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Articles 1 - 21 of 21
Full-Text Articles in Business
Potentially Valuable Overlaps Between Work System Theory, Demo, And Enterprise Engineering, Steven Alter
Potentially Valuable Overlaps Between Work System Theory, Demo, And Enterprise Engineering, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper explores how work system theory (WST) and related core ideas in various versions of the work system method (WSM) overlap with enterprise engineering and with the DEMO methodology. Based on the definition of work system, an enterprise can be viewed as a set of interacting work systems. A work system can be summarized at various levels of detail. The simplest level is basically a verb phrase. The next level is a “work system snapshot.” More detailed descriptions are based on a work system metamodel. This paper’s contribution is in two areas, 1) establishing links between WST/WSM and enterprise …
Knowledge-Supported Design Thinking About Systems In Organizations: An Application Of Work System Theory, Steven Alter
Knowledge-Supported Design Thinking About Systems In Organizations: An Application Of Work System Theory, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper explains a type of knowledge-supported design thinking related to systems in organizations. It shows how work system theory (WST) provides the basis for the work system method (WSM), various versions of which have been used by many hundreds of MBA and Executive MBA students. Design thinking occurs throughout WSM and is especially prominent at the point where WST/WSM users apply their analysis and develop recommendations for improving an existing work system or creating a new work system. Knowledge support for that design thinking has been provided through the knowledge built into WSM, and can be provided in a …
Work System Theory: Overview Of Core Concepts, Extensions, And Challenges For The Future, Steven Alter
Work System Theory: Overview Of Core Concepts, Extensions, And Challenges For The Future, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper presents a current, accessible, and overarching view of work system theory. WST is the core of an integrated body of theory that emerged from a long-term research project to develop a systems analysis and design method for business professionals called the work system method (WSM). After discussing WST’s basic premises and its two central frameworks, this paper summarizes the relationship between WST and WSM. It shows how experience with early versions of WSM led to three extensions of WST that addressed limitations-in-use in one of the central frameworks in WST. After comparisons with related theories, this paper closes …
A Work System Front End For Object-Oriented Analysis And Des, Steven Alter
A Work System Front End For Object-Oriented Analysis And Des, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper proposes that basic ideas from the work system theory (WST) and the work system method (WSM) might become a front end to object-oriented analysis and design (OOAD). After describing the background motivation and summarizing work system concepts, it uses a hiring system example to show how two tools from WSM can be used as a front end for OOAD, in effect, a step before creating use case diagrams. Potential benefits of this approach stem from a business-oriented question, "how can we improve this work system's performance," rather than an IT-oriented question, "how can we create an IT artifact …
The Knowledge Cube: Scaffolding For A Body Of Knowledge About Information Systems, Steven Alter
The Knowledge Cube: Scaffolding For A Body Of Knowledge About Information Systems, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper answers calls for a body of knowledge (BoK) for the IS field. Its new approach for thinking about a BoK provides a path for addressing a longstanding problem in the IS discipline. The paper proposes organizing knowledge as a three dimensional "knowledge cube" that goes beyond compilations of categories of knowledge, sets of generalizations, and sets of documents. The structure of the knowledge cube is based on recognition that "work system in general" is a general case whose subordinate cases include information system in general and project in general. In turn, the special cases have their own special …
Exploring The Temporal Nature Of Sociomateriality From A Work System Perspective, Steven Alter
Exploring The Temporal Nature Of Sociomateriality From A Work System Perspective, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper uses work system theory (WST) to explore the temporal nature of sociomateriality. It summarizes concepts related to WST and sociomateriality, and notes sociomaterial aspects of WST. It uses static and dynamic views of a work system toexamine six examples that can be classified in one of three time frames, minutes-to-hours, days-to-weeks, and months-to years. The result is a straightforward interpretation of systems and related events across all of the time frames, which exhibit different types of phenomena related to adaptations, workarounds, emergence of informal work patterns, and sequences of formal projects. After approaching sociomateriality from a perspective not …
Metamodel For Service Analysis And Design Based On An Operational View Of Service And Service Systems, Steven Alter
Metamodel For Service Analysis And Design Based On An Operational View Of Service And Service Systems, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper presents a metamodel that addresses service system analysis and design based on an operational view of service that traverses and integrates three essential layers, service activities, service systems, and value constellations. The metamodel's service-in-operation perspective and underlying premises diverge from a view of service systems as systems of economic exchange that has appeared a number of times in the journal Service Science. In addition to the metamodel itself, this paper's contributions include an explanation of eight premises on which it is based plus clarifications concerning concepts such as service, service system, customer, product/service, co-production and co-creation of value, …
