Gregor Lenart

Business Model Innovation: Insights from a Multiple Case Study of Slovenian SMEs

Abstract Background and Purpose: Business model innovation (BMI) has become increasingly important, especially in the fast changing business environment. While large enterprises approach these changes systematically, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are left to their own resourcefulness. For the purpose of developing dedicated methods and tools to support different SMEs in addressing these challenges, we have conducted a multiple case study to gain insights into factors that drive SMEs to innovate their BM, how they approach BMI and what changes they made to their BM. Design/Methodology/Approach: First the framework of analysis was developed based on BMI research frameworks identified in literature review. Then the multiple case studies were conducted following the case study protocol developed by Envision project. Results: Based on the proposed framework the results of four Slovene SME cases revealed differences between enterprises regarding the drivers behind BMI and changes in usage of the different BMI elements. Conclusion: Overall, the results suggest all four SMEs, coming from different sectors, are facing BMI challenges without systematically addressing it and without using any dedicated BM ontologies or tools.

A Comparative Study of the Impact of ERP Systems Implementation on Large Companies in Slovakia and Slovenia

Based on a literature review, it can be stated that there had been very little research published focused on enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems post-implementation period. This paper tries to contribute to filling in this gap in theory. The aim of this paper is to analyze whether a significant difference in the impact of ERP systems implementation on overall IS/IT costs can be found, as well as on the proportion of the IT/IS costs attributed to IT and other departments, on efficiency as profitability, on effectiveness as productivity, and on the availability of IS/IT services. The research is based on data from large Slovak and Slovenian companies. The models control for the extent and successfulness of the ERP system implementation and for the IT focus of the company.

Actual vs. Planned ERP System Implementation Costs in Slovak and Slovenian Companies

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are still more and more common in companies, not only in large ones but also in small and medium enterprises. Although virtually nobody really doubts their importance for running business, there is a sentiment regarding their implementation – both in terms of time and cost. We focus on the latter in this paper. The research question is to what extent do ERP system implementation costs exceed the planned costs in European context, which is characterized by fixed price policy. The questionnaire research, which focused on this issue, was conducted in Slovakia and Slovenia. The dependent variable was a percentage of actual ERP system implementation costs vis-a-vis the planned ones. The independent variables were the country, company size, information strategy, and representation of the IT department on board level. According to the collected data, companies with information strategy, and small companies as opposed to large ones, are more likely to stay on budget. Overall, 68.5% of companies stayed on budget and companies, on average, spent 106.0% of what they originally planned to.

Introduction of a Lesson: A Guarantee of Motivation? The Significance of the Lesson Introduction for Learners’ Activation Level in Business and Economics Teaching at German Vocational Colleges

Konferenca o razvoju organizacijskih znanosti je konferenca z najdaljso tradicijo na Univerzi v Mariboru in vsako leto poveže studente, raziskovalce, gospodarstvenike in predstavnike javne uprave, ki delujejo na podrocju organizacije in managementa. Tema letosnje, že 36. mednarodne konference o razvoju organizacijskih znanosti, je Odgovorna organizacija in se nanasa na sirino organizacije v njenem notranjem in zunanjem okolju. Odgovornost do zaposlenih, poslanstva, strategije, procesov, tehnologije, razvoja so samo nekatera izmed podrocij, ki jim mora organizacija slediti. Identiteta organizacije se izkazuje z njenim vsestransko odgovornim ravnanjem in kaže vrednost navzven pri kupcih ali uporabnikih storitev. V casu, ki ga živimo, smo vpeti v preplet tehnoloskega in socialnega napredka, ki nenazadnje rezultira v posamezniku in družbi nasploh. Ravnanje organizacije se ravno tako ne veže samo na delovanje v lokalnem okolju temvec zaradi globalnih razsežnosti ucinkuje tudi v mednarodnih dimenzijah. S temo konference želimo odpreti polje vprasanj in poiskati odgovore, ki bodo doprinesli k napredku organizacijskih ved. Materialni vplivi, komuniciranje, znanje in postenje ter nenazadnje ideal odgovornega ravnanja lahko kot pomembni dejavniki obvladujejo pogosto nemirne situacije v in izven okolja nasih organizacij. Ker smo casovno in prostorsko vpeti v vzorce, ki mnogokrat ne sledijo vec nasim preteklim izkusnjam, je nasa želja, da s srecanjem na konferenci stopimo v korak s casom in prepoznamo dobre prakse, izoblikujemo nove metode in se seznanimo z aktualnimi trendi, ki jih organizacije vsakodnevno živijo.Konferenca o razvoju organizacijskih znanosti je konferenca z najdaljso tradicijo na Univerzi v Mariboru in vsako leto poveže studente, raziskovalce, gospodarstvenike in predstavnike javne uprave, ki delujejo na podrocju organizacije in managementa. Tema letosnje, že 36. mednarodne konference o razvoju organizacijskih znanosti, je Odgovorna organizacija in se nanasa na sirino organizacije v njenem notranjem in zunanjem okolju. Odgovornost do zaposlenih, poslanstva, strategije, procesov, tehnologije, razvoja so samo nekatera izmed podrocij, ki jim mora organizacija slediti. Identiteta organizacije se izkazuje z njenim vsestransko odgovornim ravnanjem in kaže vrednost navzven pri kupcih ali uporabnikih storitev. V casu, ki ga živimo, smo vpeti v preplet tehnoloskega in socialnega napredka, ki nenazadnje rezultira v posamezniku in družbi nasploh. Ravnanje organizacije se ravno tako ne veže samo na delovanje v lokalnem okolju temvec zaradi globalnih razsežnosti ucinkuje tudi v mednarodnih dimenzijah. S temo konference želimo odpreti polje vprasanj in poiskati odgovore, ki bodo doprinesli k napredku organizacijskih ved. Materialni vplivi, komuniciranje, znanje in postenje ter nenazadnje ideal odgovornega ravnanja lahko kot pomembni dejavniki obvladujejo pogosto nemirne situacije v in izven okolja nasih organizacij. Ker smo casovno in prostorsko vpeti v vzorce, ki mnogokrat ne sledijo vec nasim preteklim izkusnjam, je nasa želja, da s srecanjem na konferenci stopimo v korak s casom in prepoznamo dobre prakse, izoblikujemo nove metode in se seznanimo z aktualnimi trendi, ki jih organizacije vsakodnevno živijo.

User-Centered Design of a Web-Based Platform for the Sustainable Development of Tourism Services in a Living Lab Context

The tourism sector in the Gorenjska region, where outstanding natural, historical and geographical potentials are supported by national and regional policies, still faces many challenges in terms of attracting more tourists for longer periods. We address this problem with an open innovation approach, bringing together tourism service providers, end-users (tourists), information and communication technology providers and policy makers; and with the establishing of a regional tourism living lab, which is a real life environment in which researchers, developers and users are co-creating new products or services. We describe the process and experiences of the user-centered design of the web-based platform for sustainable development of tourism services in a living lab context. The phases of the co-design process of web platform development are described, from idea formation through prototype development, testing, and gathering user feedback through several workshops. The final outcome, the “GoGorenjska” web platform, is presented, and further research is outlined. Based on the feedback from tourism service providers and tourists, we can conclude that the platform itself has vast open innovation potential, providing a critical mass of users in the phase of full production on the market.