Corporate Information Systems Research Articles

Using innovation technology to enhance patient care delivery

The ultimate goal of using innovative technology is to deliver more effective patient care—effective both clinically and fiscally. This goal presents complex challenges. Effective patient care is the result of the coordinated efforts of an extensive, multidisciplinary patient-care team, all of whose members must have what they need to provide optimal care. Five elements are essential to any system of effective patient care— selecting the right outcomes to achieve, having the right clinical data, using the right presentation of that data, making the right decisions, and implementing the right processes—then validating that the outcomes are achieved. Technology implementation is most likely to be successful when it optimizes these elements. Planning for the effective use of technology must proceed from the ground up, drawing less on corporate information systems priorities or vendor product offerings than on the diverse workflow needs of clinicians—what they need to meet patients’ needs. An information system must provide actionable information that matters to the clinicians. The central focus is always on the patients’ needs for care. The effectiveness of this approach is evident from extensive experience in assessing and prioritizing various clinical information technologies and from the recent introduction of a new medication safety technology at the point of care. This report used these examples to discuss what we know and consider what could be designed. The ultimate purpose of this presentation is to suggest a way of looking at technology to identify what will be useful clinically. Throughout this report, the focus will be on the use of technology by clinicians in providing hands-on patient care in the acute-care setting. The end result of implementing technology effectively is that the nurse’s role changes from a hunter/ gatherer of data and rules to a clinical decision maker who tests the reasonableness of the rules and, as appropriate, implements them. The clinician remains the central figure in the use of innovative technology to deliver more effective care. (Note: The term clinician is used to describe any member of the patient-care team who makes decisions regarding patient care, whether physician, nurse, pharmacist, or therapist.) CLINICAL INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Some of the concepts in this report are based on work performed by the author and others at Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), a 48-hospital system based in California, Arizona, and Nevada. The challenge was to craft a strategy for moving forward on the issue of clinical information systems. To meet this challenge, the multidisciplinary team developed an innovative auditing and planning process. This process was used to develop clinician-driven standards for inpatient clinical information system functionalities, measure the level of technology use in each hospital against system standards, and provide tools to help hospital executives prioritize clinical system investments across all CHW hospitals. Clear, complete descriptions identified the clinical functionalities to be included in an integrated information system and the order in which they should be introduced to ensure optimal utilization of the various system components. The underlying premise was that the central focus of clinical systems planning must be the diverse workflow needs of clinicians and that their in-depth involvement is critical to success. Defining functionalities. Because of an extremely diverse group of stakeholders, the team first defined 55 functionalities needed for caregivers to function efficiently in the acute-care setting. These were defined and reviewed by the physician Medical Informatics Information Officer (MIIO), nursing leadership, physician informaticists, and a variety of information technology (IT) department leaders. For each of the 55 items, the team defined the technology capabilities required, the likely users, the rationale for its implementation, barriers typically experienced, and any other functionalities that would need to be implemented before the functionality under discussion could be put in place. Prioritizing Functionalities. Once this comprehensive list had been defined, the next step was to engage a diverse group of stakeholders to prioritize the functionalities. Stakeholders included hands-on caregivers, both nurses and physicians, and front-line supervisors, managers, executives, and representatives from such departments as quality, medical records, clinical laboratory, radiology, and pharmacy. A series of regional meetings brought together 15 to 40 clinical personnel from each region’s acute-care facilities to participate in the prioritization process. The criteria used for prioritization were whether the functionality was required for clinical decision-making and would be used regularly, would have a favorable impact on service or financial outcomes, would be welcomed by the people affected by it, and fix something that indeed was broken. In other words, Richard Kremsdorf is president of Five Rights Consulting, Inc., San Diego, California.

Distributed Workflows: A Framework for Electronic Commerce *

E-Business requires that corporate information systems be available twenty four hours a day, seven days a week (24×7 operation). Strategic operational significance carries a major technical challenge for architects of such highly available systems-in particular it is critical to devise and implement on-line utilities for continuous maintenance of the system at the highest available performance level. In this paper, we consider the problem of on-line reorganization in object databases supporting workflow engine. We also choose to develop a formal framework for a secure, highly available distributed workflow architecture since interworkflow is anticipated as a major supporting mechanism for Business-to-Business Electronic Commerce. The contributions of this paper are both of theoretical and of experimental nature. We complement our algorithms with encouraging experimental results.

