Business Integration Research Articles

A comprehensive operation and maintenance assessment for intelligent highways: A case study in Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge

The integration of business flow status updates creates a framework for dynamically evaluating operation and maintenance activities, and that assessment is an essential component of achieving intelligent management and control. Highway managers have relied on the operation and maintenance system to integrate business initiatives that improve performance at the organizational and individual levels recently. There are a few studies considering the actual accident or road infrastructure to improve the quality of the highway, but they ignore the power of operation and maintenance (O&M) management involving multiple parties. Furthermore, there is no comprehensive scale to measure the effect of implementing management measures. Therefore, this paper aims to develop a comprehensive multidimensional evaluation framework that considers the integration of the actual business and the objective environment from four aspects: worker, equipment, environment, and management measures. The proposed framework evaluates the current O&M performance with the improved Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) model, which is used to interpret the comprehensive index results, and highlights the differences and variations of the factors that influence the evaluation results based on the deconstruction analysis. We utilize a mixed dataset of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) for two consecutive years to evaluate the performance of each month. The results show that the evaluation framework can effectively measure the O&M performance, and “Worker- Quality of daily inspection work” was identified as the most critical factor affecting the O&M performance. In particular, a comprehensive multiparty operational status assessment helps to review and revise current management strategies for targeted improvements that will enhance the safety and quality of management.

No place like home: Do local CEOs invest in labor more efficiently?

AbstractResearch question/issueThis study investigates whether local CEOs make more efficient investment decisions in labor.Research findings/insightsWe find that firms hiring local CEOs are associated with lower deviations of labor investment from the level justified by economic fundamentals, that is, higher labor investment efficiency. More importantly, we explore the role of information advantage, corporate governance, and CEO cultural background in shaping the relationship. We find the effect of CEO locality is more pronounced when firms have higher levels of local business integration, poorer corporate governance, and higher agency costs. Moreover, the impact of CEO locality is stronger when CEOs' hometowns have stronger unselfishness culture, patriotism culture, and Confucian culture. Our results are robust to a battery of endogeneity tests and robustness checks.Theoretical/academic implicationsOur study reveals that CEO locality, as one of the idiosyncratic top executive styles, can hinder managers from myopic behavior by investing more efficiently in labor, as a key factor of production and a major internal stakeholder, for a firm's success.Practitioner/policy implicationsGiven human capital is considered the primary source of firms' competitive advantage, our study provides useful insights and managerial implications for firms to consider the impact of the idiosyncratic top executive styles as one of the noncontractual factors on firms' employment decisions.

Lean start-up, entrepreneurship and remote orientation: The experience of action research in Manaus, Brazil

PurposeCreating a new product or service promotes the status quo changes, seeking economic value and solving customer's urgent problems. Entrepreneurs play an important role in this changing process through start-ups and small and medium enterprises (SMEs), considered one of the leading forces driving an economy’s innovative and competitive power. However, despite the importance of entrepreneurs, public policies to foster entrepreneurship ecosystems could be ineffective in emerging countries. Therefore, action research proposes the qualification of entrepreneurs for the structuring of new businesses through remote orientation, connecting the country's main economic centers to emerging areas.Design/methodology/approachThe study is qualitative research comprising two phases. The first phase consisted of four-month action research, connecting two researchers and three groups of specialists (from Sao Paulo), with three groups of entrepreneurs (located in Manaus in the Amazon region), through a remote orientation in entrepreneurship, lean start-up, lean product and process development (LPPD). The second phase, conducted by a third researcher, regards a case study grounded on interviews and data collection with the entrepreneurs to capture the outcomes of the remote orientation process.FindingsThe remote orientation helped shorten the geographical distance of Amazonas to approach the integration of business, research and knowledge exchange of such distinct areas in the same country. If a remote orientation program was established as public policy, it could enact subsequent cycles of the lean start-up model. Furthermore, the remote orientation could be an alternative to compose the training subsystem in the entrepreneurship ecosystem proposed by Isenberg (2011). On the other hand, a remote orientation could fail to shorten the distance of human values and beliefs, which cannot be neglected when facing a rich territory like the Amazon.Research limitations/implicationsBecause of the chosen research approach, a qualitative and exploratory study based on a combination of action research, interviews and case studies, the results may lack generalizability. However, further studies can replicate the remote orientation process conducted in the region of Manaus – Amazon, to obtain distinct results regarding the advantages, disadvantages and effectiveness of remote orientation as entrepreneurship ecosystem’s human capital dimension development.Practical implicationsThe outcomes of this research have the potential to start discussions regarding the adoption of remote orientation as a public policy to develop entrepreneurship skills in emerging regions, not only in Brazil but worldwide. The Brazilian case could be a relevant benchmark due to the large territory and economic and social disparities impacting education and entrepreneurship.Social implicationsThrough start-ups and SMEs, entrepreneurship has innovation potential and is the most solid way to bring economic development. For emerging countries, it can be real game-changer in the economic order. The development of entrepreneurship skills through this remote orientation experience can help reduce the economic and social gaps in countries with relevant disparities like Brazil and other emerging countries.Originality/valueThis paper fulfills an identified need to “move the needle of entrepreneurship in the right direction” (Isenberg, 2010) by creating local solutions for global challenges. Policymakers and leaders need to continue the experiment and learn how to improve the entrepreneurship ecosystem. In this sense, the action research approach, combined with the remote orientation, proposes an alternative to promote changes in how human capital dimension can be developed in this challenging ecosystem.

