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PurposeThis paper aims to detail how a Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process can be designed to support the planning requirements of recently introduced products.Design/methodology/approachDesign science research was conducted to propose and implement an S&OP model for demand fulfillment after the introduction of new products. The results were analyzed using the CIMO (Context, Intervention, Mechanisms and Outcomes) logic, and two sets of design propositions were formulated.FindingsAn S&OP process for new products can reduce additional costs for market fulfillment by concentrating the planning efforts on new products, aligning organizational efforts, and increasing the sales and supply chain information’s update frequency.Research limitations/implicationsThe outcomes of S&OP new products were analyzed in a single organization and are limited to the contextual factors presented.Practical implicationsThis paper describes in detail how to organize an S&OP focused on new products. By considering the contextual factors and design propositions, managers can potentially increase the success of new products introduction (NPI) in their context.Originality/valueA specific S&OP process focused on new products is a viable solution and could co-exist with a traditional S&OP process. Moreover, we identified six contextual factors that influence the outcomes of the S&OP new products.

PurposeLean manufacturing has the potential for simultaneously improving the competitiveness and the social sustainability of the apparel industry in developing countries. However, there is limited research on the ways to a successful lean implementation in developing countries and with an emphasis on occupational health and safety (OHS) improvement.Design/methodology/approachThe paper investigates four cases of lean implementation in garment factories and uses the design science research strategy, building on the context-intervention-mechanism-outcome (CIMO) framework to identify explanatory mechanisms that can be used for designing future action.FindingsThe study identifies tangible mechanisms that can lead to successful lean implementation. The most important mechanisms relate to practical top management support, worker involvement, application of lean tools and training.Practical implicationsThe findings of this study can guide better lean implementation for the many garment factories in developing countries.Originality/valueWhile the lean literature provides general recommendations for lean implementation, knowledge about the transfer mechanisms in developing countries as well as the connections between lean and OHS is limited. This paper contributes to lean implementation theory and to the discourse of positive lean by integrating efficiency and working conditions. In addition, the paper identifies transfer mechanisms for lean implementation in the garment industry in a developing country.

Contains fulltext : 245034.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) Cyber operations are relatively a new phenomenon of the last two decades. During that period, they have increased in number, complexity, and agility, while their design and development have been processes well kept under secrecy. As a consequence, limited data(sets) regarding these incidents are available. Although various academic and practitioner public communities addressed some of the key points and dilemmas that surround cyber operations (such as attack, target identification and selection, and collateral damage), still methodologies and models are needed in order to plan, execute, and assess them in a responsibly and legally compliant way. Based on these facts, it is the aim of this article to propose a model that i)) estimates and classifies the effects of cyber operations, and ii) assesses proportionality in order to support targeting decisions in cyber operations. In order to do that, a multi-layered fuzzy model was designed and implemented by analysing real and virtual realistic cyber operations combined with interviews and focus groups with technical - military experts. The proposed model was evaluated on two cyber operations use cases in a focus group with four technical - military experts. Both the design and the results of the evaluation are revealed in this article. 23 p.

The article formalizes an action principles approach for investigating and influencing the adoption of emerging information systems phenomena, particularly for new technologies. It draws upon recent research into robotic process and cognitive automation to demonstrate the concepts and methodology for a further mode of research into practice that is distinguishable from action research and design science. The authors present definitions, research assumptions, and evaluation criteria and provide a six-step process for generating a set of action principles, updatable by new empirical evidence. The process is illustrated by research into 22 automation cases that eventually arrived at 39 action principles for effective deployment of the automation technologies under review. The major objective is to provide guidelines to prospective researchers. A secondary objective is to provide major insights into the management of robotic process and cognitive automation. This provides opportunities for further theorization and research by academics, and more considered action by practitioners. The authors also discuss the value and limitations of the action principles approach, and how the knowledge generated can be disseminated. The article offers a way of doing research on the applied side of information systems that is timely, does justice to the phenomena under investigation, and provides insights for multiple parties.

The pandemic is a major crisis for small businesses. Digital transformation (DT) offers a lifeline for some small businesses. In this paper, we outline a rapidly conceived and implemented research ...

