Changes In Internal Environment Research Articles

ANALYSIS OF METHODICAL APPROACHES TO MEASURE ENTERPRISE`S ECONOMIC SECURITY

Business security means its continuous, balanced and sustainable development ensured by the effective application of all types of available resources, and reflected in the upward trends of economic and financial indicators. It has been proved that the system of indicators which determines enterprise`s economic security is diversified, complicatedly organized, though the variety of indicators is not always informative. Economic indicators are closely interrelated. Therefore, only their systematic definition can provide a true picture of business` economic threats. It has been identified that there are different approaches to assess threats to enterprise`s economic security in scientific literature. The main are the indicator and resource-functional approaches. It has been determined that the main disadvantages of the first approach are a substantial number of indicators, difficulties to measure their marginal values, not taking into account changes of external and internal environment. It has been specified that nowadays application only of the resource-functional approach to assess business` economic security is irrational, since the security itself is defined as the ability of an enterprise to face threats and ensure its development in the future. It has been stated that it is necessary to assess threats to enterprise`s economic security not only in cases of economic hardship, but also in order to forecast, avoid, effectively and rationally use its economic capacity. The main challenges of enterprise`s economic threats assessment are to reveal trends and patterns in business development in the period under study, identify unfavorable fields of financial and economic activities and their impact on enterprise`s economic security, find out the reserves that could be used to strengthen it.

Course Analysis of Library and Information Science in Korea

Curriculums play a key role in implementing the educational goals and directions of a university. Universities regularly update their curriculums to actively respond to internal and external environmental changes. Korean universities face challenges, including a steady decline in enrollment and demand-oriented convergence education. Because of the nature of convergence science, library and information science should respond more actively to new challenges. This study analyzes the current status of library and information science courses according to subjects and universities. Data was collected from the websites of each university, and various methods such as text analysis, frequency analysis, and network analysis were applied to investigate current status of LIS in Korea.

Selection of technology standardization mode for libraries based on game theory

PurposeInternet of Things (IoT), a strategic emerging industry, has brought a new driving force to the global economic growth, as well as an effective solution to break the barrier of economic development. However, standards system of IoT is not yet mature, existing obvious overlapping and even conflicting standards, and enterprises lack mature technology standardization model, which severely restricts the structural upgrading and development of IoT. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approachIn this regard, this study combs the research context of the IoT, technology standardization and competition behavior, and analyze technology standardization models of IoT by combining theory with practice. Using game theory and profit function, this paper analyzes the selection mechanism of standardization model of IoT enterprises, and explores practical application of these models using competitive behavior theory.FindingsFirst, in the process of standardization, technology standardization model n enterprises is not single, nor is it immutable. Second, the trend of internationalization of technical standards is becoming more and more obvious. Third, if LoT enterprises want to achieve their own technology standardization, the corresponding competitive behavior is essential. Fourth, with the change of innovation capability and market forces, the competitive behavior of enterprises should be improved accordingly to better adapt to the changes of internal and external environment and ensure the realization of the standardization of enterprises. Fifth, if IoT attempts to achieve the same globalization as the internet, there must be a set of support systems.Originality/valueFinally, some suggestions are given for the future development in the field of IoT. This study will provide some theoretical support for promoting the development of standards and enhancing the competitiveness of IoT enterprises.

Overview of reproductive toxicity studies on Tripterygium wilfordii in recent 40 years

This paper summarizes the research progress of reproductive toxicity of Tripterygium wilfordii from 1979,and the toxicity characterization,damage mechanism,and attenuated measures are summarized. It was found that,the reproductive toxicity caused by T. wilfordii is mainly distributed on components of Tripterygium glycosides,triptolide,tripchlorolide,and clinically preparations,such as Leigongteng Tablets and Tripterygium Glycosides Tablets. Adverse reactions to male reproductive system caused by Tripterygium preparations mainly include decreased sperm motility,oligospermia or spermatozoa,decreased fertility or infertility,etc. Long-term drug use may also lead to testicular atrophy and decreased sexual desire. Adverse reactions to women are mainly manifested as menstrual disorders,decreased menstrual volume or even amenorrhea,decreased sexual desire,infertility,etc. The reproductive toxicity of T. wilfordii is related to apoptosis of reproductive cells,disturbance of spermatogenesis or oogenesis,damage of testis and ovary in reproductive target tissues,and changes of internal environment in gonad tissues( hormones,hormone synthesis rate-limiting enzymes and energy metabolism). Drug compatibility,hormone replacement,medication duration and dosage form changes can help reduce the damage of T. wilfordii to the reproductive system. In addition,in view of the existing problems in the current study,the author proposes new directions in clinical studies,pharmacological metabolism mechanism,preparation quality standards and new therapeutic effects,etc.,to provide a basis for the safe and reasonable clinical application of T. wilfordii.

