Based on the 2005 publication The Financial Appraisal Profile Model , this book discusses how the FAP model can present an integrated process for the appraisal of financial and strategic benefits and the assessment of risk in ICT (Information Communication Technology) project proposals.

Concentration tendencies, globalization, increasing cost pressure and well-informed customers all make up the hard competition faced by today's businesses. The "right" products, a successful market image, a strong positioning between suppliers and customers, efficient logistics and optimum organization structures contribute to a company's survival. Achieving this goal requires flexible information and communication systems that are fully adaptable to the specific situation. Modern retail information systems are not bound by organization borders but support both business partner cooperation and electronic commerce. This book presents the architecture of retail information systems, as well as the functions of SAP Retail, and in so doing links modern retail management with the implementation strategies based on innovative software systems.

Practical Goal Programming is intended to allow academics and practitioners to be able to build effective goal programming models, to detail the current state of the art, and to lay the foundation for its future development and continued application to new and varied fields. Suitable as both a text and reference, its nine chapters first provide a brief history, fundamental definitions, and underlying philosophies, and then detail the goal programming variants and define them algebraically. Chapter 3 details the step-by-step formulation of the basic goal programming model, and Chapter 4 explores more advanced modeling issues and highlights some recently proposed extensions.

Chapter 5 then details the solution methodologies of goal programming, concentrating on computerized solution by the Excel Solver and LINGO packages for each of the three main variants, and includes a discussion of the viability of the use of specialized goal programming packages. Chapter 6 discusses the linkages between Pareto Efficiency and goal programming. Chapters 3 to 6 are supported by a set of ten exercises, and an Excel spreadsheet giving the basic solution of each example is available at an accompanying website.

Chapter 7 details the current state of the art in terms of the integration of goal programming with other techniques, and the text concludes with two case studies which were chosen to demonstrate the application of goal programming in practice and to illustrate the principles developed in Chapters 1 to 7. Chapter 8 details an application in healthcare, and Chapter 9 describes applications in portfolio selection.

The Handbook of Service Description introduces an in-depth overview of service description efforts. The book also highlights the recent Unified Service Description Language (USDL) in detail and discusses its methods.

The Handbook of Service Description is the normative scientific reference for the upcoming standardization of the Unified Service Description Language (USDL). Complete documentation is included.

The Handbook of Service Description is designed for those working in the service science industry as a reference book. Advanced-level students focused on computer science, engineering and business will also find this book a valuable asset.

One of the major challenges for European governments is to solve the dilemma of increasing the security and reducing fraud in international trade, while at the same time reducing the administrative burden for commercial as well as public administration organisations. To address these conflicting demands, the ITAIDE project has developed a large set of innovative IT-related tools and methods that enable companies to be better in control of their business operations. These tools and methods have been integrated in the ITAIDE Information Infrastructure (I3) framework. By using the I3 framework, companies are better positioned to apply for the Trusted Trader status, and enjoy trade facilitation benefits such as simplified customs procedures and fewer inspections of their goods. Hence, the I3 framework can contribute to making global supply chains faster, cheaper, and more secure. The I3 framework has been tested and validated in five real-life Living Labs, spanning four different sectors of industry, and conducted in five different EU countries. National Tax & Customs organizations from various European countries have actively participated in the Living Labs. The United Nations CEFACT group, experts from the World Customs Organization and representatives of key industry associations have also provided valuable feedback and ideas for the Living Labs and the project in general. www.itaide.org

Mass customization is a business strategy that aims at satisfying an individual customer's needs with near mass production efficiency. ""Mass Customization Information Systems in Business"" provides original and innovative research on IT systems for mass customization. It is a wide-ranging reference collection of chapters describing the solutions, tools, and concepts needed for successful realization of these systems. Mass customized markets, product modeling, and supply chain management are explored in precise detail. This Premier Reference Source provides a comprehensive investigation of the business processes required for manufacturing individualized products.

The book presents state of the art knowledge about Decision-Making Support Systems (DMSS). Its main goals are to generate a compendium of quality theoretical and applied papers on decision-making support systems, to help diffuse scarce knowledge about effective methods and strategies for successfully designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating decision-making support systems, and to create an awareness among academicians and practitioners about the relevance of decision-making support systems in the current complex and dynamic management environment. Decision-Making Support Systems: Achievements and Challenges for the New Decade is a comprehensive compilation of DMSS thought and vision, dealing with issues such as decision making concepts in organizations.