This paper’s purpose is to evaluate empirical and theoretical perspectives in Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP). The methodology consists of a systematic literature review, analysing 292 publications from academics and practitioners. The results reveal that the empirical evidence has been initially obtained by practitioners and subsequently acquired by academics with a growing interest in recent years. Three main research streams are identified: S&OP and performance, implementation of S&OP, and contextualisation of S&OP designs. The investigation of theoretical foundations reveals an upward trend in external general theory usage and first signs of internal theory development in S&OP. The research findings call for more exploratory research to enhance the knowledge in the identified research streams and their interrelation. Herein, applying the design science approach is recommended to integrate practitioners into academic research. Further implications embrace a call for more theory-informed empirical S&OP research in a two-prone agenda: applying general theories from other fields and developing internal theories through middle-range theorising. A limitation of this paper is its focus on empirical studies, not embracing conceptual papers. Applications of this paper’s findings can help academics and practitioners to advance their understanding of the S&OP phenomenon. The awareness of study findings in the three main research streams, combined with empirical and theoretical research implications, can support the development of solutions to improve the S&OP effectiveness and evidence-based decisions in real-life settings. This work’s originality lies in the analysis of the S&OP literature with the focus on the evolution of empirical evidence and the theoretical foundations.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the application of design and behavior science collectively in refining the government to citizens’ (G2C) cognitive-communication by using artificial intelligence (AI) artifacts. It investigates the citizens’ behavior intention to use AI cognitive-communication channels in e-government services. Design/methodology/approach This study reveals the potential of unification in design and behavior science paradigms when integrated into AI artifacts in measuring the constructive outcome of proposed architecture that embraces the perceived risk and trust in citizens’ usage behavior intentions. To evaluate the practical relevance of design science paradigm, action research was incorporated by developing an app as an exemplified scenario. Findings The weaknesses of traditional G2C channel communication obliterated by AI virtual agents. This study proposes a five-layer architecture model created with citizens-centered design highlighting the improved relevance for G2C cognitive-communication. The behavior model supports citizens’ usage behavior intentions through trust as a positive attribute and negative attribute as a perceived risk. Research limitations/implications This study contributes to the knowledge of design science paradigm particularly to AI-based cognitive G2C communication. The architecture serves for deploying virtual agents to automate the public officials for decision-making processes. The authors have constructed a cognitive-communication model and have examined the relationships among the extents of cognitive-communication model. This channel has the potential to significantly transform G2C cognitive and intelligent communication. Practical implications This cognitive-communication channel has the potential to significantly transform the communication between government and citizens. Such a model can be an interest of developers, researchers and government policymakers in a holistic approach drawn from theory and methods of both design and behavior science to create a successful communication scenario. Social implications Advances in technology are not without social implications. The study results can dramatically improve the efficiencies of government workplaces and can augment the human working. It will help to reduce the government services discriminations among the citizens and contribute to society through social inclusion. Originality/value This study addresses the duality in information system research by first defining the theoretical framework for G2C cognitive-communication architecture and then developing a research model drawn upon a citizens’ service usage behavioral theory. It will also contribute to providing important perceptions of AI practices in the public sector.

Multiorganizational response to emergencies and disasters requires collaboration. How to improve the collective response is therefore an essential question, but not easy to answer. In disaster research, normative research with a focus on providing evidence for how to improve professional practice has traditionally received less attention than explanatory ones. The aim of this article, using insights from design science where normative research is more common, is to suggest a complementary approach to response management research. Our approach, which combines experimental and explanatory research, is applied to a study of goal alignment. Goal alignment among response actors is often recommended despite literature’s contradictory evidence regarding its effect. We conducted an experiment with 111 participants, who, in groups of three, played a computer game under one of two conditions (goal alignment or not). Our results show that aligning goals did not improve the outcome in the game. Although this may serve as a counterargument to implementing goal alignment interventions, there are concerns with such conclusions. These reservations include, but are not limited to, the lack of validated models to use in experiments. Nevertheless, our suggested research approach and the goal alignment experiment highlight the importance of testing interventions and their effectiveness before implementation.

The use of big data promises to drive economic growth and development and can therefore be a value-adding factor, but compared to private or public organisations, the country level is rarely investigated, and that is even more evident for developing countries. Another topic hardly ever considered in the big data research field is ‘big data readiness’, which means the level of preparation and willingness to exploit big data. We address these shortcomings in the literature and focus on the big data readiness of developing countries. Thus, the first research question is: what components are required for an index measuring big data readiness, and how can such an index be designed? We use a design science approach to develop the “Big Data Readiness Index” (BDRI), which is then applied to all African countries to answer our second research question: how do African countries perform in terms of the BDRI? Our analysis yields country rankings that show relatively high BDRI scores for coastal countries, such as South Africa, Kenya and Namibia, and for islands, such as Mauritius. Related implications for both research and policy are discussed.

PurposeFollowing the call for strengthening the third pillar of knowledge in entrepreneurship as well as work-applied management contexts constituted by pragmatic design principles, we present a case study on an insurtech for insurance firms specialized in smart contract insurance solutions such as flight delay or ski resort insurance.Design/methodology/approachDesign science.FindingsThis not only serves as a pointer for how insurances may master their digital transformation while remaining competitive. But moreover, on the meta level, we find that the adoption of entrepreneurial design principles by the students, whose experiential project represents our case study, does not necessarily require continuous support or foundational knowledge to be delivered beforehand. However, for a deeper or more holistic assessment of the case sketched in their project, it makes sense to introduce them to newer developments such as the simple, practical framework of the Entrepreneur's Question Index.Originality/valueInnovative teaching method on innovative topics.

PurposeThe study aims to explore and develop a smart route planning system for the cross-docking delivery operations of a large supermarket chain using an action research (AR) approach and assessing through a design science research (DSR) lens.Design/methodology/approachThis study took a problem-solving AR (PAR) approach toward the delivery operational issue of the case firm. The research process has accorded with the solution incubation and the refinement phases defined by a DSR framework. An intervention-based research framework for DSR is developed to assess the validity of this study as a DSR research and derive mid-range theories.FindingsDramatic operational and financial improvements were achieved for the case firm. Significant and unintended environmental and social benefits were also found. A design proposition (DP) and several mid-range theories are proposed as an extension of AR research to DSR research.Research limitations/implicationsA problem-solving DSR research can be better assessed by the intervention-based DSR framework developed in this study. DSR studies should be encouraged for both practical and theoretical advancement purposes.Practical implicationsA challenging business problem-solving study can be tackled effectively through an industry/academic collaboration taking a PAR approach to deliver substantial values and organization transformational results.Social implicationsDrivers and store associates are safer with smart delivery operations in the case firm.Originality/valueThere are still limited PAR design science case studies in the supply chain/logistics research literature. The research experience and findings gained from this study provide more insights toward how this type of research can be conducted and assessed.

