Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Synthesis process of the business process structure"

Purpose Multidisciplinary business process management (BPM) research can reap significant impact. We can particularly benefit from incorporating accounting concepts to address some of the key BPM challenges, such as value-creation and return on investment of BPM activities. However, research which addresses a relationship between BPM and accounting is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to provide a detailed synthesis of the current literature that has integrated accounting aspects with BPM. The authors profile and thematically describe existing research, and derive evidence-based directions to guide future research. Design/methodology/approach A multi-staged structured literature review approach to search for the two broad themes, accounting and BPM, supported by NVivo (to manage the papers and the coding and analysis processes) was designed and followed. Findings The paper confirms the dearth of work that ties the two disciplines, despite the synergetic multidisciplinary results that can be attained. Available literature is mostly from the management accounting perspective and relates to describing how performance management, in particular performance measurement, can be applicable to process improvement initiatives together with tools such as activity-based costing and the balanced scorecard. There is a lack of research that examines BPM in relation to any financial accounting perspectives (such as external reporting). Future research directions are proposed together with implications for practitioners with the findings of this structured literature review. Research limitations/implications The paper provides a detailed synthesis of the existing literature on the nexus between accounting and BPM. It summarizes the implications for practitioners and provides directions for future research by identifying key gaps and opportunities with a sound contextual basis for extension and new work. Originality/value Effective literature reviews create strong foundations for future research and accumulate the otherwise scattered knowledge into a single place. This is the first structured literature review that provides a detailed synthesis of the research that ties together the accounting and BPM disciplines, providing a basis for future research directions together with implications for practitioners.

Introduction. Contemporary market realia urge companies towards a transition from functional to process-based management, with processes as the key object of control. Effective business process management enables organizations to reduce costs and increase profitability. In case the management vector is shifted towards a company’s business process development, that involves constant monitoring and optimization, it will also contribute to gaining long-term sustainable competitive advantage. Since modern business environment is intrinsically inseparable from scientific information and intellectual attainments and their implementation results (information technology), management of business process development must be supplemented by powerful information support.The research objective is to provide deeper insights into conceptual framework and structural components of the information support system to facilitate enterprise business process development management as well as to identify the key factors to be considered when designing information software.Research methods. The following methods were used within the current study: comparison, systematic approach, analysis, modeling, synthesis and analytical framework.Findings. Modern approaches to building information support framework for an enterprise as a whole. The importance to provide a description of business processes is argued to design an effective information support system for business processes and their development management mechanism. An author’s original model of information support structure for business process management has been suggested.Conclusions. Complete and accurate information support for business processes is critical to ensure their effective operation. The information support for ensuring business process development management mechanism encompasses the formation and subsequent functioning of the overall system which includes information resources, information technology, software, and corresponding personnel, with following up further division by information support subsystems for providing in-depth analysis and ease of convenience, i.e. the information platform of the of business process development management mechanism.

There are several motives for creating process models ranging from technical scenarios in workflow automation to business scenarios in which management decisions are taken. As a consequence, companies typically have different process models for the same process, which differ in terms of granularity. In this context, business process model abstraction serves as a technique that takes a process model as an input and derives a high-level model with coarse-grained activities and the corresponding control flow between them. In this way, business process model abstraction reduces the number of models capturing the same business process on different abstraction levels. In this article, we provide a solution to the problem of deriving the control flow of an abstract process model for the case that an arbitrary grouping of activities is permitted. To this end, we use behavioral profiles and prove that the soundness of the synthesized process model requires a notion of well-structuredness of the abstract model behavioral profile. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the activities can be grouped according to the data flow of the model in a meaningful way, and that this grouping does not directly coincides with a structural decomposition of the process, which is generally assumed by other abstraction approaches. This finding emphasizes the need for handling arbitrary activity groupings in business process model abstraction.

Abstract One of the main challenges in implementing process-oriented management is establishing a governance mechanism in the organisation. It creates a coherent framework for the execution, management and perception of business processes, which is the foundation of consistent Business Process Management (BPM). Process governance (PG) refers to an organisation’s ability to manage its relationships with all process stakeholders and support the value chain for its customers. Its implementation involves establishing process regulation mechanisms and stakeholder-oriented criteria to support prioritisation, cascading, and change management within BPM initiatives. A review of the domain literature reveals that while process governance has been discussed from several but separated perspectives (strategy, business roles, performance, and maturity), only a few studies identify and synthesise the barriers to its implementation in organisations. The paper mainly aims to identify and classify the key barriers to the implementation of process governance. The author’s approach refers to the six core elements of Business Process Management capability and process governance frameworks. Research results confirm that most process governance barriers polarise around the competence gaps of the process stakeholders and the immaturity of the process-oriented culture of companies. Another significant group of constraints to process governance arises from the existing organisation’s structure. They are mainly related to the proper division of responsibilities and a weak position or the lack of BPM centres of excellence. The research contributes to the literature on management by identifying potential barriers to business process governance that constrain BPM initiatives. The identified PG challenges can provide a basis for developing a theoretical framework for Business Process Management and models for BPM success factors.

Currently, it is becoming progressively clearer within the international scientific community that there is no narrow economic reasoning which could lead to an evolutionary conception of globalization. Under such circumstances, the contemporary globalization crisis emerges as a new center of research for all the converging socio-economic sciences.The current article proposes a new analytical architecture to approach the current dynamics of globalization, by trying to comprehend the underlying evolutionary socio-economic process and by placing the living capitalist firm as a central concept in this analytical framework. In particular, it conceptualizes the capitalistic enterprise as an open living systemunder a constant synthesis of Stra.Tech.Man terms (the interconnection between Strategy, Technology and Management). It studies business as an agent of action which both creates and is created by the socio-economic environment within a continuously systemic process, while perceiving all the sectoral and cross-sectoral dynamics as dialectic agents of the globalizing evolution.Finally, we propose perceiving competitiveness as synthesis of business dynamics, socio-economic spaces and sectoral structures in global level, and draw the conclusion that it is analytically useful and fruitful to understand competitiveness as an organic-strategic process.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the process leading from innovation performance to business performance and, from this basis, facilitate the identification of relevant performance measures. The paper takes its point of departure from a synthesis of the literature around innovation, intellectual capital (IC), knowledge management and business models. Design/methodology/approach The research streams of innovation performance and business performance are combined to provide insights bridging these two traditions. This paper provides empirical evidence from two case studies of business development projects that involved both intervention- and non-intervention-based data collection methods. Findings The research traditions of both innovation performance and business performance identify knowledge, learning and IC as the basis for all value creation activities in organisations. This paper provides a synthesis of the literature in these fields and relates them to each other in accordance with the “process of creating”. This structure allows the discussion of innovation performance and business performance separately and in conjunction with one another, as well providing opportunities for identifying relevant key performance indicators. Research limitations/implications Caution should be taken in the nature of the developed conceptual framework which rests upon the perspective of the author’s subjective interpretation of the current literature. Originality/value These insights are relevant for the development of a performance management structure capable of straddling the common exploration–exploitation paradox, which, in this context, often becomes a compromise between performance optimization and a developmental focus. The discussion reveals three overall constructs, and, from this a future research agenda is developed.

