Mirjana Pejić Bach

Supporting Performance Management with Business Process Management and Business Intelligence: A Case Analysis of Integration and Orchestration

The case(s) demonstrates the importance of business process management (BPM) and business intelligence systems (BIS) in achieving better firm performance. It has been well documented in the literature that research on the effectively usage and combination of knowledge from BPM and BIS in turbulent service environments is limited. In response, we conduct an exploratory comparative case study of four firms in banking and telecommunication industries that have implemented BPM initiative and BIS solution. Our results firstly highlight that actual results of applying BPM and BIS differ greatly from the results that were originally planned. Secondly, we find that BIS initiatives are usually driven by improving marketing and sales, while BPM initiatives are driven by improving business processes. Thirdly, we identify that there is a lack of strong commitment to using both systems for supporting performance management.

The impact of social media to value added in knowledge-based industries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the significance of Web 2.0 and social media for organizational development and adaptation to an ever‐changing business environment and its successful managing. A model is proposed based on the concepts of innovative economy, knowledge management and social media for value creation in knowledge‐based industries.Design/methodology/approach – The paper examines critical factors that influence the role of social media in organizational change and value creation in knowledge‐based industries.Findings – The paper contributes to discussion about the increasingly important role of social media in the value added chain in knowledge‐based industries.Research limitations/implications – Social media are still an emerging phenomenon and further studies are required to investigate these relationships over a longer period of time.Practical implications – The topic is relevant for designing corporate strategies in knowledge‐based companies becoming a part of global n...

Influence of strategic approach to BPM on financial and non‐financial performance

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the way strategic approach to business process management (BPM) impacts organizational performance, both its financial and non‐financial aspects, using empirical data from Croatian firms. The impact of strategic approach to BPM on process performance measurement (PPM) is examined as well.Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was conducted on a sample of 194 manufacturing and service firms in Croatia and propositions were tested using a structural equation model with SAS software.Findings – The results suggest that PPM practice is positively related to strategic approach to BPM. The impact of PPM on non‐financial performance has been found, as well as the impact of non‐financial performance on financial performance, thus indicating an indirect influence of PPM on financial performance.Originality/value – The paper extends the previous research that exclusively investigated impact of BPM to organizational performance. The authors extended resu...

Concentration of the insurance industry in selected transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe, 1998–2006

Until the beginning of the 1990s the insurance markets of the transition countries of Central and Eastern Europe were highly concentrated, which means that one or only a few state-owned insurance companies operated on the market, with the market share of the leading company higher than 90%. At the beginning of the 1990s private investors entered the majority of economic sectors, including the insurance market. The entry of new companies has led to a decrease in concentration, i.e. to increased competition. This article analyses the dynamics of concentration of the insurance industry, and seeks to determine the impact of the leading insurance company on the development of the insurance market. Furthermore, the article examines the influence of the purchasing power of the population, measured by gross domestic product per capita, on the development of the insurance market and considers the potential scenario of development of the insurance market in the future.

Business Intelligence and Business Process Management in Banking Operations

Success of banking operations is strongly correlated with the quality of customer relations and efficacy of banks processes. Banks seek means for efficient analysis of vast amount of gathered data from their IT systems. They are exploiting business intelligence (BI) technology to analyze every aspect of their data to understand behavior of their clients, striving to satisfy clients needs, in an endless race for a competitive advantage in the market. The intention of this paper is to review and discuss the most significant applications of business intelligence in banking as well as point to new technology trends that will affect banks development.

Data mining applications in public organizations

We present a survey on data mining applications in public organizations. Search of the scientific databases and Internet has revealed that most of the applications are described in the current year at the business Web sites. Finance and economics, healthcare, criminal justice and defense are the most popular application areas. Classification and prediction, concept/class description and evolution analysis are the most often used methods.

Determinants of Entrepreneurial Intentions in ICT Industry: Gender and country of origin perspective

Abstract Although many researchers agree that environmental and personal characteristics are important for becoming an entrepreneur, it is still not clear if their influence is equally significant. Numerous authors have pointed out unresolved matters regarding the relationship among innovativeness, gender, and entrepreneurial intensions. The aim of this paper is to explore the impact of gender and country of origin in relation to entrepreneurial intentions and innovative cognitive style. Research was conducted using a sample of students majoring in information and communication technologies from Croatia and Slovenia. The results revealed the influence of gender, country, attitudes toward entrepreneurship, and innovative cognitive style on entrepreneurial intentions.