PurposePredictive analytics and artificial intelligence are perceived as significant drivers to improve organizational performance and managerial decision-making. Hiring employees and contract renewals are instances of managerial decision-making problems that can incur high financial costs and long-term impacts on organizational performance. The primary goal of this study is to identify the Major League Baseball (MLB) free agents who are likely to receive a contract.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the design science research paradigm and the cognitive analytics management (CAM) theory to develop the research framework. A dataset on MLB's free agents between 2013 and 2017 was collected. A decision support tool was built using artificial neural networks.FindingsThere are clear links between a player's statistical performance and the decision of the player to sign a new offered contract. “Age,” “Wins above Replacement” and “the team on which a player last played” are the most significant factors in determining if a player signs a new contract.Originality/valueThis paper applied analytical modeling to personnel decision-making using the design science paradigm and guided by CAM as the kernel theory. The study employed machine learning techniques, producing a model that predicts the probability of free agents signing a new contract. Also, a web-based tool was developed to help decision-makers in baseball front offices so they can determine which available free agents to offer contracts.

PurposeFactors such as stakeholder requirements, emergence of exponential technologies, global business operations and pressures for sustainability increase the complexity of modern projects. This article aims to contribute by developing a systems view of project elements and relations among the same.Design/methodology/approachThe article is based on a design science process and uses business management, project management and the system dynamics literature to support the construction of a conceptual framework, which is preliminary validated using practitioner feedback.FindingsThe project management model includes: (a) a systems view of a project in terms of 5 subsystems, 9 components and 27 dimensions; (b) a flow diagram showing 11 key relations among project attributes and (c) a discussion of ten system archetypes which can be identified in the management of a project.Research limitations/implicationsWhereas the application of systems thinking in project management has been mostly addressed to build system dynamics tools, this article advances the discussion by providing a framework useful to support theory development and contextual knowledge construction in project management activities.Practical implicationsThe article provides (project) managers with an articulated project management model and insights to address the complexity of modern project activities.Originality/valueThe main value of the research stays in the integrative nature of the presented framework, along with its twofold focus on components and flows (dynamic view).

Online self-disclosure (OSD) on social networking sites can leave individuals and organisations vulnerable to security threats. Following a design science research (DSR) method, we created a gamifi...

Context: The aim of intent-driven systems is to capture stakeholders’ intents and transform these into a form that enables computer processing of the intents. Only then are different computer- based agents able to negotiate with each other on behalf of their respective stakeholders and their intents, and suggest a mutually beneficial agreement. This requires a separation of concerns between the parts of the system used to execute the stakeholder business, and the parts which are used to design the business based on stakeholder intents. Objective: The aim is to find out which methods/techniques as well as enabling aspects, useful for an intent-driven system, that are covered by research literature. Method: As a part of a design science study, a Systematic Literature Review is conducted. Results: The existence of methods/techniques which can be used as building blocks to construct intent-driven systems exist in the literature. How these methods/techniques can interact with the aspects needed to enabling flexible realizations of intent-driven systems is not evident in the existing literature. Conclusion: The synthesis shows a need for further research regarding semantic interchange of information, actor interaction in intent-driven systems, and the governance of intent-driven systems. open access

Construction projects often suffer from backlashes in relation to poor plans and schedules. Especially pre-construction planning has been challenging due to a high complexity, an extensive amount of information, and a lack of site managers time to make the schedule. To solve these issues for pre-construction planning; new planning processes, methods and tools have been developed over the last decade. However, due to a disregard of the current planning processes these tools have been difficult to adopt in practice. In addition, these developed tools and methods are seldom developed from the user’s point of view. A promising development is the introduction of integrated planning as a concept in construction companies. It involves the use of BIM models in concert with a planning approach where the subcontractors engage in the planning. However, currently available tools are more geared towards experienced users such as expert planners and does not allow for a fully collaborative and integrated planning approach. While many current tools would tick many of the requirements identified, they still fail to address the base requirements from the collaborative work environment literature. This paper contributes with a user-centric design and development of a collaborative planning application showing the integration of the existing collaborative planning process. By adopting a socio-technical approach, the paper focuses on combining technology and processes supporting the users and their way of working in order to enable adoption of the solution. A design science research approach has been used to gather requirements and develop and evaluate the Visual Project Planner (VPP) application. The VPP application applies a collaborative, visual approach supporting interdisciplinary knowledge sharing between all parties involved where the subcontractors actively can contribute to schedule. The VPP application has potential to reduce time for pre-construction planning regardless of the planning approach used.

This study reviews the quality of evidence reported in mobile health intervention literature in the context of developing countries. A systematic search of renowned databases was conducted to find studies related to mobile health applications published between a period of 2013 and 2018. After a methodological screening, a total of 31 studies were included for data extraction and synthesis. The mobile health Evidence Reporting and Assessment checklist developed by the World Health Organization was then used to evaluate the rigor and completeness in evidence reporting. We report several important and interesting findings. First, there is a very low level of familiarity with the mobile health Evidence Reporting and Assessment checklist among the researchers and mobile health intervention designers from developing countries. Second, most studies do not adequately meet the essential criteria of evidence reporting mentioned in the mobile health Evidence Reporting and Assessment checklist. Third, there is a dearth of application of design science–based methods and theory-based frameworks in developing mobile health interventions. Fourth, most of the mobile health interventions are not ready for interoperability and to be integrated into the existing health information systems. Based on these findings, we recommend for robust and inclusive study plans to deliver highly evidence-based reports by mobile health intervention studies that are conducted in the context of developing countries.