Information systems had been built to meet the requirement of enterprise operations, But the ever-changing market environment leads to unceasing adjustment on enterprise goals, organization structure, business processes of telecommunication companies .The IT architecture should also be adjusted to meet the requirements of enterprise operations. This paper try to investigate on the method of build an evaluation model on IT architecture of a telecommunication company using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The evaluation of the IT architecture is based on a number of criteria (e.g. Completeness, effectiveness, compliance), Measurements need human judgments to estimate their importance and from that importance to develop order and measures priorities, but the pertinent data are difficult to be quantified. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) is an effective approach in dealing with this kind of decision problems. Based on experiential knowledge and also by the views of several experts, we can construct a hierarchy model for the evaluation, and a well researched methodology has been adopted for the synthesis of priorities and the measurement of consistencies.

The aim of the research is an in-depth and detailed knowledge of the start-up business model, which is structured according to Canvas visualization. The research sample contains 106 start-ups operating in Slovakia. Each start-up was researched by a member of the research team, who personally recorded the statements of the founder. The research results are based on qualitative analysis and synthesis of statements of the founders of start-ups. The main results of the research are a summary view of the business model of the examined start-ups, which expresses the peculiarities of the start-up business making, including priorities within its blocks, and the identification of space for variations in the business model of start-ups. A secondary result of the research is the subjective and objective circumstances of the creation of a business idea, its content, confirmation of its originality, and the peculiarity of the start-up development process. The practical use of the results consists in providing a pattern of the business model and the possibilities of its variation, which are the result of field research of real and functioning start-ups. The originality and value of the research lie in the direct collection of qualitative data, immediate knowledge of business reality, and the synthesis of results into a comprehensive and detailed picture of the start-up business model.

<b>Aim of the study:</b> The aim of the article is an identification of problems concerning constructions of the microenterprises’ business model beginning the economic activity with an utilization of the grant-in-aid from resources of the European Union. The attitude and the characteristics of entrepreneurs were emphasized in the article. <br><b>Materials and methods:</b> To achieve the objective of the study, my own examinations were used with the application of the questionnaire of the interview and the observation, which allowed, in the process of the synthesis, to get the adequate results in the research process. <br><b>Results:</b>The analysis of the results allowed the formulation of conclusions, concerning identification of elements of the structure of the business model of the created microenterprise and attitudes and characteristics of entrepreneurs. The research techniques made the diverse approach possible to the problems indicated in the title. <br><b>Conclusions:</b>The priority area concerning the formulation of the business model of microenterprises is the identification of enterprising attitudes of the owner.

The article explores the essence of monetization processes in the structure of internet marketing activities of small business companies. The authors have reviewed the approaches to the characterization of the main processes of Internet marketing. Highlighted communication, conversion processes and their limitations, which determine the need to consider monetization processes as an additional element in the hierarchical interaction of Internet marketing processes in small organizations. The specificity of the monetization processes of Internet marketing was determined, consisting in the economic synthesis of communication and conversion processes, which allows to consider the transformation of behavioral characteristics of target audience units on the websites of small organizations into cash flow from the Internet marketing activities of small organizations. The specifics of Internet marketing monetization process allowed us to present the characteristics and to determine the monetization models used by small organizations. And present the provisions characterizing the role of monetization processes in the Internet marketing activities of small businesses.

