实施ERP战略过程中的关键因素

ＥＲＰ是企业进行流程再造的重要手段之一，ＥＲＰ战略的实施又会涉及企业的方方面面，对企业经营活动有着重大影响。本文讨论了在实施ＥＲＰ战略的过程中几个值得注意的问题。     

Putting soft OR methods to work: The case of the business improvement project at PowerGen

In 1994 PowerGen, a UK electricity generating company, conducted a business improvement project. The project used a participative approach involving soft OR and systems thinking, an approach that was developed in earlier projects in food retailing and mining. The aim of the project was initially to conduct a benchmarking exercise and develop an information systems (IS) strategy. As the project progressed the emphasis moved to business process redesign and downsizing in the light of new perceptions of business prospects. The paper describes the design and implementation of the intervention, the evolution of the project, the problems encountered, and the outcome. Throughout it describes in some detail the interaction that took place. Although many improvements to current operations were identified for implementation, it proved difficult to obtain agreement to a fundamental change in the organisational structure. Two years after the project finished a new organisation based on the project's analysis has been adopted. The case is discussed drawing on a number of recent theoretical themes that have emerged from the debate about the process of OR. Conclusions are drawn about the value of the methods used in the intervention, the practicalities of mixing several methods, and the future direction the research programme should take.     

The Role of Discrete Event Simulation Techniques in Finite Capacity Scheduling

Discrete event simulation is becoming an established tool in finite capacity scheduling. However, recent work on scheduling systems has concentrated on the development of different modelling approaches and tools, without proper examination of how they can be used to meet business objectives. This paper examines the role of scheduling in improving business performance and suggests possible considerations in the development and implementation of a finite capacity scheduler. It reviews the advantages and limitations of discrete event simulation as a modelling technique for scheduling, and argues the need for further research to develop more versatile tools. A simulation-based scheduling system incorporating bottleneck planning principles to maintain throughput with low inventory is described, as are the experiences gained during its implementation in a medium-sized press shop.     

基于模糊DEA的ERP系统选型方法

提出了一种基于模糊数据包络分析的企业资源计划系统选型方法.以系统的实施复杂性、预计实施成本、功能匹配度和系统供应商的企业形象等作为主要评价指标,运用模糊集相关理论争方法对系统选型过程中的不确定性进行刻画和描述,对候选系统的相对有效性进行客观评价,解决了系统选型过程中的不确定性和模糊性问题.并通过实证研究说明了该方法的应用.     

Managing critical success strategies for an enterprise resource planning project

This paper develops an innovative objectives-oriented approach with one evaluation model and three optimization models for managing the implementation of a set of critical success strategies (CSSs) for an enterprise resource planning (ERP) project in an organization. To evaluate the CSSs based on their contribution to the organizational objectives, the evaluation model addresses an important issue of measuring the relationship between objectives in a three-level hierarchy involving the organization, its functional departments, and the ERP project. To determine the optimal management priority for implementing the CSSs from the organization’s perspective, the three optimization models maximize their total implementation value by integrating individual departments’ management preferences. An empirical study is conducted to demonstrate how these models work and how their outcomes can provide practical insights and implications in planning and managing the implementation of the CSSs for an ERP project.     

Particle Finite Element Simulations of Cutting Processes in Manufacturing

The cutting of metals is an important process in manufacturing and challenges established methods in the field of computational mechanics. The particle finite element method (PFEM) combines the benefits of particle based methods and the standard finite element method (FEM) to account for large deformations and separation of material. In cutting simulations the workpiece is realised as a set of particles, whose boundary is detected by the α-shape method. After the boundary detection, the particles are meshed with finite elements. Since metals show a plastic behavior under large deformations, a suitable material model needs to be considered. Numerical examples show the effect of the choice of the parameter α on the cutting force. (© 2016 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

基于扰动模糊综合评价法的企业BI项目实施风险评估研究

商业智能(BI)系统能够帮助企业经营者进行智能化的决策,但在一个日益复杂的企业运营环境中,BI系统的实施如同ERP系统一样,面临着巨大的问题、压力和高风险.针对以上特性,提出了一种BI项目实施风险扰动模糊综合评价模型和方法,以上海新媒体A公司的BI项目为实例对企业BI项目实施中的各相关风险因素进行了分析,最优判别,得出了导致风险的主要因素,同时为BI实施风险规避策略提供科学依据.     

