Showing papers on "Enterprise software published in 1987"

Enterprise Culture: Its Meaning and Implications for Education and Training

Abstract: The relationship between education and training and the currently popular theme of “enterprise culture” is explored. The expression “enterprise culture”, is at present ill‐defined, if defined at all. The confusions surrounding this expression relate in turn to the failure to make proper distinctions between entrepreneurship, enterprise and small business. These terms are defined in this context, as well as “intrapreneur”. Entrepreneurs are defined in terms of a set of attributes, some of which can be measured. Small business is defined in terms of ownership and task structure. Enterprise is seen to be something that means the exercise of entrepreneurial attributes in a wide range of different situations. Intrapreneurship is the exercise of entrepreneurial attributes within a large company or bureauracy. The relationship between these redefined concepts is explored and the issue of whether entrepreneurship can be socially engineered through education and training is addressed. A definition of what constitutes “enterprise culture” is then related to education and training. This link is discussed, both in general terms and particularly in respect of university and management education. It is argued that many of the values and structures pervading in university education and university business schools may be the antithesis of entrepreneurship. In this respect, the links between entrepreneurship as practised in small business and as fostered under the “intrapreneurship” banner in large companies is explored. Finally, policy objectives in fostering entrepreneurship, small business and intrapreneurship, particularly in respect of education and training, are reviewed.

Enterprise modeling for database specification and design

Abstract: This paper presents a framework for modeling an enterprise in terms of its organizational activities, its forms usage and flow, and its data abstractions. These three components help relate real-world events and operations to the underlying database structures that support the organization's information systems. The enterprise model captures organizational dynamics by means of events, states, and their temporal and causal relationships. Organizational information flows are represented by forms, operations on forms, and the flow of forms. Data abstractions associated with organizational activities and forms are used to obtain database structures. Organizational business functions are modeled as a collection of communicating activities. Each activity is represented by collection of views performed at logical workstations. Views operate on forms, and when the work associated with the form has been completed, that form is routed to another view for further processing. The data abstractions associated with views can be integrated to obtain a conceptual database schema., A formal enterprise grammar is presented for view specification. A mini-case is presented to demonstrate the enterprise model.

A Framework for Analyzing the Modern Multinational Enter- prise and its Competitive Advantage

Abstract: The title oœ this paper is Professor Wilkins'. When Mira phoned me about presenting a paper, I told her that I could; but only if I might use something from the introduction or conclusion oœ my forthcoming study--something that might be relevant for analyzing the development of multinational enterprises. As is almost always the case, I continue to fall behind schedule so the conclusion is still to be written. The following piece comes, therefore, from my introductory chapter tentatively entitled "Scale, Scope and Organizational Capabilities" (The book will be called Scale and Scope: The Dynamics of Industrial Enterprise). I begin the chapter and the book by defining the modern industrial enterprise and then proceed to a consideration of three basic historical attributes of that institution. The modern industrial enterprise is a sub-species of the modern business enterprise that I defined in The Visible Hand as containing a number of distinct operating units and being managed by full-time salaried executives. Such an enterprise constitutes more than a production function. It is a "governance structure" to use Oliver Williamson's term. It governs units carrying out different functions--production, distribution, research, accounting, finance, and the like. Each unit within the enterprise has its own administrative office, its own managers and staff, its own set of books, as well as its own resources in terms of physical facilities and personnel to carry out specific functions involved in production or distribution of a specific product in a specific geographical area. Each unit could theoretically act as an independent business enterprise. Indeed economies have always been heavily populated with single-unit business enterprises. The activities of the