Дисертація на здобуття наукового ступеня доктора філософії за спеціальністю 122 "Комп’ютерні науки". – Національний технічний університет "Харківський політехнічний інститут", Харків, 2020. Об’єктом дослідження є процес синтезу структури та реструктуризації бізнес-процесів складних систем. Предметом дослідження є моделі та інформаційна технологія аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів на основі використання різних нотацій моделювання. Дисертацію присвячено вирішенню науково-практичної задачі – розробці моделей та інформаційної технології аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів складних систем. У вступі обґрунтовано актуальність теми дисертаційної роботи, зазначено зв’язок роботи з науковими темами, сформульовано мету і задачі дослідження, визначено об’єкт, предмет та методи дослідження, показано наукову новизну та практичне значення отриманих результатів, наведено інформацію про практичне використання, особистий внесок здобувача, апробацію результатів дослідження та їх висвітлення у публікаціях. Приводяться відомості щодо структури та обсягу дисертаційної роботи. У першому розділі проведено аналіз процесу синтезу структури та реструктуризації бізнес-процесів складних систем як об’єкта дослідження. Виділені проблеми, які в даний момент ще не вирішені і є актуальними з точки зору аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів. Детально розглянуті найбільш популярні та поширені нотації опису структури бізнес- процесів (BPMN, EPC, IDEF0 та DFD); сучасні підходи щодо накопичення та аналізу колекцій моделей бізнес-процесів з метою їх повторного використання; формати представлення структури бізнес-процесів (XPDL, AML, BPMN 2.0). Розглянуто існуючі методи та засоби аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів. В результаті здійсненого огляду було визначено, що у розглянутих літературних джерелах не представлені формальні методи, які б дозволили виявити порушення правил побудови структури бізнес-процесів, представлених за допомогою різних нотацій моделювання, та сформувати рекомендації щодо їх усунення. Сформульовано постановку задачі дослідження проблем, які було виявлено під час аналізу процесу синтезу структури та реструктуризації бізнес-процесів складних систем в ролі об’єкта дослідження. Основними з даних проблем є: формалізація правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів на основі різних нотацій моделювання; розробка узагальненого критерію якості моделей бізнес-процесів; формування методу аналізу та вдосконалення структури бізнес-процесів; розробка моделей, призначених для формування рекомендацій щодо усунення виявлених порушень правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів; розробка інформаційної технології аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів. У другому розділі сформовано теоретичні основи аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів. На основі рекомендацій щодо побудови моделей бізнес-процесів визначено та формалізовано правила побудови моделей бізнес-процесів з використанням різних нотацій моделювання. Сформовано окремі критерії та розроблено узагальнений критерій якості моделей бізнес-процесів на основі методу адитивної згортки критеріїв. На основі виконаних досліджень отримали подальший розвиток: – метод кількісного аналізу структури бізнес-процесів за рахунок формування коефіцієнтів збалансованості, які, на відміну від існуючого, враховують різні елементи структури бізнес-процесу та особливості їх з’єднання, що дозволяє застосувати сформовані коефіцієнти для аналізу моделей бізнес-процесів у різних нотаціях з метою визначення їх відповідності правилам побудови; – метод оцінки якості моделей бізнес-процесів за рахунок формалізації правил побудови та формування узагальненого критерію якості замість окремих метрик якості моделей бізнес-процесів у певних нотаціях, що дозволяє оцінити якість моделі бізнес-процесу на основі єдиного кількісного показника. Третій розділ присвячено розробці моделей аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів. Було розглянуто метод аналізу та вдосконалення структури бізнес-процесів, який дозволяє виявити та усунути порушення правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів при використанні різних нотацій моделювання, та відповідні моделі, призначені для формування рекомендацій щодо усунення виявлених порушень правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів (необхідні зміни у кількості відповідних елементів структури бізнес-процесу та зв’язків між ними), що дозволяє підвищити їхню якість. Оптимізаційні задачі вирішуються на основі використання методу градієнтного спуску. Метод аналізу та вдосконалення структури бізнес-процесів базується на людино- машинній процедурі прийняття рішень, тому було запропоновано процедуру формування зрозумілих людині рекомендацій у вигляді текстових вказівок щодо вдосконалення структури бізнес-процесів на основі результатів вирішення оптимізаційних задач. З метою повторного використання досвіду щодо підвищення якості моделей бізнес-процесів було розроблено процедуру їх групування за подібністю щодо відповідності правилам побудови структури бізнес-процесу. В результаті виконаних досліджень було вперше: – розроблено метод аналізу та вдосконалення структури бізнес-процесів, що дозволяє виявити та усунути порушення правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів при використанні різних нотацій моделювання; – розроблено моделі, призначені для формування рекомендацій щодо усунення виявлених порушень правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів, що дозволяє підвищити якість структури бізнес-процесів. У четвертому розділі на основі опису процесу аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів були визначені функціональні можливості та сформульовані вимоги до інформаційної технології. Архітектура інформаційної технології базується на використанні сучасних технологій вилучення, обробки та збереження інформації про структуру бізнес-процесів. Робота користувача з отриманими результатами може здійснюватися як через веб-інтерфейс, так і на основі використання аналітичної приладової панелі, яка демонструє узагальнені результати аналізу та забезпечує підтримку прийняття рішень щодо підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів. Працездатність розробленої інформаційної технології було перевірено на заздалегідь підготовлених моделях бізнес-процесів у різних нотаціях, в яких було навмисно допущено структурні помилки, які порушують правила побудови структури бізнес-процесів у нотаціях BPMN, EPC, IDEF0 та DFD, а також на повнорозмірній вихідній інформації щодо структури бізнес-процесів у різних нотаціях та різної галузевої приналежності. В результаті було удосконалено інформаційну технологію аналізу та підвищення якості структури бізнес-процесів, яка базується на використанні розроблених методу та моделей замість існуючих рішень, що дозволяє автоматизувати виявлення та усунення порушень правил побудови моделей бізнес-процесів при використанні різних нотацій моделювання. Аналіз отриманих результатів дослідження показав, що розроблений метод та моделі, на яких базується інформаційна технологія, на відміну від існуючих формальних методів та засобів, дозволяють не лише більш точно виявити помилки у структурі бізнес-процесів, поданих у нотаціях BPMN, EPC, IDEF0 та DFD, а й оцінити якість структури бізнес-процесу на основі єдиного кількісного показника та отримати рекомендації щодо її підвищення шляхом внесення необхідних змін у кількості відповідних елементів структури бізнес- процесу та зв’язків між ними. Наведено результати впровадження дисертаційного дослідження у ТОВ "Науковий Парк НТУ "ХПІ" (м. Харків), у Інституті монокристалів НАН України (м. Харків), у науково-дослідних роботах та навчальному процесі кафедри програмної інженерії та інформаційних технологій управління Національного технічного університету "ХПІ".
Thesis for obtaining the philosophy doctor scientific degree on the specialty 122 “Computer sciences”. – National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”, Kharkiv, 2020. Object of research is the process of synthesis and redesign of the business process structure of complex systems. Subject of research includes models and information technology of analysis and quality improvement of the business process structure based on the using of various modeling notations. The dissertation is devoted to the solution of the scientific and practical problem – development of the models and information technology of analysis and quality improvement of the business process structure of complex systems. The introduction substantiates the relevance of the topic of the dissertation, indicates the relationship with scientific topics, the purpose and objectives of the study are formulated, the object, subject and methods of research are identified, the scientific novelty and practical significance of the obtained results is shown, the information on practical use, personal contribution of the applicant, validation of the research results and their coverage in publications are provided. Information about the structure and scope of the dissertation is given. The first section analyzes the process of synthesis and redesign of the business processes structure of complex systems as a research object. Issues that have not yet been resolved and are relevant in terms of analysis and improvement of the quality of business processes are denoted. The most popular and widely used notations (BPMN, EPC, IDEF0, and DFD) that serve to describe business process structure, modern approaches to storing and analyzing business process model collections for their further reuse, business process structure representation formats (XPDL, AML, BPMN 2.0) are discussed in detail. Existing methods and tools of analysis and improvement of quality of business process structure are considered. As a result of the review, it was determined that the reviewed literature sources are not present formal methods that would allow to identify violations of the rules of structure of business processes, represented by various notations of modeling, and to generate recommendations in order to their elimination. The research problem related to those issues, which were revealed during the analysis of the process of synthesis and restructuring of the structure of business processes of complex systems as a research object, is formulated. The main of these problems are: formalization of rules of business process model design based on different modeling notations; development of the generalized quality criterion for business process models; formation of the method of analysis and improvement of a business process structure; development of the models, which are intended to form recommendations for elimination of revealed violations of business process model design rules; development of the information technology of analysis and quality improvement of the business process structure. The second section describes the theoretical foundations of the analysis and improvement of the quality of the structure of business processes. Based on the recommendations of business process model design, the rules of business process model design using different modeling notations are defined and formalized. Individual criteria have been formed, as well as the generalized quality criterion for business process models has been developed, which is based on the multi-criteria decision making method. The research presented in the second section has allowed elaborating: – the method of quantitative analysis of the business process structure is elaborated through the formation of balance coefficients, which, unlike the existing one, take into account different elements of the business process structure and features of their interrelations, which allows to apply the formed coefficients for the analysis of business process models in different notations in order to determine their compliance with the design rules; – the method of business process model quality assessment is elaborated by formalizing the design rules and generating a generic quality criterion instead of individual business process model metrics for certain notations, which allows to evaluate the business process model quality using a single quantitative metric. The third section is devoted to the development of models of analysis and improvement of the business process structure. There were considered the method of analysis and improvement of the business process structure, which allows detecting and eliminating violations of business process model design rules when using different modeling notations, and the models used to form recommendations for elimination of detected violations of business process model design rules (necessary changes in the number of certain elements of the business process structure and connections between them), which allows to improve the business process structure quality. The corresponding optimization problems are solved using the gradient descent method. The method of analyzing and improving the business process structure is based on the human-machine decision-making process, so it was proposed the procedure for formulating recommendations in the form of understandable text instructions for improving the business process structure based on the results of optimization problem solutions. In order to reuse the experience of improving the business process model quality, the procedure for grouping them by similarity in the context of fulfillment to the rules of business process structure design was developed. As the result of research, for the first time were obtained: – the method of analysis and improvement of the business process structure, which allows identifying and eliminating violations of the rules of building business models when using different modeling notations; – the models designed to formulate recommendations for eliminating identified violations of business process model design rules, which can improve the quality of the business process structure. In the fourth section on the basis of a detailed description of the process of analysis and improvement of the business process structure quality, functional capabilities and requirements for the information technology were defined. The information technology architecture is based on the use of modern technologies for extracting, processing and storing information about the business process structure. User work with the obtained results can be performed either through the web interface or through the analytical dashboard, which demonstrates generalized analysis results and provides decision support for improving the quality of the business process structure. The information technology was validated using prepared business process models provided in various notations, in which structural errors that violate certain business process structure design rules of BPMN, EPC, IDEF0, and DFD notations were intentionally injected; and using the full scale input information on the business process structure provided in different notations and domains. As the result there were improved the information technology of analysis and improvement of quality of business process structure, which is based on the developed method and models instead of existing solutions, which further allows automating detection and elimination of violations of business process models design in various notations. The analysis of the research results has shown that the formed method and the developed models, on which the information technology is based, unlike the existing formal methods and tools, allow not only to more accurately detect errors in the business process structure described using BPMN, EPC, IDEF0, and DFD notations, but also to evaluate the quality of the business process structure on the basis of a single quantitative indicator and obtain recommendations for its improvement by making necessary changes in the number of certain elements of the business process structure and the relations between them. Thesis research results were implemented at the “Scientific Park of NTU “KhPI” LLC (Kharkiv), state scientific institution “Institute for Single Crystals” of National Academy of Science of Ukraine (Kharkiv), in scientific research works and educational process of the Department of Software Engineering and Management Information Technologies of National Technical University “KhPI”.

