News and Events
Today, Ilia Bider from IbisSoft AB gave a seminar on the current state of BPM based on discussions at the BPM 2010 conference. Ilia outlined a number of trends, including the shift from an assembly line metaphor to that of a construction site. He also discussed the tension between agility and stability in BPM and called for a stronger theoretical foundation of BPM.
Today, Tharaka Ilayperuma defended his PhD thesis “Improving E-Business Design through Business Model Analysis”. The opponent was William Song from Durham University, and the examination committee consisted of Marianne Nilsson from Stockholm University, Eva Söderström from Högskolan Skövde and Henrik Hansson from DSV. Paul Johannesson and Jelena Zdravkovic have been supervisors.
William gave a very thorough opposition including more general as well as very specific questions, ranging from the meaning of e-business to the role of the Semantic Web in business models.
Abstract
To a rapidly increasing degree, traditional organizational structures evolve in large parts of the world towards online business using modern Information and Communication Technology (ICT) capabilities. For efficient applications of inter-organizational information systems, the alignment between business and ICT is a key factor. In this context, business analysis using business modelling can be regarded as a first step in designing economically sustainable e-business solutions.
This thesis examines how business modeling can be used to improve e-business design. We examine how business stakeholder intentions and different objectives of business collaborations can be used to obtain an explorative business model that can be used as a basis for designing e-business solutions. The thesis proposes a set of artifacts for business modeling and e-service design. In regard to business modeling, we propose methods that consider internal aspects such as strategic intentions of actors and external aspects such as business collaborations among them. Considering stakeholder intentions, we introduce a method to design business models based on goal models. A set of templates for designing goal models and a set of transformation rules to obtain business models based on goal models are proposed. To further improve business models considering business collaborations, we suggest a classification of business transactions that considers underlying business objectives of business collaborations. Utilizing the suggested business transactions, we then propose a method to improve business modeling. Finally, we propose a method for designing e-services using business models. The methods suggested support business modelers as well as process and services designers in executing their tasks effectively. The methods have been assessed through applications in two cases.
Today, Gustaf and I gave a Syslab presentation of our paper at Sundsvall 42 this year. The paper discusses the results from the Vinnova project Open Social Services which we are involved in. The goal of the project is the development three e-services for Järfälla municipality. The first e-service, the application for emergency phone for elderly and handicapped people, is currently under testing. We contributed with the process analysis and requirements specification of the service. As part of the work we developed a prototype in the open source workflow management system YAWL.
The prototype and information about it is openly available.
Today, Göran Goldkuhl gave a seminar on action research and its continuation into practical inquiry.
Action research is an established research approach in information systems. Such an approach is aiming at both 1) local intervention and improvement and 2) contribution to the scientific body of knowledge. The practical value outside the local practice is however seldom emphasised. It is therefore desirable to expand this kind of research to deal with general practice contributions. A research approach – practical inquiry – that goes beyond action research will be described at the seminar.
At the workshop Conceptual Modelling of Services (CMS 2010), colocated with the 29th International Conference on Conceptual Modeling, I presented a paper that analysed the notion of services by identifying three service perspectives and explaining them using the REA ontology and Hohfeld’s classification of rights.
Peter Chen talks
The workshop included a quite similar paper by Geert Poels, who had also analysed the service notion using REA, where he kept very close to service dominant logic.
Abstract. The recent surge in the interest of services has brought a plethora of applications of the service concept. There are business services and software services, software-as-a-service, platform-as-a-service, and infrastructure-as-a-service. There is also a multitude of definitions of the service concept. In this paper, we propose not a new definition of service but a conceptual model of the service concept that views services as perspectives on the use and offering of resources. The perspectives addressed by the model are: service as a means for abstraction; service as means for providing restricted access to resources; and service as a means for co-creation of value.
On November 2, 2010 I have made a presentation in the seminar with senior researchers’ from our department (DSV) concerning “IT Management Research in DSV: Quo Vadis?”. My presentation has approached the main concepts in IT Management and the importance of research in this area, the trends in IT Management and research performed by IT Management group till now in IT Management area. Finally I have presented the results of IT Management research from 2007 (the year when the IT Management group has started his activity) till now and the research plan for the next year. In case you are interested in my presentation please have a look on the attached file: IT Management Research in DSV – 2010-11-02.pdf
Last week I gave an invited presentation on social media at KTH X, which is the alumni association at KTH. The presentation covered the basics of social media and raised questions about the use of social media in work, the future of personal integrity, the emerging topology of Internet and many other issues. About 40 people had come to listen and particpate in the discussion.
Jens Ohlsson from IDS Scheer gave a lunch seminar on Business Process Management and Enterprise Architecture. Jens discussed the differences between an industrial and an academic view on these topics. He also presented the view of IDS Scheer on the future development in these areas. Thanks Jens for a nice presentation and a lively discussion!