Prioritizing Career Preparation: Learning Achievements and Extracurricular Activities of Undergraduate Students for Future Success.

Preparing for a job can be difficult for undergraduates as this would be one of their first experiences of responsibility; obtaining a job will make them economically independent beings taking responsibility for their lives. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, this task has become even more challenging for Generation Z students, born in the mid-1990s, as they navigate a turbulent job market. This study aims to analyze undergraduates' priority decisions regarding the criteria and activities of their career preparation. The study conducted a questionnaire analysis using the methodology of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with 93 university students in the Republic of Korea. This research finds that students rank personal feelings of achievement as the most important criterion in their career preparation. They perceive extracurricular activities and internships as the most beneficial experiences for job readiness. On the contrary, networking activities within the university and with alumni received the least importance. These results highlight a need for universities to innovate their educational approach. Addressing the gap between current curricula and student needs and enhancing self-efficacy among students are critical. Innovative educational strategies could be a key to meeting societal expectations, such as the integration of business and technology, and catering to the unique learning needs of Generation Z. This becomes particularly relevant considering the rise of new career paths, such as youth startups, leveraging advanced technologies.

Digital transformation of agriculture: A new integrated modeling framework for arable farm enterprises

With the increasing integration of information technology in arable farms, enterprise integration (EI) is becoming increasingly important. As farms handle many applications, all of which work in isolation from one another, integrating these disparate systems to create unity across the enterprise has clear value. One critical aspect of EI is business integration, which helps the enterprise align the use of technology assets with the business to achieve strategic goals. While existing enterprise modeling (EM) methods are often used to model industrial or general enterprises for business integration, they do not fully meet the needs of arable farm enterprises. This study aims to propose an EM framework for arable farm enterprises that provides an effective and practical method for business integration. Therefore, an integrated EM framework for arable farm enterprises (IEMFAFE) is proposed using a domain analysis approach based on EM theory. Additionally, steps and methods for modeling arable farm enterprises based on IEMFAFE are provided. A multi-case study shows that IEMFAFE is well suited for modeling arable farm enterprises. The high expressiveness of IEMFAFE enables accurate descriptions of enterprise details and extraction of the service modules and information entities necessary for system design, significantly improving the speed and quality of the system design. The contributions of this study will benefit both researchers investigating the integration of arable farm enterprises and practitioners aiming to architect integrated farm management information systems.

Reforming Music Education: Integrating Music Business and Technology for the Modern Industry

This paper explores the need for reform in higher music education institutions by incorporating music business and technology into music degree programs. Drawing from Richard Mendelson's insights and experiences at Berklee College of Music, the study highlights the complexities and challenges associated with implementing these reforms. It emphasizes the importance of responsiveness to the evolving dynamics of the music industry and the need for universities to overcome bureaucratic obstacles to effect positive changes in music education. The paper also offers advice to traditional music students, emphasizing the significance of seeking guidance, making informed decisions, and embracing music business and technology opportunities. It underscores the importance of being open to modifying plans based on feedback and personal growth, while also acknowledging the competitive nature of the music industry. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of empirical research to validate assumptions and assess students' preparedness for post-graduation endeavors. The paper concludes by advocating for the integration of music business and technology in music education to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge for successful careers in the modern music industry.

