Papers by Miroslav Špaček
SHS web of conferences, 2020
The paper deals with risks and uncertainties that are related to business processes. The risks an... more The paper deals with risks and uncertainties that are related to business processes. The risks and uncertainties (risk factors) can significantly influence organizational performance, value creation and long term-sustainability. Managers are often puzzled with making decisions in the environment of breakthrough discontinuities. The main outcome of the paper is the presentation of purposefully developed software tool that uses stochastic simulation of risks and uncertainties of business processes to support making optimum managerial decisions. This software is able to simulate any process risk factors that are describable by a mathematical model. The model was tested on the examples of production and investment cases. The research applied Business Process Modelling Notation Approach (BPMN) as well as mathematical and stochastic modelling. In addition, contextual interviews with company managers and risk specialists were used to get unbiased, reliable, and professional information on determination and analysis of process risk factors. The research was also supported by the evidence provided by the case study that illustrates software based decision-making process relating to opting for technology variant.
Economies, 2021
Shaped by the current turbulent era of macroeconomic forces, inclusive of the technological chall... more Shaped by the current turbulent era of macroeconomic forces, inclusive of the technological challenges of Industry 4.0, and ubiquitous uncertainties, the business environment and its stakeholders hold high expectations for sustainable organizational practices, including harmonized and comprehensible sustainability reporting. Increasingly, responsible behavior towards internal stakeholders comes from within organizations, valuing employees as a key asset and introducing sustainable human resource management (S-HRM) practices to motivate their workforce. Reporting on these S-HRM practices and sustainability is in the highest interests of managers and investors alike. Focusing on the involved parties, employees most particularly, the paper contributes to the stakeholder theory. The literature review, previous S-HRM studies’ interpretation and their critical assessment, the GRI standards’ comparative analysis, and Lawshe’s content validity approach have been applied as the methodologica...
Baltic Journal of Management, Jan 5, 2015
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate on specific risk mitigation approach which is... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate on specific risk mitigation approach which is known as “scenario approach”. Description of stepwise process of their elaboration, which is worth considering for managers, offers feasible tool not only for company risk management improvement but also for significant enhancement of the quality of company strategic planning. Authors also draw attention to advantages and disadvantages of investment and strategic scenario planning. Theoretical implications of using scenario approaches are exemplified both by the set of investment projects and company strategic planning process where method in question was applied. Design/methodology/approach – As for methods applied which fulfilled research strategies, it is worth mentioning following items: analysis which explores particular parts of methodology of scenario elaboration and application, the way of obtaining information, impact on strategy, working with risks and organizational support of outcomes in company environment; synthesis observing context and natural relation of problems solved which supports research hypotheses formulation; induction generalizing facts acquired from results in companies; deduction to be grounds on which conclusion of this paper was drawn up; abstraction used upon evaluation of case studies; comparison assessing consistency and inconsistency of phenomena and objects; description inevitable for characterization of companies and environment in which they operate; interview collecting information inevitable for the evaluation of the way of working with scenarios and company knowledge standards; modelling was used upon consideration about possible future development of factors observed. Findings – The paper arrived at conclusion, that scenario approach, when used appropriately, may significantly mitigate risk exposure of the company. Conclusions which have been made on selected industrial companies can be extended to other industrial branches. Practical application of scenario planning method confirmed that this approach was superior to deterministic single scenario model. Scenario technique thus compensates for deficiencies and omissions which are inherent in simplistic deterministic model. In cases where an investment scenario planning process proved to be insufficient, the paper refers to more advanced techniques like simulation methods or real options. Research limitations/implications – Over past ten years practical test of proposed stepwise process of scenarios elaboration was repeatedly tested on approx ten industrial companies during the tenure of Mr Soucek and Mr Špaček in top managerial positions. Practical implications – This paper offers flexible and feasible toll for scenario elaboration and their further development. Such an approach contributes significantly to the enhancement of company risk management process. Proceedures described were successfully tested in managerial practice by two of authors while holding CEO positions in oil prcessing and pharma business. Social implications – This paper does not have direct social implication. But scenario approach as a powerful tool of risk management process may significantly contribute to company survival and thus impact social status all stakeholders concerned. Therefore social implications should be identified rather on the background of the problem. Originality/value – Notwithstanding some general notion about scenario concept, there is still little evidence that scenario approach is applied in larger extent. It is prevalently due to lack of expertise of respective managers who are obviously puzzled with numerous outcomes to be obtained by this approach. Clearly define procedure of scenarios formation may be conducive to larger exploitation of this approach. Design of the elaboration and application of scenario approach which was proven to be functioning in the practice brings new benefits to risk management exploration.