Knowledge management <Emphasis Type="Italic">sans frontières</Emphasis>

Knowledge management is a topic that crosses borders of various kinds, such as those between departments, between organisations or between countries. In this paper we will consider various issues relating to knowledge management, in the context where more than one department/organisation/country is involved. To do this, we place an emphasis on knowledge management as a process, rather than as an organisational system or, worse, as a piece of technology. This process involves trust, negotiation—and indeed some technological support. In this paper we wish to introduce the concept of ‘triangles of trust’, and to focus on where ‘the top meets the bottom’ in terms of knowledge management and organisational learning. Partial examples will be offered in support of our views, but no full and complete examples—knowledge management simply is not well enough understood or documented for that yet. Our overall conclusion is that there is no one best way to “do” knowledge management, but there are principles that ought to be applied.     

供应链融资畅想

如果建立一个基于电子发票系统的综合IT系统平台,连接银行信贷管理平台、第三方电子商务平台和企业ERP平台,那么,就可以将供应链中的物流、资金流、信息流打通,不仅能解决无数中小企业的融资难题,还可以将我国企业的财务与信用管理拉上新的台阶。     

Transparent prioritisation,budgeting and resource allocation with multi-criteria decision analysis and decision conferencing

Managers in both for-profit and not-for-profit organisations continually face the task of allocating resources by balancing costs, benefits and risks and gaining commitment by a wide constituency of stakeholders to those decisions. This task is complex and difficult because many options are present, benefits and risks are rarely expressed as single objectives, multiple stakeholders with different agendas compete for limited resources, individually optimal resource allocations to organisational units are rarely collectively optimal, and those dissatisfied with the decisions taken may resist implementation. We first explain three current approaches to resource allocation taken from corporate finance, operational research and decision analysis, and we identify a common mistake organisations make in allocating resources. The paper then presents a technical process, multi-criteria portfolio analysis, for balancing the conflicting elements of the problem, and a social process, decision conferencing, which engages all the key players during the modelling process, ensuring their ownership of the model and the subsequent implementation. This socio-technical process improves communication within the organisation, develops shared understanding of the portfolio and generates a sense of common purpose about those projects that will best realise the organisation’s objectives. The paper concludes with lessons we have learned from actual practice. The authors want to thank Allergan and FCT (Portuguese Science Foundation) for their support.     

Developing an efficient knowledge discovering model for mining fuzzy multi-level sequential patterns in sequence databases

Sequential pattern mining from sequence databases has been recognized as an important data mining problem with various applications. Items in a sequence database can be organized into a concept hierarchy according to taxonomy. Based on the hierarchy, sequential patterns can be found not only at the leaf nodes (individual items) of the hierarchy, but also at higher levels of the hierarchy; this is called multiple-level sequential pattern mining. In previous research, taxonomies based on crisp relationships between any two disjointed levels, however, cannot handle the uncertainties and fuzziness in real life. For example, Tomatoes could be classified into the Fruit category, but could be also regarded as the Vegetable category. To deal with the fuzzy nature of taxonomy, Chen and Huang developed a novel knowledge discovering model to mine fuzzy multi-level sequential patterns, where the relationships from one level to another can be represented by a value between 0 and 1. In their work, a generalized sequential patterns (GSP)-like algorithm was developed to find fuzzy multi-level sequential patterns. This algorithm, however, faces a difficult problem since the mining process may have to generate and examine a huge set of combinatorial subsequences and requires multiple scans of the database. In this paper, we propose a new efficient algorithm to mine this type of pattern based on the divide-and-conquer strategy. In addition, another efficient algorithm is developed to discover fuzzy cross-level sequential patterns. Since the proposed algorithm greatly reduces the candidate subsequence generation efforts, the performance is improved significantly. Experiments show that the proposed algorithm is much more efficient and scalable than the previous one. In mining real-life databases, our works enhance the model's practicability and could promote more applications in business.     

Order and disorder in business cycles

It is shown that a very simple business cycle model of the multiplier-accelerator type can produce chaotic motion. The model uses a cubic approximation of the nonlinear floor-roof type of investment function, and a two-period distributed lag for consumption. It can be cast as a cubic iterative map for income differences, so that chaotic motion for the differences results in Brownian random walk for income itself. The case can be analyzed by means similar to those used in the study of the iterated quadratic mapping. The cubic, except being based on economic principles, has the advantage over the quadratic that it produces cyclical change. In the fast process for income differences the slowly moving income itself becomes a parameter responsible for feedback causing bifurcations between chaotic and ordered behaviour.     

