ERP On Demand Platform - Complementary Effects Using the Example of a Sustainability Benchmarking Service

Platforms for SaaS-based enterprise applications are prospering and the number of on-demand ERP vendors is increasing. We combine both phenomena for the first time and illustrate how the integration of a sustainability benchmarking service into an on-demand ERP platform provides added value beyond pure cost savings. By applying a qualitative system dynamics approach we identify self-reinforcing mechanisms which allow a faster and more comprehensive market penetration compared to providing these services separately

A Cloud-based Messaging Service for Cross-Enterprise Data Exchange with Smart Objects

In this paper, we explore common communication needs for the rapidly increasing number of Internet-connected devices, which are appearing in a growing number of domains. We argue that with the rise of these smart objects business cooperation will increase. So-called smart meters then serve as example that a direct and flexible information exchange across enterprise boundaries, markets and even industries is needed. Based on experiences from integration projects and qualitative interviews with experts we deduce key requirements for an abstract communication system. We then map established communication paradigms to these requirements and finally introduce a cloud-based communication system for smart objects we call Virtual Object Warehousing Service. We explore its key characteristics and conclude by providing an outlook how such a general-purpose cloud-based messaging service could satisfy the communication needs of smart objects

Demand Response in Smart Grids: Research Opportunities for the IS Discipline

Information systems are going to play a key role in making today’s electricity grids smarter and, in this way, enabling the energy turnaround from fossil to renewable energy sources. One of the approaches in order to cope with the intermittent feed-in of renewable energy is demand response, i.e. the demand side responds to requirements and price signals from the electricity grid. Until now, the supply side still largely responds to the demand by trying to generate the electricity that is currently needed. As the huge coordination task of demand response in smart grids necessarily requires information systems, this contribution analyzes existing information systems (IS) research contributions on demand response. Subsequently, we identify underrepresented areas by contrasting our findings with the research of related disciplines and research projects funded by the European Union (EU). Finally, we discuss selected open questions and conclude by illustrating what the identified white spots mean for the Smart Grid’s success and provides guidance for future IS research and development

Inter-organizational Integration of Smart Objects: White Spots in the Solution Landscape

The vision of the Internet of Things (IoT) has sparked considerable efforts in research and development over the past decade.Much of these efforts were driven by applications of RFID technology for monitoring the flow of goods and prominent earlyadopters such as Wal-Mart and Metro Group. Also, the global standards organization GS1 provided a number of wellrecognized specifications that are tailored to monitor objects across organizations.Development of the IoT has certainly benefited from the strong demand for monitoring goods in business applications.However, the dominance of these application scenarios and corresponding standards comes at the risk of neglectingrequirements from other domains. In this paper, we review the focus of existing works. Our contribution is twofold. (1) Usinga systematic literature review, we analyze existing research contributions and identify underrepresented areas. (2) We discussselected approaches in detail and highlight open issues in the covered functionality. The aim of our work is to raise awarenessfor open potentials in the IoT service domain and to direct future research and developments

Inter-Organizational Demand Response Applications: How to Address Moral Hazard in Smart Grids

Intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar are increasingly integrated into the power grid. So-called Demand Response (DR) applications are a relatively low-cost and quick means to balance the resulting generation fluctuations. Against this background, the allegation of fraud against a large DR provider in 2011 gives rise to questions about a systematic cooperation problem. We address this potential market failure and analyze the demand response business model by using the principal agent theory (PAT). We show that hidden action can indeed lead to market failure. Among the possible PAT solutions we show that monitoring can be realized based on a combined openADR protocol and data integrity approach. Finally, we highlight the prospects of a standardized and automated IS-based solution and provide an outlook of current research gaps

Performance Improvements Based on RFID - Empirical Findings from a Cross-Sectional Study

Based on a cross-sectoral survey among 114 RFID-using companies in Germany, the constitutive factors for performance improvement are evaluated. Analyzing realized target variables such as lead time or production downtime, we can show that the performance-enhancing impact of RFID can be ascribed to the three effects automation, informatization, and transformation. However, automation alone – i.e. a reduction of manual data acquisition activities through RFID – does not systematically contribute to performance enhancement. Rather, we found evidence indicating that it is necessary to exploit improved information about enterprise resources (informatization) and/or to re-engineer business processes (transformation) on the basis of RFID. No matter what sector an enterprise belongs to, investments in RFID technology that are exclusively aimed at an automated acquisition of information are inadvisable. This might be of special interest to companies who are facing a mandate in the near future

Profiling Benefits of RFID Applications

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) enables a contact-free identification of objects either individually or in a bulk mode. The most salient promise of RFID in the realm of logistics is that it reduces object handling costs by automation. However the business potential of RFID reaches well beyond: By providing decision makers with a more detailed, precise, and timely information base, qualitative and indirect benefits can be realized and RFID can be turned into an enabler for farreaching process transformations. This paper derives a classification framework for RFID benefits that can be used for profiling benefits of envisioned RFID initiatives. The profiles are designed to support a targeted selection of benefit measurement approaches as well as for an identification of relevant gaps in the exploitation of the technology. Two complementary case studies are introduced and discussed to illustrate how resulting benefit profiles can be utilized

Digital Decarbonization: Design Principles for an Enterprise-wide Emissions Data Architecture

The need for corporate decarbonization to mitigate climate change is reflected in a growing number of political measures to transparently disclose the environmental impact of corporate activities. Due to increasing reporting obligations, companies must constantly evaluate their own as well as suppliers' products and processes with respect to emissions data. To date, guidelines on how to design a data architecture focusing on the collection, storage, transformation, distribution, and disclosure of emissions data throughout an entire company are still lacking. Working with the design science research paradigm, we develop seven design principles for an enterprise-wide emissions data architecture (EEDA). We develop and iterate these principles by performing a structured literature review and semi-structured interviews. Taking this emission-centric perspective on data architecture, we foster the active engagement for a structured enterprise-wide approach for managing emissions data and coping with the increased demand for emissions reporting