Challenges For Service Science, Steven Alter
Challenges For Service Science, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
Service science is still in a formative stage, with many basic ideas still in flux and significant disagreements about definitions and implications of basic concepts. This paper suggests directions for progress in relation to eight problematic areas within service science. It uses five typical medical services to question typical definitions of service and service system. It suggests that service science should not privilege servitizing over productizing; that a series of design dimensions whose end-points are often associated with products or with services are more useful than yes/no distinctions between products and services; that the concept of "the customer" should be …
Hospitality Industry Revenue Management Performance Modeling: Uncovering Issues Associated With Inconsistencies In Price Parity Across Multiple Distribution Channels In The Us Hotel Market, Thomas A. Maier
Thomas A. Maier
This study investigated the deployed competency of full-service Urban market hotels and their online global distribution performance pertaining to: reach, content, consistency, and price parity
Hospitality Leadership, Dissatisfaction And Intent To Leave Among Multigenerational Groupings, Thomas A. Maier
Hospitality Leadership, Dissatisfaction And Intent To Leave Among Multigenerational Groupings, Thomas A. Maier
Thomas A. Maier
This study examines generational similarities and differences in terms of; perceptions hospitality employees have of leadership, dissatisfaction and intent to leave within their organization.
Extending A Systems Analysis Method For Business Professionals, Steven Alter
Extending A Systems Analysis Method For Business Professionals, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
Despite having been explored, described, theorized, and measured in hundreds of IS research articles, frequent difficulties related to user participation and business/IT communication persist in relation to project management, specification of requirements, implementation in organizations, business/IT alignment, and IS failures. We report on an extension of a long term design sci-ence research project that previously demonstrated a possible path toward ad-dressing these longstanding problems by empowering business professionals to analyze systems in business terms rather than in formalisms for IT specialists. Previous research demonstrated that most of 75 working business professionals with extensive business experience were able to use the …
Making A Science Of Service Systems Practical: Seeking Usefulness And Understandability While Avoiding Unnecessary Assumptions And Restrictions, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This book’s theme is “The Science of Service Systems,” yet there is substantial question about whether the definition and nature of service systems have been articulated adequately. This paper examines definitions of service and service system that could frame or otherwise influence future developments in service science and could have implications for what should and should not be included within service science. It argues that the initial development of service science should use straightforward definitions that are understandable, useful, broadly applicable, and teachable. It proposes a definition of service system that is different from the definition proposed in this book’s …
Using Work System Theory To Achieve Greater Business Value From Erp By Exploring Alternative Design Spaces, Steven Alter
Using Work System Theory To Achieve Greater Business Value From Erp By Exploring Alternative Design Spaces, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This paper explains how various aspects of work system theory (WST) can be applied to achieve greater business value from ERP by assuming that the underlying "design spaces" encompass much more than the features, configuration, and limitations of ERP software. It uses WST concepts to identify directions for achieving business value that might not be considered thoroughly in ERP implementations that focus primarily on converting from legacy software to ERP software. This paper starts by summarizing basic premises concerning the relationship between work systems and ERP. Focusing on the context of ERP usage, it explains the elements of the two …
Reconciling The Social/Human And Technical/Material In Is Research Without Trying Too Hard, Steven Alter
Reconciling The Social/Human And Technical/Material In Is Research Without Trying Too Hard, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
This contribution to the SIGPHIL workshop on reconciling the social and technical in IS research proposes a sociotechnical approach that addresses many issues related to the long-standing duality of the social/human versus the technical/material. It shows that a sociotechnical approach based on work system concepts 1) highlights and potentially bypasses extremely basic ontological stumbling blocks in IS research, 2) incorporates many of the topics and concerns of the original sociotechnical school, 3) illuminates issues related to the duality of the social/human versus the technical/material, and 4) addresses these topics using concepts and terminology that are much easier to understand than …
The Work System Method: Systems Thinking For Business Professionals, Steven Alter
The Work System Method: Systems Thinking For Business Professionals, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
No abstract provided.
