Capability-actor-resource-service : a conceptual modelling approach for value-driven strategic sourcing

This PhD research addresses a problem within strategic sourcing, which is a critical area of strategic management that is centered on decision-making related to procurement. Strategic sourcing is related to two disciplines: (i) procurement and supply management and (ii) strategic management. Sourcing is the strategic part of procurement that refers to tasks like determining cost saving and value-driven opportunities, choosing the most appropriate go-to market strategies, and selecting and evaluating suppliers for building long-term and short-term contractual relationships. Many companies face challenges in obtaining the benefits associated with effective strategic sourcing. Although the concept of strategic sourcing is fairly well recognized, managers are still challenged by many barriers to its implementation. The main problem is the lack of practical instruments (i.e., tools and techniques) to implement the value-driven management approach to strategic sourcing, while at the same time preparing companies for fact-based decision-making by delivering data management and data analytics capabilities. This is the problem which is addressed with this PhD research. To address this problem, the research goal has been defined as “develop a modeling approach that enables companies 1) to drive fact-based decision-making with respect to procurement data management and procurement analytics”; and 2) to implement strategic sourcing toward achieving value-driven targets”. We apply conceptual modeling as our main solution approach to achieve the above research goal. We define three major areas where conceptual modeling can contribute to strategic sourcing decision-making: conceptualization, design and computer support. The proposed conceptual modeling approach is characterized by four different perspectives: (i) a way of thinking (i.e., a conceptual foundation), (ii) a way of modeling (i.e., a modeling language and method to use it), (iii) a way of working (i.e., a model-based analysis approach), and (iv) a way of supporting (i.e., a computer-aided design tool). The scope of PhD research is limited to the first three perspectives, while for the fourth perspective a solution architecture will be proposed as part of future research. This PhD dissertation is a paper-based dissertation consisting of six chapters. Three chapters (chapter 3, 4, 5) of this dissertation have been submitted to international peer-reviewed journals (chapter 4 is published and chapters 3 and 5 are accepted) and one chapter (chapter 2) has been published in the post-conference proceedings of an international workshop

ICIS 2007 Panel Report: Bridging Service Computing and Service Management: How MIS Contributes to Service Orientation

Service computing has become the new frontier of enterprise computing in the continued pursuit of organizational agility. Many major corporations are in the midst of implementing significant initiatives to re-architect their IT through service computing to help meet fast changing business requirements. As a result, many new and interesting research questions arise in this area, spanning technical, organizational, and economic issues. Currently, there is a great need for a framework for aligning the issues of technology and management in the era of service computing. This paper outlines the key points presented at the International Conference on Information Systems 2007 panel on Bridging Service Computing and Service Management. The first few sections of the paper contain viewpoints of each panelist on why and how MIS should take leadership in this research area. Then, a joint perspective on bridging service computing and service management is presented

The Management of Manufacturing-Oriented Informatics Systems Using Efficient and Flexible Architectures

Industry and in particular the manufacturing-oriented sector has always been researched and innovated as a result of technological progress, diversification and differentiation among consumers' demands. A company that provides to its customers products matching perfectly their demands at competitive prices has a great advantage over its competitors. Manufacturing-oriented information systems are becoming more flexible and configurable and they require integration with the entire organization. This can be done using efficient software architectures that will allow the coexistence between commercial solutions and open source components while sharing computing resources organized in grid infrastructures and under the governance of powerful management tools.Manufacturing-Oriented Informatics Systems, Open Source, Software Architectures, Grid Computing, Web-Based Management Systems

Map to Service-Oriented Business and IT: A Stratified Approach

To succeed in the current business environment, organizations need to be innovative, flexible and faster in the face of uncertainty, complexity and change. As the perspective has moved from products to services, enterprises have componentized their structures to operate in the newly emerging collaborative ecosystems. Service-oriented information technology approaches have proven to be well suited to this business transformation. Increasingly, IT capabilities also drive business strategy. To create a ‘big picture’ that brings together different viewpoints and their relations and helps positioning and comparing various approaches to service systems, we put forth a new artifact, the Map to Service-Oriented Business and IT. The map uses a layered approach and is divided to four viewpoints along two dimensions: business-IT continuum and distinction between internal and external aspects. The layering is grounded in the Stratified Systems Theory, a cognitively motivated theory on organizations

CO-OPERATING TO COMPETE IN HIGH VELOCITY GLOBAL MARKETS: THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF FLEXIBLE SUPPLY CHAIN ARCHITECTURES

Continued value creation is paramount for the survival of firms competing in today's high velocity global business environment. This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding how firms can create and capture value within a highly volatile and uncertain business environment by exploiting both performance gaps and opportunity gaps through the development and use of flexible supply chain architectures. The choice of flexible organizational architecture allows for the continued reconfiguration of the independent modular components of the supply chain so as to achieve optimal leverage of both the firms core competencies as well as their collaborative partners complementary resources. The case of "Cellars of Canterbury," a New Zealand based International wine marketing and distribution cooperative enterprise provides empirical support. Keywords: value creation, flexible supply chain architectures, leverage, core competencies.value creation, flexible supply chain architectures, leverage, core competencies., Industrial Organization, Marketing,

CO-OPERATING TO COMPETE IN HIGH VELOCITY GLOBAL MARKETS: THE STRATEGIC ROLE OF FLEXIBLE SUPPLY CHAIN ARCHITECTURES

Continued value creation is paramount for the survival of firms competing in today's high velocity global business environment. This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding how firms can create and capture value within a highly volatile and uncertain business environment by exploiting both performance gaps and opportunity gaps through the development and use of flexible supply chain architectures. The choice of flexible organizational architecture allows for the continued reconfiguration of the independent modular components of the supply chain so as to achieve optimal leverage of both the firms core competencies as well as their collaborative partners complementary resources. The case of Cellars of Canterbury, a New Zealand based International wine marketing and distribution cooperative enterprise provides empirical support.Industrial Organization, International Relations/Trade,