Experiences of misfit as cues for sensemaking of ERPs

The adoption of computer-based enterprise resource planning systems (ERPs) has become an important feature of large organisations in both the public and private sectors. Successfully embedding ERP systems in organisational structures does, however, pose a significant array of technical and social (human) challenges. Chief among these is ensuring that ERP users successfully adapt to new/changed work processes and tasks post-adoption. In this study Karl Weick's theory of Sensemaking is adopted to investigate the process by which users develop the meaningful understandings of ERPs. It is proposed that experiences of misfit, that result from user ignorance or organisation-artefact misalignment, act as triggers for sensemaking. Based on an integrated interpretive framework a case study of a South African Metropolitan Municipality is used to analyse 34 experiences of misfit and their consequences. Findings suggest that experiences of misfit trigger various types of response strategies during which users’ understanding of and beliefs about ERP technology are updated

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

Optimum virtual environment for solving cognitive tasks by individuals with autism spectrum disorders: The questions and methods of design

The number of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is growing in Russia and the world at large. It is important to find ways to diagnose and correct the work with such individuals. There is much evidence that children with ASDs often exhibit pronounced communicative difficulties, problems in establishing visual contact etc. Specialists working with this category of patients face serious difficulties in trying to find effective ways to interact with them. The use of virtual reality environments that have the necessary parameters, determined theoretically, experimentally, and practically, can mitigate these difficulties. The study has shown that, at present, there is much experience in the field of virtual reality application while working with children who have ASDs. Nevertheless, there are several unspecified issues. First, as far as the perception of virtual reality by people with ASDs are concerned, it is especially important to study them. Of much importance are the peculiarities of their states associated with virtual reality, while solving cognitive tasks during diagnostic and corrective work stage, as well as in obtaining education. It is necessary to choose the right methods of visualization and interaction in a virtual environment. The focal point of the article is to justify the project of creating a virtual reality for the diagnosis and socialization of individuals with ASDs, i.e., its structure, stages and methods. In addition, the work is of interest in connection with the research of the phenomenon of presence in virtual reality. © 2019 IJCRSEE. All rights reserved.The work was supported by act 211 Government of the Russian Federation, contract № 02.A03.21.0006. The work was supported by RFBR

DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSVERSAL COMPETENCES IN SCHOOL EDUCATION (A DIDACTIC INTERPRETATION)

The contemporary socio-cultural and educational situation points the attention to the analysis and construction of opportunities for the formation and development of transversal competences in school education. It is expedient therefore that within the process of education in all school subjects and throughout all ages and cognitive activities the decisions for the design of a suitable educational environment should be systematized and specified in such a way as to guarantee that knowledge and skills can be continuously regrouped in accordance with context. In other words, these skills and the knowledge they are based on, should form the foundation of transversal competences that can be applied regardless of age and activities. The design of invariant technologies for the development of transversal competences is also related to the coordination of a variety of approaches, principles and conditions of education in such a manner as to provide effectiveness when these technologies are specifically applied as variants. This creates a necessity for a didactic interpretation of the means of development of transversal competences. Additionally, it poses a necessity to improve teachers’ special preparation and qualification to design educational environment that can guarantee the achievement of transversal competences as an educational outcome. The present research offers opportunities to realize this goal in an integrative and integrating process rather than as an isolated endevour on part of the teachers or as an unorganized effort on part of the students. This in turn poses some new requirements to the system of school education as a whole

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

Mixed-methods research: a new approach to evaluating the motivation and satisfaction of university students using advanced visual technologies

The final publication is available at link.springer.comA mixed-methods study evaluating the motivation and satisfaction of Architecture degree students using interactive visualization methods is presented in this paper. New technology implementations in the teaching field have been largely extended to all types of levels and educational frameworks. However, these innovations require approval validation and evaluation by the final users, the students. In this paper, the advantages and disadvantages of applying mixed evaluation technology are discussed in a case study of the use of interactive and collaborative tools for the visualization of 3D architectonical models. The main objective was to evaluate Architecture and Building Science students’ the motivation to use and satisfaction with this type of technology and to obtain adequate feedback that allows for the optimization of this type of experiment in future iterations.Postprint (author’s final draft

An evaluation of a specialist service model for treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD): application of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Guidelines for BDD (NICE, 2006).

