Current Research Topics
My research interests are based on one leading application area (dynamic service-oriented
business integration) and one leading technology aspect (information system architecture). Within
this context, three interwoven focal points exist: interorganizational business process management, business model design and implementation, and electronic
contract and transaction management. Together, these lead to my research activities,
the main ones of which are briefly described below.
DIBPM: Dynamic Interorganizational Business Process Management
DIBPM is a long-running research activity into support for dynamically established interorganizational
business processes, for example in dynamic virtual enterprises. The research activity is coupled to
spin-off activities of the CrossFlow, CrossWork and XTC projects (see completed research activities).
The research approach has a strong e-business flavor, as reflected in two books that have appeared in 2010:
The research is also applied to the support of Supply Chain Management. Here, the context is formed by the
European Supply Chain Forum
and
Dinalog.
Results of this line of research have been presented at several conferences as a keynote:
ASCI: Adaptors for Service Component Integration
ASCI is an internal research project in the IS group. The project focuses on the automated
generation of adapters to reconcile incompatibilities of protocols of service components
that have to be integrated to support cross-organizational business processes. The research
aims to develop a framework for adaptor-based process integration of service components
containing parallelism. This framework will contain tractable, fully automated algorithms
for checking compatibility and generating adaptors. To justify a generated adopter, a
declarative high-level adapter specification to which the adaptor conforms will be generated.
CoProFind: Contracted Business Processes in the Financial Industry
CoProFind is an industry-financed, collaborative research effort in collaboration with
De Lage Landen,
a global player in the field of asset-based financing. The project was started in 2009
and is planned to run for 4 years. The CoProFind project researches and designs innovative business models and
operational models for the establishment and cross-organizational enactment of asset-based
financial services. The models include highly dynamic, contract-based e-business models,
process models for bidirectional process outsourcing, and corporate e-business architectures.
Integration of models is a major aspect, as well as mapping to state-of-the-art information
technology. As a project spin-off, a methodology is designed that supports the structured engineering of business models in the service industry and their implementation in networked business organizations.
SHOPPS: Supporting Harmonization of Processes for Procurement and Sourcing
SHOPPS is a collaborative research effort between the IS and ITEM groups within the School of
Industrial Engineering of TU/e. The project is partly funded by the European Supply Chain Forum.
The project aims to develop support for harmonization of sourcing and procurement processes,
including their IT support, at the tactical (sourcing) and operational (procurement) levels.
In particular support will be developed for horizontal, interorganizational harmonization
(between organizations that perform different activities in a value chain to be able to link
them) and vertical, intraorganizational harmonization (across organizations that perform the
same activity in a value chain to standardize them).
NLI: National Logistics Information Network
NLI is a collaborative R&D effort between industry and academia to design and implement a next-generation information network that will form the collaboration backbone around the harbours of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. The network includes both functionality of a Port Community System for collaboration within the harbour context and a Port Services Portal for collaboration between harbour-based parties and third parties (such as road-based logistics providers).