The Impact of Automatic Identification on Supply Chain Operations

Automated Identification (Auto ID) applications can provide corporate information systems with the identity of each physical item in the supply chain in an automated and timely manner. The real time availability of item identity allows other information, related to the item, to be drawn on in order to assess both the current state of the product and future actions required. In the context of supply chain operations, widespread introduction of such systems represents a major opportunity to overhaul and improve tracking and tracing systems, process control and inventory management. In the longer term, it is possible that Auto ID systems may enable a complete re‐engineering of the supply chain, by removing a number of the constraints that limit today's supply chain structures. In this paper, we review some key challenges in supply chain operations and introduce the main elements of an Auto ID system. Using a simple categorization of supply chain operations, areas for short term deployment of Auto ID are identified and opportunities for longer term re‐engineering of different sections of the supply chain are highlighted.

XML기반의 안전한 E-Procurement 시스템 설계 및 구현

본 논문은 국내 자동차산업을 대상으로 개발된 응용시스템으로, UML(Unified Modeling Language)을 이용한 XML(eXtensible Markup Language)기반의 안전한 전자조달(E-Procurement) 시스템을 제안하고 있다. 컴포넌트 개발기법인 UML 방법론의 활용으로 자동차산업의 구매업무 Workflow가 분석되었으며, XML 기반의 EDI(Electronic Data Interchange)와 전자서명 기능을 구현함으로써 기업간 구매업무를 자동화하는 효율적인 E-Procurement 시스템 프로토타입이 구현되었다. 또한 본 논문은 기존 정보공학방법론에서 한계로 지적되던 S/W의 재사용성과 Life Cycle의 위험을 줄인 컴포넌트 개발기법을 활용하고, 기업내 Legacy 시스템인 ERP와의 연동을 가능하게 하였다. 본 시스템은 기존 시스템이 제공하지 못하는 워크플로우(workflow)분석 및 설계, 컴포넌트 개발, 기업내부 시스템과의 연동, 그리고 전자문서의 무결성과 인증을 위한 XML 전자서명을 적용하는 해법을 제안하고 있다. This paper intends to suggest a XML-based secure E-Procurement system using Unified Modeling Language(UML), as an application system for domestic automobile industry. Applying UML methodology, which is Component-based Development (CBD), we analyzed the workflow on procurement operation of automobile industry and implemented a prototype of efficient E-Procurement system for automobile industry, by developing XML/EDI and XML signature. Also, on this paper, object-oriented CBD is employed to minimize the risk of life cycle and reuse software as mentioned to limitation of information engineering methodology. It enables the interoperability with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) as corporate legacy system. This system proposes a solution to apply analysis and design of workflow, component development, interoperability with corporate information system, and XML signature for integrity and authentication of electronic documents in other system so far.

Comercio electrónico: la fidelización del usuario

The article discusses the current reshaping of internet as regards digital business. Definitions are provided for the concept of electronic commerce and the foundations on which to develop an e-commerce project are described. Highlighted is the importance of tools for building customer loyalty for successful e-commerce projects and a model is proposed for representing the relationship between the corporate information system and processes for capturing clients. Finally, the authors stress the need to integrate the tools managing client information with the overall corporate information system. Likewise, the feedback generated by the information system must be incorporated back into business procedures in order to improve client services and satisfaction.

The impact of organizational commitment, senior management involvement, and team involvement on strategic information systems planning

Organizational commitment, senior management involvement, and team involvement are typically expected to have a positive impact on the achievement of strategic information systems planning (SISP) objectives. That is, more commitment and involvement should produce greater success. However, they might also have a quadratic impact, specifically an inverted-U relationship such that after they reach an optimum, the achievement of the objectives diminishes. A postal survey about planning practices and objectives produced usable data from 105 corporate information systems planners. Senior management involvement predicted the achievement of the objectives in a positive manner whereas organizational commitment predicted it in an inverted-U relationship. Future research should look more closely at these relationships. Planners should be more aware of the possibly detrimental effects of excessive planning.

Web portfolio based electronic commerce: the case of transtec AG

While the Internet promises to radically change businesses in all industries, European companies have not yet embraced electronic trading with the enthusiasm of their North American counterparts. Only a few pioneers have successfully established Web services that are fully integrated into the enterprise’s business processes and hence create business value. One of these pioneers is transtec, a German medium‐sized manufacturer and direct distributor of computer systems, storage solutions and computer accessories. The transtec case is an example of a successful Web‐portfolio based electronic commerce application. It illustrates how essential it is to create transparency by integrating the entire system architecture with internal and external communication and business processes. Having started with a general corporate information system and a comprehensive electronic product catalogue, transtec’s Web presence evolved to become one of the best performing online order‐systems in Germany.

