This classroom-texted textbook/reference presents a set of useful modeling techniques, describing how these can be combined into a powerful framework for the analysis and design of business systems. These techniques follow an interactive modeling and simulation (IMS) approach, enabling the modeling and simulation of separate parts of the system at different levels of abstraction, and the composition of these parts in a flexible crosscutting manner that preserves the behavior of the individual parts. Topics and features: presents a detailed introduction to the foundations of IMS for business system design, covering protocol modeling and goal modeling semantics; describes the practical application of IMS for business system design, illustrated by a selection of useful case studies; highlights the advantages of this approach to IMS for business system design, with a focus on performance management, motivation modeling, and communication; includes review questions and exercises at the end of each chapter.

The College of Computing and Informatics (CCI) at UNC-Charlotte has three departments: Computer Science, Software and Information Systems, and Bioinformatics and Genomics. The Department of Computer Science offers study in a variety of specialized computing areas such as database design, knowledge systems, computer graphics, artificial intelligence, computer networks, game design, visualization, computer vision, and virtual reality. The Department of Software and Information Systems is primarily focused on the study of technologies and methodologies for information system architecture, design, implementation, integration, and management with particular emphasis on system security. The Department of Bioinformatics and Genomics focuses on the discovery, development and application of novel computational technologies to help solve important biological problems. This volume gives an overview of research done by CCI faculty in the area of Information & Intelligent Systems. Presented papers focus on recent advances in four major directions: Complex Systems, Knowledge Management, Knowledge Discovery, and Visualization. A major reason for producing this book was to demonstrate a new, important thrust in academic research where college-wide interdisciplinary efforts are brought to bear on large, general, and important problems. As shown in the research described here, these efforts need not be formally organized joint undertakings (through parts could be) but are rather a convergence of interests around grand themes.

This three-volume collection, titled Enterprise Information Systems: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, provides a complete assessment of the latest developments in enterprise information systems research, including development, design, and emerging methodologies. Experts in the field cover all aspects of enterprise resource planning (ERP), e-commerce, and organizational, social and technological implications of enterprise information systems.

Analytics is one of a number of terms which are used to describe a data-driven more scientific approach to management. Ability in analytics is an essential management skill: knowledge of data and analytics helps the manager to analyze decision situations, prevent problem situations from arising, identify new opportunities, and often enables many millions of dollars to be added to the bottom line for the organization. The objective of this book is to introduce analytics from the perspective of the general manager of a corporation. Rather than examine the details or attempt an encyclopaedic review of the field, this text emphasizes the strategic role that analytics is playing in globally competitive corporations today. The chapters of this book are organized in two main parts. The first part introduces a problem area and presents some basic analytical concepts that have been successfully used to address the problem area. The objective of this material is to provide the student, the manager of the future, with a general understanding of the tools and techniques used by the analyst.

This book provides the most current and comprehensive overview available today of the critical role of information systems in emergency response and preparedness. It includes contributions from leading scholars, practitioners, and industry researchers, and covers all phases of disaster management--mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Foundational chapters provide a design framework and review ethical issues. Context chapters describe the characteristics of individuals and organizations in which EMIS are designed and studied. Case Study chapters include systems for distributed microbiology laboratory diagnostics to detect possible epidemics or bioterrorism, humantarian MIS, and response coordination systems. Systems Design and Technology chapters cover simulation, geocollaborative systems, global disaster impact analysis, and environmental risk analysis. Throughout the book, the editors and contributors give special emphasis to the importance of assessing the practical usefulness of new information systems for supporting emergency preparedness and response, rather than drawing conclusions from a theoretical understanding of the potential benefits of new technologies.

This volume contains all papers presented at the Eighth European Meeting on Cybernetics and Systems Research. 169 draft papers were submitted for evaluation. In the process of careful refereeing, 33 papers were rejected and the remaining authors were invited to submit final papers. Out of these, 119 were accepted for presentation at the conference and publication in this volume. These papers were prepared by 173 scientists, authors and co-authors, from 22 European and non-European countries, with different cultural, social, and economic structures. Everybody tried hard to make this conference and its proceedings a true representation of state-of-the-art research worldwide: The members of the Programme Committee and the Chairmen of the Symposia were selected among the ~internationally leading scientists. Great care was taken not to make this conference a "European" or even "Austrian" one. We are happy and proud to hear that these "European Meetings" (the name is a purely traditional one) are recognized as the internationally leading conferences in cybernetics and systems research. Important scientists from allover the world carefully prepare their papers, containing their most recent research findings, and then enjoy the discussions with their co 11 eagues.