Some Means Supporting Responsibility and Openness in Information and Control Systems

Business processes and information systems mutually affect each other in non-trivial ways. Frequently, the business process design and the information system design are not well aligned. This means that business processes are designed without taking the information system impact into account, and vice versa. Missing alignment at design time often results in quality problems at runtime, such as large response times of information systems, large process execution times, overloaded information systems or interrupted processes. Aligning business process quality and information system quality at design time requires to
\nsolve the following problems (P). Business process quality and information system quality have to be characterized. P1: In contrast to information system quality, which is specified in the ISO/IEC 9126 standard, for example, there is no common and comprehensive understanding of business process quality. P2: Beyond that, current business process
\nmodeling notations do not aim to represent quality aspects. The impact of a business process on the quality of an information system, and vice versa, is unknown at design
\ntime. P3: The mutual impact between business processes and information systems must be predicted at design time.
\nIn this thesis, the Business Process Quality Reference-Model (BPQRM), a quality model for business processes, is introduced. The model allows for a comprehensive characterization of business process quality (P1). The BPQRM is applied successfully in a case study to
\nidentify potential for process quality improvement in practice. Based on the BPQRM an existing process modeling notation is extended by model elements to represent quality
\naspects (P2). Simulation is a powerful means to predict the impact of a business process on the quality of an information system, and vice versa, at design time. This thesis proposes two simulation approaches to predict the mutual impact between business processes and information systems, in terms of performance (P3). The approach Business
\nIT Impact Simulation (BIIS) defines interfaces between the business process simulation and the information system simulation. Performance-relevant information is exchanged
\nvia the interfaces between both simulations. Using business process simulation and information system simulation in isolation, workload burstiness is not adequately reflected.
\nThis is especially true for occasional, volatile peak loads. Workload burstiness can significantly affect the performance of business processes and information systems. The approach Integrated Business IT Impact Simulation (IntBIIS) for the integration of business processes and information systems in a single simulation allows for reflecting workload burstiness correctly. The simulation approaches support the comparison of design alternatives and the verification of a certain design against requirements. A case study confirms the feasibility in practice and the acceptance from practitioners’ point of
\nview.

Current manual auditing system may be difficult to the auditors, due to the enormous amount of data. Some auditors probably overlooked some illegal business processes that can cause money loss or embezzlement by the workers. Research study conducted to identify the problem by using the current manual financial auditing system found that the current system is not efficient in continuous auditing for business process. It is known that vast amount of financial data being processed during auditing may slow down the process during auditing. It can also be complex to handle which sometimes can be beyond auditors’ capability to audit business processes. Our research proposes an informative dashboard to assist auditors to assess risk. The informative dashboard is a category of operational dashboard. We apply big data management concept and implement the dashboard using the web development life cycle approach. The dashboard is implemented using R language and Shiny package.

