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This paper focuses on the “how” of business analytics (BA) value creation, which remains an open research problem and a practical challenge. The main purpose of this paper is to propose a novel BA value creation mechanism that is BA-enabled improvement of Knowledge-intensive Business Processes (KIBPs), with experiential knowledge of decision makers as the key to a more sustainable BA-enabled competitive differentiation.

This research uses a qualitative research case study, conducted in a large retail distribution company. The research insights were observed through a combined lens of work systems theory and the knowledge-based view (KBV) of the firm, using an interpretive approach.

The proposed theoretical model identifies three stages of KIBP improvement through BA and explains how they lead to a sustainable BA-enabled competitive differentiation. Stage 1 focusses on BA support for individual knowledge-intensive tasks, Stage 2 focusses on individual decision makers and their ability to gain KIBP-related analytical insights and turn them into action; and Stage 3 on sharing of the acquired experiential knowledge amongst decision makers using BA.

In addition to proposing a novel mechanism for BA value creation, this research demonstrates the importance of leveraging experiential knowledge of decision makers as a pathway to a more sustainable competitive differentiation through BA. This, in turn, creates new opportunities for knowledge management researchers to engage in BA-related research. It also opens a new approach for BA researchers to investigate BA value creation mechanisms through the lens of KBV, rather than more common resource-based or capability-based views.

The contemporary business environment in which an organisation exists is becoming increasingly dynamic. The pressing need to improve the existing business processes in an organisation, results in the appearance of a new field called Business Process Reengineering (BPR). However, despite more and more innovative technological solutions for business processes, resistance to change continues to be the biggest BPR obstacle. According to many experts, this is the main reason why reengineering projects in many organisations fail. This paper investigates the “soft” side of BPR (i.e. its human aspects). More precisely, it focuses on ways information technology (IT), in particular group support systems (GSS), can support the soft side of BPR and reduce resistance to change. In this way, the paper introduces the third level of integration of IT and BPR, in addition to the two levels already described in the literature. The approach is illustrated by an example of a company that used GSS during its reengineering efforts.

The main objective of this paper is to investigate information system (IS) supported coordination in knowledge‐intensive business processes. These are business processes that cannot be pre‐defined as their models evolve during process execution from the accumulated experience. Consequently, these processes require a high level of knowledge‐sharing, collection and reuse among all participants in the process.

The paper offers a critical analysis of the main limitations of workflow technology that is widely considered to be the leading process‐oriented, coordination technology. It illustrates why this technology cannot be used to support coordination in knowledge‐intensive business processes. The paper then identifies a number of requirements for possible IS support.

The main conclusion of this paper is that coordination in knowledge‐intensive processes is, in fact, a knowledge‐intensive process itself, and as such it cannot be fully pre‐defined. Therefore, automation of this process is neither desirable nor possible.

Each IS requirement, proposed in this paper, identifies a number of further research and implementation challenges related to support of knowledge‐intensive business process. They will be of interest to researchers and practitioners both in the fields of business process management as well as knowledge management.

In essence, this paper argues that knowledge‐intensive business processes require fundamentally different coordination support from what is currently available in the area of business process support. This paper shifts the main emphasis from process automation to IS support for situated decision‐making.

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the importance and role of process knowledge in the business process (BP) improvement methodology with the help of a case study.

The approach takes the form of a literature review that highlights the challenges and issues in the existing BP improvement methodologies. An in‐depth case study that has embarked on a major BP improvement initiative that emphasizes individual and collective process knowledge in a real‐life complex organization is presented.

The paper confirms that BP improvement is, in fact, a complex, knowledge‐intensive, collaborative process that consists of a set of coordinated, contextualized knowledge management processes. The design of the “to‐be” process in this study is a knowledge co‐creation process that uses collaborative exploration of different scenarios and contexts. Compared with the traditional BP improvement methodologies where the main emphasis is on the design of a new process model, the focus of the methodology employed in this case study is on the process of knowledge co‐creation and transfer.

The paper leads to increased recognition of the knowledge and experience people develop, use and share while modeling, executing, and improving their BPs. It offers anecdotal evidence and general case study research limitations apply.

