Gregory Mentzas

Modelling business processes with workflow systems: an evaluation of alternative approaches

Effective business process management necessitates a consistent information flow between the participants in the process, the smooth integration of the flow of work, the timely sharing of data and information during the planning and implementation phases and harmonious support for the collaborative aspects of work. The recent trends in the development of advanced workflow management systems and technologies seem to be of crucial importance for facilitating these tasks within the process management context. However, workflow management systems (WfMS) follow various approaches in modelling the flow of work and hence present varying functionalities when supporting enterprise processes. The present paper examines the ways in which workflow technology may facilitate the implementation of process management, reviews the pros and cons of adopting alternative workflow representation techniques in modelling business processes and provides guidance to managers as to the characteristics, the similarities and differences of the various workflow modelling schemes.

Coordination of joint tasks in organizational processes

Organizational productivity can be maximized by creating, using and maintaining structural and dynamic configurations of multi-participant interaction. The paper highlights a number of areas for consideration that arise when studying coordination within an organizational setting. The focus of the analysis is on two types of tasks: decision-making tasks and routine office processes. The paper argues that a number of (conflicting) options exist when developing the coordination aspects of group systems; they are classified across the following axes: specification and implementation of coordination; use of synchronous and asynchronous working phases; information exchange and information sharing; support of sequential and concurrent processing; support of negotiation and conflict resolution; support of analytical modelling; and description of the organizational environment.

A functional taxonomy of computer-based information systems

The increased use of computing facilities and the application of concepts and theories from a wealth of different disciplines have resulted in the development of different types of computer based information systems (CBIS) with distinct functional characteristics. The reviews and classifications of CBIS found in the literature usually focus on one of these types and also on classes of applications. There is a need for a broad classification with a focus on the functional characteristics for CBIS that consider issues of organizational support and representation of business-related processes. The present paper attempts to provide the basic framework for such a functional taxonomy by classifying CBIS on three distinct process elements: information process support; decision process support; and communication process support. The aim is greater precision in systems categorization and to enhance the usefulness of CBIS research by reducing ambiguity in the attribution of research results. Ten different types of CBIS are examined and classified. The constituent elements of these CBIS types are also analysed.

An empirical assessment of macroeconometric and CGE approaches in policy modeling

Abstract The macroeconometric (ME) and computable general equilibrium (CGE) models can be considered the cornerstones of the spectrum of quantitative models used today for macroeconomic policy analysis. In the paper we design two small-scale models (an ME and a CGE model) in such a manner that they are representative of their large-scale counterparts, estimate them on a common database, and attempt a systematic comparative assessment of their simulation properties. We suggest various possibilities for use in policy analysis that explore and combine the results of both models.

Re-engineering banking with object-oriented models: Towards customer information systems

The banking sector is demanding re-engineering due to changes in economic setting, consumer needs and market competition and requires a redesign of current accounts-oriented information technology systems to customer-oriented systems. The paper argues that object-orientation provides the needed transparency and consistency between the models of business systems and the models of IT systems and adopts the use of object-oriented methods as a basis for redesigning banking business processes and information systems. The paper reports the findings of a research project that dealt with the development of the Banking Reengineering with Object-Oriented Modelling (BROOM) method for the coupled redesign of business and information systems and gives the results of an application of the method to a bank.

Challenges and Directions in Knowledge Asset Trading

This paper addresses the area that is at the intersection of Knowledge Management and Electronic Commerce. This area refers to the exchange and trade of explicit and implicit knowledge at an inter-organisational level. Electronic knowledge marketplaces are currently emerging to address the opportunities and risks found in the purchase and selling of knowledge at the business-to-business (B2B) environment, the need for supporting long-lasting relationships of knowledge exchange and the requirement for facilitating virtual community contexts where knowledge seekers can find suitable knowledge providers and knowledge providers can advertise and sell their available knowledge. The paper describes the business challenges associated with the design of Internet-based knowledge marketplace. INKASS, a European IST project, has stimulated this work and has provided real-life verification on the arguments raised and on the positions adopted herein.

Team coordination in decision support projects

Abstract Coordination is one of the key design components for group decision support systems. Coordination strategies refer to the meta-level knowledge for enticing decision-making units to work effectively with each other. The actual problems of coordination in projects that make use of decision support tools (e.g. shared databases, mathematical, model bases, reporting tools, etc.) refer to information sharing concerning various types of information (e.g. the input and output data), coordination between group members in the use of mathematical models, and to the standardisation of the work process in the form of rigid procedures. The present paper analyses the coordination issues that arise in decision-support groupwork and introduces the job concept as a medium for modelling multi-user processes in decision-support projects. The paper discusses the conceptual design, empirical development and actual use of a system that supports model-based reasoning and aids the coordination of multi-user work-flow processes.

Towards intelligent organisational information systems

It has been argued in the literature that although specific types of computer-based information systems (CBIS) are powerful tools in certain parts of the decision-making processes in modern organisations, none of them provides integrated support. This lack becomes even more acute when one considers the operation of CBIS within an organisational setting where consistent assistance of a multitude of users in different departments is required, together with facilities for modelling such features as cooperation, conflict, negotiation, etc. On the other hand, there are indications that the incorporation of abilities such as perception, interpretation, reasoning, explanation, goal-setting, and learning in computer-aided support would greatly enhance the aforementioned decision-making processes. This paper reviews the evolution of CBIS, and attempts to synthesise current research towards the goal of competent and intelligent aiding of decision-making in organisational settings. The main argument of the paper is that decision-making functions in multi-participant organisations can be facilitated by the use of intelligent software entities with autonomous processing capabilities which possess coordination and negotiation facilities and are organised in distributed, hierarchical societies. This paper presents a conceptual definition of these entities, outlines their structural characteristics, and describes a framework for research towards their development.

3.1. Short and medium-term modeling and problems of models linkage

In this paper we present the main theoretical and empirical issues encountered in the construction of a short/medium-term energy-economy linked system of models, namely the Hermes-Midas system. The paper focuses on the problems of model linkage and proposes a methodology. The Hermes-Midas Linked System covers all aspects of energy-economy simulation and policy analysis for European countries.

Market imperfections in a general equilibrium framework: An empirical analysis

Abstract The present paper arises from efforts to include non-neoclassical features in empirical CGE models in order to represent market imperfections and rigidities. We examine the policy implications of adopting frameworks other than price induced market clearing in certain markets of a CGE model. In the course of the paper we design a general core CGE model and derive 12 alternative model variantsby allowing for market imperfections in the markets for goods, labour and foreign exchange; these variants represent various research directions in the literature. We investigate the role of such rigidities in evaluating the macroeconomic impacts of European market integration on a small open economy, namely Greece.