A comparative analysis of learning curves: Implications for new technology implementation management

New technology implementation projects are notoriously over time and budget resulting in significant financial and strategic organizational consequences. Some argue that inadequate planning and management, misspecification of requirements, team capabilities and learning contribute to cost and schedule over runs. In this paper we examine how learning curve theory could inform better management of new technology implementation projects. Our research makes four important contributions: (1) It presents a comparative analysis of learning curves and proposes how they can be used to help ERP implementation planning and management. (2) Based on empirical data from four ERP implementation projects, it provides illustrations of how managers can apply the curves in different project situations. (3) It provides a theoretical basis for empirical studies of learning and ERP (and other IT) implementations in different organizational settings. (4) It provides empirical justification for the development of learning curve theory in IT implementation.     

Why are enterprise resource planning systems indispensable to supply chain management?

Supply chain design is becoming a core competency, and the enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is expected to be an integral component of supply chain management (SCM). Installing an ERP system is, however, expensive and risky. IT managers must decide how to use their limited resources and invest in the right product. Can an ERP system directly improve SCM competency? This study proposes a conceptual framework featuring the ERP benefits and SCM competencies, and examines the impacts of the former on the latter. The results confirm the operational, managerial, and strategic benefits of ERP for the SCM competencies, but not the IT infrastructure and organizational benefits as significant predictors of them. Moreover, more than 80% of respondents think it necessary to first adopt an ERP system as the backbone of company operations before deploying other enterprise systems (ES), such as the SCM system.     

基于修正区间模糊Shapley值的“一带一路”PPP项目利益分配模型

多方合作的“一带一路”基础设施PPP项目是互联互通的基石,公平合理地分配项目利益则是保障其顺利实施的关键。为了构建科学的利益分配模型,考虑项目参与方组建的合作联盟预期收益为模糊数且分配时受多种因素影响,本文首先,基于区间模糊Shapley值构建“一带一路”PPP项目利益分配初始模型;然后,识别出利益分配影响因素并量化参与方的投入分担程度,据此修正初始的利益分配模型;最后,结合实际案例,将该模型与现存方法进行对比分析,结果显示本模型的可操作性更强,针对影响因素系数的测算更为精准,整体具有显著优势。     

A Fuzzy Multi-criteria Outranking Approach in Support of Business Angels’ Decision-Analysis Process for the Assessment of Companies as Investment Opportunities

In this paper, a multi-criteria method is presented for the evaluation and ranking of a selected set of companies as investment opportunities in aid of the relevant decision-analysis process of business angels. The multi-criteria methodology is based on the PROMETHEE method, which is further extended to deal with fuzzy input data in order to address the data imprecision and uncertainty of the decision process. The paper concludes by suggesting a web-based system implementation of the proposed methodology, which will significantly enhance modern business angels networks.     

A Fuzzy Multi-Criteria Outranking Approach in Support of Business Angels’ Decision Analysis Process for the Assessment of Companies as Investment Opportunities

In this paper, a multi-criteria method is presented for the evaluation and ranking of a selected set of companies as investment opportunities in aid of the relevant decision analysis process of business angels. The multi-criteria methodology is based on the PROMETHEE method, which is further extended to deal with fuzzy input data in order to address the data imprecision and uncertainty of the decision process. The paper concludes by suggesting a web-based system implementation of the proposed methodology, which will significantly enhance modern business angels networks.     

CMM中SQA评审改进模型及在ERP实施中的应用

CMM中SQA评审项只有通过和不通过两种选择,且不同子项权重相同,很难服务于标杆管理.因此,提出了基于模糊评价集的SQA评审改进模型,通过专家打分和综合评判,让评审结果更加客观.通过将改进模型应用于ERP实施过程,说明其可操作性,且能有效地提高ERP实施的质量.     

A complexity approach to sustainability – Stafford Beer revisited

There is wide acceptance of the need for a more holistic approach to sustainability. However, practical solutions remain elusive and tend to exhibit underlying conflicts between different paradigms and their associated methodologies. This paper argues the need to wield analytical tools that themselves embody the principles of systemic, ecological thinking. We present here a theoretical framework based on complexity science – focused on organisational and second order cybernetics – that highlights our understanding of the concept of sustainability. The paper goes on to reflect upon how current practice would benefit from such an approach.