Methodology for business process development in the digital economy in the formation of a sustainable industrial development mechanism

The article considers the methodology of business process development in the digital business transformation. The aim of the study was to determine the dependence of sustainable enterprise development on the organisation of stakeholder engagement in the context of the digital ecosystem and the organisation of effective digital asset management.Taking into account the aim of the study, the main objectives are to study international experience of managing business development in digital transformation, determine the impact of ecosystems on business organisation and management of business processes and sustainability, and develop recommendations for business model formation and its alignment with the ecosystem market needs.The study resulted in the development of a sustainability framework in the digital ecosystem and proposals for digital ecosystem configurations that focus on giving and generating “value” when applying new ways and methods of “platform” interaction in the digital economy. Sustainability in digital transformation and ecosystematic business organisation depends on how digital assets are managed and approaches used to resource management. This process requires consideration of the methodology for business process development and research into changes in the external environment, identifying the possibility of integrating actors into the digital ecosystem development processes and defining tools for business process management.

Beyond Pandemic

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve even beyond a second wave, there is an urgent need for business organisations to rethink and reconfigure their strategies for long-term sustainability beyond the pandemic. Many organisations are already making changes in the way they run their businesses and the way they make decisions to emerge stronger. It can be observed that the pandemic has seriously affected the way business organisations are being operated. However, this research suggests during the discussion that what is required is a transformational change rather than a directed one for any business organisation. In the current scenario, AI is being seen as a key enabler for business organisations to be on the path to recovery. What the ‘modus operandi' beyond the pandemic will be is a relevant issue for businesses indicating further need of research in this area. Using financial analytics and AI in combination will bring in a transformational change that might be viewed as the ‘game changer' for businesses beyond the pandemic.

Values and aims of the leading universities of the German-speaking countries

This article is based on the research integrating qualitative approach and the content analysis method. The aim is to analyse the mission and strategy of the higher education institutions, assuming that through the mission and strategy those institutions express their self-identification, describe their current state and indicate the directions of development. The subject of the analysis is the best higher education institutions of the German-speaking countries, operating in national and international environment. The research was based on the content analysis, and on its basis, the values and aims of each university were indicated, and then – using the bottom–up method – the aggregation of the universities’ areas of activities were done. In this sense, the selected scopes of activities and points of focus may constitute a generalised reference to the other universities and to the entire academic community in the studied countries. The analysis of the various types of the universities (full, technical, medical) did not demonstrate any significant differences in their self-identification and the designation of the functions of the university, despite the differences in the language of description and the breadth of the offered career perspectives. The common origin, and cultural and social context were also the important factors in this research. The analised higher education institutions were much more oriented towards the standards defined by the best universities in the world and the global challenges of civilisation, what allowed them to become the leading institutions in innovation and technology transfer to the economy. Nowadays, the investigated universities represent the highest standards of academic knowledge. At the same time, they express contemporary trends and requirements of a business organisation (e.g. transparency, evaluation, knowledge management, inclusiveness). Moreover, the investigated higher education institutions perceive themselves as the socially responsible universities, what is confirmed by such values as: inclusiveness, gender mainstreaming, and sustainable development

The definition of entrepreneurship: is it less complex than we think?

PurposeThe paper introduces a new conceptualisation of entrepreneurship that promotes a broader perspective of the phenomenon. The purpose of the paper is to re-conceptualise the act of entrepreneurship so as to reduce it to the fundamental behaviours and processes.Design/methodology/approachThe paper sets out the motivations for and challenges in establishing a broader definition of entrepreneurship. Following this, current approaches to defining entrepreneurship are reviewed. In light of these, a definition of entrepreneurship is offered that captures a new perspective in understanding entrepreneurship. A critique of the offered definition is offered with regards to promoting theory development, empirical research, quality predictions and a distinctive research domain.FindingsThe authors argue that a definition of entrepreneurship that is focussed on the development and validation of ideas provides a thought-provoking re-conceptualisation of entrepreneurship. Extant perspectives on entrepreneurship as business/organisation creation, uncertainty, innovation, value creation and opportunity recognition/creation are drawn on to demonstrate the applicability of the definition.Originality/valueThe pursuit for an encompassing definition of entrepreneurship has been both extensive and earnest, which has inadvertently resulted in a sizable pool of definitions. The authors offer a re-conceptualisation of entrepreneurship with the intent to provide a broad yet coherent definition that encompasses all acts of entrepreneurship. A benefit of this conceptualisation is the establishment of the endpoint of the entrepreneurship process that delineates it from the domain of management.