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is still poorly recognised with a dearth of research into treatment. This is the only known study to date to evaluate the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines recommended treatment for BDD in clinical practice as well as providing qualitative data of both patients and clinicians (NICE, 2006). The study aims to evaluate current recommended treatments for Body Dysmorphic Disorder utilised in a specialist service for BDD. In addition the study elicits the experiences of patients receiving treatment and the clinicians providing the treatment. This provides a basis to assess if refinements are to be made to treatment protocols for BDD in this specialist service. A mixed methods approach was employed with quantitative data from patients treated for BDD collated from the Trust’s database and examined with intention to treat analysis. Thematic Analysis (TA) was used to analyse data from semi-structured interviews conducted with clinical staff and patients to elicit their experiences of respectively providing and receiving treatment. The clinical data indicated impairment in patients’ functioning plus high risks and substance misuse. Treatment outcomes of NICE recommended CBT and medication (Selective Serotonergic Reuptake Inhibitors and augmentation) produced significant improvements in BDD symptoms in patients with severe symptoms at baseline. Patients also showed significant improvements in depression and overall functioning. However despite improvements symptoms were not completely eliminated and one group treated by the service (Level 6 outpatients) showed minimal to no improvement on all symptom measures. Both clinician and patient participants expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of sufficient knowledge and expertise for treating BDD. Both groups also placed high value on the therapeutic relationship. However clinicians interviewed indicated a higher dissatisfaction with current treatment options for BDD than patients. The experiences of patients provided a different perspective to the findings in the quantitative phase. Their view of improvements was based on their functioning and overall quality of life. Clinicians’ perspectives provided insight into other options for treatment which are lacking and could provide substantial support for current recommendations. Given the evidence base for recommended treatments is still limited, it is essential to include qualitative data in evaluating effectiveness of treatment and in developing services that respond to patient needs and choice

Development of a lean principles framework for ERP implementation process

The aim of this research is to develop a novel framework based on lean principles and tools to be exploited in managing ERP implementation processes in order to enhance the overall success rate of the implementation project, which in turn minimises cost and time overruns. The framework consists of three stages built in a logical sequence taking into consideration the requirements of ERP projects implementations and the lean transformation principles. The first stage starts with an assessment model to measure the organisational readiness for implementing ERP system using leanness assessment approach. The second stage of the framework introduces the use of the Obeya lean tool along with a change management model to help visualize and streamlining the process of ERP implementation. In the final stage, a value stream mapping technique is used to identify potential waste occurrence and eliminate non-value adding activities from the process. As a result, a new eight stages ERP implementation process is developed and presented with descriptions on the activities encompassed in each stage. A research methodology consisting of four major phases was employed to attain the targeted objectives of the research; beginning with project initiation and contextual definition followed by data collection and field study. The data acquired from the previous two phases were used to conduct a thorough analysis from which key findings were drawn and used in the creative development of the readiness assessment model and the framework. Finally, elementary aspects of the framework were put to scrutiny through live case studies and professional expert judgement. The author made use of both qualitative and quantitative research measures. A validation for the ERP readiness assessment model is conducted initially on three case studies, and then the whole framework is validated through two other case studies and experts’ judgments. The results and overall feedback reflected a high level of acceptance of the framework structure and approach. The novel framework has the capability to improve the ERP implementation process providing it is utilised fully. It helps organisation to successfully deliver ERP systems on time, on budget, and with the required functionalities with high-level of acceptance from all stakeholders

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

Advancing self-escape training : a needs analysis based on the National Academy of Sciences report "improving self-escape from underground coal mines."

"This report summarizes a needs analysis and actions taken by NIOSH based on the National Academy of Sciences recommendations specific to advancing self-escape training, with an emphasis on preparing rank-and-file mineworkers for self-escape. This report also provides the foundation for the practical guidance offered in its sister publication, the NIOSH Information Circular (IC) "Self-escape Core Competency Profile: Guidance for Improving Underground Coal Miners' Self-escape Competency" [NIOSH 2023], which offers an evidence-based self-escape competency framework derived from the results of this work." - NIOSHTIC-2NIOSHTIC no. 20067688Suggested citation: NIOSH [2023]. Advancing self-escape training: a needs analysis based on the National Academy of Sciences report, \u201cImproving Self-escape from Underground Coal Mines.\u201d By Hoebbel CL, Bellanca JL, Ryan ME, Brnich MJ. Pittsburgh PA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2023-134, https://doi.org/10.26616/NIOSHPUB2023134