Editorial: impact of information and communication technology to the competitiveness of European countries - cluster analysis approach

IntroductionInformation and communication technology (ICT) has been recognized as a key factor in the economic development and growth of countries, especially in the last decades [3], [16], [19], [30]. Development of ICT contributes to higher productivity, efficiency, gross domestic product, and a higher level of innovation activity [17], [20], [29]. According to the European Commission, ICT drives 20% of productivity growth in the European Union countries [7].The development of ICT impacts higher overall competitiveness in numerous ways. A positive impact of ICT usage can be found in many areas: the financial sector, health organizations, education and science, and public organizations [14]. The usage of ICT increases development of e-skills and the quality of education systems, changes the structure of business processes, encourages employment and collaboration among individuals and facilitates everyday activities [2], [27].Usage and application of the information and communication technology (ICT) differs in particular countries, which lead to the digital divide among countries [22], [29], which has a negative impact on the overall development of the information society [13], [15], [28]. The digital divide does not present only the difference between using and not using ICT, but also the difference in the level of knowledge and skills which are necessary for using ICT [1].According to numerous researches, digital divide is present in European countries. For example, Piatkowski [21] showed that ICT led to higher growth of productivity at macro and micro level in several post-transition countries which became EU members in 2004. He highlighted that the highest efforts were made by several countries such as: the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary and Slovenia, followed by Romania. On the other hand, Slovakia and Bulgaria lag behind regarding economic development and ICT usage. This indicates that European leaders should invest more efforts in decreasing the digital divide [4], especially taking into account that EU countries are thriving to become the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy and society [25]. In order to maintain a competitive position on the market in the next several years, European countries should enhance development of ICT and e-skills, since educated employees with such skills are a crucial factor for competitiveness, growth and employment [5], [10].In this paper, we investigate how ICT influences competitiveness of European countries through four areas (elearning, personal usage of the Internet, e-commerce, e-government). We attempt to determine if there are differences in the economic development of those countries and how ICT affects them. In order to attain this goal, we have conducted a two-stage analysis. In the first stage, the cluster analysis using K-means was used to organize European countries into sensible groupings for the year 2011, according to their usage of ICT. Defined clusters are compared using Anova analysis according to their competitiveness indices, using the Global Competitiveness Report.The paper is organized as follows. The first section provides an introduction. In the second section data and the model specification are explained. Results of the cluster and the Anova analysis are described in the third section. At the end, a discussion and conclusion close the paper.MethodologyIn the following section, the methodological approach to the research will be presented: measuring ICT usage, measuring competitiveness, and statistical two-stage methodology.Measuring ICT UsageICT usage was measured using four dimensions: e-learning, personal usage of the Internet, e-commerce, egovernment.Indicators of the e-learning usage are: (i) purchase of e-learning courses/materials, (ii) search of information on education and training, (iii) usage of the Internet for education and training and (iv) usage of the Internet for decisionmaking on learning. …

RFID usage in European enterprises and its relation to competitiveness: Cluster analysis approach

The radio frequency identification (RFID) is one of the most promising new technologies of modern economy, with a high potential of improving the efficiency and productivity of enterprises. The main goal of this study is to determine the extent of RFID usage in European (EU) countries and to estimate whether there is a relation between countries’ competitiveness and their levels of RFID usage. First, the trend of RFID usage among EU enterprises is analyzed for the years 2009, 2011, and 2014. Second, a cluster analysis is applied with the goal to create homogenous groups of countries according to the RFID application across different industries. Third, countries from different clusters were compared according to their competitiveness in 2014. Results revealed that enterprises in Europe differ substantially according to their RFID usage. Also, RFID usage is not evenly distributed among countries across different industries, since some countries were leaders in RFID usage in one industry while lagging behind in RFID usage in other industries. Finally, countries from clusters with a higher RFID usage level also have a higher level of technological readiness and innovation, while smaller differences were found in business sophistication.

Exploratory study of insurance companies in selected post-transition countries: Non-hierarchical cluster analysis

This paper focuses on the analysis of business practice of insurance companies in selected post-transition European countries. Specifically, it covers Croatian, Slovenian, Hungarian and Polish insurance markets in the year 2014 comprising the total of 119 insurance companies. Employing the non-hierarchical cluster analysis by applying the k-means approach, insurance companies are segmented into seven groups using various variables such as ROE, the share of premium ceded to reinsurance, the number of years operating in the insurance market, leverage, gross premium written and the share of life insurance premium in the total premium. Furthermore, these seven clusters have been grouped according to the country of origin, ownership and the type of insurance companies. Results indicate that specific groups of insurance companies in these countries share common characteristics, which are not based solely on the country of origin and the type of insurance.