Assessing the relationship between bpm maturity and the success of organizations

Pinto, J., & dos Santos, V. D. (2020). Assessing the relationship between bpm maturity and the success of organizations. In R. Silhavy (Ed.), Applied Informatics and Cybernetics in Intelligent Systems: Proceedings of the 9th Computer Science On-line Conference, CSOC 2020 (pp. 108-126). (Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing; Vol. 1226 AISC). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-51974-2_10For the past decades, organizations have been investing heavily in BPM projects in the hope of improving their competitive advantage in an increasingly complex environment. However, although it is believed that the higher the level of BPM maturity the greater the success of the organization, experience shows that this relationship is not always possible to prove. The purpose of this study is to help clarify the relationship between the level of BPM maturity and the success of an organization. This was done through the implementation of a case study-based research within a global company, focusing on the shared services organization. An analysis of the existing BPM maturity models and its level of coverage of BPM core areas was conducted to select the most suitable BPM maturity model to conduct the assessment of the current BPM maturity level. It was also established a framework to characterize the success of an organization. These two inputs, along with information gathered to understand implemented process improvements, were the basis for conducting the research. Results show a successful organization, with a high maturity level according to the BPM OMG maturity model, that has been investing in continually improving its processes with a strong focus on digital transformation. The identified benefits from a high level of BPM maturity, namely improved productivity, cost reduction, error & risk prevention, higher agility, employee upskilling and knowledge retention, were shown to have a positive influence in the majority of the dimensions used to characterize the success of the organization.authorsversionpublishe

Financial and corporate social performance in the UK listed firms: the relevance of non-linearity and lag effects

Using environmental, social and governance scores compiled by Reuters Datastream for each company’s corporate social performance (CSP), we examine the relationship between CSP and corporate financial performance (CFP) of 314 UK listed companies over the period 2002–2015. We further evaluate the relationship between prior and subsequent CFP and prior and subsequent CSP. Based on the system-GMM estimation method, we provide direct evidence that suggests that while CFP and CSP can be linked linearly; however, when we examine the impact of CSP on CFP, the association is more non-linear (cubic) than linear. Our results suggest that firms periodically adjust their level of commitment to society, in order to meet their target CSP. The primary contributions of this paper are testing (1) the non-monotonous relationship between CSP and CFP, (2) the lagged relationship between the two and the optimality of CSP levels, and (3) the presence of a virtuous circle. Our results further suggest that CSP contributes to CFP better during post-crisis years. Our findings are robust to year-on-year changes in CFP and CSP, financial versus non-financial firms, and the intensity of corporate social responsibility (CSR) engagement across industries

The environmental effectiveness of alternative agri-environmental policy reforms: theoretical and empirical analysis

This paper analyzes alternative agri-environmental policy reforms to reduce nutrient runoff when the government has price support, fertilizer tax, buffer zone subsidy and acreage subsidy as available instruments. To promote environmental goals, the government is assumed to adjust the tax and subsidyrates so as to keep the farmers profits constant. This instrument switch reduces the prices of less-polluting inputs and the farmer re-optimizes his production so that it becomes more environmentally friendly. The four alternative reforms under study are the following: a reduction of the producer price support or acreage subsidy compensated for by a higher buffer zone subsidy, and an increase in the fertilizer tax which is compensated for by either a higher acreage subsidy or a buffer zone subsidy. We show theoretically that although all reforms reduce the nutrient runoff, the last one is the most efficient. Our simulations show that at a 30 % abatement level of nitrogen runoffs all policy mixes decrease the average farmers profits after the re-adjustment, if the end price is not allowed to in-crease due to decreased production. The smallest loss in the farmers profits results from a policy mix which compensates for the higher fertilizer tax by a higher acreage subsidy.;Artikkelissa analysoidaan vaihtoehtoisten maatalouden ympäristöpolitiikan reformien tehokkuutta ravinnepäästöjenvähentämisessä, kun ohjauskeinoina voidaan käyttää tuottajahintatukea, lannoiteveroa, suojavyöhyketukea ja suoraa hehtaaritukea. Ympäristötavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi iranomaisen oletetaan sopeuttavan verojen ja tukien muutokset suhteessa toisiinsa niin, että viljelijän voitto ennen sopeutumista pysyy vakiona. Tämä politiikkamuutos johtaa ympäristön kannalta parempaan panoskäyttöön ja sitä kautta ympäristöystävällisempään tuotantoon. Analysoitavat neljä politiikkareformia ovat: tuottajahinnan tai suoran hehtaarituen vähentäminen, mikä korvataan viljelijälle lisäämällä suojavyöhyketukea, ja lannoiteveron lisääminen mikä korvataan viljelijälle lisäämällä joko suoraa tukea tai suojavyöhyketukea. Kaikki reformit vähentävät ravinnepäästöjä, mutta suurin päästöjen vähennys saadaan aikaan lannoiteveron ja suojavyöhyketuen yhdistelmällä. Simuloinnin tulokset osoittavat, että ravinnepäästöjen 30 % vähennys pienentää keskimääräisen viljelijän voittoa aikissa politiikkareformeissa, kun viljelijä on uudelleen optimoinut panoskäyttönsä vastaamaan verojen ja tukien uusia tasoja, ellei tuottajahinnan anneta nousta vähentyneen tuotannon johdosta. Lannoiteveron kompensoiminen suoralla hehtaarituella aiheuttaa pienimmän vähennyksen viljelijän voittoon

