DOI: https://doi.org/10.62204/2336-498X-2023-1-7
UNIVERSALIZATION OF CONCEPTUAL MODELING FOR
CRISIS MANAGEMENT IN ROAD ENTERPRISES BASED
ON OBJECT-ORIENTED APPROACH
Natalya Sokolova,
Ph.D. in Economics, Associate Professor,
National Transport University, Kyiv, Ukraine
nata_ns@ukr.net; ORCID: 0000-0003-0678-8882
Vadym Nevinhlovskyi,
Ph.D. in Engineering, Associate Professor,
National Transport University, Kyiv, Ukraine
nevinglovskiy@ukr.net; ORCID: 0000-0003-0113-1822
Maksim Ruzhenskyi,
Ph.D. in Economics, Associate Professor,
National Transport University, Kyiv, Ukraine
max.ruzhensky@gmail.com; ORCID: 0000-0002-8034-1790
Annotation. The article is devoted to the problem of taking into account different types of similarities in the conceptual models of enterprises, which is advisable when creating computer expert systems, in particular, those intended for crisis management. This is necessary in order to exclude reworking of the conceptual model components from the very beginning. Models and theories of crisis management are the basis for its further conceptual modeling. To develop them, it is advisable to use the so-called object-oriented approach, which makes it possible not to develop certain parts of the conceptual model each time, but to reuse them without any changes. This reduces the labor intensity, shortens the time required to create a conceptual model and improves its quality.
Keywords: crisis, management, conceptual model, object-oriented approach, quality model.
Statement of the problem in general terms, its relevance for the important scientific and practical tasks. Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine led to a severe crisis in most road industry enterprises [1] (Fig. 1).
Effective ways to overcome this crisis in the current period, as well as in the future, in peacetime, require carrying out scientific research on the further improvement of crisis management in enterprises. Crisis management is part of a complex system of general management in enterprises, therefore, it depends on its multiple aspects and itself affects them. Such aspects, for example, are the categories of development, competitiveness, potential, economic stability of the enterprise, etc.
Any scientific research aimed at solving various problems, in particular economic problems, first has to design a conceptual model (or conceptual prerequisites), which, in the further development of the research, will be detailed to a level suitable for practical application. The inconsistency of the conceptual model with the real needs of the crisis management in enterprises can nullify the efforts and funds spent on poorly designed methods and computer tools that will never be useful in practical work. Therefore, the problem of improving the crisis management in road enterprises depends directly on the quality and validity of its conceptual model, which meets the requirements of the economy, knowledge and digitalization of the economy.
Fig. Fig. 1. Comparative histogram of the number of workers
in the road industry in 2020-2022
The main content of the problem discussed in the article consists in clarifying the possibility of universalizing the development of conceptual models for crisis management in various types of enterprises by highlighting their similarities and differences, as well as the application of an object-oriented approach, so that it is not necessary to re-develop similar components of the conceptual model from scratch every time. This is important for economic science in relation to the enterprise as a whole, as well as for its anti-crisis management in particular.
The first two tasks in solving of the outlined problem are the analysis of existing models and theories of crisis management and the application of an object-oriented approach in conceptual modeling of crisis management.
Analysis of the recent research and publications. The concept of crisis, its essence, goals, principles and tools of crisis management in enterprises have been studied by many foreign and Ukrainian scholars.
The fundamental framework of the theory and practice of crisis management was laid down by well-known foreign scholars: S. Fink, I. Mitroff, T.C. Pauchant, P. Shrivastava, J. Burnett, T. Jacques, C. Alpaslan, S. Green, W.T. Coombs, K.M. Hearit, S. Holladay, W. Benoit; P. Buzzanell, E. Rogers, C.M. Pearson, J.A. Clair, A. Paraskevas, D. Pollard, S. Hotho, J.F. Preble, B. Robert, C. Lajtha, S. Sahin, S. Ulubeyli, A. Kazaza, P.J.H. Schoemaker, C.G. Wagner, J. Bundy, M.D. Pfarrer, K.D. Elsbach, N. Gillespie, G. Dietz, S.D. Graffin, E.H. James, L.P. Wooten, K. Dushek and many others [2, 3].