Hiring a new employee is traditionally thought to be an uncertain investment. This uncertainty is lessened by the presence of signals that indicate job fitness. Ideally, job applicants objectively ...

Human–computer negotiation has the potential to play an important role in today’s highly dynamic online environment, especially in business-to-consumer e-commerce transactions. However, the lack of...

Many people face problems of emotional distress. Early detection of high-risk individuals is the key to prevent suicidal behavior. There is increasing evidence that the Internet and social media provide clues of people’s emotional distress. In particular, some people leave messages showing emotional distress or even suicide notes on the Internet. Identifying emotionally distressed people and examining their posts on the Internet are important steps for health and social work professionals to provide assistance, but the process is very time-consuming and ineffective if conducted manually using standard search engines. Following the design science approach, we present the design of a system called KAREN, which identifies individuals who blog about their emotional distress in the Chinese language, using a combination of machine learning classification and rule-based classification with rules obtained from experts. A controlled experiment and a user study were conducted to evaluate system performance in searching and analyzing blogs written by people who might be emotionally distressed. The results show that the proposed system achieved better classification performance than the benchmark methods and that professionals perceived the system to be more useful and effective for identifying bloggers with emotional distress than benchmark approaches.

Increased demand for a greater variety of products has forced many companies to rethink their strategies to offer more product variants without sacrificing production efficiency. In this context, research has found that such a trade-off can be properly managed by exploiting the module-based product family (MBPF) design. Over the years, active work in developing methods to design MBPFs has been carried out. Nevertheless, many of them have been created, and consequently exist, in isolation from one other. As a result, the adoption of these methods in industry and academy alike is inhibited by the seemingly broad array of material without a coherent organizing structure. To bridge this gap, this paper performs a systematic literature review and a meta-synthesis, wherein 72 methods to design MBPFs and their respective instances are connected in the form of a functional model and structured classes of design problems. These entities together serve as a meta-method for organizing the research on MBPF design, from which it was possible to identify the common underlying structure among the methods developed over the past 20 years. The main contributions of this work include: (1) constructing a functional model that connects the design methods for MBPFs; (2) suggesting structured classes of design problems that complement the functional model by cataloging the techniques meant to execute each sub-function of the model; (3) proposing a construction heuristic to build and assess functional models and classes of design problems.

We present results from an EEG experiment EEG to measure neurophysiological activation to study novice and experienced designers when designing and problem-solving. We adopted and extended the tasks described in a previous fMRI study. The block experiment consists of 3 tasks: problem-solving, basic design, and open layout design. The block is preceded by a familiarizing pre-task and extended to an open design sketching task. Results from 36 sessions of mechanical engineers and industrial designers indicate significant differences in activations between the problem-solving and the design tasks.

Background: Assessing and communicating software engineering research can be challenging. Design science is recognized as an appropriate research paradigm for applied research but is seldom referred to in software engineering. Applying the design science lens to software engineering research may improve the assessment and communication of research contributions. Aim: The aim of this study is 1) to understand whether the design science lens helps summarize and assess software engineering research contributions, and 2) to characterize different types of design science contributions in the software engineering literature. Method: In previous research, we developed a visual abstract template, summarizing the core constructs of the design science paradigm. In this study, we use this template in a review of a set of 38 top software engineering publications to extract and analyze their design science contributions. Results: We identified five clusters of papers, classifying them according to their alignment with the design science paradigm. Conclusions: The design science lens helps emphasize the theoretical contribution of research output---in terms of technological rules---and reflect on the practical relevance, novelty, and rigor of the rules proposed by the research., 32 pages, 10 figures

Sensor-based home Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) monitoring systems have emerged to monitor elderly people’s self-care ability remotely. However, the unobtrusive, privacy-friendly object motion ...

Big Data is a term that gained popularity due to its potential benefits in various fields, and is progressively being used. However, there are still many gaps and challenges to overcome, especially when it comes to the selection and handling of relevant technologies. A consequence of the huge number of manifestations in this area, growing each year, the uncertainty and complexity increase. The lack of a classification approach causes a growing demand for more experts with a broad knowledge and expertise. Using various techniques of ontology engineering and following the design science methodology, this work proposes the Big Data Technology Ontology (BDTOnto) as a comprehensive and sustainable classification approach to classify big data technologies and their manifestations. In particular, a reusable, extensible and adaptable artifact in the form of an ontology will be developed and evaluated.

Unlike research methods for social and positivist sciences, those for architectural design lack a discipline-specific conceptual framework. Performative science aims at producing outcomes for future use and therefore needs a robust methodological approach that encompasses different techniques and methods supporting an evidence-based architectural design development. This study suggests that design science can be successfully applied to architectural design development and provides architects and designers with a powerful tool bridging the gap between research and design. In so doing, this study explores the application of design science to implement a user-centered design approach. A design challenge is reframed within the robust framework of design science by referring to a case study on refugee shelters. The traditional method by which shelter optimization is pursued by designers is questioned by involving the final users through an ethnographic approach within the framework of design science. The design outcome produced through this process is a list of specifications allowing designers to create different architectural solutions and matching the requirements expressed by future users. The authors argue that a user-centered design outcome can be achieved and validated through design science. Keywords: Design science, Architectural design research methodology, User-centered design, Refugee shelter