Ouverture de ‘Market-Driven Management’

Over-supplied global markets (i.e. with open competition and with production exceeding the absorption capacity of the demand) show clearly the primacy of product intangible assets (i.e. pre/post sales services, logistics, merchandising, design, packaging, etc.) which in turn help to enhance the corporate intangible assets (corporate culture, information system and brand equity). In over-supply, market-driven orientation configures a policy of long-term corporate development, where the competitive constraints of cost compare themselves with the primary goal of meeting demand. The over-supply outlines new logics of competition, with a profound rethinking of the theories of management and marketing. In today's international dominance of over-supply, the strategies of ‘hyper-competition’ are based on the assumption that a business is highly profitable only for firms that shape innovation and create ‘demand bubbles’.

Object Technologies of Designing Corporate Information Systems of Mass Medical Service

The paper deals with the fundamental issues of designing corporate mass medical service systems. Basic principles of design of infological models of object domains and potentialities of object technologies for structural analysis and logic design of distributed applications are considered.

Emerging Technologies and Business Pressure: The Driving Forces for an Information Management Reengineering Strategy

The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by mergers and restructuring; extensive use of outsourcing and global development strategies; new regulatory requirements for electronic records; new methodologies for conducting large clinical trials; and the need to effectively exchange information between the components of a corporate information system. Middleware connectivity and the workflow management systems ensure comprehensive integration of a corporate information system. Middleware enables pharmaceutical companies to exchange information between multiple systems or components, and to use and distribute the information on a server using an event-driven mechanism. Workflow technology can streamline and secure the information flow and approval processes, supplying a tool to electronically view, manage, revise, share, and distribute virtually any information or document across the enterprise without paper. With these tools, information management can move from the traditional request/replay model, in which users and applications must ask for status updates on needed information, to an event-driven approach, in which they receive this information automatically when it becomes available. A strategy for an adaptive evolution of the information management process in response to continuous improvements in technology and the evolution of business strategies is presented.

Building agent-based corporate information systems: An application to telemedicine

Rapid advances of the Internet, multimedia technology and virtual reality have opened new opportunities for organizations to re-design their traditional functional units often separated by vast distances into a virtually cohesive enterprise capable of responding quickly to market changes. This paper proposes an agent-based framework for supporting collaborative work among human and non-human teleworkers, namely, software agents. The proposed framework enables the geographically dispersed organization to distribute work across the Internet and embed intelligent software agents capable of supporting decision to facilitate implementation of complex and distributed decision making. The development of agent-based corporate information systems is a process of putting together a coordinated workflow of collaborating agents. The proposed framework is currently being simulated on a telemedicine project.

Creation of the Corporate Information System at the Company Tulachermet and Prospects for Its Expansion

Creation of the Corporate Information System at the Company Tulachermet and Prospects for Its Expansion

Approaches to designing corporate information system at the affiliate corporation “central design office of oil equipment”

Approaches to designing corporate information system at the affiliate corporation “central design office of oil equipment”

Adapting on-line analytical processing for decision modelling: the interaction of information and decision technologies

The introduction of new technologies and concepts has redefined the relative positioning of information systems (IS) and decision technologies in a corporate context. Corporate IS have been extended to include not only transaction processing databases but also analytical databases, often known as Data Warehouses. On-line analytical processing (OLAP), as introduced by Codd et al. [E.F. Codd, S.B Codd, C.T. Salley, Providing On-Line Analytical Processing to User–Analysts: An IT Mandate, E.F. Codd and Associates, 1993], is capable of capturing the structure of the real world data in the form of multidimensional tables which are known as ` datacubes' by management information systems (MIS) and statistical systems specialists. Manipulation and presentation of such information through multidimensional views and graphical displays provide invaluable support for the decision-maker. We illustrate the natural coupling, which exists between data modelling, symbolic modelling and `What if' analysis phases of a decision support system (DSS). In particular, we explore the power of roll-up and drill-down features of OLAP and show how these translate into aggregation and disagreggation of the underlying decision models. Our approach sets out a paradigm for analysing the data, applying DSS tools and progressing through the information value chain to create organisational knowledge.

