The Main Concepts Behind the Dematerialization of Business Processes

Author(s):  
Liliana Ávila ◽  
Leonor Teixeira

This chapter aims to introduce the main concepts behind the dematerialization of business processes, which is a relatively new in the academic literature, although there are already empirical evidences of the benefits arising from its implementation, especially in the public sector. The dematerialization of business processes results from the intersection of three other knowledge domains - electronic document management, workflow management and reengineering of business processes -, whose interconnections will be explored along the chapter. It is also emphasized the role of Information and Communication Technologies as an important tool for any organization which intends to improve its performance through the better management of its information workflows. It is presented a comparative analysis performed for some tools available in the market (propriety and open-source solutions) in order to help organizations to understand the benefits and commitments arising from the modernization of processes. Finally, are identified some opportunities for the conduction of future research.

Author(s):  
Liliana Ávila ◽  
Leonor Teixeira

This chapter aims to introduce the main concepts behind the dematerialization of business processes, which is relatively new in the academic literature, although there are already empirical evidences of the benefits arising from its implementation, especially in the public sector. The dematerialization of business processes results from the intersection of three other knowledge domains—electronic document management, workflow management, and reengineering of business processes—whose interconnections will be explored in the chapter. It also emphasizes the role of information and communication technologies as an important tool for any organization that intends to improve its performance through the better management of its information workflows. It presents a comparative analysis performed for some tools available in the market (propriety and open-source solutions) in order to help organizations to understand the benefits and commitments arising from the modernization of processes. Finally, the chapter identifies some opportunities for the conduction of future research.


2018 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aroon P. Manoharan ◽  
Alex Ingrams

Over the past two decades, governments have used information and communication technologies (ICTs) to integrate their internal functions and improve their delivery of services. Scholars and practitioners have conceptualized these various ICT trends and referred to them collectively as e-government. As the number of citizens using the Internet and mobile technologies increases, the public sector is constantly innovating to keep pace with the changing technologies and citizens’ expectations. This essay reviews the academic literature on e-government among local governments and explores the issues related to its adoption and implementation. Adopting an e-government stages perspective with attention to institutional capacity, the essay examines the factors and determinants of local e-government success. The essay concludes with directions for future research on e-government and innovation in local governments.


2015 ◽  
pp. 1629-1650
Author(s):  
Ibrahim A. Alghamdi ◽  
Robert Goodwin ◽  
Giselle Rampersad

The purpose of this paper is to provide an integrated framework to evaluate organizational e-government readiness for government organizations. This framework is necessary as current ones ignore challenges that arise due to organizational transformation issues stemming from diffusion of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). This study adopts an e-government framework to highlight the main internal factors involved in the assessment of e-government organizational readiness and to examine how these factors lead to successful, organizational e-government readiness. The proposed framework integrates seven dimensions for evaluating organizational e-government readiness including e-government strategy, user access, e-government programs, portal architecture, business processes, ICT infrastructure, and human resources. This paper offers valuable insights to ICT managers for effectively assessing the e-government readiness of organizations to facilitate the success of e-government programs in the public sector.


Author(s):  
Saleem Zoughbi ◽  
Sukaina Al-Nasrawi

The growing adoption and use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) in public administration enables global alteration of functions and business processes used by Governments hoping to convert into viable and successful e-governances. The main objectives are not limited to the traditional e-government goals, but also to improve public sector efficiency, transparency, and accountability, and lower cost across all government administrations, thus leading to the reengineering of the public sector. This could happen at different levels. The success rate is related to results achieved in e-democracy, e-transparency, citizen’s involvement in public management, and other controversial outcomes, which may not be welcome in some countries. With the advent of EA, one sees a more comprehensive method of solving customization problems. The number of difficulties and obstacles may increase when dealing with issues related to the transformation into e-governance at the micro level; hence, a more efficient way is to introduce an EA framework where one can leverage these difficulties before the actual transformation.


2003 ◽  
pp. 416-431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgit J. Oberer

In this chapter, an overview of electronic government is given. Online electronic services, like inquiry possibilities that are made available to its interaction partners (citizens and businesses) by administration authorities, are one proof of changes in the public sector because of modern information and communication technologies. Electronic government includes all governmental measures at the levels (union, states, and local governments) for qualitative improvements in citizen’s different spheres of life and for optimization of business processes within the administration. It can cause an improvement of the relationship between administration, citizens, and businesses. The author gives an overview about selected current international electronic government incentives, introduces analysis methods for these governmental strategies, and shows developed guidelines for implementing electronic government.


2002 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-128
Author(s):  
Francesca Sgobbi

The availability of proper human capital represents a key-factor in order to support the current fast pace of diffusion of Internet-based applications. The careful assessment of the skills and competencies required to manage and develop Internet technologies in different application domains represents a necessary step to solve the emerging skill shortage and skill gap problems. While most existing analyses of skill needs in information and communication technologies deal with broad professional categories, the paper focuses the attention on a specific professional figure, the Web designer. By resorting to an on-line questionnaire administered to a sample of Italian Web designers, the paper shows that jobholders recognise greater usefulness to organisational rather than technical knowledge domains. However, perceived skill gaps are larger in the case of technical skills and competencies. Moreover, specialisation paths are emerging.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-295
Author(s):  
Elisa Mohanty ◽  
Anindya Jayanta Mishra