Many relationship-based studies focus on how businesses are maintained and developed. However, little attention focused on individuals as business initiators and the consequent processes. This study will bridge this gap. A theoretical model with two cases will answer two questions    -How individuals initiate business through personal network? -What is the consequent process?   The studies demonstrate that individual do play a very important role when initiating a new business and they set in motion relationship-building processes that change the network structure.   The contribution for research and management is clear. The netentrepruer is a new ‘actor’ and can be useful in future studies of business networks. Management can usefully become conscious of the possibilities they have in studying their network contacts before initiating new businesses. Managers should utilize managing individual’s networks as new competition strategies. This will modify the view of management strategy and also contribute to theory building.

A review of the developments within the field of structural reliability theory shows that some gaps still exist in the reliability prediction process and hence there is an urgent desire for improvements such that the estimated structural reliability will be capable of expressing a physical property of the given structure. The current reliability prediction process involves the continuous estimation and use of reliability index as a way of estimating the safety of any given structure. The reliability index β depends on the Probability Density Function (PDF) distribution for the wave force and the corresponding PDF of resistance from respective structural members of the given structure. The PDF for the applied wave force will depend on the PDF of water depth, wave angular velocity and wave direction hence the reliability index as currently practiced is a statistical way of managing uncertainties based on a general probabilistic model. This research on Smart Offshore Structure for Reliability Prediction has proposed the design of a measurement based reliability prediction process as a way of closing the gap on structural reliability prediction process. Structural deflection and damping are some of the measurable properties of an offshore structure and this study aims at suggesting the use of these measurable properties for improvements in structural reliability prediction process. A design case study has shown that a typical offshore structure can deflect to a range of only a few fractions of a millimetre. This implies that if we have a way of monitoring this level of deflection, we could use the results from such measurement for the detection of a structural member failure. This advocated concept is based on the hypothesis that if the original dynamic characteristics of a structure is known, that measurement based modified dynamic properties can be used to determine the onset of failure or failure propagation of the given structure. This technology could reveal the location and magnitude of internal cracks or corrosion effects on any given structure which currently is outside the current probability based approach. A simple economic analysis shows that the recommended process shows a positive net present value and that some $74mln is the Value of Information for any life extension technology that could reveal the possibility of extending the life of a given 10,000bopd production platform from 2025 to 2028.