Purpose The recent rise in online knowledge repositories and use of formalism for structuring knowledge, such as ontologies, has provided necessary conditions for the emergence of tools for generating knowledge assessment. These tools can be used in a context of interactive computer-assisted assessment (CAA) to provide a cost-effective solution for prompt feedback and increased learner’s engagement. The purpose of this paper is to describe and evaluate a tool developed by the authors, which generates test questions from an arbitrary domain ontology, based on sound pedagogical principles encapsulated in Bloom’s taxonomy. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses design science as a framework for presenting the research. A total of 5,230 questions were generated from 90 different ontologies and 81 randomly selected questions were evaluated by 8 CAA experts. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Kruskal–Wallis test for non-parametric analysis of variance. Findings In total, 69 per cent of generated questions were found to be useable for tests and 33 per cent to be of medium to high difficulty. Significant differences in quality of generated questions were found across different ontologies, strategies for generating distractors and Bloom’s question levels: the questions testing application of knowledge and the questions using semantic strategies were perceived to be of the highest quality. Originality/value The paper extends the current work in the area of automated test generation in three important directions: it introduces an open-source, web-based tool available to other researchers for experimentation purposes; it recommends practical guidelines for development of similar tools; and it proposes a set of criteria and standard format for future evaluation of similar systems.

As a tribute to Ray Levitt’s early computer science contributions, this paper presents the research methodology he and I in close collaboration with Barbara Hayes-Roth followed to develop the Sight...

This paper presents the trajectory design for EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft (EQUULEUS), which aims to demonstrate orbit control capability of CubeSats in the cislunar space. The mission plans to observe the far side of the Moon from an Earth-Moon L2 (EML2) libration point orbit. The EQUULEUS trajectory design needs to react to uncertainties of mission design parameters such as the launch conditions, errors, and thrust levels. The main challenge is to quickly design science orbits at EML2 and low-energy transfers from the post-deployment trajectory to the science orbits within the CubeSat’s limited propulsion capabilities. To overcome this challenge, we develop a systematic trajectory design approach that 1) designs over 13,000 EML2 quasi-halo orbits in a full-ephemeris model with a statistical stationkeeping cost evaluation, and 2) identifies families of low-energy transfers to the science orbits using lunar flybys and solar perturbations. The approach is successfully applied for the trajectory design of EQUULEUS.

Research in information systems includes a range of approaches which make varied contributions in terms of knowledge, understanding, or practical developments. In these days of “fake news” and spurious internet content, scholarly research needs to be able to demonstrate its validity – are its finding true, or its recommendations correct? \ud We argue that there are fundamental validation criteria that can be applied to all research approaches despite their apparent diversity and conflict. These stem from current views of the nature of truth, and the related but wider concept correctness, within philosophy.\ud There has been much debate about the nature of truth – is it correspondence, coherence, consensual or pragmatic? Current debates revolve around the idea of a pluralist view of truth – that there are different forms of truth depending on the context or domain. Related to truth is the wider concept of correctness – propositions may be true but correctness can also be applied to actions, performances or behavior for which truth is not appropriate. We develop a framework for research validity and apply it to a range of research forms including positivist, interpretive, design science, critical and action-oriented. The benefits are: i) a greater and more explicit focus on validity criteria will produce better research; ii) having a single framework can provide some commonality between what at times seem conflicting approaches to research; iii) having criteria made explicit should encourage debate and further development. The framework is applied to a variety of empirical papers employing varied research approaches.

Purpose The development of innovative procurement instruments can be costly and risky. To capitalize on successful innovative instruments, it is essential that these are reused. However, reuse can be problematic in project-based public client organizations. This paper aims to apply the ambidexterity concept of integration mechanisms to examine how such reuse can be facilitated. Design/methodology/approach An initial framework is developed to conceptualize and contextualize the ambidexterity integration mechanism for the procurement function of a multi-project public client. Concluding that, in this situation, an organizational procedure is an appropriate interpretation of the integration mechanism, a design science project is carried out to develop and implement a procedure in a real-life setting. Findings Reconstructed reuse patterns confirm the need to have an actionable integration mechanism implemented. Integration, in the sense of drawing benefits from successful one-off innovative procurement instruments, may fail unnoticed if not organized and deliberately managed. The procedure developed in the design science project demonstrates how such integration can be achieved. Originality/value Although research on ambidexterity has grown exponentially in the past decade, it is yet to be applied in the field of public procurement. Furthermore, the application of design science research is novel in this field of literature. The paper illustrates how both can help solve a relevant organizational problem.

Based on the perspective of e-government practitioners at a government agency in Sweden, this article analyses the design-process with the aim of unearthing the design-principles of a Digital Index (DI). The DI is developed to address challenges of how to: understand; appraise; learn from and develop e-government – by combining digital technologies with the context of public administration. This study applies a design-science research method and analyses the initial steps of the design-process: awareness of the problem, suggestion, and development. The results show how the abstract artefact – the DI – is constructed and how it is based on three main design-principles. Firstly e-government should be contextualised with the nature of public administration – which means relating digital technologies vis-a-vis core-businesses of a public authority. Secondly: digital technologies support administrative processes and must be premised on the classification of information and law. Thirdly, apply a process view of e-government that highlights the relationship between internal administrative procedures, the interaction with citizens/companies and the sharing of government data. The discussion highlights how the DI is relevant for research on e-government by offering some concrete as well as general perspectives on how to combine e-government and public administration., Funding agency:Swedish Transport Agency (STA)

Continuous-flow microfluidic devices based on integrated channel networks are becoming increasingly prevalent in research in the biological sciences. At present, these devices are physically laid out by hand by domain experts who understand both the underlying technology and the biological functions that will execute on fabricated devices. The lack of a design science that is specific to microfluidic technology creates a substantial barrier to entry. To address this concern, this article introduces Directed Placement, a physical design algorithm that leverages the natural “directedness” in most modern microfluidic designs: fluid enters at designated inputs, flows through a linear or tree-based network of channels and fluidic components, and exits the device at dedicated outputs. Directed placement creates physical layouts that share many principle similarities to those created by domain experts. Directed placement allows components to be placed closer to their neighbors compared to existing layout algorithms based on planar graph embedding or simulated annealing, leading to an average reduction in laid-out fluid channel length of 91% while improving area utilization by 8% on average. Directed placement is compatible with both passive and active microfluidic devices and is compatible with a variety of mainstream manufacturing technologies.