The second edition of this reference work describes key international business reference sources and databases, and provides the instructive analysis needed to effectively use them. It lists and explains the most important resources - both electronic and print - for use by professional researchers, business instructors, reference and business librarians, and student researchers. The authors also describe business practices in various regions and countries, the basics of international trade and finance, international business organizations, and relevant political departments and agencies. The book features an extensive number of exhibits and tables, and the appendixes include glossaries, checklists for evaluating sources, and sample disclosure documents.

The growth in Internet and Information Technology (IT) has led to revolutionary changes in the way businesses are managed and operated. These IT changes have been largely characterized with the term, globalization, and these globalized changes in modern business are increasing at a rapid pace. Moreover, globalization requires rapid growth and dramatic changes in the business and market environments.

Enterprises must be scalable to support such changes and unprecedented growth. Hence, there is an immediate need for a single reference book that identifies the multiple dimensions of scalability and enterprise systems. This book will fulfill this need. Its objectives are as follows:
*To create a single source of literature to address the emerging area of scalable enterprise systems.
*To address the multi-disciplinary research needs stemming from engineering, computer science and business.
*To address the design, modelling, analysis, implementation and experimentation needs of scalable enterprise systems.
*To act as a springboard for much of the ongoing research in the field of Scalable Enterprise Systems.

Scalable Enterprises Systems: An Introduction to Recent Advances addresses six key ideas related to scalable enterprise systems. Chapters 1, 2 and 3 address the modelling aspects of enterprise systems. Chapter 4 discusses distributed control of such systems. Chapter 5 discusses the information systems modelling and implementation of the enterprise system with a transportation example. Given that enterprise systems produce and deal with large volumes of data, data mining is taken as a topic in Chapter 6. The need for a research test-bed is critical to study andanalyze enterprise systems and this is the topic of Chapter 7. Implementation level details play a vital role in studying the scalability of large-scale systems. Chapters 8, 9 and 10 deal with several applied and implementation aspects, such as publish-subscribe middleware, auctions in the context of reverse logistics, and value net implementation.

This book will be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the field of logistics, supply chain management, transportation, and enterprise integration. It will be of special interest to professionals in IT at the detailed implementation level and at the strategic level.

Highly praised for its exceptional clarity, conversational style and useful examples, Introductory Business Statistics, 7e, International Edition was written specifically for you. This proven, popular text cuts through the jargon to help you understand fundamental statistical concepts and why they are important to you, your world, and your career. The text's outstanding illustrations, friendly language, non-technical terminology, and current, real-world examples will capture your interest and prepare you for success right from the start.

The Fraunhofer Competence Center Knowledge Management presents in this second edition its up-dated and extended research results on business-process oriented knowledge management, pro-active change management, KM strategy, knowledge structuring and KM audit, reviews the latest advancements in measuring intellectual capital and classifies more than 100 KM tools. Best Practices in KM are described by the Swiss Benchmarking Center TECTEM at University St. Gallen and in case studies from price-winning companies like Aventis and Siemens as well as from Arthur D. Little, British Aerospace plc., Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Phonak and Roche. New survey results on KM from EFQM, OECD and on "The Future of Knowledge Management" are presented. The book concludes with an overview on research funded by the European Commission in order to make "KM Made in Europe" a reality.

Provides an updated view of knowledge management strategies of knowledge-intensive business services (KIBS) by focusing on how those firms manage innovation in their value chains and at the territorial level. Offers an original analysis of key processes of KIBS, specializing in design, professional firms and information technology.

The book is concerned with production planning problems arising in the context of make-to-order assembly. After introducing the general decision context, a survey of the relevant literature in the fields of assembly management, make-to-order manufacturing, and project scheduling is given. The main part of the book provides a hierarchical planning approach with three levels: order selection, manufacturing planning, and operations scheduling. The decision problem of each level is carefully elaborated and stated in terms of a mathematical programme. Suited solution procedures such as list scheduling, tabu search, and linear programming are proposed and experimentally tested.

This book presents different use cases in big data applications and related practical experiences. Many businesses today are increasingly interested in utilizing big data technologies for supporting their business intelligence so that it is becoming more and more important to understand the various practical issues from different practical use cases. This book provides clear proof that big data technologies are playing an ever increasing important and critical role in a new cross-discipline research between computer science and business.

Dedicated to the Russian mathematician Albert Shiryaev on his 70th birthday, this is a collection of papers written by his former students, co-authors and colleagues. The book represents the modern state of art of a quickly maturing theory and will be an essential source and reading for researchers in this area. Diversity of topics and comprehensive style of the papers make the book attractive for PhD students and young researchers.