Organizações modernas apresentam demandas relacionadas à automação dos seus processos de negócio devido à alta complexidade dos mesmos e à necessidade de maior eficácia na execução. Neste contexto, a tecnologia de workflow tem se mostrado bastante eficiente, principalmente para a automatização dos processos de negócio. No entanto, por ser uma tecnologia emergente e em evolução, workflow apresenta algumas limitações. Ainda que diversos (meta) modelos de workflow tenham sido propostos nos últimos, anos, seus sub-modelos para representação dos aspectos estruturais da organização apresentam baixo poder de expressão. Além disso, a maioria das ferramentas para modelagem de workflow não provêm funcionalidades para definição, consulta e reuso de padrões. Um dos principais problemas é falta de um mapeamento consolidado entre padrões de funções recorrentes em processos de negócio (ex: solicitação de execução de atividade, aprovação de documentos) e (meta) modelos e/ou ferramentas para modelagem de processos de negócio e workflow. Além disso, a maioria das abordagens em padrões de workflow não exploram a completude e necessidade dos seus padrões para modelagem de workflow. A primeira contribuição desta tese é um Modelo Transacional de Processos de Negócio (MTPN) com suporte aos aspectos estruturais da organização. O metamodelo possibilita a criação de (sub-)processos de negócio a partir do reuso de padrões, principalmente com base nestes aspectos. Adicionalmente, o metamodelo sugere a geração automática de padrões através da Linguagem de Execução para Web Services (BPEL4WS). Outra importante contribuição da tese é um conjunto de padrões de workflow representados como atividades de bloco. Cada padrão descreve uma função recorrente em processos de negócio. A mineração de 190 processos de workflow de mais de 10 organizações diferentes provou a existência dos padrões com alto suporte nos processos de workflow analisados. Além disso, o estudo mostrou que o conjunto de padrões é suficiente e necessário para modelar todos os 190 processos investigados. O estudo também resultou em um conjunto de regras de associação. As regras não apenas contribuem para uma melhor definição dos padrões de atividade de bloco, mas também para a combinação destes com padrões de controle de fluxo.
Modern organizations have demands related to the automation of their business processes since such processes are highly complex and need to be efficiently executed. Within this context, the workflow technology has shown to be very effective, mainly in the business process automation. However, as it is an emergent technology and in constant evolution, workflow presents some limitations. Though several workflow (meta) models have been proposed in recent years, their sub-models for organizational structure aspects representation show limited power of expression. On the other hand, most of the current workflow modeling tools do not provide functionalities that enable users to define, query, and reuse workflow patterns properly. One of the main problems is the non-availability of a consolidated mapping between patterns based on recurrent functions found in business processes (e.g., request for activity execution, notification, decision, or approval) and workflow (meta) models or workflow modeling tools. Relying on these problems, the first contribution of this thesis is a Transactional Metamodel of Business Process (TMBP) with support to organizational structure aspects. The metamodel makes feasible to create business (sub-)processes from the reuse of organizational –based workflow patterns. An additional feature of TMBP supports the generation of business (sub-)processes through the Business Process Execution Language for Web Services (BPEL4WS). Other important contribution of this thesis is a set of workflow patterns represented as block activity patterns. Each pattern refers to a recurrent business function frequently found in business processes. The mining of 190 workflow processes of more than 10 different organizations has evidenced the existence of the set of workflow patterns with high support in the workflow processes analyzed. Moreover, it became clear through this study that the set of patterns is both necessary and enough to design all 190 processes that were investigated. As a consequence of the mining process, a set of association rules was identified too. The rules not only help to better define specific workflow patterns, but also combine them with existent control flow patterns. These rules can be useful for building more complex workflows.

Many management system engineering ideas and theories have evolved to help businesses grow and achieve their goals. Applying these ideas and theories to a business system is a strategic planning issue and results in a bewildering array of strategic alternatives for business system improvement. Choosing the appropriate alternatives is a complex and difficult decision. The most appropriate strategic alternative must be executable. To be executable the strategic alternative must not only be technically feasible, but must also overcome social and cultural obstructions. This research presents a planning approach to select the most appropriate strategic alternative and to plan its implementation. The planning approach is built on a planning framework synthesized from previous research. This framework involves the following planning functions: 1. Determine business strategic alternatives 2. Acquire business knowledge 3. Shape business for strategic advantage 4. Implement plan - operational engagement The planning approach uses Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Project Management Tools (PMT) and Design Structure Matrix (DSM) to implement these functions and plan business improvements. This research demonstrates that rational hierarchies appropriate for strategic alternatives analysis using AHP can be constructed. Business scenarios are used to show that AHP method prioritizes alternative strategies differently under different business circumstances. In addition, the data generated by the AHP can be aggregated into statements of work and input into DSM to generate a project plan to implement organizational design changes and achieve strategic intent.

Background: Mergers have been increasing during the latter part of the 1990s. In the Nordic region many previously national companies have joined their forces to create a new Nordic company. This will lead to many challenges when the companies are integrated.

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the integration phase. Our goal is to study the integration of Cloetta Fazer and learn how the company can handle the two types of integration.

Procedure: To be able to prove our assumptions, that were made on the basis of literature, we have collected empirical material by interviewing eight managers at Cloetta Fazer.

Summary: We have identified a conflict between structural and cultural integration that occur because one type of integration may proceed faster than the other. That is why our statement is that the two types of integration are dependent on each other.

Bakgrund: Fusioner har ökat under senare delen av 1990-talet. I Norden har många tidigare nationella företag gått samman för att bilda ett nytt nordiskt företag. Detta leder till utmaningar när företagen skall integreras.

Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att undersöka integrationsprocessen. Vårt mål är att studera integrationen av Cloetta Fazer och lära hur ett företag kan hantera de två olika typerna av integration.

Genomförande: För att kunna bevisa våra frågeställningar, som gjordes på basen av litteratur, har vi samlat in empiriskt material genom att intervjua åtta stycken chefer på Cloetta Fazer.

Sammandrag: Vi har identifierat en konflikt mellan strukturell och kulturell integration som beror på att den ena typen fortgår snabbare än den andra. Därmed är vår slutsats att dessa två typer av integration är beroende av varandra.