Business process modelling is an important part of system design. When designing or redesigning a business process, stakeholders specify, negotiate, and agree on business requirements to be satisfied, including non-functional requirements that concern the quality of the business process. This thesis addresses the question of how to specify and compute the quality of a business process, given the model that stakeholders use. The motivation for this thesis is the increasing importance of the quality of business processes. Knowing the quality of specific business processes enables stakeholders to judge if these processes need improvement. Knowing the quality of the constructs of those processes (viz., events, inputs, activities, and outputs) and the way they are structured enables a more detailed analysis of their shortcomings and provides a basis for the design of improvements. The research challenge of this thesis is grounded in the assumption that: “Organisations need an appropriate means to effectively compute achievement of their goals and objectives by their business processes.” Given this challenge, the main research question on which this thesis focuses is: “Can the quality of a business process be computed quantitatively at different levels of granularity?” The research objective is: “To develop frameworks, factors, and metrics for computing non-functional requirements (quality) of business processes quantitatively at different levels of granularity.” The outcomes of this thesis are: 1) BPIMM, a language-independent business process integrating meta-model, based on the concepts of seven mainstream business process modelling languages: BPMN, EPC, RAD, UML AD, SADT, IDEF0, and IDEF3. 2) BPC-QC (Business Process Concept - Quality Computation), an approach to quality computation at the lowest level of granularity of a business process. The approach consists of: i. BPC-QEF (Business Process Concept - Quality Evaluation Framework), a language-independent generic framework and algorithm to compute the quality of the constructs of a business process: event, input, activity, and output. ii. A set of business process quality dimensions and factors. The following quality dimensions are distinguished: performance, efficiency, reliability, recoverability, permissibility, and availability. Each dimension categorises different quality aspects in terms of factors. A non-exhaustive set of sixteen quantitative factors is provided. iii. Quality metrics for each of the quality factors, to facilitate a quantitative computation of the quality of a specific construct of a business process. 3) BP-QC (Business Process - Quality Computation), an approach to compute the quality at the highest level of granularity of a business process. The approach consists of: i. BP-CQCF (Business Process - Compositional Quality Computation Framework), a language-independent generic framework and algorithm to compute the quality of a business process as a whole, given the quality of its constructs. ii. A set of generic business process modelling patterns to decompose a business process into more succinct parts, namely: sequential, parallel with synchronisation, exclusive, inclusive, simple loop, and complex loop. iii. A set of over one hundred computational formulae. For each combination of modelling pattern and a quality factor, there is a formula to compute the quality. 4) AAV (Approach to Application and Validation), an evaluation plan to evaluate BPIMM, BPC-QC and BP-QC in practice, together with expert stakeholders. The plan consists of the units of measure, a measurement model, and a case study procedure. To evaluate the applicability of the contributions of this thesis to real world business needs, four case studies have been conducted in different environments: a Dutch educational institution, a global financial institution, an international financial service provider, and a Dutch research project on crisis management. Each of these case studies concerns a different, single business process. This thesis shows that: 1) A quality computation approach can be adopted independent of a business process modelling language. 2) Quantitative quality factors can be introduced specifically for the constructs of a business process. 3) Quantitative metrics and computational formulae can be developed for specific quality factors, allowing the computation of different aspects of the quality of a business process quantitatively at different levels of granularity. 4) An evaluation plan can be developed to evaluate the applicability of the contributions of this thesis (viz., BPIMM, BPC-QC, and BP-QC). The contributions of this thesis are designed to be beneficial to the areas of business and management, requirements engineering, software engineering, and business process modelling. In the areas of requirements engineering and software engineering, these contributions are intended to help practitioners to consider non-functional requirements at the earliest stage. In the area of business process modelling, information systems, service computing, and cloud computing, the contributions can be used for quality-driven modelling, design, and redesign. To conclude, knowing the quality value of a business process at different levels of granularity provides a basis for its improvement.

This article describes an innovative method for eliminating deformation in large crankshafts during measurement of their geometric condition. The currently available techniques for measuring crankshaft geometry are introduced and classified according to their applicability and the method of measurement. The drawbacks of the methods have been identified and a solution to these problems has been proposed. The influence of the rigid support of a shaft on its deformation, and thus on the reduction in the accuracy of crankshaft geometry measurements, has also been investigated. The concept and main versions of the proposed measuring system with active compensation for shaft deflection, by means of actuators cooperating with force transducers monitoring the deflection of individual crank journals of a crankshaft being measured, have been presented and the flexible support control system has also been described. The problems relating to the operation of the control system have been furnished along with a way to solve them, including the issue of noise reduction in the signal from the force transducer and the influence of the controller parameters on the operation of the flexible support. The computer system that controls the flexible supports has been briefly characterized, and the performance of the prototype system and the model reference system has been compared. The results have shown that the system is able to effectively eliminate the deflection and elastic deformation of the crankshaft under the influence of its own weight.

Business process (BP) designs and enterprise information system (IS) designs are often not well aligned. Missing alignment may result in performance problems at run-time, such as large process execution time or overloaded IS resources. The complex interrelations between BPs and ISs are not adequately understood and considered in development so far. Simulation is a promising approach to predict performance of both BP and IS designs. Based on prediction results, design alternatives can be compared and verified against requirements. Thus, BP and IS designs can be aligned to improve performance. In current simulation approaches, BP simulation and IS simulation are not adequately integrated. This results in limited prediction accuracy due to neglected interrelations between the BP and the IS in simulation. In this paper, we present the novel approach Integrated Business IT Impact Simulation (IntBIIS) to adequately reflect the mutual impact between BPs and ISs in simulation. Three types of mutual impact between BPs and ISs in terms of performance are specified. We discuss several solution alternatives to predict the impact of a BP on the performance of ISs and vice versa. It is argued that an integrated simulation of BPs and ISs is best suited to reflect their interrelations. We propose novel concepts for continuous modeling and integrated simulation. IntBIIS is implemented by extending the Palladio tool chain with BP simulation concepts. In a real-life case study with a BP and IS from practice, we validate the feasibility of IntBIIS and discuss the practicability of the corresponding tool support.