The present paper presents an alternative method regarding the practical solution of defining the puzzle game in terms of design, graphics, 3D modeling and manufacture of the puzzle game. The practical example of making a puzzle game defined by assembling components resulting the administrative map of Romania.

Over the last few years, an increasing number of agricultural R&D actors have sought to discover and get to know farmers’ practices that they consider as innovative, unconventional, or promising. We refer to these approaches, all of which aim to support the design of farming systems, as ‘farmer innovation tracking’. There is still a lack of knowledge, however, about the specificities of the approaches adopted to track innovations and how they contribute to design processes. To explore these questions, we studied 14 initiatives in France led by actors from different R&D networks. We analysed the data collected using agronomy and design science concepts. Three outcomes emerge from this work. (1) We shed light on the common features of innovation tracking. We outline five stages that structure all the approaches: formulating an innovation tracking project, unearthing innovations, learning about them, analysing them, and generating agronomic content. (2) We characterize six contributions of farmer innovation tracking to design processes: giving rise to creative anomalies, shedding light on systemic mechanisms to fuel design processes on other farms, uncovering research questions, stimulating design in orphan fields of innovation, circulating innovation concepts, and connecting farmer-designers with each other. (3) Finally, we highlight three tracking strategies: the targeted tracking of proven practices, the targeted tracking of innovations under development, and the exploratory tracking of proven practices. This article is the first to propose a theorization of the farmer innovation tracking approaches, thus enriching the agronomic foundations supporting farming system design. The purpose of our paper is not to provide a turnkey method, but to highlight concepts, mechanisms, and points of reference for actors who might wish to develop farmer innovation tracking in different contexts in the future. By revealing their contributions to design processes, this article seeks to contribute to the institutionalization of innovation tracking.

This applied research and development project aims at establishing a novel, embodied interaction principle in the design of manual wheelchairs. The implementation of an upper body-actuated steering mechanism holistically combines a new sensation of movement for users with practical value in daily activities and healthcare benefit. An unconventional career path and interdisciplinary collaboration within a scientific community allow the design of novel solutions, the qualitative evaluation with users and the quantitative study of technologies’ impact, all being undertaken in parallel processes.

Background Older adults face growing health care needs and could potentially benefit from personal health information management (PHIM) and PHIM technology. To ensure effective PHIM and to provide supportive tools, it is crucial to investigate the needs, challenges, processes, and tools used by this subpopulation. The literature on PHIM by older adults, however, remains scattered and has not provided a clear picture of what we know about the elements that play a role in older adults’ PHIM. Objective The goal of our review was to provide a comprehensive overview of extant knowledge on PHIM by older adults, establish the status quo of research on this topic, and identify research gaps. Methods We carried out a scoping review of the literature from 1998 to 2020, which followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) framework. First, we executed a broad and structured search. We then carried out a qualitative analysis of papers pertinent to the topic taking into consideration the five elements of the patient work system as follows: (1) personal-level factors, (2) PHIM tasks, (3) tools used, (4) physical settings of PHIM activities, and (5) socio-organizational aspects. Results The review included 22 studies. Consolidated empirical evidence was related to all elements of the patient work system. Multiple personal factors affected PHIM. Various types of personal health information were managed (clinical, patient-generated, and general) and tools were used (electronic, paper-based, and others). Older adults’ PHIM was intertwined with their surroundings, and various individuals participated. The largest body of evidence concerned personal factors, while findings regarding the physical environment of PHIM were scarce. Most research has thus far examined older adults as a single group, and scant attention has been paid to age subgroups. Conclusions Opportunities for further PHIM studies remain across all elements of the patient work system in terms of empirical, design science, or review work.

Purpose Benchmarks provide a strategic tool for assessing the sustainability impacts of urban development. Addressing the need for practitioners to evaluate their initiatives, track progress and determine their competitive position, this paper aims to introduce the conception and implementation of a smart city maturity assessment and benchmarking tool. Design/methodology/approach Following a design science approach, application objectives are defined based on a review of literature and related benchmarking tools. Focusing on a subset of functions for the prototype version, these objectives are operationalized by development of a smart mobility maturity model, indicator set and survey. A two-step evaluation by means of a test run using data of five cities and expert interviews confirms the tool’s functionality. Findings Compliance with the defined objectives is achieved by implementation of a Web-based self-assessment tool using objective indicators. Future development iterations are to integrate additional smart city action fields. Practical implications Delivering a city’s maturity level, the tool enables stakeholders to measure the impact of their initiatives. Benchmarking functions for tracking progress and comparison with other projects are provided in the form of graphical analyses. Ac-tionable guidance is supplied for improving the city’s standing. Social implications Strategies supporting a sustainable lifestyle are crucial for smart city development, as the shaping of attractive living spaces and a reliable information and communication technology and physical infrastructure form major selling points for attracting skilled workers, businesses, tourists and citizens. Originality/value Enabling practitioners to self-evaluate their initiatives, providing the option to track progress and supplying guidance for improving a city’ standing, the proposed solution represents a novel form of knowledge transfer.