In Ukraine, the development of scientific research on crisis management started in late nineties of the last century with the transition to market relations. The scientific works of I.O. Blank, L.S. Sytnyk, V.O. Vasylenko, L.O. Ligonenko, O.O. Tereshchenko, A.D. Cherniavskyi, A.V. Matviichuk, A.M. Shtangret and other scholars concluded that the content, main areas and problems of crisis management are very complex and multifaceted. The works of these researchers have further elborated the theory of the emergence and development of crisis situations, as well as the measures to lead enterprises out of crisis situations. Later, research on crisis management was carried out by S.T. Piletska, A.A. Oleshko, N.A. Antoniuk, O.V. Yurinets, O.Y. Sova [4], A.Y. Pohrebniak and many other Ukrainian researchers.
Based on the review of research primarily done by US scholars [5], we believe that models and theories of crisis management are the conceptual basis for all aspects of preparing an enterprise to a possible crisis, for its prevention, resolution and recovery or liquidation of an enterprise after a crisis. Below we consider the basic models and theories of crisis management presented in this review.
There are different approaches to the crisis management maturity model, from the most to least advanced (Fig. 2). Citation according to the source [5].
Fig. 2. The different approaches along a crisis management
maturity model, from most to least advanced
Source: based on data [5]
Strategy planning in crisis management is carried out on the basis of scenarios or the use of the company’s potential.
The author of the review [5] A. Marker provides crisis management models that are based on the concept of their life cycle. They include:
– Steven Fink’s four-stage crisis model consisting of the prodromal, acute, chronic, and resolution stages;
– A. Gonzalez-Herrero & C. Pratt’s model with successive stages of birth, growth, maturity, and decline;
– the model by Ian Mitroff and colleagues contains five stages of crisis management and a portfolio model with a similar progression of the enterprise’s life cycle: signal detection; probing and prevention; damage and containment; recovery; learning;
– John Burnett proposed a model of crisis management with three stages: identification, confrontation and reconfiguration, each consisting of two steps. This model also follows the life cycle of the enterprise;
– Tony Jacques’ relational model, which has four primary elements: crisis preparedness, crisis prevention, crisis event management and post-crisis management – each containing clusters of activities and processes;
– the model by Can Alpaslan and colleagues focuses on stakeholder involvement and views the crisis management maturity continuum through crisis management behaviors: reactive, defensive, accommodative and proactive;
– the incident command system model originated in the real world and was later formalized as a model. The incident command system divides work into five broad areas: operations and logistics, a hierarchy of roles and responsibilities for key players that ensure a clear chain of command and communication. The model has spread both nationally and internationally and has since been adopted by many private sector organizations as well.
Fig. 3. Different approaches to the planning of a crisis management strategy
Source: based on data [5]
The most famous theories of crisis management according to [5] are:
– attribution theory and situational crisis theory;
– theory of apology;
– image restoration or repair theory;
– structural functional theory in crisis management;
– chaos theory and the butterfly effect in crisis management;
– stakeholder theory of crisis management;
– resilience theory and business continuity planning;
– contingency theory;
– diffusion of innovation theory;
– stability theory;
– human capital theory.
Based on the analysis of scientific sources, the following conclusions can be drawn:
– a crisis management model is a conceptual framework for all aspects of a crisis: preparation, prevention, resolution and recovery. By viewing events through a model, crisis managers gain the context they need, and can better apply best practices of crisis management;
– although the models have certain differences, there is also a certain similarity among them, which forms a prerequisite for the universalization of crisis management models.
Formulating article goals (setting the task). The purpose of the article is to put forward the idea of universalizing the conceptual modeling of crisis management based on the application of an object-oriented approach.
Presentation of the main research material. The crisis management models considered above are the basis of its further conceptual modeling. However, first we need to understand the difference between the terms «concept» and «conception», as there is a clear distinction between the two in scientific sources. Let us quote some definitions.
According to [6], «concept» and «conception» are two similar words that are created from the same Latin root concipere. Although these nouns are sometimes used interchangeably, they have different meanings. A concept basically refers to a general idea or understanding of something. Conception refers to how something is perceived, or the ability to form or understand thought (mental) concepts and abstractions. This is the key difference between «concept» and «conception». Concepts can be based on real phenomena and are a generalized idea of the meaning of something. A detailed interpretation of the concept was made by M. Poliuzhyn [7].
“A conceptual model is a representation of key elements of some target problem purposely excluding any design complexity. A conceptual model can be viewed as a part or phase of discourse about that target problem, usually early-on. In that sense a conceptual model is high-level” [8].
“A concept model, in contrast, is an aid in achieving precision in continuing discourse about some subject matter. It enables clear communication by allowing you to express statements (sentences) that can be readily understood and disambiguated. A concept model becomes ever more important the deeper you dig into the subject matter” [8].
