Alessio Maria Braccini

The rea-DSL: a domain specific modeling language for business models

In the discipline of accounting, the resource-event-agent (REA) ontology is a well accepted conceptual accounting framework to analyze the economic phenomena within and across enterprises. Accordingly, it seems to be appropriate to use REA in the requirements elicitation to develop an information architecture of accounting and enterprise information systems. However, REA has received comparatively less attention in the field of business informatics and computer science. Some of the reasons may be that the REA ontology despite of its well grounded core concepts is (1) sometimes vague in the definition of the relationships between these core concepts, (2) misses a precise language to describe the models, and (3) does not come with an easy to understand graphical notation. Accordingly, we have started developing a domain specific modeling language specifically dedicated to REA models and corresponding tool support to overcome these limitations. In this paper we present our REA DSL which supports the basic set of REA concepts.

Living IT infrastructures — An ontology-based approach to aligning IT infrastructure capacity and business needs

Changes in organizational processes often interact with changes in the IT infrastructure. Accounting for the structural and economic consequences of changes to the modern IT infrastructure remains a challenge, as their complexity can affect more than one business process, and the need to share a common understanding between the IT and the business management challenges current IT governance practices. An integrative perspective of business processes and IT resources would help meet these challenges, but despite some progress such a perspective remains to be developed. This paper proposes a domain ontology – an Ontology for Linking Processes and IT infrastructure (OLPIT) – to model the relationship between IT resources and business processes for the purpose of measuring the business value of IT. The ontology was developed and evaluated in the context of a design research project conducted in the Hilti Corporation, an international manufacturing company, with the aim of defining how IT impacts the business and calculating the cost of IT services used.

Applying media synchronicity theory to distance learning in virtual worlds: a design science approach

The use of 3D virtual world platforms in learning is growing in popularity. While there are many learning affordances for such environments, including the possibility of doing things impossible in reality, there are some noted drawbacks. In particular the way they can be used for distance learning deserves consideration. In this paper, we focus on the issue of synchronicity and on how it limits the flexibility that distance learning affords. We use e-learning theory and media synchronicity theory to propose an explanatory design theory for distance learning using 3D virtual world to address the problem of synchronicity.

A Process Oriented Assessment of the IT Infrastructure Value: A Proposal of an Ontology Based Approach

The impact of IT infrastructure on organizations’ activities and performance is hard to evaluate since complex IT infrastructures affect multiple business processes. An integrated perspective on IT and business processes is required. Previous research dealing with process-based IT impact evaluations lacks practical applications of proposed methods. Adopting a value-based perspective, this paper focuses on the organizational impact of IT and introduces first results from an ongoing research. This paper introduces an ontology based approach to represent the relationships among business processes and IT infrastructure components.

‘Gentlemen, all aboard!’ ICT and party politics: Reflections from a Mass-eParticipation experience

Abstract Information and Communication Technology (ICT) use is becoming an ever more popular way to involve citizens in political decision making. And yet, despite their recently increasing number, few eParticipation initiatives have achieved their intended aims. If nothing else, this shows that the internal processes, challenges and opportunities of using ICT to engage citizens in politics deserve further examination. The present paper attempts to undertake such an investigation by analysing Italys Five Star Movement, a mass-eParticipation-based political organisation recently founded by private citizens. Using an interpretive case-study approach, this paper assesses the goals, participation, technology use, internal governance, external consequences, and challenges endemic to employing ICT in citizen engagement, to answer the following question: what consequences, challenges and opportunities does mass-eParticipation present to organisational stakeholders? Results of the study bring to light several additional research questions whose answers will surely advance the current discourse on eParticipation, and they also provide practical guidance and direction for those launching eParticipation initiatives.

An IS for archaeological finds management as a platform for knowledge management: The ArcheoTRAC case

Purpose – The aim of this study is to describe the context, the activity, and the outcome of a project, which led to the creation of ArcheoTRAC, the first information system (IS) designed to run all the daily activities in archaeological finds management, to share information among the different professionals and to support in this way knowledge creation.Design/methodology/approach – The study focuses on the ArcheoTRAC system and on the project that contributed to its development. Since the authors of this paper have been involved in the project (one of them since its very beginning), an action research paradigm has been used to derive scientific knowledge out of the experience. Both organizational and technological aspects are investigated under the respective theoretical knowledge management perspectives.Findings – There were two effective choices in order to foster knowledge sharing in a context of a scarcity of interactions among professionals involved. Grouping representatives of possible users in th...

Business Models and E-Services: An Ontological Approach in a Cross-Border Environment

In business practice and in scientific research business models seem to have caught much attention as this phenomenon has been investigated by many disciplines, with different objectives and point of views. Researchers’ general opinion on business models is based on value and information technology in an organization or a set of linked ones. Anyhow, a common agreed theoretical background and even a shared definition of business models are still missing. In this paper we will analyse the relevant literature on business models to increase understanding on this topic and identify future research directions. By discussing results of this analysis we will introduce an action research study on business models in cross-border e-services environment.

Public Policy Innovation in Distance and On-Line Learning: Reflections on the Italian Case

The dynamic evolution of competences required by professions has to match ever-evolving contexts, in which the growth of the demand of new professionals, poses the threat of a skill shortage. The role of learning and training is strategic to this regard, also thanks to the use of on-line and distance learning that use Internet based technologies to allow learning to be administered in context different than the traditional face-to-face. Literature highlights that e-learning has to be implemented following specific strategies. Within this perspective, this chapter presents and discusses the recent experiences of the public policies for e-learning in Italy.

Designing 3D Virtual World Platforms for E-Learning Services. New Frontiers of Organizational Training

The World Wide Web is, amongst the several different media available, the most global, interactive, and dynamic medium to share information. World wide web services were used in the last decade for e-learning applications, both in academic and business settings. E-learning services, provided through e-learning platforms, allow individuals to develop competences that might turn into organizational competences and eventually lead to competitive advantage. The development and usage of 3D virtual world platforms for e-learning services is an emerging phenomenon that challenges and enlarges the very idea of learning environment. Within this context this paper sheds light on this new frontier of e-learning services analyzing relevant literature on the application of 3D virtual world platforms in this context.

From the Blogosphere into Real Politics: The Use of ICT by the Five Star Movement

Research on ICT and the public discourse often focuses on how ICT can be used to increase citizen participation in political decision-making processes. The Italian Five Star Movement (5SM) represents a novel approach to using ICT to include citizens, and a big challenge for the traditional political actors. The 5SM was initiated outside the established political systems, with the use of Internet tools as cornerstones to promote political actions based on the directly expressed will of citizens. In this paper, based on an exploratory case study approach and informed by the introduction of E-Democracy models, we investigate the role of ICT in various phases of the 5SM, from its birth through the current stage. The focus here is on the transformation from a protest organisation outside the established political processes to being the second most voted party within the Italian parliament.