Hamdan Mohammed Al-Sabri, Majed Al-Mashari and Azeddine Chikh
The purpose of this paper is to consider the question of what is an appropriate enterprise resource planning (ERP) reference model for specifying areas of change in the context of…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to consider the question of what is an appropriate enterprise resource planning (ERP) reference model for specifying areas of change in the context of IT-driven ERP implementation and through the model matching. There are other implicit goals to increasing the awareness of the reference models, as this highlights the principles embedded in ERP systems and explains the classification of reference models, which is useful in terms of the reuse of knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a comparison between ERP reference models is conducted using a suitable decision-making technique and the final results are discussed. The comparison depends on nine criteria related to conceptual ERP reference models: scope, abstraction, granularity, views, purpose, simplicity, availability, ease of use for model matching, and target audience.
Findings
This study concludes that the business process reference model is best for specifying areas of change in the context of IT-driven ERP implementations. The final ranking of the alternatives based on all criteria places the system organizational model second, followed by the function and data/object reference models, in that order.
Originality/value
This paper is one of very few studies on the selection of appropriate ERP reference models according to the ERP implementation approach and model matching factors. This research also provides an in-depth analysis of various ERP reference model types.
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Keywords
Akila Sarirete, Azeddine Chikh and Elizabeth Noble
The purpose of this paper is to define a community memory for a virtual communities of practice (CoP) based on organizational learning (OL) concept and ontologies.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to define a community memory for a virtual communities of practice (CoP) based on organizational learning (OL) concept and ontologies.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper focuses on applying the OL concept to virtual CoP and proposes a framework for building the CoP memory by identifying several layers of ontologies such as generic, knowledge, domain, and task ontologies. A CoP of e‐learning is used as an example of semantic learning organization and as an application for the proposed framework.
Findings
Applying the proposed framework on the CoP of e‐learning and more specifically in the instructional engineering domain shows that community knowledge can be reified and shared among the members. This framework can be used as a backbone for other CoP in other fields.
Originality/value
This present work proposed a general framework for the CoP memory using a knowledge engineering approach and proposing different forms of ontologies as a backbone for the memory. It also suggests that the knowledge capitalization is important as well as the contextual element.
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The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of organizational memory to a community of practice, and consider the tools available to an e‐community engaged in the creation…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of organizational memory to a community of practice, and consider the tools available to an e‐community engaged in the creation of online learning systems.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper explains how knowledge, task and domain ontologies can be combined to provide a structure that communities of practice can use to share both tacit and explicit knowledge.
Findings
If you look up “ontology” in Wikipedia, it says that “in information science, an ontology formally represents knowledge as a set of concepts within a domain, and the relationships between those concepts”. Having knowledge set in context in a usable, accessible form – knowledge capitalization – is a key source of value creation for organizations. One of the main reasons for trying to make organizational knowledge explicit – particularly tacit knowledge – is to allow the organization to see what it does not know and where the gaps are. Ontologies can provide the technological backbone and help create a “semantic learning organization”.
Practical implications
The paper discusses the application of this approach to a community of practice of e‐learning engaged in instructional engineering. It shows how this facilitates the development of a semantic learning organization. It also highlights the focus on generative or “double‐loop” learning in communities of practice.
Originality/value
The paper shows how the concept of organizational memory and the tools of knowledge management can be applied in virtual communities.