This book embarks on a mission to dissect, unravel and demystify the concepts of Web services, including their implementation and composition techniques. It provides a comprehensive perspective on the fundamentals of implementation standards and strategies for Web services (in the first half of the book), while also presenting composition techniques for leveraging existing services to create larger ones (in the second half). Pursuing a unique approach, it begins with a sound overview of concepts, followed by a targeted technical discussion that is in turn linked to practical exercises for hands-on learning. For each chapter, practical exercises are available on Github. Mainly intended as a comprehensive textbook on the implementation and composition of Web services, it also offers a useful reference guide for academics and practitioners. Lecturers will find this book useful for a variety of courses, from undergraduate courses on the foundational technology of Web services through graduate courses on complex Web service composition. Students and researchers entering the field will benefit from the combination of a broad technical overview with practical self-guided exercises. Lastly, professionals will gain a well-informed grasp of how to synthesize the concepts of conventional and "newer" breeds of Web services, which they can use to revise foundational concepts or for practical implementation tasks.

This book presents a framework through transformation and explains how business goals can be translated into realistic plans that are tangible and yield real results in terms of the top line and the bottom line. Process Transformation is like a tangram puzzle, which has multiple solutions yet is essentially composed of seven 'tans' that hold it together. Based on practical experience and intensive research into existing material, 'Process Tangram' is a simple yet powerful framework that proposes Process Transformation as a program. The seven 'tans' are: the transformation program itself, triggers, goals, tools and techniques, culture, communication and success factors. With its segregation into tans and division into core elements, this framework makes it possible to use 'pick and choose' to quickly and easily map an organization's specific requirements. Change management and process modeling are covered in detail. In addition, the book approaches managed services as a model of service delivery, which it explores as a case of process transformation. This book will appeal to anyone engaged in business process transformation, be it business process management professionals, change managers, sponsors, program managers or line managers. The book starts with the basics, making it suitable even for students who want to make a career in business process management.

There is a myriad of different methodologies for transforming real-world scenarios into information system models. Moreover, this transformation process is critical not only for developing a successful information system, but also for helping users optimize their work and make their organizations more efficient. Tabular Application Development for Information Systems describes the workings and utility of Tabular Application Development (TAD) as an object-oriented methodology that uses tables to model the real world. Essentially, TAD entails collecting information about a real-world situation into tables, identifying and implementing changes by analyzingthe tabularized content, and then using the data gathered in the changed tables to develop the organization's information system. Given that tables can be easily surveyed and modified, analysts can locate almost immediately any information about business processes, work processes, activities, tasks, or events. In addition, the user can confidently proceed without misunderstandings and can quickly rectify any mistake or problem. Topics and features:*TAD's advantages over UML methodology in terms of simplicity, utility for either small or large information systems, and independence from the analyst*presents the subject of business process reengineering and information systems development from a new perspective*thorough descriptions of three case-study applications of TAD*briefly introduces all key object-oriented concepts*segments the TAD methodology into six clearly defined phases This book offers an essential exposition on the TAD method for information systems development and design. Practitioners and professionals in information science, computer science, and business process reengineering will find the work a highly useful resource when using TAD for rapid, efficient software development.

Achieving enterprise success necessitates addressing enterprises in ways that match the complexity and dynamics of the modern enterprise environment. However, since the majority of enterprise strategic initiatives appear to fail - among which those regarding information technology - the currently often practiced approaches to strategy development and implementation seem more an obstacle than an enabler for strategic enterprise success.

Two themes underpin the fundamentally different views outlined in this book. First, the competence-based perspective on governance, whereby employees are viewed as the crucial core for effectively addressing the complex, dynamic and uncertain enterprise reality, as well as for successfully defining and operationalizing strategic choices. Second, enterprise engineering as the formal conceptual framework and methodology for arranging a unified and integrated enterprise design, which is a necessary condition for enterprise success.

Jan Hoogervorst's presentation, which is based on both research and his professional background at Sogeti B.V., aims at professionals in management and consulting as well as students in management science and business information systems.

This book introduces e-Roadmapping--a new tool set for executives and entrepreneurs who need to strategize in the new economy. The rapidly changing commercial environment and new focus on innovation and speed of execution means that for many organizations the old models of assessing the competitive landscape and forecasting a long-term strategy are dead. So how are company leaders to plot their future and maintain a sense of direction for their business? "E-Roadmapping" examines ways of dealing with this complexity and provides a tool-kit for formulating strategy with an entrepreneurial spirit. Stefan Bornheim demonstrates models of "mapping" the business landscape, pin-pointing areas of competition, and planning an organization's transformation. Based on extensive in-company research and full of examples of the models in action, "E-Roadmapping" is a stimulating look at the sharp end of the new economy.