Background: This exploratory study investigates the code of silence in healthcare, exploring its origins and outlining its negative impact on healthcare quality and patient safety. Drawing parallels with other professions where similar codes exist, the research delves into the reasons healthcare professionals may choose not to report inappropriate practices. Objective: This article outlines the reasons for the existence of the code of silence in healthcare, assesses its prevalence, and suggests strategies to address it. Design and methods: This is a qualitative study which uses in-depth interviews with 88 licensed healthcare providers (physicians, nurses, administrators, and pharmacists) to identify common types of inappropriate practices, the actions taken to address them, and the reasons why observers chose to remain silent. Results: We find that the majority of healthcare providers in the sample (nearly 70%) either witnessed or were made aware of incidents of inappropriate practices. In a substantial proportion (about 40%) of the cases, no action was taken after reporting the inappropriate practice. The findings are discussed in the context of existing codes of professional ethics and the organizational cultures that either encourage or discourage transparency. The study highlights the tension healthcare professionals face between their personal values, institutional goals, and fear of retribution. Conclusion: Breaking the code of silence is both a personal and organizational responsibility. The paper concludes with actionable recommendations to break the code of silence, such as fostering a supportive reporting culture, improving anonymous reporting mechanisms, and encouraging leadership to prioritize accountability.

Purpose of the article: This paper explores the evolving role of coaching as an internal communication tool in advancing responsibility as part of public relations goals, particularly in the post-crisis era. Originality/Value: By revisiting and upgrading a study initially conducted in 2019, the study specifically investigates how coaching is currently integrated into internal communication practices in Slovenian organizations, its influence on enhancing personal and organizational responsibility, its role in alignment with sustainability strategies, and its perceived effectiveness after crises such as COVID-19 and social unrest. Furthermore, it contextualizes these findings within the framework of ESRS, especially the social (S) dimension of the CSRD directive. Research methodology: Using a quantitative and qualitative approach, the study aims to identify shifts in managerial attitudes, communication structures, their responsibility and their contribution to fostering sustainability in times of uncertainty. Findings: The findings emphasize the growing importance of structured internal communication—and coaching as one of its tools—as a means of cultivating personal and organizational responsibility, enhancing employee value, and fostering resilient, sustainable organizational cultures. Practical implications: The study contributes to theoretical understanding and provides practical guidelines for embedding coaching in communication strategies to support long-term organizational resilience.

The study attempts to find out how Work Environment (WE), Work Schedule Flexibility (WSF), and Technology Adoption Level (TAL) affect Employee Productivity (EP), Employee Adaptability (EA), and Team Collaboration (TC) in modern workplaces. It also seeks to identify new trends and their effects on worker well-being and organizational performance. This study uses a quantitative research strategy while the sample size is 205 based on a random sampling procedure from the IT sector employees. It seeks new trends in workplaces by studying employees' productivity and adaptability, extracting information from the data gathered for statistical analysis that may be relevant to the study's objectives. It is in this regard that the research explores how enhanced technology utilization, flexible working hours and a good working environment significantly boost the productivity of employees. It highlights how important training is in creating a culture of flexibility and cooperation, in communicating effectively as a leader and in adapting to new technologies/trends. In evolving work environments, organizational flexibility, technology uptake and leadership support become the key determinants that affect productivity and adaptation. The scope of the research stems from the inference that emerging workplace trends fuelled by organizational flexibility and flexibility-driven strategies boost productivity. Through statistical analysis, all these variables have strong correlation abilities; implying flexibility plays a central role in high degrees of productivity in work environments where work scenarios differ significantly.

GENERAL COMMENTARY article Front. Psychol., 25 August 2014Sec. Personality and Social Psychology Volume 5 - 2014 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00933

An organization in general, of course, has a goal of being able to survive in the long term. To achieve this goal, an organization needs a good business process to support the running of the organization. Business Process can be considered as a collection of tasks and activities that exist in a structured and orderly manner to provide results in the form of goods or services for internal and external users. Organizational managers are responsible for managing business processes. Business processes are needed to see how the company runs its daily business, business processes also have an important role in structuring and implementing flexible information systems. Information systems are built and operated to provide information for managers. This research intends to understand effect of business processes quality (BPQ) to accounting information systems quality (AISQ) and its impact on accounting information quality (AIQ).