ASSESSMENT OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM HEALTH BASED ON FUZZY EVALUATION METHOD-A CASE STUDY OF FOREST ECOSYSTEM IN LIANGSHUI NATURAL RESERVE

Based on the establishment of health assessment index system of forest ecosystem in Liangshui Natural Reserve, the weight of each index was determined by using analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and questionnaire method, and then the model of forest ecosystem fuzzy evaluation was established to assess the health of Liangshui Natural Reserve from 2007 to 2013. The results indicated that certain changes have taken place to the health of forest ecosystem in Liangshui Natural Reserve from 2007 to 2013, which showed a declining trend, while the trend of the change is also consistent with the changes of internal and external environments of the forest ecosystem in Liangshui Natural Reserve.

Stages of small enterprise life cycle: characteristics and specificity of management decision making

The article analyzes the scientific approaches to determining the essence of «enterprise life cycle» concept. The inconsistency of approaches that consider of an enterprise life cycle as a specific temporary period for organization’s functioning is substantiated. The concept of «enterprise life cycle» is defined as a sequence of stages, whose change is caused by the parameters transformation of enterprise internal environment in conditions of dynamic changes in the competitive environment, during which an activity orientation, managerial tasks and management decision making methods change. The development of well-known concepts of an enterprise life cycle is summarized and systematized. The characteristic features of concepts are highlighted. It is proved that a life cycle concepts evolution has developed within the framework of process content and universal models. A critical analysis of approaches is carried out and the stages of enterprises life cycle, the crisis phenomena inherent in each of them and enterprises capabilities are systematized. The most popular concepts of L. Greiner and I. Adizes are analyzed in detail. Their advantages and disadvantages from the point of view of practical application are determined. The contradictions of scientific concepts regarding the list of life cycle stages, stages change sequences, internal and external factors affecting the stages change are established. The parameters of organization’s internal environment, which systematically determine the stages of its development, are highlighted and justified. The dependence of changes in the life cycle stages from parameters change of enterprise internal environment is analyzed. It is proved that the sequence of stages is not constant and can vary depending on the specific conditions of enterprise functioning. The requirements of each stage of the life cycle before making the necessary changes to the enterprise management system and the features of management decision-making methods are substantiated.

Disruption and transformation: The organisational evolution of an NGO

This paper explores how and why Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) governance was disrupted by changes in an organisation's internal and external environment. A detailed single case study of a large NGO operating in Sri Lanka is conducted. Data collection consists of semi-structured interviews, document analysis and participant and non-participant observation. Laughlin’s (1991) model of organisational change provides the theoretical foundation on which changes in the case NGO's interpretive schemes, design archetypes and organisational sub-systems are discussed. The changing of interpretive schemes and organisational sub-systems, in our case, was easier than changing design archetypes. Consequently, our paper introduces ‘protective reconfiguration’ as a new change pathway to Laughlin's (1991) model of organisational change. The findings suggest that the NGO's governance systems and processes are being moulded in ways that may not achieve the overall purpose of these organisations. Greater attention to evolving design archetypes is necessary in order to create more deliberative, fluid and less organisation-centric governance structures for NGOs operating in the policy-advocacy space.

The Role of fMRI in the Assessment of Neuroplasticity in MS: A Systematic Review

Neuroplasticity, which is the ability of the brain to adapt to internal and external environmental changes, physiologically occurs during growth and in response to damage. The brain's response to damage is of particular interest in multiple sclerosis, a chronic disease characterized by inflammatory and neurodegenerative damage to the central nervous system. Functional MRI (fMRI) is a tool that allows functional changes related to the disease and to its evolution to be studied in vivo. Several studies have shown that abnormal brain recruitment during the execution of a task starts in the early phases of multiple sclerosis. The increased functional activation during a specific task observed has been interpreted mainly as a mechanism of adaptive plasticity designed to contrast the increase in tissue damage. More recent fMRI studies, which have focused on the activity of brain regions at rest, have yielded nonunivocal results, suggesting that changes in functional brain connections represent mechanisms of either adaptive or maladaptive plasticity. The few longitudinal studies available to date on disease evolution have also yielded discrepant results that are likely to depend on the clinical features considered and the length of the follow-up. Lastly, fMRI has been used in interventional studies to investigate plastic changes induced by pharmacological therapy or rehabilitation, though whether such changes represent a surrogate of neuroplasticity remains unclear. The aim of this paper is to systematically review the existing literature in order to provide an overall description of both the neuroplastic process itself and the evolution in the use of fMRI techniques as a means of assessing neuroplasticity. The quantitative and qualitative approach adopted here ensures an objective analysis of published, peer-reviewed research and yields an overview of up-to-date knowledge.