Explains processes and scenarios (process chains) for planning with SAP characteristics.

Uses the latest releases of SAP R/3 and APO (Advanced Planning & Optimization software).

The levels scenario, process and function are explained from the business case down to the implementation level and the relations between these levels are consistently pointed out throughout the book

Many illustrations help to understand the interdependencies between scenario, process and function

Aims to help avoiding costly dead ends and securing a smooth implementation and management of supply chains

The importance and value of tracking and sharing the dispersed knowledge resources of contemporary organizations have received widespread rec- nition in recent years. It is widely believed that with the transition from the industrial to information-based economies, organizational knowledge has emerged as the single most critical resource at both macro- and mic- levels. A major challenge for most organizations during this transition and beyond is to learn to deal with the intricacies of discovering knowledge from the vast amounts of data being generated, identifying pockets of - portant knowledge in various forms, to devise strategies and techniques to formalize parts that lend themselves to codification, and to nurture tech- cal and other solutions with which useful knowledge can be shared among relevant participants. This has the potential to produce greater knowledge utilization leading to multiplier effects in organizational performance. This calls for an approach in which both the organizational and technological dimensions of the challenge are better understood and effectively integ- ted. The papers included in this volume were selected from a collection of papers presented at an invitation-only workshop entitled 'Knowledge - nagement (KM) and the Global Firm: Organizational and Technological Dimensions' held at the University of Sydney in Sydney, Australia in February 2003. The workshop was made possible by a generous grant from the Carnegie Bosch Institute at Carnegie Mellon University, Pit- burgh, USA.

Collaborating in virtual teams is a new reality in modern project management and work environments. Its emergence calls for an extensive analysis and re-alignment on the part of organizations, so as to help virtual teams maintain 'strategic momentum' - a concept that this book introduces. Strategic momentum represents perseverance with regard to pursuing a virtual team's strategy; a 'flywheel' concept that drives the team members to concentrate on the project tasks until they have reached their shared goal. The authors present a design science based model, together with an in-depth qualitative study involving eight virtual R&D project teams. In this model, strategic momentum is assessed in terms of empowerment, team task insight, and collective commitment. These three determinants can be promoted and sustained by various contextual factors and interventions on the part of the management. The authors also provide a wealth of practical tips to help practitioners and consultants generate and sustain strategic momentum in their own contexts when working with virtual teams.

In this book, the context and process of globalization are understood as a complex web of increasingly deepening interrelationships among countries, organizations, social groups, and individuals. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) are seen as a vital part of the globalization agenda.
As technology becomes more pervasive and capable, there is a danger that the debate will remain anchored on techno-centric issues such as what to use the technology for, or how to make it work. Organizational Information Systems in the Context of Globalization provides rich insights on how global technology in action must be considered in view of local expectations and constraints. This is particularly relevant in the current discourse relating technology to development - the theme permeating most of the works included in this volume.
Research reported in this book achieves a number of important objectives. It illustrates local ICT utilization and policy development contexts that are not as frequently examined as North American and Western European corporate contexts. Empirical research reported in this volume has been conducted in the following national, regional and local contexts: Australia (including aboriginal communities), Brazil, China, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Ireland, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mozambique, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Russia, Scandinavia, Spain, South Africa, UK and USA.
Organizational Information Systems in the Context of Globalization exemplifies the role of social theory in approaching ICT utilization challenges in a globalization context. The debates raised on implementation, policy, organizations and organizing, and social dynamics, increase our awareness of the diversity of perspectives we need to delve into when framing the role of ICTs in the globalization agenda. The equal representation of managerial and non-managerial decision making contexts alerts us to the fact that ICTs should not be considered only as a corporate wealth creation prerogative.
This book contains the selected proceedings of the Working Conference on Information Systems Perspectives and Challenges in the Context of Globalization, sponsored by the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP) and held in Athens, Greece in June 2003.
Organizational Information Systems in the Context of Globalization is essential reading for researchers and practitioners working in information systems, management, social and organizational studies, and development studies.

An accessible theoretical analysis of the organizational impact of information technologies. This book examines the many ways in which actors, organizations and technologies are represented through these technologies thus bridging the gap between the abstractions of current theories of organization and the somewhat excessively grounded material on information systems.