Research on Management Accounting Practice and Teaching Reform Based on the Integration of Business and Finance

Research on Management Accounting Practice and Teaching Reform Based on the Integration of Business and Finance

Logistics business model evolution: digital platforms and connected and autonomous vehicles as disruptors

Business models are being transformed by increasing digitalization of the economy and the emergence of technological systems. In logistics, through innovation and the implementation of information processing systems using digital platforms and the integration of Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CAV), the transformation of business models is being bolstered. However, the digitalization of the business fabric and the predisposition to integrate into logistics platforms will condition business evolution. This paper aims to reveal the evolutionary trends in the business models of companies in the road freight transport sector, and also to outline the benefits and main barriers faced by managers in creating, delivering, and capturing value in a business environment characterized by the emergence of new business models, digital logistics platforms and CAVs. Through qualitative research based on interviews with strategy managers and senior executives from mobility and technology companies, the findings reveal the importance of business integration on digital platforms to optimize resources and deliver better services. By managing aggregated data from CAVs, digital platforms will enable personalized and comprehensive services through omni-channel delivery. By creating single interfaces for contracting, customer care and customer service, platforms enable companies to specialize in specific services and increase profitability while covering complete needs through cross-company collaborations.

Research on intelligent management based on expressway business integration

For the whole process business of expressway in Zhejiang Province, many deficiencies of management mechanism and technology were found, and the IOCMM concept was put forward. Based on this concept, a set of whole-process data standards has been established, and a big data platform has been built. Big data platform design principle is that is "1 brain" + "4 business applications" + "N decision support services" to realize the whole life cycle and chain management of expressways, and form an intelligent management scheme of "investment, construction, management, maintenance and transportation" of expressways.Through this platform, the information recycling, collaboration network and scientific decision-making of each project are realized, the horizontal connection, data integration and analogy of multiple projects are realized, and the mining of deep data value is realized.

The use of geoinformation technologies in tourism organization

The article discusses aspects of the application of geoinformation systems in the tourism business. The rational use of tourism resources in the modern world is becoming an increasingly complex and urgent task. Software in geographic information systems enables people engaged in the tourism business to easily integrate and use available sources of tabular and cartographic information to improve the quality of decisions. Modern geoinformation technologies can be used in organizing and stimulating tourist activity. The main problem in this activity is the lack of information about the area in which the organization of tourism is carried out. We must take into account the terrain, the availability of recreation areas. If tourism is organized, then you need to know the locations of hotels, as well as attractions in the area of the route. If we are dealing with individual travel, it is necessary to know the schedule of transport, rates of hotel rooms, etc. Tourism is one of the industries that have used GIS in their development. The result was the mass application of GIS technology in solving many current and strategic tasks of this area of activity. It should be noted that geoinformation systems will help not only the organizers of the tourism business of the region, but also end users. The tourism business requires improving the quality of management and monitoring of natural and cultural resources, improving the perception of geoinformation in an accessible form for the user. The application of geoinformation technologies for the development of hiking, water and mountain tourism is discussed. Specific geoportals developed for the areas of the Caucasian State Biosphere Reserve, East Kazakhstan region, Astrakhan region are considered. It can be noted that recently there has been an active integration of geoinformation systems and tourism business, which brings great benefits to both tourism and geoinformatics.

Research on the Management and Control System Construction of the Enterprise of Shanxi Coking Coal's Business and Financial Integration under the Financial Sharing Platform

Along with the booming economic and social development and the advent of information and information construction, further optimization of the enterprise's internal management and control system and the promotion of the integration of business and finance have become the main hotspots of the enterprise's group business. This paper takes the Enterprise of Shanxi Coking Coal as the research object to analyze its basic situation and the defects of its original financial management model, and draws up the basic objectives for the construction of a control system for the integration of business and finance of the enterprise under the financial sharing platform. This paper tries to complete the construction steps of the control system for the integration of business and finance under the premise of optimizing and improving the financial sharing platform, providing a new idea for the financial sharing platform to gradually improve and promote the integration of business and finance. The integration of business and financial control systems under a financial sharing platform can enhance the effectiveness and overall economic value of an enterprise through its special advantages, and it is worthwhile for more companies to study and establish improvements.