Information Systems (IS) are mostly built on three major concerns: data, security and business processes. Dealing with the correctness of these concerns makes the IS more efficient, which is of a great importance for organizations, given the impact their IS can have on their productivity. However, these concerns are often defined by different stakeholders leading to several inconsistencies between the resulting artifacts. This paper outlines our model driven approach to align and formally analyze in a decoupled way the Unified Modeling Language (UML) for data modeling, Role-based Access Control (RBAC) for security policies definition and the Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for process modeling. Several works addressed the integration of BPMN and UML or BPMN and Security, but none of them tried to make the bridge between the three concerns in a unified framework in order to formally establish their consistency. In this ongoing work we propose two kinds of formal analysis: the static analysis that deals with the structural properties of the three concerns, and the dynamic analysis, which is intended to apply the B method and underlying formal reasoning tools in order to animate processes and formally check their feasibility regarding data and security.

Combined internal model and inferential control of a distillation column via closed-loop identification

This paper suggests cybernetic strategies for improving organizational control and information systems. The suggestions are based on the postulates of Beer’s cybernetic Viable System Model (VSM). The VSM was based on the way the human body’s neural control system successfully manages the high degree of complexity it regularly faces. The model identifies five linked control subsystems and specifies propositions concerning their information-processing behavior. The five systems are responsible for the following key tasks: policy development, environmental matters, internal control, coordination of basic units, and the basic work of the system. The information-handling propositions focus on providing requisite capacities in (a) the communication channels linking the five control systems, (b) the transducers that carry information across system boundaries, and (c) the complexity of linked pairs of control systems. The suggested management strategies focus on designing organizations to satisfy the task differentiation, communication channel capacity, transducer capacity, and requisite complexity postulates of the model.

This paper introduces a framework for re- engineering design and assessment of a purchasing management system by business process simulation (BPS) and principal component analysis (PCA). The users of the purchasing management verified that the goals of a re-engineering model are to create a process-oriented approach in order to reduce purchasing process cycle time, faster customer response time and lower cost. The conceptual model of the business process was developed by integrated definition for function modeling (IDEFO). The process times were collected by standard time study and analyzed by statistical analysis and the computer simulation model of the process was developed by Visual SLAM. The current system was then compared with three business process re-engineering (BPR) models through PCA. The first BPR utilizes Davenport approach as process designing and using organizational, human resource and IT enablers. The second and third alternatives use electronic data interchange (EDI) technology and deletion of expense accounts in the current purchasing system. The approach of this study may be used for re-engineering design and assessment of other Purchasing management systems.

The article systemises methodical instruments for evaluating efficiency of measures of digitalisation of business processes of enterprise. A schematic diagram of a general algorithm for evaluating the effectiveness of measures to digitalise the business process of enterprises has been developed. It is determined that assessing the degree of effectiveness of measures to digitalise the business processes of enterprise will also indirectly create conditions for identifying bottlenecks, based on which the management of enterprise will be able to make operational management decisions to optimise the business process through its digital development. It is substantiated that the assessment of business processes and their digitalisation should lie within the functional responsibilities of a certain entity; for this purpose, it is proposed to establish committees at the enterprise to assess the efficiency and digitalisation of business processes. In addition to formulating proposals for eliminating bottlenecks and directions and methods of digitising the company's business processes, the functional responsibilities of the Business Process Efficiency and Digitalisation Committee include the function of assessing the efficiency of an already digitised business process. For this purpose, the Committee develops analytical tools using established business process evaluation methods adapted to the evaluation of a digitised business process, which may include the PDCA cycle, internal audit of business processes, analysis of key performance indicators, functional and cost analysis, and analysis of stakeholder requirements. Each of the proposed instruments for evaluating the effectiveness of measures to digitalise the enterprise's business processes is adapted. It is summarized that when assessing the efficiency of business processes with a view to determining the need for their digital transformation or assessing the efficiency of a digitised business process, it is advisable for an enterprise to approach this issue in a comprehensive manner, namely, to develop clear policies and procedures by establishing and regulating the activities of the committee for assessing the efficiency of the enterprise's business processes by delegating to it a responsible person from each unit for managing business processes that create value or participate in this process.