Sustainability
The ongoing move toward carbon neutrality in Europe and, more recently, towards reducing Russian ... more The ongoing move toward carbon neutrality in Europe and, more recently, towards reducing Russian natural gas as an energy source poses a significant challenge to energy-intensive processes such as the German chemical industry. While many current research studies focus on the transformation of the electrical grid required for the transition to renewable energy sources and the related technical problems and market design, little research has been conducted on the practical feasibility and requirements of energy transformation in energy-intensive process industries. This publication addresses this gap using the projected future energy demand of the German chemical industry and simulation of its coverage by different renewable energy production scenarios using past data on power outputs from renewable energies. Ten-gigawatt offshore wind power installed without additional storage would reduce the natural gas consumption of inflexible large-scale processes in the German chemical industry...
Krízový Manažment
The article accentuates modern concept of crisis management which places emphasis on strategic ap... more The article accentuates modern concept of crisis management which places emphasis on strategic approaches to mitigation of company crisis. Crisis planning which is based on crisis scenarios should be considered corner stone of this approach. Crisis scenarios are thus trigger point for the elaboration of operable crisis plans. Composition of scenarios is based on identification and analysis of key risk factors which are properly assessed from the point of view of severity of impact and probability of occurrence. Any company should always define a couple of scenarios which, with highest possible probability, foresee the development of the environment. For each crisis scenario respective strategic plan shall be elaborated. Managers shall always keep in mind mutual influencing risk factors which may generate mighty synergic effect and multiply destructive impact on the company. In general strategic approaches, especially when based on scenario approach, may better evaluate possible development of business environment and enable managers to get prepared effectively to almost any upcoming crisis.
Projectics / Proyéctica / Projectique, 2020
Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour De Boeck Supérieur. © De Boeck Supérieur. Tous droits r... more Distribution électronique Cairn.info pour De Boeck Supérieur. © De Boeck Supérieur. Tous droits réservés pour tous pays. La reproduction ou représentation de cet article, notamment par photocopie, n'est autorisée que dans les limites des conditions générales d'utilisation du site ou, le cas échéant, des conditions générales de la licence souscrite par votre établissement. Toute autre reproduction ou représentation, en tout ou partie, sous quelque forme et de quelque manière que ce soit, est interdite sauf accord préalable et écrit de l'éditeur, en dehors des cas prévus par la législation en vigueur en France. Il est précisé que son stockage dans une base de données est également interdit.
E+M Ekonomie a Management, 2014
Baltic Journal of Management, 2015
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate on specific risk mitigation approach which is... more Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to elucidate on specific risk mitigation approach which is known as “scenario approach”. Description of stepwise process of their elaboration, which is worth considering for managers, offers feasible tool not only for company risk management improvement but also for significant enhancement of the quality of company strategic planning. Authors also draw attention to advantages and disadvantages of investment and strategic scenario planning. Theoretical implications of using scenario approaches are exemplified both by the set of investment projects and company strategic planning process where method in question was applied. Design/methodology/approach – As for methods applied which fulfilled research strategies, it is worth mentioning following items: analysis which explores particular parts of methodology of scenario elaboration and application, the way of obtaining information, impact on strategy, working with risks and organizational support o...
Acta Universitatis Agriculturae et Silviculturae Mendelianae Brunensis, 2021
CSR actions are often controversial due to either the excessive voluntary or narrow standardized ... more CSR actions are often controversial due to either the excessive voluntary or narrow standardized approach. The objective of this article is to find indices, which homogenize CSR campaigns of corporations according to specific attitudes and behaviour of individuals. Cluster analysis has significantly differentiated CSR volunteering contributors from non-volunteering critics. A small cluster of non-volunteering respondents calls for support of kids, criminals and addicts. Volunteering clusters are composed of employed respondents who are predominantly calling for equality and environment according to their work and leisure interest. The technology volunteering from the previous year disappeared from the list of CSR of respondents as it was aggregated either to other priority or finished and forgotten due to interests in a new project. Results demonstrate that responsibility is not related only to people in need but calls for simplification of complex public, corporate and human relati...
Trendy Ekonomiky a Managementu, 2013
The paper deals with Open innovation (OI) as a powerful tool for corporate strategy development. ... more The paper deals with Open innovation (OI) as a powerful tool for corporate strategy development. The goal of the paper was to prepare OI framework that would facilitate OI based corporate strategy elaboration for a professional service company and thus demonstrate viability of this approach. Based on the conducted research and interviews with the employees and external parties, the authors suggested a framework that consisted of four-step process that enables incorporation of OI into corporate strategy of service-oriented company. The authors arrived at conclusion that the process of corporate strategy development which is based on OI should involve (i) defining clear goals, (ii) forming innovation team, (iii) creation of innovation model and (iiii) involving external parties. In addition, barriers that limit the collaboration between the company and external participants in the innovation ecosystem were also specified. The results were validated on the pattern of regional branch of...