State Anxiety Impairs Proactive but Enhances Reactive Control.

Cognitive control is a construct that prioritizes how we process stimuli and information to flexibly and efficiently adapt to internal goals and external environmental changes. The Dual Mechanism of Control (DMC) theory delineates two distinct cognitive control operations: proactive control and reactive control (Braver, 2012). Anxiety has been posited to differentially affect proactive and reactive control, due to its influence on working memory and attention allocation (Eysenck et al., 2007; Fales et al., 2008). However, no study has yet directly compared the influence of anxiety on proactive and reactive control in the same individuals. In this study, we examined how state anxiety affected proactive control, using the AX-continuous performance task (AX-CPT), and reactive control, using the classic Stroop task. Based on theory and previous investigations, we expected that state anxiety would enhance reactive control but impair proactive control. Consistent with our predictions, we found that state anxiety, induced with a threat of shock manipulation, inhibited proactive control on the AX-CPT test, but increased reactive control in the Stroop task. Anxiety may impair proactive control in contexts requiring goal maintenance by occupying limited working memory capacity, whereas it may enhance reactive control via facilitated attention allocation to threat and engaging the conflict monitoring system to quickly modify behavior.

PO-262 Study on the effect of weight loss in High temperature and High humidity

Objective The effects of aerobic exercise on body weight loss in different environments were studied by comparing the changes of relative indexes between high temperature and high humidity and general environment. To provide certain reference basis for weight loss in aerobic training before competition of heavy competitive athletes.
 Methods Eight male freestyle wrestlers in Beijing were chosen as the research objects. The body weight, energy metabolism and serum ions were measured before and after one time aerobic exercise (50min,65%VO2max) in general environment (23℃/40%humidity), high temperature and high humidity(33℃/60%humidity).The data were statistically processed by SPSS19.0 software, and Paired-Samples T Test was selected for statistical analysis.
 Results Under the same physiological load, one time aerobic exercise was carried out in high temperature and high humidity and general environment, the weight of high temperature and high humidity group decreased 1.91%, the amplitude was slightly larger than that of general environment group. The energy metabolism in the hyperthermia and humidity group was 1.52g higher than that in the normal temperature and humidity group, the energy expenditure at 2 hours after exercise was 0.95% higher than that in the normal temperature and humidity group, and the energy metabolism during 8 hours sleep was 14.86% higher than that in the normal temperature and humidity group (p<0.05). Na+ and Cl- were significantly higher after general environmental exercise than before (P<0.05), while K +, Mg2 + were slightly lower than before exercise. After high temperature and humidity exercise, Mg2+ was significantly lower than that before (P<0.01). K+ decreased slightly, Na+, Cl-, Ca2+ was slightly higher than that before exercise. According to the change of ion index, aerobic exercise may have little adverse effect on the balance of internal environment under the condition of high temperature and high humidity, which can be improved by the supplement of electrolyte drink.
 Conclusions In high temperature and high humidity environment, aerobic exercise has a relatively good effect on weight loss. In order to reduce the change of internal environment, electrolyte drink can be added in the process of weight loss aerobic training. Athletes can withstand the weight reduction and control training at different ambient temperatures, subjectively accept the thermal environment. Therefore, the choice of high temperature and high humidity aerobic exercise in fast weight loss stage will be an effective means of weight loss before competition.
 