Policy-related transaction costs of agricultural policies in Finland

This paper assesses policy-related transaction costs (PRTC) associated with the main agricultural and agri-environmental policy instruments in Finland. We find that area-based income support measures entail low transaction costs as expressed in percent of payments, not only in Finland but also in other European countries. Moreover, transaction costs in the Finnish agri-environmental programme are surprisingly low. Within the agri-environmental programme, transaction costs increase with more targeted and differentiated agri-environmental measures. For the basic mandatory measures, these costs are even lower than the transaction costs for the area-based income support measures. What regards the most differentiated policy measures such as conservation of special biotopes or establishment of riparian buffer zones, transaction costs increase considerably. Combining these findings with the actual targets of the Finnish agricultural policies provides indirect evidence about the impacts of policy instruments and the efficiency of administration in implementing the instruments. For area-based income support measures, the Finnish administration seems to work very efficiently. For water protection targets, enforcement and division of labour within the administration seem to be insufficient.

Economic and environmental performance of alternative policy measures to reduce nutrient surpluses in Finnish agriculture

This paper provides an economic sector level analysis of the effectiveness of different policy measures in decreasing nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) surpluses from agriculture in order to reduce nutrient runoff from agricultural fields to watercourses and to improve water quality of surface waters. Assuming no changes in the EU level policies after CAP reform 2003 we focus on national level policy measures such as full or partial de-coupling of national support from production, payments for reduced nutrient surpluses of N and P, and N fertiliser tax. None of the analysed policy measures is superior one with respect to environmental performance, since full decoupling of national support would be the most effective in reducing P surpluses while payment for reduced nutrient surplus performed best with respect to N surpluses. Economic performance (farmers compliance cost per %-reduction of N or P surplus) of full and partial de-coupling of national support is clearly better than that of specialised agri-environmental policy instruments, because both decoupling scenarios result in the increase of farmers income in comparison to base scenario, and thus compliance costs are in fact negative in these two cases. Our analysis confirms the fact that the overall policy package matters a lot for the effectiveness of agrienvironmental policy measures. Environmental performance of agri-environmental policy measures may be significantly reduced, if they are implemented jointly with production coupled income support policies. Thus, in order to increase the effectiveness of agri-environmental policy measures agricultural income support policies should be decoupled from production and this alone would bring substantial reduction in nutrient surpluses.;Tässä artikkelissa tarkastellaan maatalouden typpi- jafosforiylijäämien vähentämiseen tähtäävien politiikkavaihtoehtojen tehokkuutta talouden ja ympäristön kannalta. Arvioitavat politiikkatoimenpiteet ovat: (i) typpilannoitevero, (ii) typpi- ja fosforitaseisiin perustuva, ravinneylijäämän pienentämiseen myönnettävä tuki, (iii) kansallisen tuen osittainen irrottaminen tuotannosta ja (iv) kansallisen tuen täydellinen irrottaminen tuotannosta. Vaihtoehtoja analysoitiin Suomen maataloussektoria kuvaavalla dynaamisella ja alueellisella sektorimallilla (DREMFIA). Yksikään politiikkavaihtoehto ei ollut ympäristön kannalta tehokkain sekä typen että fosforin ylijäämän vähentämisessä. Kansallisen