Context: In the Requirements Engineering (RE) process of an Open Source Software (OSS) community, an involved firm is a stakeholder among many. Conflicting agendas may create miss-alignment with the firm’s internal requirements strategy. In communities with meritocratic governance or with aspects thereof, a firm has the opportunity to affect the RE process in line with their own agenda by gaining influence through active and symbiotic engagements. Objective: The focus of this study has been to identify what aspects that firms should consider when they assess their need of influencing the RE process in an OSS community, as well as what engagement practices that should be considered in order to gain this influence. Method: Using a design science approach, 21 interviews with 18 industry professionals from 12 different software-intensive firms were conducted to explore, design and validate an artifact for the problem context. Results: A Community Strategy Framework (CSF) is presented to help firms create community strategies that describe if and why they need influence on the RE process in a specific (meritocratic) OSS community, and how the firm could gain it. The framework consists of aspects and engagement practices. The aspects help determine how important an OSS project and its community is from business and technical perspectives. A community perspective is used when considering the feasibility and potential in gaining influence. The engagement practices are intended as a tool-box for how a firm can engage with a community in order to build influence needed. Conclusion: It is concluded from interview-based validation that the proposed CSF may provide support for firms in creating and tailoring community strategies and help them to focus resources on communities that matter and gain the influence needed on their respective RE processes.

Customer relationship management (CRM) has become one of the most popular enterprise information systems (EIS) because it is widely adopted in service sectors. Although the technology-acceptance-mo...

The traditional and most prevalent view of theory in the information systems (IS) discipline is conceptualized in what has been termed ?variance theory," or more properly ?variance meta-theory," where a meta-theory is a means by which to conceptualize the types of constructs and relationships used to develop a specific theory (instance). Variance meta-theory conceptualizes the constructs and relationships in a theory strictly as properties of entities, interrelated in a static (statistical) correlational manner. Theories formulated using variance meta-theory generally seek to explain or predict immutable inferred causal relationships. This view of theory is limiting and constraining in an applied field like IS where phenomena of interest are complex, constantly changing, and reliant on proactive human actions, as well as underlying forces. As new technologies are developed, users adapt and learn, take actions, and respond to results. We argue that alternative meta-theories more readily address this wider range of IS research questions. We examine three such meta-theories ? network, process, and co-evolution, comparing and contrasting their underlying conceptualizations, entities, relationships, and methodologies. We argue further that theory (instances) formulated in the language of each of these meta-theories can be used as part of a broad scientific process of proposing, testing, and reevaluating theory to develop increasingly nuanced understandings of IS phenomena, ultimately resulting in the accumulation of knowledge that is relevant to both theory and practice.

We develop a method to assess the quality of peer-produced content in knowledge repositories using their development and coordination histories. We also develop a process to identify relevant featu...

Every year about three million Muslims visit the Holy City of Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj. Because of the large number of people present during this period, pilgrims can be subjected to many health hazards. An adequate system to minimize these health hazards is needed to support the pilgrims who attend the Hajj. This study justifies the need for developing a large data-based m-Health application to identify the health hazards encountered during the Hajj.In developing a big data-based m-Health application, this study follows the framework suggested by Hevner. The design of the science framework allows the development of a technological solution (i.e., design artifact) of the problem through a series of actions. The design involves rigorous knowledge of the environmental factors, including knowledge of the construction and evaluation of technological solutions, that are important and relevant to an existing problem.Based on the design science framework, the process of artifact development can be classified into Artifact Design, Artifact Implementation, and Artifact Evaluation. This paper presents the Artifact Design step for the design of the big data-based m-Health application, which has an Environmental Relevance Cycle, a Knowledge-based rigor Cycle, and an Artifice development and design cycle. The big data-based m-Health application is a prototype and must be evaluated using the evaluation-and-feedback loop process until the optimum artifact is completely built and integrated into the system.Development of a big data-based m-Health application using a design science framework can support the effective and comprehensive plan of the government of Saudi Arabia for preventing and managing Hajj-related health issues. Our proposed model for developing and designing a big data-based m-Health application could provide direction for developing the most advanced solution for dealing with the Hajj-related health issues in the future.

Organizations operating in a network require strong information technology support to successfully collaborate. In a business service network, the links between partners must enable quick connect and disconnect relationships, in order to harness market opportunities. Scholars claim that information technology platforms are necessary to enhance this quick connect capability and to transform business networks into digital ecosystems. However, the state of the art in inter-organizational collaboration relies on static collaboration patterns between individual partners, and current systems are engineered without interoperability in mind. In this study, we follow a design science approach to promote the concept of platform-based collaboration. More precisely, we propose an architecture for an inter-organizational platform that facilitates the provisioning of collaboration services. Furthermore, we present a prototype in the context of e-commerce as a means of evaluating the proposed design. We conclude that the platform approach is beneficial in achieving increased flexibility in business-to-business collaboration.

