, Evolution Classification: Conceptual Pape

A systemic evaluation of the implementation implications of an integrated, standard information system : the SAP implementation project as a viable system

Bibliography: leaves 107-108.Real-time, on-line, integrated software systems are a part of the latest technologies for large concerns as enablers for viability in an ever increasing competitive business environment. The SAP (R/3 and R/2) standard software is widely considered as one of the leading solutions and implementation projects have taken the world by storm. The software, which runs on client server systems since 1992, is expensive and takes time to install. Complete systems can run into the tens of millions of dollars and take from one to over three years to implement. The application of the software spans most of the processes of a business, logistics, finance, workflow and human resources as a real time, on-line and integrated information system enabler. Much of the data capture and some of the control aspects of the business are automated. With this sophistication comes a new level of complexity. An initial argument of the thesis is that the success of an investigation into the problems associated with SAP implementations will be dependent on the thorough development of the inquiry system as a framework for appreciating the implications of such projects. Question Which management research approach will provide useful knowledge of the situation, with challenges including variety of human interpretations and interests, the complexity of organisational regulation and the technical options of the software? A framework was developed by considering three levels for paradigms; philosophy, methodology and the application of the methodology. As a choice for the philosophical level, phenomenology was chosen with its regard for the importance of the mental models of an observer. Pragmatism, with its basis for attributing meaning on the consequences of holding a belief or assumption, is enabled by a bias towards systems thinking as an adequate way of determining an appropriate level of knowledge of possible consequences of a decision. The scientific method is the underlying guide for the inquiry process with its abductive, deductive and inductive stages. The base strength of the method, as presented by Peirce (Smith, 1995), was experienced as the rigorous attention to the development and testing of an hypothesis. Due to the variety and importance of human mterpretation regarding purposes and methods of information system implementations, the approach by Soft Systems Methodology was adopted as an enabler for an immersion into the problems of a project. As such it was the basis for the abductive stage of the inquiry. The result of this immersion determined the requirements for the choice of further methodologies. The application of the SSM inquiry is guided by seven stages of sets of questions, as the 'technical' aspect of the inquiry framework