Academics’ Perceptions on the Factors Affecting Strategic Changes: The Case of an Australian University

Over three decades, a number of external and internal factors that are linked to the political and economic environment have influenced Australian universities to adopt strategies and management styles similar to any other business organisation. The shifts in the strategic focus of the universities have been reflected through their policies and governance at different levels of the organisations. However, there is a need for understanding from different levels’ staff perceptions on whether they equally perceive the changes as legitimate. Based on a social constructionist approach, utilising the intellectual merits of Institutional Theory, this paper draws on the in-depth interview of three levels of staff of an Australian university to understand their perceptions on the impact of major influential factor(s) responsible for strategic changes in their operating environment. The study finds that academics at different levels carry a mix of attitudes towards identifying the major influential factors, not by its merit but rather the way the top managements have implemented the changes within the organisation. The study also finds that the strategy implementation that is based on the new business model and adopted by the University has not been positively accepted by the operational level academics as it conflicts with their traditional values. The perception gaps at different levels identified in the study would help management in future strategy development and the implementation process with a stronger focus on the behavioural aspects of change.

Competence development and learning assistance systems for the data-driven future

The continuous acquisition of new digital competences and the development of situational learning assistance systems will become more important than ever in the coming years, because the world of work is becoming more complex, more informative and all above more data-driven. Jobs are changing due to increasing digitalisation, whereby the use of modern technologies must be designed in a way, that employees can continue to work productively in the company despite these changes and benefit purposefully from digital solutions. The research results presented under the main topic „Competence development and learning assistance systems for the data-driven future“ address this problem of state of the art technologies in the workplace and their effects on workers. The members of the Scientific Society for Work and Business Organisation (WGAB) present innovative concepts and research results for practitioners and scientists and thus provide valuable input for current challenges.

The Services Marketing Mix: Theoretical Views of Church Services Marketing

It could be noted that marketing can be stretched beyond profit business organisation. In the area of services, it is important to note that both profit and non-profit organisations share competitive traits in the sense that they are competing with one another advantageously to distinguish themselves. Thus, this paper reviews the existing literature on services marketing and highlights opportunities for competitive-oriented church activities for improved church marketing. These activities are simplified in this review by first identifying, the theoretical implications and then presenting an overview of the services marketing mix ingredients. Although the variety of ways in which services marketing mix are construed is enormous, some relevant studies on services marketing mix and studies with church efforts to implement the principles of services marketing mix are the focus of this theoretical paper. Thus, the 7Ps of services marketing, which is an extension of the original marketing mix from four to seven elements, is discussed.

Competitiveness Through the Prism of the Culture of Innovation

The main goal of every business organisation in the modern world is to constantly increase its competitiveness in the conditions of constant change imposed by the dynamic business environment. The culture of innovation today is perceived as a key factor in increasing the competitiveness of both an organisation and an entire country as it reflects their ability to think creatively, flexibility, information exchange and perception of innovation. This paper aims to present the relationship between the culture of innovation and competitiveness in the context of Bulgarian organisations. It is indicated that the culture of society itself is important for the culture of innovation. Different value systems can be a prerequisite for the development of various innovation practices, which in turn could lead to good results in the innovation activity of the whole country.

CHANGES TO STAFF TRAINING STRATEGIES IN A BUSINESS ORGANISATION IN TERMS OF LEARNING AND COMPETENCE DEVELOPMENT

This paper presents the findings of a study on attitudes of employees of business organisations towards changes in their development strategies in terms of learning and competence development. The study is based on the assumption that the lack of corporate staffs’ competences hinders innovation, impairs the quality of activities, while the engrained conventional approach towards staff training prevents from using workplace opportunities of self-study and competence development. The study identifies the following practical issue: conventional staff training, principles and methods of competence development that depend on direct and virtual learning are not always effective lately. An analysis of the research participants’ attitudes can help to answer the following problematic questions in more detail: are the acquisition of competences, trainings held, and employee learning considered identical phenomena? What is the efficiency of staff training and competence development activities or the learning tools applied? What does the application of the principles of staff training and competence development in an organisation mean in practice? The article, therefore, is aimed to analyse the changes in staff development strategies in terms of employee learning and competence development from the perspective of corporate staff.