Purpose The widespread use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has had a significant effect on various groups and communities of people including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and their owners/managers. The current study aims to analyze recent literature regarding adoption of ICTs by MSMEs. Further, it tries to locate gender within this broader context of diffusion of ICTs among MSMEs. Design/methodology/approach Using the thematic analysis approach, the research articles pertaining to six leading journals on ICTs, gender and entrepreneurship published during the time period from 2011 to 2019 are reviewed. Findings The literature selected for the study has been discussed under two primary categories, viz. “adoption of information and communication technologies for development (ICT4D) for business purposes” and “insights on gender in ICT4D use by MSMEs.” Research limitations/implications The context-dependent nature of ICT use can enable future entrepreneurs to assess the scope of specific ICTs in given areas of operation. The gendered nature of ICTs helps to evaluate as well as question the empowerment potential of ICTs. The study emphasizes the need to account for historical specificities and transnational linkages in understanding access, adoption and use of ICT4D by women MSME entrepreneurs. Originality/value The study bridges together literature on ICT4D use by MSMEs and the role of gender in ICT-mediated entrepreneurial environments. While unraveling the interplay of power dynamics in such environments, the scope for future research in terms of tapping into the content of information exchanges and exploring the implications of “dark side of internet” for women MSME entrepreneurs is also indicated.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 519-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nubia Velasco ◽  
Juan-Pablo Moreno ◽  
Claudia Rebolledo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the current state of logistics practices in healthcare organizations in Bogota, Colombia. Design/methodology/approach The assessment is based on case study research using open interviews, focused interviews, a questionnaire and direct observations as sources of evidence. Seven Colombian health care settings are analyzed: four public hospitals and three private clinics. Cross-case analysis allows the identification of patterns regarding supply management, inventory management, replenishment and use of information and communication technologies. Findings Manual procedures, poor planning, little recognition from top management and a lack of specialized personnel characterize the current situation. Innovative practices with a potential to improve the efficacy of logistics activities are rare, particularly in public hospitals. Research avenues Future research could replicate this study in other Colombian cities, in order to generalize the results to the whole country. It could also be interesting to document successful and less successful implementations of innovative logistics practices in Colombian hospitals to guide and promote their adoption. Research limitations/implications The small number of cases considered, and the fact that the research is concentrated in one city, limits the generalizability of the results. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first to explore the state of healthcare logistics practices in Colombia.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
FARZAN SHENAVARMASOULEH ◽  
Farid Ghareh Mohammadi ◽  
M. Hadi Amini ◽  
Hamid R. Arabnia

<div>A smart city can be seen as a framework, comprised of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). An intelligent network of connected devices that collect data with their sensors and transmit them using wireless and cloud technologies in order to communicate with other assets in the ecosystem plays a pivotal role in this framework. Maximizing the quality of life of citizens, making better use of available resources, cutting costs, and improving sustainability are the ultimate goals that a smart city is after. Hence, data collected from these connected devices will continuously get thoroughly analyzed to gain better insights into the services that are being offered across the city; with this goal in mind that they can be used to make the whole system more efficient.</div><div>Robots and physical machines are inseparable parts of a smart city. Embodied AI is the field of study that takes a deeper look into these and explores how they can fit into real-world environments. It focuses on learning through interaction with the surrounding environment, as opposed to Internet AI which tries to learn from static datasets. Embodied AI aims to train an agent that can See (Computer Vision), Talk (NLP), Navigate and Interact with its environment (Reinforcement Learning), and Reason (General Intelligence), all at the same time. Autonomous driving cars and personal companions are some of the examples that benefit from Embodied AI nowadays.</div><div>In this paper, we attempt to do a concise review of this field. We will go through its definitions, its characteristics, and its current achievements along with different algorithms, approaches, and solutions that are being used in different components of it (e.g. Vision, NLP, RL). We will then explore all the available simulators and 3D interactable databases that will make the research in this area feasible. Finally, we will address its challenges and identify its potentials for future research.</div>


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-194
Author(s):  
Merve KAYA ◽  
Özlem KANDEMİR

The physical and representational contents of the public space are in a dynamic evolving state with the changes in the social structure and urban structure. In the historical process, the phenomenon of public space has been affected by the developments experienced with the change in the way individuals establish relationships in public life. Today, this transformation has occurred through virtual networks with the development of information and communication technologies. The paper aims to understand the public sphere dynamics that have changed with information and communication technologies. Accordingly, it limits its scope on these questions: How virtual networks affect the representational form of public space? What are the spatial structuring of this new representational public realm? What effect does this transformation have on urban areas that are the physical spaces of public realm? The method of the study is to explain theoretical discussions by supporting examples. In this context, it has been found that virtual networks, known as a new form of public space, transform the representative and physical form of the public space in a multifaceted manner by relocating the way individuals communicate with each other on a virtual layer. In this virtual transformation, it has been seen that the representative public space is now formed on social networks and platforms and the spatial structuring of these areas is defined as virtual network. The effect of virtual networks on the physical spaces of the public realm is possible by clustering data about urban areas in these virtual environments. Therefore, the visibility of virtual networks on the physical spaces of the publicity takes place through the understanding of space usage; moreover, virtual network data, which hybridizes with contemporary urban areas, reveals new qualities in the sense of the city by embodying it through maps. The physical transformation of the public space with information and communication technologies is made possible by the use of virtual network data in the design processes of this new sensory city.


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