Agent oriented modeling of business information systems

Enterprise modeling is an abstract definition of processes running in enterprise using process, value, data and resource models. There are two perspectives of business modeling: process perspective and value chain perspective. Both have some advantages and disadvantages. This paper proposes a combination of both perspectives into one generic model. The model takes also social part or the enterprise system into consideration and pays attention to disturbances influencing the enterprise system. Due to heterogeneous nature of the enterprise processes the outline proposed is oriented on the modeling using agents. Several types of agents are defined for the simulation model. The agents are structured into several layers. Well known JADE platform is proposed as the modeling framework. Further research directions are summed up in conclusionprocess model, value chain model, business pattern, agent, control loop, feedback, JADE platform.

Formal REA model at operational level

Despite a lot of attention gained by the Resource-Event-Agent (REA) framework among researchers in enterprise modeling, it still lacks comprehensive formal description. Most of the formalization approaches to REA use only UML or other graphical representation. This paper aims to define REA ontology at operational level using formal logic tools. The general approach to formal logic description of REA was motivated by LTAP introduced by Ito, Hagihara and Yonezaki. After basic REA concepts are presented, semantics and logical language LREA are defined including axioms for the REA operational level. Future research is shortly described in conclusion.REA framework; formal models; modal logic

ICT in public administration and SMB companies: four years of new challenges

Four years of EU membership has brought new opportunities and challenges for local companies and public administration in member countries. New small and medium companies (SMB) emerged in the neighboring regions cross over the former frontiers, there are new clusters using inter-regional cooperation. Based on the extensive cooperation with “old” EU countries new best business practices are being introduced in the existing processes. The public administration has to follow not only the new legislation but also the new business needs. All mentioned changes create new impulses for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Basic statistic data presented in this paper imply considerable reserves in document workflows on municipal administration level. SMB companies lag behind the EU average in electronic business level. One of the reasons could be relatively low support of Content Management Systems and logistic chains (SCM) by existing ICT. In order to meet the demands described some changes and tuning in the infrastructure, security and standardization is necessary. Necessary changes are regularly put into operation what leads to new opportunities for ICT students leaving the universities. The ratios of ICT students and graduates compared with the total numbers stagnated in the last years. Hence, changes in the ICT education and its permanent actualization are needed in all branches of ICT.information technology; content management; public administration; small and medium sized companies; electronic commerce; e-Government; document management; ICT education

Some juridical questions related to information systems implementation in multi-national companies

Abstract: One of noticeable features of globalization are rapid changes of information systems. If a company wants to be successful, it must carry out many actions having impact on information system. This increasingly concerns multi-national companies, which solve this challenge by multi-national ERP system implementations. Some basic formal prerequisites must be fulfilled to introduce successful multi-national ERP system. Harmonized legal, currency and custom systems in target countries are to be mentioned here in the first place. Intercompany decision system and culture are the next important point. After the delivering party is chosen, other important principles are to be complied with. Local specifics shall be taken into account in order to avoid conflicts, delays and language barriers. Proper definitions and clauses in all parts of the contract help to solve eventual problems during project and implementation stage. These topics must be mastered not only by company lawyers but by IT managers, too. This is why it is an opposite praxis to include tuition of special law lectures into management and information technology education.Information system project; ERP; contract law; multi-national companies; delivery contract; multi-national solution team; IT project risks; bankruptcy of delivering party

Organizational and psychological aspects of sales force automation deployment in business companies.

The purpose of this article is to point out that SFA deployment is not an IT challenge only, but it concerns the topics of pschychology, team communication and management and last but not least the necessity of top management support . Some suggestions how to solve these challenges are presented. Difficulties that might be encountered durnig the deployment phase of an SFA project are demonstrated by the statistics of first productive months in a sales company.Sales force automation; Customer relationship management; SFA design; organization of sales; motivation

Some Ontological Issues of the REA Framework in Relation to Enterprise Business Process

The aim of the paper is to describe using REA framework to model enterprise planning not only at the operational level but also at the policy level. Using policy level enlarges the possibility of the models on the base of the REA framework because the policy level in this way represents metalevel of the model. The policy level of the REA framework itself is comprised both of the entities related by typification, grouping and policy relationships and of the Commitment entity with the fulfillment relationship. This entity may be viewed as either a sublayer or a middle layer of the REA framework. The Commitment entity belongs to the fundamental entities of the policy level but has some specifications that are expressed by the fulfillment relationship. This many-to-many relationship forms the link to the operational level. In the paper we discuss the problem and suggest some solution that moves the Commitment entity closer to the typification and grouping semantic abstractions.REA ontology; enterprise business process; semantic abstractions

ERP systems in multi-national companies: support, maintenance and further development

Multi-national companies introduce centralized or centrally administered ERP systems to cope with challenges of globalization. Introduction of such systems need careful planning. The planning should take not only the project and its deployment into consideration. Very important are the support and maintenance rules. The paper deals with rules used in case of a large multi-national company and resulting reaction of users in several subsidiaries in Central and Eastern Europe. The statistics obtained during first months of operation illustrate the results.Multi-national ERP systems; IT strategy; International IT projects; Application maintenance and support

Agent oriented modeling of business information systems

Enterprise modeling is an abstract definition of processes running in enterprise using process, value, data and resource models. There are two perspectives of business modeling: process perspective and value chain perspective. Both have some advantages and disadvantages. This paper proposes a combination of both perspectives into one generic model. The model takes also social part or the enterprise system into consideration and pays attention to disturbances influencing the enterprise system. Due to heterogeneous nature of the enterprise processes the outline proposed is oriented on the modeling using agents. Several types of agents are defined for the simulation model. The agents are structured into several layers. Well known JADE platform is proposed as the modeling framework. Further research directions are summed up in conclusio

ICT ve veřejné správě a SMB sektoru: Čtyři roky nových výzev

Four years of EU membership has brought new opportunities and challenges for local companies and public administration in member countries. New small and medium companies (SMB) emerged in the neighboring regions cross over the former frontiers, there are new clusters using inter-regional cooperation. Based on the extensive cooperation with “old” EU countries new best business practices are being introduced in the existing processes. The public administration has to follow not only the new legislation but also the new business needs. All mentioned changes create new impulses for Information and Communication Technology (ICT). Basic statistic data presented in this paper imply considerable reserves in document workflows on municipal administration level. SMB companies lag behind the EU average in electronic business level. One of the reasons could be relatively low support of Content Management Systems and logistic chains (SCM) by existing ICT. In order to meet the demands described some changes and tuning in the infrastructure, security and standardization is necessary. Necessary changes are regularly put into operation what leads to new opportunities for ICT students leaving the universities. The ratios of ICT students and graduates compared with the total numbers stagnated in the last years. Hence, changes in the ICT education and its permanent actualization are needed in all branches of ICT

Některé právní otázky související se zaváděním informačních systémů v nadnárodních firmách

Abstract: One of noticeable features of globalization are rapid changes of information systems. If a company wants to be successful, it must carry out many actions having impact on information system. This increasingly concerns multi-national companies, which solve this challenge by multi-national ERP system implementations. Some basic formal prerequisites must be fulfilled to introduce successful multi-national ERP system. Harmonized legal, currency and custom systems in target countries are to be mentioned here in the first place. Intercompany decision system and culture are the next important point. After the delivering party is chosen, other important principles are to be complied with. Local specifics shall be taken into account in order to avoid conflicts, delays and language barriers. Proper definitions and clauses in all parts of the contract help to solve eventual problems during project and implementation stage. These topics must be mastered not only by company lawyers but by IT managers, too. This is why it is an opposite praxis to include tuition of special law lectures into management and information technology education