Research on Model Construction of Electric Energy Metering System Based on Intelligent Sensor Data

The informatization construction of the power grid is becoming increasingly popular, business application systems are constantly emerging, and power-related data is rapidly expanding. These discrete power data are scattered in various application systems, and it is not easy to directly provide advanced enterprise applications. The establishment of intelligent power statistical model is an urgent need for constructing power grid informatization. This paper proposes a model of an electric energy metering system based on intelligent sensor data and introduces the existing digital metering system. This model is the integration and promotion of business integration based on the digital metering system. It is the first time to apply new metering equipment, such as measurement and control devices with integrated metering functions, and new metering technologies, such as IEC 61850 electricity meter reading applications. It is hoped that this paper can lay a foundation for further research.

Обучение сквозным технологиям в российских университетах: масштаб и особенности управления

The article is devoted to the issues of managing education in end-to-end technologies, in particular big data analytics and artificial intelligence, in Russian universities. The article presents statistical data on the scale of the implementation of big data and artificial intelligence training programs in Russian universities. The authors note that to process a significant amount of information, algorithms for working with big data were used, such as Google Chrome extensions for extracting data from Instant data scraper and Table Capture web pages. Based on the results of the study, the key features of managing the development and implementation of training programs for big data and artificial intelligence in the top 15 universities of the country were identified and analyzed. It is noted that most of the programs have been developed “at the intersection” of academic disciplines and are aimed at training universal specialists, which dictates the integration of university faculties during their creation and close interaction with representatives of the professional community. Judgments are given that the most dense integration of universities and business is the automatic employment of students during the period of study. It is revealed that the management of the development of training programs for big data and artificial intelligence involves collaboration with EdTech platforms and the implementation of programs in a remote form that combines the advantages of a classical university program and the convenience of online learning, in particular, communicative comfort. The study showed that learning management also involves the development of “soft skills” among specialists in the field of data analytics and artificial intelligence.

Pengaruh Penerapan Sistem Manajemen Sumber Daya Perusahaan (ERP) Dalam Meningkatkan Kinerja Manajemen Rantai Pasok (SCM) Suatu Organisasi/Perusahaan

Supply Chain Management has realized one of the main components into a competitive strategy to develop the productivity and profitability capabilities of a company. Supply Chain is a very important field for companies because besides aiming to meet consumer needs. The research method used in analyzing is a qualitative approach method. Activities involved in the Supply Chain of PT. Unilever Indonesia is a supplier, packaging, manufacturing, warehouse, distribution, retailer. PT. Unilever Indonesia decided to implement an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system and implement a fully operational SAP system to facilitate the company in the process of business integration to support the company's growth targets in the following years.

Pokdakan Mino Ngremboko's Business Recovery Strategy: Resilience Analysis and Supply Chain Integration

Mino Ngremboko Fish Cultivator Group (or Pokdakan Mino Ngremboko) is the pioneer of fish cultivation, which has been developing rapidly since its establishment in April 1987 until now (the beginning of 2021). Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19) pandemic has been attacking Indonesia violently (since March 2, 2020), disrupting the supply chain of the fish cultivation business. The negative impact is a decline in revenue significantly. Mino Ngremboko Cultivator, for instance, has been affected by the pandemic with an average revenue (demand) loss of 50-70 percent. In addition, business resilience becomes very crucial which comprises business continuity that represents the ability of businesses to rapidly adapt and respond to the pandemic crisis (EIB, IBRD, 2022). The objective of the study is to assess the resilience and supply chain integration of the Mino Ngremboko Cultivator in facing the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond. Method this study uses the inductive-qualitative approach through a case study of Mino Ngremboko Cultivator. Data was collected through unstructured interviews and observation from November 2020 to March 2021. The study results provide three constructive insights, especially for managing Mino Ngremboko Cultivator and Fish Cultivator Group in general for sustaining their businesses. (1) Supply chain resilience is relatively good, which was shown by the average of productivity 1,10 from March 2019 to March 2021; (2) supply chain integration of fish cultivation business was not optimally implemented yet, and (3) Pokdakan Mino Ngremboko's business recovery strategy to optimise the practices of supply chain integration based on the digital marketing as well as downstream and commercialisation the output of fish cultivation. These recovery strategies require the support of improving organisation capability and stakeholder alignment to contribute to sustainable development (benefits for the social and ecological environment) in 2022 and beyond.

Research on the Path of Deep Integration of Party Building and Business of Grassroots Party Organizations in Colleges and Universities—Take the Party Committee of the School of Automotive Engineering as an Example

On the basis of grasping the research background and research significance of the integration of party building and business of grassroots party organizations in colleges and universities, this paper uses the method of combining literature collation with field investigation, theoretical analysis and empirical analysis to grasp the connotation and importance of the deep integration of party building and business of grassroots party organizations in colleges and universities, so as to lay the theoretical basis for this topic. At the same time, the actual situation of the integration of party building and business of the party committee of the School of Automotive Engineering was investigated and interviewed, and the results and existing problems of the current integration of party building and business were objectively analyzed, and on this basis, a more comprehensive path strategy of deep integration of party building and business of grassroots party organizations in colleges and universities was formed.

