Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly
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Exploring Readiness of SMEs for Industry 4.0
Get PDFIndustry 4.0 is considered to be the fourth industrial revolution and involves virtual and physical systems that are interconnected and collaborate in an autonomous way. Industry 4.0 is a relatively new concept within computer science and raises interest on how to make use of technologies included in the concept and profit from them. This article investigates Industry 4.0 in the context of SMEs: the opportunities and challenges that Industry 4.0 poses upon SMEs, as well as readiness of SMEs for Industry 4.0 are considered. The data collection and analysis methods were literature review with grounded theory. In the result, the main challenges proved being of organizational nature: SMEs need help with company-specific strategies for implementing Industry 4.0; and SMEs need skilled employees. The opportunities are flexibility and openness to innovation, which are pertinent to SMEs; cloud computing; and public investments into technology and adoption of Industry 4.0 by companies. The readiness of SMEs for Industry 4.0 is still somewhat low – they are still learners
Smart Home Voice Assistants: A Literature Survey of User Privacy and Security Vulnerabilities
Get PDFIntelligent voice assistants are internet-connected devices, which listen to their environment and react to spoken user commands in order to retrieve information from the internet, control appliances in the household, or notify the user of incoming messages, reminders, and the like. With their increasing ubiquity in smart homes, their application seems only limited by the imagination of developers, who connect these off-the-shelf devices to existing apps, online services, or appliances. However, since their inherent nature is to observe the user in their home, their ubiquity also raises concern of security and user privacy. To justify the trust placed into the devices, the devices must be secure from unauthorized access and the back-end infrastructure tasked with speech-to-text analysis, command interpretation, and connection to other services and appliances must maintain confidentiality of data. To investigate existing possible vulnerabilities, approaches to mitigate them, as well as general considerations in this emerging field, we supplement the findings of a recent study with results from a systematic literature review. We were able to compile a list of six main types of user privacy vulnerabilities, partially confirming previous findings, but also finding additional issues. We discuss these vulnerabilities, their associated attack vectors, and possible mitigations users can take to protect themselves
Agile Development of PHP Websites: A Model-Aware Approach
Get PDFThe Design Science research method was hereby employed to develop an artifact that demonstrates the experimental “model-aware” software engineering methodology in the context of PHP Web development – a “low code” development approach with code templates generated from technology-specific models. The proof-of-concept consists of two interacting components: a custom diagrammatic modeling environment and model-driven generated PHP pages. The interaction between the two components conforms the engineering method labelled as “Model-aware software engineering” (MASE) – a flavor of model-driven engineering recently introduced in research projects as a hybridization of the Agile Modeling Method Engineering (AMME) framework and the Resource Description Framework (RDF). The experimental MASE method is employed here to demonstrate its feasibility for the common Model-View-Controller (MVC) website development pattern, thus showing potential to support common Web development work
Discussing Relations Between Dynamic Business Environments and Big Data Analytics
Get PDFBig data attracts researchers and practitioners around the globe in their desire to effectively manage the data deluge resulting from the ongoing evolution of the information systems domain. Consequently, many decision makers attempt to harness the potentials arising with the use of those modern technologies in a multitude of application scenarios. As a result, big data has gained an important role for many businesses. However, as of today, the developed solutions are oftentimes perceived as completed products, without considering that the application in highly dynamic environments might benefit from a deviation of this approach. Relevant data sources as well as the questions that are supposed to be answered by their analysis may change rapidly and so do subsequently the requirements regarding the functionalities of the system. To our knowledge, while big data itself is a prominent topic, fields of application that are likely to evolve in a short period of time and the resulting consequences were not specifically investigated until now. Therefore, this research aims to overcome this paucity by clarifying the relation between dynamic business environments and big data analytics (BDA), sensitizing researchers and practitioners for future big data engineering activities. Apart from a thorough literature review, expert interviews are conducted that evaluate the made inferences regarding dynamic and stable influencing factors, the influence of dynamic environments on BDA applications as well as possible countermeasures. The ascertained insights are condensed into a proposal for decision making, facilitating the alignment of BDA and business needs in dynamic business environments
Using Enterprise Models to Explain and Discuss Autopoiesis and Homeostasis in Socio-technical Systems
Get PDFThe article links two seemingly different fundamental theoretical concepts of autopoiesis and homeostasis and tries to apply them to the realm of socio-technical systems with the use of the Fractal Enterprise Model (FEM). Autopoiesis is the property of a system that constantly reproduces itself. Homeostasis describes a way a complex system constantly maintains its identity while adapting to changes in its internal and external environment. To be able to use FEM for this task, the original version of FEM has been extended by adding special elements for representing the system's context – part of the environment to which the system is structurally coupled. The approach taken in this article differs from other works in the same field in having the focus on the “body” (concrete elements being reproduced) of the socio-technical system, as well as on identifying concrete processes that reproduce the system, and demonstrating concrete ways of how a specific system adapts or can adapt to the perturbations in the environment (i.e. internal and external disturbances that affect the system)
Potential Benefits of Enterprise Architecture Management in the Digital Transformation Process
Get PDFDigital transformation has an increasing influence on business processes and new business models. A successful digital transformation in enterprises requires a holistic IT infrastructure in order to meet changing business requirements. Enterprises face the challenge of combining business and IT to benefit from existing technological attainments in the digital age. As Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) is supposed to support companies’ transformation processes, it has consequently moved into the focus of large companies and small and medium-sized enterprises. Previous studies have considered the benefits of EAM taking not into account factors regarding the digital transformation process. The present study is therefore intended to close this gap. This article builds on a conceptual model based on a qualitative design with case studies. It presents a quantitative study that investigates the empirical relation between several indicators and the dependent variable “Benefits of EAM” in the digital transformation process. The results show that the indicators “IT Landscape”, “Internal Business” and “EAM Establishment” positively and significantly influence the benefits of EAM in the digital transformation process
Just Finished a Cycle of a Design Science Research Project: What’s Next?