tuen täydellinen irrottaminen tuotannosta vähensi eniten fosforiylijäämiä, kun taas ravinneylijäämän pienentämisestä maksettava tuki oli tehokkain typpiylijäämien vähentämisessä. Politiikkavaihtoehtojen taloudellista tehokkuutta arvioitiin käyttäen kriteerinä keskimääräisiä kustannuksia, joita viljelijälle koitui ravinneylijäämän vähentämisestä. Molemmat kansallisen tuen tuotannosta irrottavat vaihtoehdot olivat taloudellisesti selvästi tehokkaampia kuin varsinaiset ympäristöpolitiikan ohjauskeinot, eli typpivero ja ravinneylijäämän pienentämiseen myönnettävä tuki. Tutkimuksemme osoittaa, että ympäristöohjauskeinojen tehokkuus riippuu paljolti siitä, millaisessa maatalouspolitiikan kokonaisuudessa ne pannaan toimeen. Vastakkaissuuntaisten kannustimien vuoksi tuotantoon sidotut tulotuet heikentävät ympäristöohjauskeinojen tehokkuutta. Niinpä maatalouden tulotuet tulisi ensin irrottaa tuotannosta ja tämän jälkeen kohdistaa ympäristöohjaus tehokkaammin alueellisten ympäristöherkkyyksien mukaan. Kansallisen tuen täydellinen irrottaminen tuotannosta johtaisi kuitenkin kotieläintuotannon selvään vähenemiseen toisin kuin muut tarkastellut vaihtoehdot. Ilman muuta ympäristöohjausta kansallisen tuen irrotus voi myös johtaa tuotannon ja ravinnetaseiden kasvuun vahvoilla tuotantoalueilla

Bioenergy crop production and climate policies: a von Thunen model and the case of reed canary grass in Finland

We examine the potential of bioenergy crops to offset greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels, assuming homogeneous agricultural land and distance-dependent transport costs. Variable transport costs define the socially and privately optimal extensive margin of the bioenergy crop production and imply that fertiliser intensity differs across locations. Under current policy, private fertiliser application is suboptimal, requiring location-specific input, transport or output subsidies. The theoretical model is applied to reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) in Finland, which offsets emissions from peat in electricity production. If oats is the alternative crop, and taking permit price of CO 2 emissions as the proxy for climate benefits over the life cycle, reed canary grass production is socially optimal even 100 km away from the power plant and still offsets more than 6 tons/ha of CO 2 emissions from peat. Oxford University Press and Foundation for the European Review of Agricultural Economics 2009; all rights reserved. For permissions, please email [email protected], Oxford University Press.

The environmental effectiveness of alternative agri-environmental policy reforms: theoretical and empirical analysis

This paper analyzes alternative agri-environmental policy reforms to reduce nutrient runoff when the government has price support, fertilizer tax, buffer zone subsidy and acreage subsidy as available instruments. To promote environmental goals, the government is assumed to adjust the tax and subsidyrates so as to keep the farmers profits constant. This instrument switch reduces the prices of less-polluting inputs and the farmer re-optimizes his production so that it becomes more environmentally friendly. The four alternative reforms under study are the following: a reduction of the producer price support or acreage subsidy compensated for by a higher buffer zone subsidy, and an increase in the fertilizer tax which is compensated for by either a higher acreage subsidy or a buffer zone subsidy. We show theoretically that although all reforms reduce the nutrient runoff, the last one is the most efficient. Our simulations show that at a 30 % abatement level of nitrogen runoffs all policy mixes decrease the average farmers profits after the re-adjustment, if the end price is not allowed to in-crease due to decreased production. The smallest loss in the farmers profits results from a policy mix which compensates for the higher fertilizer tax by a higher acreage subsidy.