Research on Finance Reducing the Cost of Real Businesses

In the context of financial development tending to be digital and technological, exploring the relationship between fintech and the cost of real enterprises is significant for the high-quality development of real enterprises. Using provincial panel data from 2011-2020, this study empirically investigates the impact, heterogeneity characteristics and transmission mechanism of fintech on the cost of real enterprises using a two-way fixed effects model. This study demonstrates that fintech significantly lowers the cost of real businesses; in terms of different regions, the impact of fintech development on the cost of real enterprises is more significant in eastern regions than in central and western regions; corporate gearing, innovation capacity, financing constraints and financial regulation are the moderating variables of fintech impact on the cost of real firms. Based on this, suggestions are made in this paper related to the high-quality development of fintech, this is an important study to promote the deep integration of fintech and real businesses and to promote high quality development of the real economy.

The Value of Second-hand Basic Passenger Vehicles Based on Factor Analysis

Contemporarily, applications of big data analysis have been implemented to many fields, and the discussion on its theoretical concept and application value is unprecedented. The financial sector is also actively promoting digital construction. To be specific, the construction of financial digitalization is conducive to breaking the drawbacks of traditional accounting, realizing the deep integration of business and finance, and improving the work and efficiency of accounting. Moreover, with China's economic development, the private car ownership will maintain a strong growth momentum. In this paper, we investigate the value of secondhand basic passenger vehicles based on factor analysis. Specifically, data of used cars is used to analyze the influencing factors of second-hand car price. According to the analysis, it is concluded that the used car price factors are Performance factor, time factor and manipulation factor. Moreover, sellers should establish a service system to ensure the quality of second-hand cars and make a reasonable price. These results shed light on guiding further exploration of setting reasonable prices for used cars.

Value chain of the data-poor Chinese bay scallop aquaculture

Despite a tremendous growth and the huge commercial size at present, the Chinese bay scallop aquaculture is quite data-poor, which induces a series of vacuum, inefficiency, and mismatch in management and heavily impedes its transformation and upgrading. Here, we conduct the value chain analysis on it using an innovative approach that performs quantitative evaluations from micro-perspective to present the more detailed picture without relying on official statistics. We find that one parent scallop costs 0.14 USD and is given a value increase of 84.94 USD, equivalent to over 600 times higher than its initial value, by four production nodes of the value chain. There is no obvious regularity reflected in value increase among nodes due to the complexity conspired by variable increment rates and growing cardinal numbers, but a downward trend of profitability along the value chain looms. We recognize that it is not an individual case and closely related to high transaction costs, suggesting that, enhancing the horizontal integration of businesses in a certain node can not make the aquaculture production more efficient, while there remains a need for the vertical integration of different nodes to improve management effectiveness.

INTEGRATION STRATEGIES AND CHALLENGES IN MARITIME TRADE

Examining the challenges and opportunities in the maritime trade industry highlights the importance of effective integration strategies and risk management. At the same time it highlights the importance of distinguishing between problems arising from sectoral features of maritime transport development and those which are caused by external characteristics of the maritime trade market. The article emphasizes the significance of integration strategies and effective positioning in optimizing the use of potential and mitigating risks and threats. It underscores the negative consequences that arise from ignoring integration relationships, leading to additional losses and heightened risk exposure. The attention is paid to the importance of periodically reviewing treds and proactively responding to anticipated negative situations in order to optimize relationships based on the criteria of synergies. This, in turn, highlights the role of shipping alliances in the container segment of the maritime trade market as examples of operational frameworks that exhibit willingness to adapt and optimize relationships. With the recent research and publications it is more convenient to correctly identify the specific constraints and requirements in the global maritime trade market. It includes discussing the size of demand, cargo flow structure, and direction as crucial factors influencing fleet capacity requirements. The formation of external constraints, including environmental standards, is also explored, with a focus on the integration strategies necessary for fleet and cargo terminal development. Additionally, the article examines problems of business integration in the context of globalization taking into consideration the increasing role of business structures in international trade and the significance of maritime transport in facilitating integration relations between different structures.