Tomorrow’s company reporting ‐ Stakeholder dialogue in the digital age

The end of the millennium is a useful time to stop and reflect, to review and maybe to ask some big questions. This paper asks a very big question indeed for the accountancy profession ‐ ‘What might corporate reporting look like in the 21st Century ?’ This paper looks at issues surrounding the likely future of corporate reporting in the digital age. The Royal Society of Arts Tomorrow’s Company Inquiry (1995) is used as a possible model of corporate information needs in the next millennia. The implications of the model for corporate accounting and information systems are examined. A move from shareholder reporting, to stakeholder reporting and finally to stakeholder dialogue is envisaged. The model raises a number of problems and the use of digital technology is considered as a partial solution to some of these problems.

SENTINEL: A multiple engine information retrieval and visualization system

We describe a prototype Information Retrieval system, SENTINEL, under development at Harris Corporation's Information Systems Division. SENTINEL is a fusion of multiple information retrieval technologies, integrating n-grams, a vector space model, and a neural network training rule. One of the primary advantages of SENTINEL is its three-dimenstional visualization capability that is based fully upon the mathematical representation of information within SENTINEL. This three-dimensional visualization capability provides users with an intuitive understanding, with relevance feedback/query refinement techniques that can be better utilized, resulting in higher retrieval accuracy (precision).

Select: A Decision Support System for Computer Family Selection

The growing complexity of corporate information systems has prompted many organizations to seek applicable solutions for integrating their information systems. While the current enterprise information infrastructure in most corporations consists of a hodgepodge of hardware and software, requiring disparate supporting infrastructures and offering little in the way of integration, many organizations are trying to develop their core client/server competency around a unified hardware environment. Consequently, the marked tendency toward selecting scaleable, flexible, platforms rather than specific hardware for a given purpose, makes the decision to acquire new hardware increasingly complex.This paper attempts to address the need for an integrated framework for selecting enterprise-wide hardware by presenting a comprehensive methodology for a computer family selection. The proposed methodology is incorporated into a decision support system that aims to help organizations select a family of computers from a manufacturer's product line, rather than choose a specific computer model for a given purpose. A case study follows the outline of the proposed decision support system and demonstrates its applicability and use in a real-life scenario.

Use of Product Development Tools - An Empirical Study

Results of a survey conducted in Slovenian manufacturing enterprises focusing on development of information systems (IS) and application of information technology (IT) enlphasizing product development tools, are presented and discussed. The survey shows that the majority of companies use less powerful but relatively cheap twodimensional product development tools. In most cases, these tools are not or not adequately integrated into the corporate IS. Investments for development systems, particularly in advanced IT, are relatively low. In addition, insufficient attention is given to education and training of development tools users.

International business reengineering: a view from the receiving end

The author has worked recently with clients on the IT aspects of their business process reengineering (BPR) projects and has experienced BPR from the ‘receiving end’ when the organisation in which he is employed was outsourced from one multi-national company to another. Such comprehensive boundary changes are driven by the need to reengineer business processes within the companies involved. Traditional methods of business are seen as failing because the world has changed since they were designed. Modern technology, particularly IT, and the disappearance of regional and national boundaries between markets are major factors that have changed. The ever-quickening pace of change also serves to stimulate the restructuring of business into teams focused on core processes. This paper outlines the basic principles of BPR and relates them, using practical examples, to the implications for analytical services organisations and IT operations, particularly within manufacturing industries. Some general conclusions are drawn about the future position of LIMS within the corporate information systems architecture.

Virtual seminars

A virtual seminar (SM) is an economic and effective instructional tool for teaching students who are at a distance from their instructor. Like conventional class room teaching, a virtual seminar requires an instructor, a student, and a method of communication. Teleconferencing, video conferencing, intranets and the Internet give learners in a Virtual Seminar the ability to interact immediately with their mentors and receive real and relevant answers. This paper shows how industry and academia can benefit from using methods developed and experience gained in presenting the first virtual seminars to academic and petroleum industry participants in mid-1996. The information explosion in industry means that business or technical information is worthless until it is assimilated into a corporate knowledge management system. A search for specific information often turns into a filtering exercise or an attempt to find patterns and classify retrieved material. In the setting of an interactive corporate information system, virtual seminars meet the need for a productive new relationship between creative people and the flux of corporate knowledge. Experience shows that it is more efficient to circulate timesensitive and confidential information electronically through a virtual seminar. Automating the classification of information and removing that task from the usual work load creates an electronic corporate memory and enhances the value of the knowledge to both users and a corporation. Catalogued benchmarks, best-practice standards, and Knowledge Maps (SM) of experience serve as key aids to communicating knowledge through virtual seminars and converting that knowledge into a profit-making asset.