This thesis examines two complex, dynamic problems by employing the theory of Markov Decision Processes (MDPs). Chapters 2 and 3 consider assemble-to-order (ATO) inventory systems. An ATO system consists of several components and several products, and assembles products as demand is realized; it is becoming increasingly popular since it provides greater flexibility in manufacturing at a reasonable cost. This work contributes to the ATO research stream by characterizing optimal inventory replenishment and allocation policies. Chapter 4 examines the new product development (NPD) process with scarce resources and many projects in parallel, each lasting several periods, in the face of uncertainty. This study advances the NPD literature by revealing that optimal project selection and resource allocation decisions are congestion-dependent. Below, I elaborate on the novel optimal policies and structural results I obtain using MDP formulations, which is the overarching theme of the thesis. In Chapter 2, I consider generalized ATO “M-systems" with multiple components and multiple products. These systems involve a single “master" product which uses multiple units from each component, and multiple individual products each of which consumes multiple units from a different component. Such systems are common for manufacturers selling an assembled product as well as individual spare parts. I model these systems as infinite-horizon MDPs under the discounted cost criterion. Each component is produced in batches of fixe size in a make-to stock fashion; batch sizes are determined by individual product sizes. Production times are independent and exponentially distributed. Demand for each product arrives as an independent Poisson process. If not satisfied immediately upon arrival, these demands are lost. Therefore the state of the system can be described by component inventory levels. A control policy specifies when a batch of components should be produced (i.e., inventory replenishment), and whether an arriving demand for each product should be satisfied (i.e.,inventory allocation). The convexity property that has been largely used to characterize optimal policies in the MDP literature may fail to hold in our case. Therefore I introduce new functional characterizations for submodularity and supermodularity restricted to certain lattices of the state space. The optimal cost function satisfies these new characterizations: The state space of the problem can be partitioned into disjoint lattices such that, on each lattice, (a) it is optimal to produce a batch of a particular component if and only if the state vectors less than a certain threshold associated with that component, and (b) it is optimal to fulfill a demand of a particular product if and only if the state vector is greater than or equal to a certain threshold associated with that product. I refer to this policy as a lattice-dependent base-stock and lattice-dependent rationing (LBLR) policy. I also show that if the optimization criterion is modified to the average cost rate, LBLR remains optimal. Chapter 2 makes three important contributions. First, this is the first study that establishes the optimal inventory replenishment and allocation policies for M-systems. Second, this study is the first to characterize the optimal policies for any ATO problem when different products may use the same component in different quantities. Third, I introduce new functional characterizations restricted to certain lattices of the state space, giving rise to an LBLR policy. In Chapter 3, I evaluate the use of an LBLR policy for general ATO systems as a heuristic. I numerically compare the globally optimal policy to LBLR and two other heuristics from the literature: a state-dependent base-stock and state-dependent rationing (SBSR) policy, and a fixed base-stock and fixed rationing (FBFR) policy. Taking the average cost rate as the performance criterion, I develop a linear program to find the globally optimal cost, and Mixed Integer Programming formulations to find the optimal cost within each heuristic class. I generate more than 1800 instances for the general ATO problem, not restricted to the assumptions of Chapter 2, such as the M-system product structure. Interestingly, LBLR yields the globally optimal cost in all instances, while SBSR and FBFR provide solutions within 2.7% and 4.8% of the globally optimal cost, respectively. These numerical results also provide several insights into the performance of LBLR relative to other heuristics: LBLR and SBSR perform significantly better than FBFR when replenishment batch sizes imperfectly match the component requirements of the most valuable or most highly demanded product. In addition, LBLR substantially outperforms SBSR if it is crucial to hold a significant amount of inventory that must be rationed. Based on the numerical findings in Chapter 3, future research could investigate the optimality of LBLR for ATO systems with general product structures. However, as I construct counter-examples showing that submodularity and supermodularity { which are used to prove the optimality of LBLR in Chapter 2 { need not hold for general ATO systems, showing the optimality of LBLR for general ATO systems will likely require alternate proof techniques. In Chapter 4, I study the problem of project selection and resource allocation in a multistage new product development (NPD) process with stage-dependent resource constraints. As in Chapters 2 and 3, I model the problem as an infinite-horizon MDP, specifically under the discounted cost criterion. Each NPD project undergoes a different experiment at each stage of the NPD process; these experiments generate signals about the true nature of the project. Experimentation times are independent and exponentially distributed. Beliefs about the ultimate outcome of each project are updated after each experiment according to a Bayesian rule. Projects thus become differentiated through their signals, and all available signals for a project determine its category. The state of the system is described by the numbers of projects in each category. A control policy specifies, given the system state, how to utilize the resources at each stage, i.e., the projects (i) to experiment at each stage, and (ii) to terminate. I characterize the optimal control policy as following a new type of strategy, state-dependent on-congestive promotion (SDNCP), for two different special cases of the general problem: (a)when there is a single informative experiment and projects are not terminated, or (b) when there are multiple uninformative experiments. An SDNCP policy implies that, at each stage, it is optimal to advance a project with the highest expected reward to the next stage if and only if the number of projects in each successor category is less than a state-dependent threshold. In addition, I show that threshold values decrease in a non-strict sense as a later stage becomes more congested or as an earlier stage becomes less congested. (A stage becomes “more congested" with an increase in the number of projects at this stage or with an increase in the expected reward of any project at this stage.) An SDNCP policy can be used as a heuristic for the general problem. I support the outstanding performance of an SDNCP policy in the general case through a numerical study. These findings highlight the importance of taking into account congestion in optimal portfolio strategies.

The textbook presents modern ideas about the development and formation of the economy of the information society. Scientific concepts of transformation of the modern post-industrial society into an information society based on information and communication technologies and knowledge are highlighted. The basic concepts of technological processes of the information society, as well as definitions and dynamics of development of information resources, products and services in the economy of the information society, and a number of other topical issues are presented. The structure of the manual helps to identify the main aspects of the studied socio-economic processes, organize and specify the educational process. Questions for self-control and tasks are offered to activate the assimilation of the material. Meets the requirements of the Federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation. It is intended for students of higher educational institutions studying in the field of training 38.03.05 "Business Informatics".

The tutorial discusses the design features of information systems (is) involved in the implementation of CALS technologies: MRP/MRPII/ERP systems, e-Commerce systems (B2B), supply chain management (SCM), customer relationship management (CRM), and decision support systems (OLAP). The issues of choosing the design technology, software tools for project development, building functional and information models in the environment of Business Studio, MS Visio, Elma, AllFusion Modeling Suite and Oracle Designer 10g, as well as the development of technical and operational documentation are highlighted. The characteristics of CASE technologies and their implementation in the Oracle Designer 10g environment are considered. A comparative analysis of the standards of the organization of the life cycle of creating and using IP, practical recommendations for the development of standard profiles, examples of the development of an IP project based on a cascading model of the life cycle, including using a process approach in the management and automation of processes. The models of the client — server architecture and the structure of cloud computing are considered. Modern approaches to the selection of ready-made is and their implementation in automated enterprises are studied in detail. Meets the requirements of the Federal state educational standards of higher education of the latest generation. It is intended for students (bachelors and specialists) and masters of higher educational institutions studying in the direction of "Applied Informatics". It is also recommended for teachers and specialists working in the field of information technology.