Practitioners should focus more on key knowledge processes rather than BP models that often obscure the role of individual and collective process knowledge. Rather than investing limited resources in the mapping and modeling of existing processes, practitioners will be able to better serve their organizations if they concentrate on the improvement of the process by tapping the contextualized process knowledge possessed by the individual actors.

In the expanding field of BP management, the study explores the increasing importance of individual and collective process knowledge in process improvement methodologies and provides guidance to user organizations on ways to exploit the value of process knowledge in designing new processes as well as collaborative knowledge sharing and creation process.

Organizations introduce business intelligence (BI) to increase their performance, but often, this initiative is not aligned with the business process management (BPM) initiative, which also aims to improve organizational performance. Although some findings from the literature indicate that BI implementation has a positive impact on organizational performance, the impact seems to be indirect. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of how BI maturity is translated into organizational performance. Alignment of BI and BPM initiatives seems one possible way for creating business value with BI, particularly because BI enables process performance measurement and management, which allows the BI initiative to become more business focused.

A questionnaire was prepared and used to collect data in Croatian and Slovenian organizations with more than 50 employees. A BI–BPM alignment measurement instrument was developed for the purpose of this study using the recommended process of scale development and validation. A total of 185 responses were analyzed by the structural equation modeling technique.

Our results provide evidence that the effect of BI on organizational performance is fully mediated by alignment of BI and BPM initiatives, and therefore, BI business value can be generated through the use of common terminology and methodologies, as well as a strong communication between BI and BPM experts, managers and teams in order to coordinate the two initiatives.

This study has responded to the call for better understanding of how the impact of BI on organization performance is realized. It confirmed that BI and BPM initiatives should be aligned in order to give BI a business value.

This chapter compares the historical development and current state of comparative pedagogy (CP) in four Slavonic South East European Countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Serbia, and Slovenia. The authors also aim to put the historical background and contemporary developments of CP as a science and academic discipline in their countries on the worldwide comparative education (CE) map.

The chapter starts with a short definition of the two streams of CP development: the practical problem-solving nature of comparative studies; and the development of academic CP as a separate branch of the science of pedagogy. The history of CP in the four countries is divided into four historical periods: (1) 19th century until World War I (1918); (2) interwar years (1919–1941); (3) from 1945 until 1989; (4) from 1989 to the present. The development of CP during each period is examined in both national and comparative aspects and is analyzed within the appropriate political, social, and economic context. Some scientific-pedagogical factors are also discussed, with the goal of providing a better understanding of the specific features of CP in the individual countries and in the region as a whole. On the one hand, the analysis shows common characteristics in CP development, mostly influenced by the fact that the historical development of the science of pedagogy (accompanied by the teacher training tradition and the education system structure) was strongly influenced by German theoretical and practical pedagogy in all SSEE countries. On the other hand, the comparison reveals some differences, especially between Bulgaria and the former Yugoslavia.

Green construction is increasingly vital in promoting sustainability within the construction industry. The development and promotion of green construction technologies are central to this endeavor. However, existing evaluations mainly target building components, construction projects or certain construction processes. There is a notable absence of research into the greenness of construction technologies. Assessing the greenness of construction technologies is crucial for streamlining resource utilization and reducing waste. To address this gap, this study aims to establish a Greenness of Construction Technologies (GCT) evaluation model using the method of analytic network process (ANP).

Green construction is increasingly vital in promoting sustainability within the construction industry. The development and promotion of green construction technologies are central to this endeavor. However, existing evaluations mainly target building components, construction projects or certain construction processes. There is a notable absence of research into the greenness of construction technologies. Assessing the greenness of construction technologies is crucial for streamlining resource utilization and reducing waste. To address this gap, this study establishes a GCT evaluation model using the method of ANP.

Among the four formwork technologies of plastic, steel, plywood and wooden formwork, the plastic formwork exhibits the best performance in terms of environmental friendliness, economic and social effects, while facing issues like material wastage and low static strength. The results align with practical observations which validates the model’s applicability.

This research contributes to the field by introducing the concept of greenness into construction technology evaluation for the first time. The establishment of the GCT evaluation model promotes the adoption of green construction technologies and advances sustainable practices in the construction industry.