ORGANIZATIONAL AND ECONOMIC POTENTIAL OF RE-ENGINEERING BUSINESS PROCESSES IN THE CONTEXT OF MARKETING ACTIVITY OF AN INDUSTRIAL ENTERPRISE TO ENSURE ITS EFFICIENT INNOVATIVE ACTIVITY

The subject matter of the study is the principle of organization of innovative activity of domestic industrial enterprises and functional links between marketing and innovation activities in the process of re-engineering business processes. The goal of the article is to reveal the organizational and economic potential for attracting business process re-engineering in the marketing activities of industrial enterprises to ensure efficient innovative marketing in particular and effective innovative activity in general. The following tasks were solved in the article: statistical indicators of innovative activity of domestic industrial enterprises and corresponding sources of financing were investigated; scientific works on the topic of innovative marketing, innovation marketing, the innovative component of re-engineering and re-engineering of business processes in marketing activities were studied and analyzed. The following methods were used: the comparative analysis, system approach, statistical analysis. The following results were obtained. Ukrainian industrial enterprises lack innovations. Enterprises should independently find out how to ensure efficient innovations using the available resource potential. Innovations is a clearly defined benchmark for the industry and moreover, innovations should take place not only in technologies and the final product but also in management. All these factors require involving radical innovations which include the re-engineering of business processes. In the period of crucial changes in both internal and external business environment, marketing should become responsible for adapting the enterprise to new principles of operation. Thus, a number of activities in the area of marketing and innovation were listed, the innovative function of marketing of industrial enterprises was specified and the theoretical and methodical approach to the innovative marketing of industrial enterprises in the process of re-engineering business processes was upgraded. Conclusions. Re-engineering business processes in the context of industrial enterprise marketing include a significant organizational and economic potential that can be used to ensure the efficient innovative marketing in particular and the efficient innovative activity in general.

Stakeholder Approach to Identify the Directions of a Comapany Innovative Development

The paper describes the basic principles of information support for innovative and investment activity of economic entities using stakeholder approach. This approach is based on the business analysis concept which involves taking into consideration the changes in internal and external environment and their impact on interests and requirements of key stakeholders of an entity. To ensure the balance of the interests of innovative and investment activity stakeholders the author justifies the necessity to systemize and structure both accounting and not accounting information. The paper provides the classification of the main users of information about innovative and investment processes and identifies the basic requirements to the information necessary for these groups of stakeholders. It also substantiates the needs and expectations of different groups interested in innovative activity (institutional units of public administration sector, social and public organizations, suppliers, customers, investors, competitors, founders and staff). Applying the concept of sustainable development the author formulates the principles of organizing the effective analytical toolkit for innovative and investment activity which contributes to the achievement of the goals of long-term sustainable development of an economic entity. This allows the business to respond flexibly and timely to the requirements of internal and external stakeholders in accordance with the stated goals and the chosen strategy of innovative development. The author offers a mechanism for cooperation between key stakeholders of innovative and investments processes which is based on singling out the interests and requirements of stakeholders belonging to the first and second circles. This mechanism would make it possible to ensure more reasonable cooperation between key business stakeholders and in future could result in creating value for stakeholders in a form of different benefits and advantages which would be impossible without joining efforts and harmonizing goals.

Peripheral nerve injuries in the pediatric population: a review of the literature. Part I: traumatic nerve injuries.

This article reviews the clinical results that can be obtained after repair of a traumatic peripheral nerve injury in the pediatric population. A systematic review of the published literature has been made. Functional outcome after major nerve injuries is sometimes disappointing in adults. However, children have been reported to experience much better functional results after nerve repair than adults. Moreover, recovery generally is faster in children. The superior capacity of children's central nervous system to adapt to external or internal environmental changes (neural plasticity) and the shorter recovery distance from the axon repair site to the target muscle are claimed to be crucial determinants of their favorable outcomes. Moreover, even in the pediatric population, it has been demonstrated that functional results are better the younger the patient is, including better clinical results in those injured in early childhood (< 6 years old) than in those injured in adolescence. Other favorable prognostic factors include the type of nerve injury (with complete transections doing less well than crush injuries) and the timing of surgery (with better outcomes after early repairs). All efforts should be done to repair in a timely and adequate fashion traumatic peripheral nerve injuries in children, as the results are good.