The monograph is devoted to the methodology of material and technical support of railway transport. According to the types of activities, the nature of the material and technical resources used, technologies, means and management systems, Russian railways belong to the category of high-tech industries that must have high quality and technical level, reliability and technological efficiency in operation. For this reason, the logistics system itself, both in structure and in the algorithm of the functions performed as a whole, needs a serious improvement in the quality of its work. The economic situation in Russia requires a revision of the principles and mechanisms of management based on the corporate model of supply chain management, focused on logistics knowledge. In the difficult economic conditions of the current decade, it is necessary to improve the quality of the supply organization of enterprises and structural divisions of railway transport, directly related to the implementation of the process approach, the advantage of which is a more detailed regulation of management actions and their mutual coordination. In order to increase the efficiency of its activities and develop the management system, Russian Railways is developing a lean production system aimed at further expanding the implementation of the principles of customer orientation, ideology and corporate culture. At the present time, the solution of many issues is impossible without a cybernetic approach to the formulation of problems of material and technical support and logistics analysis of information technologies, to the implementation of the developed algorithms and models of development strategies and concepts for improving the business processes of the production system. The management strategy, or the general plan for the implementation of activities for the management of material resources, is based on a fundamental assessment of the alignment and correlation of forces and factors operating in the economic and political field, taking into account the impact on the specific form of the management strategy. The materials will be useful to the heads and specialists of the directorates of the MTO, CDZs and can be used in the scientific research of bachelors, masters and postgraduates interested in the economics of railway transport and supply logistics.

*E-mail: jurga.vesterte@vgtu.lt Abstract. Purpose – the purpose of this research is to determine aspects of the service delivery process what must be considered for modularisation. The aim is reached through (1) investigating the process construct; (2) describing and schematizing service delivery process through integration of customer and provider perspectives; (3) ascertaining the as-pects of the service delivery process modularisation. Research methodology – the article is built on an overview of the scientific literature dealing with the topic, using meth-ods of comparative analysis, systemic analysis, abstraction, synthesis, abductive reasoning. Findings – for achieving service modularisation, the service provider may apply standardisation and automation methods on three dimensions of service delivery process: (1) service offering; (2) parts of the service process that are managed by the provider; (3) organisational structure of the provider. Research limitations – the study examines the aspects of modularity only on the conceptual level. A natural extension of this research is an empirical investigation of the introduced approaches. Practical implications – the proposed approaches help practitioners in the decision-making process for a service delivery process modularisation. Originality/Value – the study approaches the modularisation of the service delivery process considering the customer and service provider perspectives and fills the gap in the literature on service modularisation management. Keywords: services; service modularity; service delivery process; service management.

This paper analyzes infographics as a problem solving tool to act as a medium for establishing dialog in the business context. Businness needs agreements, usually made in a written-form in a document called “brief”. The drawings, illustrations, visual narratives or infographic work can be considered a form of visual agreements for the participants. We present two case studies that consider the use of particular elements and cognitive processes involved in this visual agreement strongly connected to synthesis in dialog , memory and message clarity. By analyzing the visual languaje structure of real case infographic projects of the national housing social debt collection process (Infonavit, 2010) and the problem of child obesity (Cepol, 2012) where drawing plays a major role as a tool to communicate the operation of visual imaginery, we suggest a prominent role of drawing in the shaping process of the client´s inner topology. We introduce a preliminar analyitical framework –drawn from studies and theories like dual-coding theory (Pavios,1971), rhethoric, neurocognitive processes (Kosslyn, 1986), aesthetics and language philosophy (Goodman, 1978)– for understanding how this visual agreement denote and connote unstated viewing conventions and prioritize particular interpretations that can significantly affect the final solution. Finally we identify areas of future inquiry of new approaches on identity construction from a synthetic representation point of view.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/IFDP.2016.3376

The developed credit score model represents an innovative and advanced way in the credit rating process that uses both financial and qualitative indicators in estimating creditworthiness. in order to develop the model a research has been carried out in the croatian banking sector and among the consulting companies involved in the process of creditworthiness. the model has been developed based on the findings and conclusions from the conducted research and contributes in the economic science, specifically in the field of innovation and competitiveness. The balance sheet data and the indicators originating from the financial statements can be used to determine how a company was performing in the past and how successful it was. But this information tells us very little about the quality of management, market share, company plans, production process, organizational structure, etc. and nothing about the directions in which the company is developing. This means that during the process of evaluation of creditworthiness a risk analyst needs much more information than the annual financial statements can provide. That is why qualitative factors must be also considered when estimating creditworthiness. The aim of this paper is to research the importance of the common use of the proposed qualitative and financial indicators in the process of estimating creditworthiness, and, in addition, to propose a model based on the resulting research findings. In the proposed credit score model, the final credit rating is determined by the synthesis and common scoring of financial and qualitative indicators, which ultimately reflects internal and external factors that directly affect the operations of any business entity. The proposed model will certainly allow a simpler and better rating score of small, medium and large companies, and with its simplicity it will contribute to the analysis of each business entity. In the model itself, the optimal choice of financial and qualitative indicators and their weighted values were used to make a more reliable credit rating score considering the internal and external factors affecting the business. Determining credit rating by applying financial and qualitative indicators provides comprehensive and credible information about the business entity and its business risks and thus allows the making of punctual and correct business decisions, i.e. wrong business decisions are prevented.