Quality Innovation Prosperity
Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to introduce SW based decision-making tool that helps manage... more Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to introduce SW based decision-making tool that helps managers cope with risks and uncertainties of selected industrial processes. The solution is substantiated by the theoretical background. Methodology/Approach: The research is based on combination of contextual interviews with process management experts and Business Process Modelling Notion (BPMN). The former is aimed at the identification of industrial processes with highest risk exposure the latter is conducive to the design of processes to be subjected to stochastic simulation. Findings: The findings show that the risks and uncertainties in the management of industrial processes can be kept under control when using advanced tools of risk analysis as simulation approaches. The solution proposed comes in handy to risk analysts or process managers. Research Limitation/Implication: The library of process models which were included into stochastic simulation includes selected processes as invest...
Global business environment is preferably characterized by turbulences as well as by uncertaintie... more Global business environment is preferably characterized by turbulences as well as by uncertainties and other undeterminable parameters which can hardly be described by routine mathematical tools. At these circumstances corporate management could be likened to ship captain who has to rudder a ship through hell and high water without having correct maps. All of a sudden he has to rely almost exclusively on his analytical skill, personal and shared experience and intuitive consideration. Upon this situation managers may raise a question to what extent companies are manageable in global business environment. Management process is subject to Corporate Governance principles, which are becoming universal in global business environment. This paper refers to two key managerial competencies, namely organizing and planning which mastering in light of global economics represents key success factor.
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are ranked among the most important ways of company growth. Compan... more Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are ranked among the most important ways of company growth. Company growth through M&A is considered very flexible and reliably controllable and eventually the outcomes of M&A are easily measurable. Formalized and properly structured management practices aimed at M&A have been developed almost to perfection over past several decades. On the other hand prevailing part of M&A which have been executed over past years have not generated expected results. Such a contradiction gave rise to a research question which concerns causal analysis of M&A failures. One of key reasons for M&A failures is underestimating post-acquisition integration process (PAIP). Companies usually place emphasis on pre-acquisition stage of M&A when potential synergic effects are identified and financial benefits of M&A calculated. PAIP is usually believed to come into effect almost spontaneously without heavy interference of company management. The goal of this paper is making critic...
Trends economics and management, 2013
This paper focuses on the use of process management tools and Business Continuity Management to e... more This paper focuses on the use of process management tools and Business Continuity Management to ensure the security, integrity and functionality of critical infrastructure. This problematics is the part of the project of the Security Research of the Czech Republic No. VI20152018039. The project is based on the complex approach to the sustainability of critical infrastructure concerning securing continuity of processes for entities and objects of the critical infrastructure in the crisis and emergency planning system of public administration in the Czech Republic. All respective processes are modelled by means of software tools that support BPMN 2.0 standard. Critical Infrastructure (CI) processes are incorporated into CI process map to enable passing on quick and goal-directed critical event information transfer to decision centre. This information is assessed by the SW algorithm that provides reasonable response to critical event.
This paper focuses on the use of process management tools and Business Continuity Management to e... more This paper focuses on the use of process management tools and Business Continuity Management to ensure the security, integrity and functionality of critical infrastructure. This problematics is the part of the project of the Security Research of the Czech Republic No. VI20152018039. The project is based on the complex approach to the sustainability of critical infrastructure concerning securing continuity of processes for entities and objects of the critical infrastructure in the crisis and emergency planning system of public administration in the Czech Republic. All respective processes are modelled by means of software tools that support BPMN 2.0 standard. Critical Infrastructure (CI) processes are incorporated into CI process map to enable passing on quick and goal-directed critical event information transfer to decision centre. This information is assessed by the SW algorithm that provides reasonable response to critical event.
This article focuses on the use of process management tools and Business Continuity Management to... more This article focuses on the use of process management tools and Business Continuity Management to ensure the security, integrity and functionality of critical infrastructure. This issue is the subject of the project of the Security Research of the Czech Republic No. VI20152018039. The project is based on a complex approach to the durability of critical infrastructure in regards to securing continuity of processes for entities and objects of the critical infrastructure in the crisis and emergency planning system of public administration in the Czech Republic.
Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to introduce SW based decision-making tool that helps manage... more Purpose: The purpose of the paper is to introduce SW based decision-making tool that helps managers cope with risks and uncertainties of selected industrial processes. The solution is substantiated by the theoretical background. Methodology/Approach: The research is based on combination of contextual interviews with process management experts and Business Process Modelling Notion (BPMN). The former is aimed at the identification of industrial processes with highest risk exposure the latter is conducive to the design of processes to be subjected to stochastic simulation. Findings: The findings show that the risks and uncertainties in the management of industrial processes can be kept under control when using advanced tools of risk analysis as simulation approaches. The solution proposed comes in handy to risk analysts or process managers. Research Limitation/Implication: The library of process models which were included into stochastic simulation includes selected processes as invest...
Uploads
Papers by Miroslav Špaček