A Distance-Based Decision in the Credal Level

Belief function theory provides a flexible way to combine information provided by different sources. This combination is usually followed by a decision making which can be handled by a range of decision rules. Some rules help to choose the most likely hypothesis. Others allow that a decision is made on a set of hypotheses. In [6], we proposed a decision rule based on a distance measure. First, in this paper, we aim to demonstrate that our proposed decision rule is a particular case of the rule proposed in [4]. Second, we give experiments showing that our rule is able to decide on a set of hypotheses. Some experiments are handled on a set of mass functions generated randomly, others on real databases

Design Options for Service Directories in Business Networks

Web services and service oriented architectures (SOA) are spreading in many organizations toachieve business interoperability of their intra- and inter-organizational business processes. SOA isbased on the idea that service providers develop and publish web services via standardized interfacesin directories (registries) where the services will be found and bound by service consumers. Whilethese registry structures have emerged into a standard for local SOA implementations, the questionremains how service directories should be organized in a business network, i.e. when multiple companieswith individual SOA solutions interact. This research develops a framework for the analysis ofservice directories in business networks and provides design options for combining separate and distributedservice directories. These design options are based on the range, reach, and richness of webservice markets in the business network. The framework is applied to two business network cases

A Resource Based and Real Options Perspective on IT Infastructure Investments Aiming for Strategic Flexibility

Today’s turbulent environment increases the degree of uncertainty organizations can experience. Organizations differentiate and develop a repertoire of competencies to respond to, and to influence this environment. The degree to which organizations can respond to the competing demands is a measure of an organization’s strategic flexibility. The business imperative of strategic flexibility is posing new requirements on the IT capabilities to deliver applications that facilitate responsiveness to customer demands and provide cost-effective, scalable infrastructures that enable enterprise-wide business processes. In literature, IT infrastructure is regarded as a major resource for attaining competitive advantage. We present a model using resource based theory and real option theory. The presented model lays a theoretical foundation that can be used as a basis for future empirical research. In this research we will try to answer how firms, in a turbulent environment, structure their IT infrastructure resources and capabilities and how they capture the value of managerial flexibility of IT infrastructure investment opportunities in their aim for strategic flexibility

FACTORS INFLUENCING LONG TERM DYNAMICS OF HEALTH CARE SUPPLY AND DEMAND

Governments and other policy makers use long-term planning models to support workforce planning decisions for regulating care markets and to ensure accurate balancing between care supply and demand. Our aim is to understand long-term effects of workforce planning decisions on care markets, in order to enhance health care policy making. We identify 25 key factors that influence care demand and supply based on literature analysis and analysis of a planning model for long term care development currently used in the Netherlands. We depict a model that relates these key factors together, and, ultimately construct a system dynamics model to predict long-term development of specialist care supply and demand. We conclude that long-term developments of care markets are not only determined by these 25 factors but also by dynamic interactions among three markets: (1) the specialist care markets, (2) the personnel markets in hospitals and specialist groups, and (3) the specialist training markets. Planning models must include such interactions to ensure valid long-term predictions of markets and workforce needs

Analyzing the Added Value of Electronic Intermediaries in the Dutch Health Care Sector

The CareAuction intermediary offers a reverse auctioning platform to support the allocation of individual maternity care patient requests between purchasers of health insurance companies (acting on behalf of their policy holders) and care providers. Since its introduction in 2005, CareAuction has contributed to a small price drop of maternity care and induced competition on the supply-side of the market. This is a result of increased transparency for both (demand and supply) sides. The quality of the maternity care that is provided is monitored by a newly introduced quality evaluation system, which includes the patient and introduces quality as another competitive factor next to price. Next to CareAuction, other intermediaries are still active in the health care sector, supporting the allocation of care between insurance companies and care providers. Findings indicate that the influence of CareAuction leads to the disintermediation of at least one other intermediary. Theory on electronic intermediaries and market dynamics is used to identify the added values that these two intermediaries (CareAuction and LTZ) create for the purchasers and providers of maternity care in the context of the maternity care market

Impact of Electronic Auctions on Health Care Markets

Electronic auctions can be applied in certain markets, but the effects on market structure, market behaviour and market performance are unclear. We analyzed the effects of a reverse electronic auction initiative, implemented by a new intermediary (CareAuction.nl), on the market for maternity care in the Netherlands in 2005 and 2006. After an unsuccessful start in 2004 as cybermediary in the care market between patients and care providers, CareAuction successfully moved in March 2005 to the care contracting market between insurance companies and care providers. We found small but significant effects on the price of maternity care (minus 2-4%), and significant effects on market structure (more care providers involved in the bidding processes) and market behavior (bidding behaviors and user preferences). We see good opportunities to improve health care market effectiveness for specific care services (non-emergency, elective, standardized care) and to further adapt the auction mechanism

A Strategy Development Process for Enterprise Content Management

Today, many organizations maintain a variety of systems and databases in a complex ad-hoc architecture that does not seem to fulfill the needs for company-wide unstructured information management in business processes, business functions, and the extended enterprise. We describe a framework to implement Enterprise Content Management (ECM) in order to address this problem. ECM refers to the technologies, tools, and methods used to capture, manage, store, preserve, and deliver content (e.g. documents, graphics, drawings, web pages) across an enterprise. The framework helps to select content objects that can be brought under ECM to create business value and guide the IT investments needed to realize ECM. The framework was tested in a large high tech organization

Optimization of System Dynamics Models: a Novel Methodology

A novel methodology for the optimization of system dynamics models is summarized and illustrated via the application of this methodology to a case study of coal-transportation management. The objective of this case study is to minimize total cost while satisfying a given constraint for the efficiency of the simulated system. This methodology combines the “Karush-Kuhn-Tucker” conditions (which are well known in mathematical optimization) with “efficient global optimization”, which is closely related to “Bayesian optimization” and “machine learning” as they all use Gaussian processes or Kriging to approximate black-box models. The case study numerically illustrates the methodology’s effectiveness and efficiency, compared with the optimizer in the “Insight Maker” software for system dynamics models

How Electronic Network Organizations Enable Mass Customization in Financial Markets

The financial services industry has used Internet technologies to create many standardised services for consumers. Recent Internet initiatives offer more customised financial products and services. Traditional market players have responded by evolving standard products to become more client specific. These forms of mass customisation of financial services are based on an increasing role and importance of electronic business networks. This paper explores examples of business networks offering financial services and analyses the criteria for process performance and success