Effect of Organizational Culture on Performance of Companies Listed in Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya

Companies listed in Nairobi Securities Exchange in Kenya are faced with organizational culture challenges that need to be addressed in order to be more profitable and gain investor confidence as they trade in NSE. The study objective was to establish how organizational culture affect performance of companies listed in NSE and the null hypothesis was that organizational culture does not significantly affect performance of companies listed in NSE. The study used a cross sectional survey design on 64 companies with a sample of 38 companies covering five years (2013-2017) as at 30th June, 2017. Purposive sampling technique was used on 4 senior managers namely, Chief Executive Officers, heads of divisions in Human Resource, Finance and Marketing. Semi-structured questionnaire was administered and the response rate was 79%. Pre-testing was conducted on 15 respondents and reliability coefficient was above the recommended threshold of 0.7. Secondary data was obtained from published sources and primary data was obtained from the semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics. Organizational Culture results showed that there was significance positive effect between the two variables with or without moderator technology with p-value < 0.001 CL=95%, the null hypothesis was rejected and alternative hypothesis was adopted. The results and findings concluded that organizational culture is flexible and has the ability to adapt to changes in internal and external environment. The study recommended that management of companies should address the organizational culture as it affects the employees and performance of companies listed in NSE.

Model of Fiscal Sustainability of Enterprise

The paper substantiates the possibility and the necessity to introduce the notion of «fiscal sustainability». Fiscal sustainability is the company’s ability to meet its tax obligations and to function normally according to its tasks, despite the influence of economic changes in external and internal environment. The investigation of the introduced category allowed making the following conclusions. Firstly, fiscal sustainability and financial sustainability are interdependent . Secondly, we defined the exogeneous and endogenous factors, which cause changements in the state of fiscal sustainability and predetermine its «contraction» and «expansion». Thirdly, the category of fiscal sustainability has local and global characteristics. And last, fiscal sustainability needs temporal characteristics: operational, tactical, and strategic ones, and quantitative representation. We propose the indicators for assessing the fiscal sustainability of an enterprise. The quantitative assessment of fiscal sustainability can be represented by the following indicators: the coverage ratio of tax payments; structural ratio of tax debt and paid tax payments; as well as the rate of tax debt growth. We present models for calculating these indicators values, and substantiate the possibility of their performance management. We assess planned and actual values for fiscal sustainability on the basis of the developed system of indicators, and then level the resulting deviations. This task is of a complex nature, covering all phases of the management of. Fiscal sustainability can be measured for different time periods. Therefore, the system of fiscal sustainability management refers to strategic, tactical and operational levels. The application of the research results will provide to the enterprises an opportunity to meet their tax obligations.

The dynamism of pre-decision controls in the appraisal of strategic investments

In this study we examine the dynamism of pre-decision controls in the appraisal of strategic investments, an area largely overlooked by the literature, even though it is of the utmost importance to understand the mechanisms companies use to ensure their optimal capital investments. More specifically, we investigate how changes in companies’ economic, strategic, and organisational conditions relate to an increased emphasis on pre-decision controls such as policies, procedures, and routines. The empirical data is based on 108 interviews from among the 150 largest Finnish manufacturing companies. The paper contributes to the scarce capital budgeting literature by extending the discussion of the adaptations of pre-decision controls to external and internal environmental changes. We add to the literature by showing that changes in management may play a decisive role in control adaptations. Furthermore, we provide strong support to maintain that increased financial pressure can be related to the tightened use of controls.

Systematization of drivers of change in the higher education system of the Russian Federation

In modern conditions, the higher education system of the Russian Federation is characterized by high degree of changeability. It is caused by need of quick and adequate response to changes of internal and external environment. The specified changes are determined by the nature of requirements and interests of stakeholders, which interact with higher education institutions: satisfaction of needs of stakeholders becomes an ultimate goal of development and the most important condition of existence of any organization, including the sector of higher education. Therefore, stakeholders become the main driving forces (drivers) of change in activity of higher education institutions. The research goal is to systematize drivers of change in the higher education system of the Russian Federation. The main research methods are analysis (for detection of the set of drivers of change), classification (for allocation of types of drivers), and the construction method of managerial models (for creation of matrices of changes). Following the research results, current changes in activity of Russian higher education institutions are divided into 4 types: changes in educational, research, innovation and entrepreneurial management activity. The main groups of stakeholders (drivers of change) are distinguished, and their influence on change in activity of higher education institutions is justified. Drivers of change are classified by 2 features: “by attitude to a higher education institution” – into external and internal, “by nature” – into obligatory and initiative. The matrices of necessary and initiative changes are designed. They create interrelation between types of changes and their influence on interests of key stakeholders of Russian higher education institutions (effects, which can be favorable, unfavorable and neutral). The possibility of using the matrices of changes as a tool of managerial decision-making in activity of Russian universities is justified.