Appreciative Inquiry In Hospitality Leadership, Thomas A. Maier
Appreciative Inquiry In Hospitality Leadership, Thomas A. Maier
Thomas A. Maier
Appreciative Inquiry based Leadership emphasizes the importance of positivist leadership theory. It builds the positive organizational core from within and relies on transformational leadership principles operating culture.
Teaching Inventory Management Simulation Using E-Learning Software: Blackboard, Elluminate Live!, And Jing, Joel Oberstone
Teaching Inventory Management Simulation Using E-Learning Software: Blackboard, Elluminate Live!, And Jing, Joel Oberstone
Joel Oberstone
Introducing the nuances of inventory management systems to undergraduate business students can be a daunting task. Beyond the traditional focus of the selection of order quantity and reorder point lie more murky considerations such as the impact that stockout cost and supplier selection have on these key parameters, including profit. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how students can cultivate insights of business simulation settings through easy-to-run, downloadable Excel spreadsheet templates from within their Blackboard-driven course website beyond merely grinding out “answers.” This paper shows not only how the simulation templates are employed but also how students can …
Defining Information Systems As Work Systems: Implications For The Is Field, Steven Alter
Defining Information Systems As Work Systems: Implications For The Is Field, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
The lack of an agreed upon definition of information system is one of many obstacles troubling the academic information systems discipline. After listing a number of definitions of IS, this paper defines information system as a special case of work system as defined in Alter (1999a). This definition has many desirable characteristics: It is easy to understand; differentiates IS from IT; covers totally manual, partially automated, and totally automated information systems; links to a life cycle model that generates many insights about development and implementation problems; provides a simple guideline that helps in interpreting common IS/IT jargon; and has other …
Examination Of Service-Firm Employee Perceptions Of Technology By Generational Groupings, Thomas A. Maier
Examination Of Service-Firm Employee Perceptions Of Technology By Generational Groupings, Thomas A. Maier
Thomas A. Maier
Service firm technology and innovation play an integral role in organizational performance. This study examines multi-generational perceptions of Hospitality employees and their views of technology.
Generational Differences: An Examination Of Work Values And Generational Gaps In The Hospitality Workforce, Thomas A. Maier
Generational Differences: An Examination Of Work Values And Generational Gaps In The Hospitality Workforce, Thomas A. Maier
Thomas A. Maier
The purpose of this study is to identify generational differences and similarities among hospitality employees and managers in order to develop leadership strategies and management styles that can be utilized to increase employee morale and productivity while enhancing recruitment and retention rates of highly qualified workers.
Service System Fundamentals: Work System, Value Chain, And Life Cycle, Steven Alter
Service System Fundamentals: Work System, Value Chain, And Life Cycle, Steven Alter
Steven Alter
Service systems produce all services of significance and scope, yet the concept of service system is not well articulated in the service literature. This paper presents three interrelated frameworks as a first cut at the fundamentals of service systems. These frameworks identify basic building blocks and organize important attributes and change processes that apply across all service systems. Although relevant regardless of whether a service system uses IT, the frameworks are also potentially useful in visualizing the realities of moving toward automated service architectures. This paper uses two examples, one largely manual and one highly automated, to illustrate the potential …