Hanifa Shah

Frameworks for Enterprise Architecture

Enterprise architecture addresses the double challenge of increasing IT efficiency while continuing business innovation. Organizations can use enterprise architecture frameworks to manage system complexity and align business and IT resources. An enterprise architecture approach can help align business and IT resources and conform them to fundamental principles and common methodologies governing the entire information systems development process. In that sense, architectural frameworks are a convenient way to support such methodologies and separate roles that facilitate and implement these methodologies as needed. Still, many organizational and technical enterprise architecture challenges remain.

A model for improving the role of IT in BPR

Purpose – Extensive literature on business process management suggests that organisations could enhance their overall performance by adopting a process view of business. However, there is a lack of empirical research in this field. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the understanding of the process view and process maturity levels in a transition economy and to test the impact of process orientation maturity level on organisational performance.Design/methodology/approach – Empirical investigation combined an exploratory‐confirmatory approach using factor analysis and structural equation modelling.Findings – The investigation confirms the impact of business process orientation on organisational performance in a transition economy. The link is even stronger than in the original investigation. The results show that business process orientation leads to better non‐financial performance and indirectly to better financial performance.Practical implications – The research confirms that business process ...

Smart care spaces: needs for intelligent at-home care

Pressures on the availability of healthcare spaces, the high costs of institutional care, and the desires of those being cared for, cause a current move toward care either at home or within low-supervision environments. This brings about an important question: how can smart care spaces be created that intelligently link the home care environment to the needs of the cared-for? To a significant degree this involves development of sensored spaces connected to intelligent computer-systems. However, that intelligence requires an understanding of how sensors can provide more than just environmental variables, instead making systems aware of symptoms, comfort and potential needs for intervention. Therefore, this paper discusses the current need for development of smart care spaces, provides an introduction to some of the cost-effective sensors available, and reviews links between sensor data and medical conditions. It will conclude that there is a growing need for smart care spaces that allow effective monitorin...

ALTAR: achieving learning through action research

This paper describes a collaborative action research (AR) study that took place between a U.K. university and a large U.K. manufacturing organisation, Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd. The ALTAR (Achieving Learning Through Action Research) project involved a number of AR cycles involving participants at different levels of the collaborating organisation. Britvic was already in the process of adopting knowledge management (KM) software but it was recognised that they could better exploit KM technologies by undertaking the AR project described in the paper. The project involved developing academic theory into practical concepts that influenced actions in the organisation and fed back into the academic research. The ALTAR approach and findings are described in this paper and conclusions are drawn about the AR study and its implications for AR, KM and for the future study of organisational learning through AR. The conclusions of the work are of practical use to managers in a variety of organisations and will inform academic research into cognate disciplines using the AR process.

Applying Semiotic Methods To Requirements Recovery

One of the most difficult, yet crucial, tasks in any project of reengineering or extension of a legacy system is to understand the system and to recover the original requirements. To develop an effective method of requirements recovery for legacy information systems, the AMBOLS project proposes a semiotic framework. In complement to other conventional methods of systems engineering, two semiotic methods, Semantic Analysis and Norm Analysis, have been adopted for elicitation, derivation and representation of users’ requirements. The AMBOLS method recovers the requirements by analysing the normative behaviour of the legacy system in its context, and observing and modelling the interactions of its users.

E-Education 3.0: Challenges and Opportunities for the Future of iCampuses

In our exciting world of pervasive computing and always-available mobile internet, meeting the educational needs of students has seen a growing trend toward collaborative electronic and mobile learning systems that build on the vision of Web 2.0. However, other trends relevant to modern students must not be ignored, including data freedom, brokerage and interconnectivity. Such factors are associated with the Internet of Things and the vision for Web 3.0, and so include the needs for greater consideration of data context and educational personalization so important to the future of campus-based, distance and vocational study. Therefore, future education can be expected to require a deeper technological connection between students and learning environments, in a manner requiring significant use of sensors, mobile devices, cloud computing and rich-media visualization. This paper considers the challenges associated with adopting such a futuristic concept as a means of enriching learning materials and environments within a university context. It will be concluded that much of the technology required to embrace the vision of Web 3.0 in education already exists, but that further research in key areas is required for the concept to achieve its full potential.

The Role of Enterprise Architecture in Healthcare-IT

As far as Enterprise Architecture is a strategic planning tool, Main objective of architecture is to define the layout of organizational components and relationship among them in order to understand the integration of objects for further improvement. Enterprise architecture has several benefits and it is imperative for defining the IT components and their association with human (paramedical staff)involvement. However, the problem is, how to choose and create enterprise architecture framework for healthcare. Due to importance and pragmatic of enterprise architecture, the architectural concepts should be clear to senior management. Since, it is their responsibility to select the appropriate organizational architecture/framework for Business-IT alignment. Paper provides the enterprise architecture concepts. Since, it provides the overall picture of organizational concepts of well known architectural framework. Paper also proposed ArchiMate framework for modeling the healthcare organizations due to its coherence within EA elements. The main reason behind the use of such framework is the limitations of the existing ones in this cohesiveness of EA elements.

Healthcare Modelling through Enterprise Architecture: A Hospital Case

Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a strategic activity and planning tool for an enterprise, which facilitates decision-making by enabling a conceptual view of the enterprise. The main objective of an EA approach is to define the layout of organizational components and relationships among them, in order to understand the integration of objects for further improvement. In a healthcare context, EA has the potential to facilitate integrating healthcare units with business architecture. Adapting appropriate tools for management analysis and decisions by healthcare management could have a significant impact on healthcare organizations such as in hospital goal achievement. Process analysis within EA has the potential to improve understanding of healthcare functions leading to better healthcare-IT alignment. The healthcare domain is significant due to its sensitivity of operations and human involvement. Although improvement is welcomed in the healthcare arena, it is problematic and challenging to manage resources and service improvement is difficult due to the complexity of operations. This research is intended to explore a process view and modelling of healthcare using EA. Also, this research is based in a hospital in the United Kingdom. The research aims to design and provide the insight of an EA approach to process architecture for healthcare-IT alignment. In our case study, we analyzed healthcare organizational processes. This paper conceptualizes this analysis and provides an overview of healthcare processes in the context of EA to improve healthcare management.

Extending e-business applications using mobile technology

The paper outlines the application of mobile wireless technology to enhance e-business applications. The paper describes the application of mobile technology accessing web enabled databases to extend e-business competitive advantage. A number of applications using mobile technology to enhance e-business systems are outlined in relation to the evolution of mobile devices and wireless technology standards of WiMax (Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access) and WiBro (Wireless Broadband). An example of a restaurant wireless Personal Digital Assistance (PDA) and inventory system indicates the use of wireless technology to enhance business activity and contribute to existing e-business operation. A proposed framework is outlined to introduce the application of user mobility to mobile usage as an extension of existing Intranet, Extranet and Internet e-business application.

Towards a City's Systems Integration Model for Smart City Development: A Conceptualization

Smart city development is a response to address the issues of urbanization and need for flexibility and agility in delivering services to citizens. City as a complex system of systems needs to be efficient, inter-operable, and integrated. Thus, similar to systems integration in enterprises, integration of city systems provides flexibility and access to real-time information for creation and delivery of efficient services. In addition, Business Process Change is essential for systems integration in smart city development. Similar to business process change in the private enterprises, there are a number of challenging dimensions in smart city development. This conceptualization research considers a city as a large-scale enterprise and attempts to design a business process centric model for citys systems integration.