Get PDFThe article is devoted to developing a methodological support for planning Design Science (DS) research projects. More exactly, it is aimed at developing a classification of a particular kind of cycles, inherent to DS research projects, and guidelines on how to choose the next cycle in a specific project. The classification and guidelines are based on results from an analysis of DS literature and a reflective analysis of our own research practice. As far as own research practice is concerned, two DS projects have been analyzed in detail. The analysis revealed that though both projects included cycles, the nature of these cycles was different. In the first project, cycles concerned finding a better problem to solve, while in the second project, cycles concerned finding a better solution for more or less the same problem. Both projects concern developing methodologies in the area of socio-technical systems, and the guidelines on how to choose the next cycle have special provisions related to such systems. In conclusion, the article presents examples of other projects that followed the suggested guidelines and discusses the difference of the suggested approach from other approaches to conduct DS research projects
Grassroots Business Intelligence as an Enabler of Change Management: A Case Study at a Large Global Manufacturing Firm
Get PDFBusiness intelligence (BI) has attracted considerable attention in recent years. Despite the hype, BI frequently suffers from broad definitions, unrealistic expectations, and the incongruities of IT needs between headquarters and local business units. We report the findings of a case study at a large international manufacturing firm headquartered in the EU. The firm wants to transform itself from a conservative firm with traditional values to a more entrepreneurial and nimble organization with its supply chains driven by Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things (IoT). The firm is going through its transformation, focusing on the BI system. Our observations suggest that firms consider BI to be the enabler of change management rather than simply technical tools that extend the traditional systems environment
Selected Topics on Socio-technical Perspective in Information Systems: Editorial Introduction to Issue 22 of CSIMQ
Get PDFThis thematic issue of the Complex Systems Informatics and Modeling Quarterly (CSIMQ) journal is dedicated to fostering a socio-technical perspective in the Information Systems (IS) field. The contemporary perspective has developed a lot over the years and the socio-technical agenda continues to be relevant. The issue contains a selection of extended papers presented at STPIS’19 – 5th International Workshop on Socio-Technical Perspective in IS Development held on June 10, 2019 in Stockholm, Sweden in conjunction with the 27th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS). The workshop featured presentations of 13 papers and 3 posters and was attended by more than 30 participants from 8 different countries (Sweden, Norway, Finland, UK, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and the US). Four of the presented papers were extended for publication in this special issue. The articles presented in this thematic issue contain at least 30% new material compared to the papers initially submitted for the workshop. The last included article was submitted as a regular contribution to the CSIMQ journal and was selected to be included into this thematic issue because of its close connection to the topic of socio-technical systems
Reviving the Individual in Socio-technical Systems Thinking
Get PDFSocio-technical Systems theory sees an organizational work system as comprised of two distinct subsystems – a technical and a social one – that influence each other. Together, these subsystems determine the performance of the work system. Alternative socio-technical trends, such as sociomateriality, understand the social and material as non-existent before they are related. A problematic feature of both approaches is the downplaying of the individual, which is either subsumed under the social or only cursorily treated. To this end, an alternative approach for socio-technical systems thinking is proposed, based on the premise that the individual and social are distinct phenomena, however dialectically constituting each other in everyday activities. We illustrate the central idea of the approach with an example from the telecom industry. Further, we discuss theoretical and practical implications of the approach to be elaborated in future research. In conclusion, we provide a theoretical foundation for advancing socio-technical systems thinking in which the individual is on par with the social and the technical