Abstract This paper presents an integrated subsurface study that focuses on delivering field development planning of two reservoirs via comprehensive reservoir characterization workflows. The upper gas reservoir and lower oil reservoir are in communication across a major fault in the crest area of the structure. Gas from the upper reservoir, which is not under development, is being produced along with some oil producers from the oil reservoir as per acquired surveillance data. Pressure depletion is observed in observer wells of the upper reservoir, which substantiate both reservoirs communication. The oil reservoir is on production since 1994, under miscible hydrocarbon water alternating gas injection (HCWAG) and carbon dioxide (CO2) injection. The currently implemented development plan has been facing several complexities and challenges including, but not limited to, maintaining miscibility conditions, sustainability of production and injection in view of reservoirs communication, reservoir modeling challenges, suitability of monitoring strategy, associated operating costs and expansion of field development in newly appraised areas. In this study, an assessment of multiple alternative field development scenarios was conducted; with an aim to tackle field management and reservoir challenges. It commenced by a comprehensive synthesis of seismic, petrophysical (including extensive core characterizations), geological, production and reservoir engineering data to ensure data adequacy and effectiveness for development planning. The process was followed by evaluation of the historical reservoir management, HCWAG and CO2 injection practices using advanced analytics to identify areas for improvement and accelerate decision making process. The identified areas of improvement were incorporated into a dynamic model via diverse set of field management logics to screen wide range of scenarios. In the final step, the optimal scenarios were selected, in line of having strong economic indicators, honoring operational constraints, corporate business plan and strategic objectives. The comprehensive and flexible field management logic was set up to target different challenges and was used to extensively screen hundreds of different field development scenarios varying several parameters. Examples of such parameters are WAG ratio, injection pressures for both water/gas and CO2, cycle duration, well placement, reservoir production and injection guidelines, different co-development production schemes coupled with static and dynamic uncertainty properties against incremental oil production and discounted cash flow. The simulation results were analyzed using standardized approach where a number of key indicators was cross-referenced to produce optimal field development scenarios with regards to co-development effect of both reservoirs, miscibility conditions, balanced pressure depletion, harmonized sweep as well as robust discounted cash flow. Strong management support, multi-disciplinary data integration, agility of decision making and revisions in a controlled timeframe are considered as the key pillars for success of this study. The adopted workflow covers subsurface modeling aspects from A-Z and following reservoir characterization and modeling best practices. The methodology applied in this study uses an integrated subsurface structured approach to tackle reservoirs challenges and co-development, generate alternative development options leveraging on data analytics techniques and advanced field management strategies.

Maintenance of traffic (MOT) during construction periods is critical to the success of project delivery and the overall mission of transportation agencies. MOT plans may include full road closures and coordination of detours near construction areas. Various state DOTs have designed their own manuals for detour mapping and coordination. However, very limited information is provided to select optimal detour routes. Moreover, closures or detours should provide not only measurable consequences, such as vehicle operating costs and added travel time, but also various unforeseen qualitative impacts, such as business impacts and inconvenience to local communities. Since the qualitative aspects are not easily measurable they tend to be neglected in systematic evaluations and decision-making processes. In this study, the current practices obtained based on an extensive literature review, a nation-wide survey, as well as a series of interviews with INDOT and other state DOTs are leveraged to (1) identify a comprehensive set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for detour route mapping, (2) understand how other state DOTs address the qualitative criteria, (3) identify how the involved risks during the planning, service time, and closure of the detour routes are managed, and (4) recommend process improvements for INDOT detour mapping guidelines. As demonstrated by two sample case studies, the proposed KPIs can be taken as a basis for developing a decision-support tool that enables decision-makers to consider both qualitative and quantitative aspects for optimal detour route mapping. In addition, the current INDOT detour policy can be updated based on the proposed process improvements.

New potential for engineering chloroplasts to express novel traits has stimulated research into relevant techniques and genetic processes, including plastid transformation and gene regulation. This BARD-funded research dealt with the mechanisms that influence chloroplast RNA accumulation, and thus gene expression. Previous work on cpRNA catabolism has elucidated a pathway initiated by endonucleolytic cleavage, followed by polyadenylation and exonucleolytic degradation. A major player in this process is the nucleus-encoded exoribo-nuclease/polymerase polynucleotide phosphorylase (PNPase). Biochemical characterization of PNPase has revealed a modular structure that controls its RNA synthesis and degradation activities, which in turn are responsive to the phosphate (P) concentration. During the funding period, new insights emerged into the molecular mechanism of RNA metabolism in the chloroplast and cyanobacteria, suggesting strategies for improving agriculturally-important plants or plants with novel introduced traits.

New potential for engineering chloroplasts to express novel traits has stimulated research into relevant techniques and genetic processes, including plastid transformation and gene regulation. This proposal continued our long time BARD-funded collaboration research into mechanisms that influence chloroplast RNA accumulation, and thus gene expression. Previous work on cpRNA catabolism has elucidated a pathway initiated by endonucleolytic cleavage, followed by polyadenylation and exonucleolytic degradation. A major player in this process is the nucleus-encoded exoribonuclease/polymerasepolynucleotidephoshorylase (PNPase). Biochemical characterization of PNPase has revealed a modular structure that controls its RNA synthesis and degradation activities, which in turn are responsive to the phosphate (P) concentration. However, the in vivo roles and regulation of these opposing activities are poorly understood. The objectives of this project were to define how PNPase is controlled by P and nucleotides, using in vitro assays; To make use of both null and site-directed mutations in the PNPgene to study why PNPase appears to be required for photosynthesis; and to analyze plants defective in P sensing for effects on chloroplast gene expression, to address one aspect of how adaptation is integrated throughout the organism. Our new data show that P deprivation reduces cpRNA decay rates in vivo in a PNPasedependent manner, suggesting that PNPase is part of an organismal P limitation response chain that includes the chloroplast. As an essential component of macromolecules, P availability often limits plant growth, and particularly impacts photosynthesis. Although plants have evolved sophisticated scavenging mechanisms these have yet to be exploited, hence P is the most important fertilizer input for crop plants. cpRNA metabolism was found to be regulated by P concentrations through a global sensing pathway in which PNPase is a central player. In addition several additional discoveries were revealed during the course of this research program. The human mitochondria PNPase was explored and a possible role in maintaining mitochondria homeostasis was outlined. As polyadenylation was found to be a common mechanism that is present in almost all organisms, the few examples of organisms that metabolize RNA with no polyadenylation were analyzed and described. Our experiment shaded new insights into how nutrient stress signals affect yield by influencing photosynthesis and other chloroplast processes, suggesting strategies for improving agriculturally-important plants or plants with novel introduced traits. Our studies illuminated the poorly understood linkage of chloroplast gene expression to environmental influences other than light quality and quantity. Finely, our finding significantly advanced the knowledge about polyadenylation of RNA, the evolution of this process and its function in different organisms including bacteria, archaea, chloroplasts, mitochondria and the eukaryotic cell. These new insights into chloroplast gene regulation will ultimately support plant improvement for agriculture