Research of consumer crediting of «Metallinvestbank» for 2014-2016

Article is devoted to studying of features of consumer crediting in PJSC JSB Metallinvestbank bank. In article definition of a consumer loan according to the legal doctrine is given. The analysis of structure and structure of borrowers, dynamics and structure of the loans granted to natural persons is carried out. The technique of development of the system of actions to introduction of the effective development strategy of the enterprise is supposed. Management of financial risks of the enterprise represents a part of activity of the financial manager. Each enterprise for ensuring stable work in the future, has to have accurately definite purposes. The most effective system of management is the system of strategic management which demands from heads of understanding of essence of strategy, use of receptions and methods of strategic management, development of strategic plans. From here, strategy has to change and adapt to change of conditions, both the external, and internal environment. Therefore, the business management problem is relevant. The analysis of the specified problems has shown lack of effective management of the enterprises taking into account risk situations. Now there are no effective techniques and models of business management representing the relations of the economic subject assuming interrelation in granting and consumption of goods and services. The policy of management of financial risks represents a part of the general financial strategy of the enterprise consisting in system development an action for neutralization of possible negative financial consequences of the risks connected with implementation of various aspects of financial activity. Within this policy the list of financial risks is defined. The conclusion is drawn on a condition of a problem of financial risks at the enterprise: the most priority risk is the risk of decrease in financial stability (or risk of violation of balance of financial development), it has the greatest assessment. Further risks of insolvency (or risk of unbalanced liquidity) the enterprises and criminogenic risk follow. The least priority is the deposit risk. At the final stage the methods of decrease in financial risks of the enterprise including forecasting and monitoring of production and financial activity with establishment of standard ranges, increase in solvency through optimization of management of monetary assets are offered. As methods of decrease in criminogenic risk the methods of transfer of financial risk directed to diversification and insurance are allocated.

Sleep-Dependent Directional Coupling of Cardiorespiratory System in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

Cardiorespiratory interactions have been widely investigated in different physiological states and conditions. Various types of coupling characteristics have been observed in the cardiorespiratory system; however, it is difficult to identify and quantify details of their interaction. In this study, we investigate directional coupling of the cardiorespiratory system in different physiological states (sleep stages) and conditions, i.e., severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Directionality analysis is performed using the evolution map approach with heartbeats acquired from electrocardiogram and abdominal respiratory effort measured from the polysomnographic data of 39 healthy individuals and 24 mild, 21 moderate, and 23 severe patients with OSA. The mean phase coherence is used to confirm the weak and strong coupling of cardiorespiratory system. We find that unidirectional coupling from the respiratory to the cardiac system increases during wakefulness (average value of -0.61) and rapid eye movement sleep (-0.55). Furthermore, unidirectional coupling between the two systems significantly decreases during light (-0.52) and deep sleep, which is further decreased in deep sleep (-0.46), approaching bidirectional coupling. In addition, unidirectional coupling from the respiratory to the cardiac system also significantly increases according to the severity of OSA. These coupling characteristics in different states and conditions are believed to be linked with autonomic nervous modulation. Our approach could provide an opportunity to understand how integrated systems cooperate for physiological functions under internal and external environmental changes, and how abnormality in one physiological system could develop to increase the risk of other systemic dysfunctions and/or disorders.

Measuring the impact of enterprise integration on firm performance using data envelopment analysis

Today, with rapidly developing technology and changing business models, organizations face rapid changes in both internal and external environments. To be able to rapidly respond to such changing environments, integration of software systems has become a top priority for many organizations. However, despite extensive use of software systems integration, quantitative methods for estimating the business value of such integrations are still missing. Using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and the microeconomic concept of marginal rates, this study proposes a method for quantifying the effects of enterprise integration on the firm performance. In the paper, we explain how DEA can be used to evaluate the marginal benefits of enterprise integration. Our proposed method is to measure and compare the productive efficiency of firms using enterprise integration, specifically by relating the benefits produced to the resources consumed in the process. The method is illustrated on data collected from 12 organizations. The defined method has a solid theoretical foundation, eliminating the need for a priori information about the relationship between different measures. Furthermore, the framework could be used not only to quantify the business value of enterprise integration, but also to estimate trade-offs and impacts of other subjective managerial goals on the results. The major limitation of the proposed method is the absence of a comprehensive theory relating IT architecture changes to organizational outcomes. The underlying model is strongly dependent on the relevancy and accuracy of the included variables, as well as number of data units, introducing uncertainties to the outcomes of the model.