Citizen participation is essential to create the public value required for sustainable governance. Offline citizen participation enables government policies through physical actions, but is not automatically quantified. Online citizen participation, especially the opinion expression, usually be facilitated by suitable incentives using a recorded participation process, but this makes only limited contribution to governance. The isolation of the processes of two participations limits their mutual promotion. Therefore, using a design science paradigm, we designed an O2O (Offline-to-Online or Online-to-Offline) citizen participation ecosystem for sustainable governance based on social exchange theory. The ecosystem includes three categories of key stakeholders: citizens, government organizations, and the O2O platform manager. Five components are specified: motivations, contextualized governance policies and strategies, offline/online citizen-to-government contributions, online/offline government-to-citizen rewards, and retention and recommendation. The ecosystem was evaluated and then improved using a case study on O2O green commuting governance in China. This study provides a reproducible framework to combine offline and online citizen participation to enhance collaborative social governance in the digital age.

This study aims to put forward a public governance ontology, based on robust business literature and a structured public governance concept, to aid in improving understanding, communication, innovation, and measurements in public ventures. The ontology approach is combined with design science to develop a “public governance canvas model,” which conveys different descriptions of governance arrangements of given public ventures. The product of this research is a model that forms the ideal structure of new strategic management and information tools, as well as offers other benefits relating to measurement and evaluation. Finally, the canvas model is applied in three different institutional contexts of public management. Further development of this review could be accomplished by applying this model to organizations that generate important outcomes for both practitioners and academics. Resumen El objetivo de este estudio es proponer una ontología de la gobernanza pública, basada en una sólida literatura sobre modelos de negocio y en un concepto estructurado de gobernanza pública, con el fin de mejorar la comprensión, la comunicación, la innovación y la medición de las iniciativas públicas. El enfoque ontológico se combina con la ciencia de diseño para desarrollar un “modelo de canvas de gobernanza pública”, que se propone describir los mecanismos de gobernanza de una dada iniciativa pública. El producto de esta investigación es un modelo que, idealmente, debe servir de base para nuevas herramientas de gestión de la estrategia y de la información, además de ofrecer otros beneficios en lo referente a medición y evaluación. Por último, el modelo de canvas se aplica en tres contextos institucionales de la gestión pública. El desarrollo futuro de este estudio puede proporcionar resultados importantes tanto para profesionales como para académicos. Resumo O objetivo deste estudo é apresentar uma ontologia de governança pública, baseada em robusta literatura em modelos de negócios e em um conceito de governança pública estruturado, a fim de melhorar a compreensão, comunicação, inovação e mensuração nas iniciativas públicas. A abordagem ontológica é combinada com a ciência de design para desenvolver um “modelo de tela (canvas) de governança pública”, que se propõe a descrever mecanismos de governança em determinada iniciativa pública. O resultado é um modelo que deve formar de maneira ideal a base para novas ferramentas de gestão da estratégia e de informação, bem como oferecer outros benefícios em termos de mensuração e avaliação. Por fim, o modelo canvas é aplicado em três diferentes contextos institucionais da gestão pública. O futuro desenvolvimento deste estudo pode trazer importantes resultados tanto para profissionais quanto acadêmicos.

Agriculture industries and their business ecosystems experience data and information overload because of complex network or interconnected domains linked to a variety of agro-based systems. Data search becomes tedious when specific queries are made to support crucial technical and financial decisions by agroecosystem service providers. Due to accumulated volumes of heterogeneous data and information in multiple primary sources, websites and company servers, the agriculture industry needs a robust and flexible digital agroecosystem development. To address the major challenges, a Design Science Research (DSR) approach is adopted, articulating systematic data mapping workflows and integrating their data structures in different knowledge domains. Purpose of the research is aimed at designing and developing an ontology-based data warehousing framework, with comprehensive multidimensional ontologies that motivated us to present various data modelling architectures in different knowledge-based domain applications. An emphasis is given to spatial-temporal dimensions in the modelling process that affect the structuring of data relationships in large geographic regions, which are typical in the agro-business environment.

Continuous service certification (CSC) involves the consistently gathering and assessing certification-relevant information about cloud service operations to validate whether they continue to adhere to certification criteria. Previous research has proposed test-based CSC methodologies that directly assess the components of cloud service infrastructures. However, test-based certification requires that certification authorities can access the cloud infrastructure, which various issues may limit. To address these challenges, cloud service providers need to conduct monitoring-based CSC; that is, monitor their cloud service infrastructure to gather certification-relevant data by themselves and then provide these data to certification authorities. Nevertheless, we need to better understand how to design monitoring systems to enable cloud service providers to perform such monitoring. By taking a design science perspective, we derive universal meta-requirements and design guidelines for CSC monitoring systems based on findings from five expert focus group interviews with 33 cloud experts and 10 one-to-one interviews with cloud customers. With this study, we expand the current knowledge base regarding CSC and monitoring-based CSC. Our derived design guidelines contribute to the development of CSC monitoring systems and enable monitoring-based CSC that overcomes issues of prior test-based approaches.

Cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin is a rapidly developing phenomenon in financial technology with considerable research interest but is understudied. In this research article, we use a Design Science ...

From a design science perspective, information systems and their components are viewed as artifacts. However, not much has been written yet on the ontological status of artifacts or their structure. After March & Smith’s (1995) initial classification of artifacts in terms of models, constructs, methods and instantiations, there have been only a few attempts to come up with a more systematic approach. This conceptual paper provides an ontological analysis of the notion of artifact grounded in the foundational ontology UFO. Its core is an ontological characterization of artifacts, and technical objects in general from a Design Science Research perspective, developed in conversation with other approaches. This general artifact ontology is applied in a systematic classification of IS artifacts. We include practical implications for Design Science Research.