“The form of a concept model never depends on the target. A concept model is always literally expressed by a set of definitions, each definition representing a concept. All connections between concepts are either verbal concepts (i.e., ones literally expressedby verbs or verb phrases) or logical statements (e.g., specialization, the notion that one concept is a specialization of some other concept). No other kinds of connection are ever entertained.” [8].
Thus, conceptualization is the definition of concepts, relations and management mechanisms necessary to describe the processes of problem-solving in a selected problem area, an abstract, simplified point of the view on the world, which is presented for certain purposes, or an abstract model of a certain phenomenon in the world, established through concepts related to this phenomenon. A conceptual model is a model represented by many concepts and relations among them, which defines the semantic structure of the subject area or its specific object.
The next topical concept of the article is the concept of the object-oriented approach, which we will consider according to [9]. In the object-oriented approach, the focus is on capturing the structure and behavior of information systems into small modules that combines both data and process. The main aim of object-oriented design is to improve the quality and productivity of system analysis and design by making it more usable. The characteristics of an object-oriented system are [9]:– objects − something that exists within problem domain and can be identified by data (attribute) or behavior. All tangible entities and some intangible entities are modeled as objects;
– attributes − describe information about the object;
– behavior − specifies what the object can do. It defines the operation performed on objects;
– class − encapsulates the data and its behavior. Objects with similar meaning and purpose grouped together as class;
– methods − determine the behavior of a class. They are nothing more than an action that an object can perform;
– message − a function or procedure call from one object to another. They are information sent to objects to trigger methods.
An object-oriented system comes with several useful features [9] which are:
– encapsulation − a process of information hiding or the combination of process and data into a single entity. Data of an object is hidden from the rest of the system and available only through the services of the class that allows improvement or modification of methods used by objects without affecting other parts of a system;
– abstraction − a process of taking or selecting necessary method and attributes to specify the object. It focuses on essential characteristics of an object relative to the perspective of a user;
– relationships − all the classes in the system are related to each other. The objects do not exist in isolation, they exist in relationship with other objects;
– inheritance − a feature that allows to create sub-classes from an existing class by inheriting the attributes and/or operations of existing classes;
– polymorphism and dynamic binding − ability to take on many different forms. It applies to both objects and operations. A polymorphic object is one whose true type hides within a super or parent class. In polymorphic operation, an operation may be carried out differently by different classes of objects. It allows us to manipulate objects of different classes by knowing only their common properties. Polymorphism is an object-oriented programming concept that refers to the ability of a variable, function, or object to take multiple forms (one name − different forms). A polymorphic language allows developers to access objects of different types through the same interface.
It is appropriate to consider conceptual modeling in the object-oriented analysis according to [10]. To develop a conceptual model, first we analyze the requirements for the system that is being created. Requirement analysis is concerned with identifying concepts related to the requirements, and with creating a conceptual model of the problem domain. A conceptual model shows a static view of associations between concepts. A central distinction between object-oriented analysis and structured analysis is decomposition by concepts (objects) rather than decomposition by functions. Object-oriented requirement analysis is more concerned in identifying concepts related to the requirements and to create a conceptual model of the problem domain. This activity consists in how to identify objects or concepts and make them relate to each other and finally create a conceptual or domain diagram. Conceptual modelling helps us understand the problem further and develop a better awareness of our customer’s business.
A concept may be considered in terms of its symbol, intension, and extension [10]:
− symbol – words or images representing a concept;
− intension – the definition of a concept;
− extension – the set of examples or instances to which the concept applies.
To unify the assessment of the quality of conceptual models, it is advisable to apply the research approach of Y. Argotti, C. Baron, Ph. Esteban [11]. The authors are based on the research of F. Deissenboeck, E. Juergens, K. Lochmann, S. Wagner at al. [12] regarding the integration of the quality model with «Definition – Assessment – Prediction» (DAP) and develop them (Fig. 4). Other examples can be that factors or quality characteristics can have different impact, or weight, in the overall system quality, or also, the question of “among the large number of existing quality models and factors, or quality characteristics, how to select and adapt to them to our system?” [11].
Fig. 4. The DAP classification introduced by F. Deissenboeck et al.
Source: based on data [12]
To overcome the shortcomings of the existing standards, the authors of the study [11] turned to qualimetry. The researchers propose a synthetized view on qualimetry, represented by what they call the “House of Qualimetry”, that fosters its understanding, depicting quality models and measurement concepts. The authors consider it necessary to consolidate the concepts of quality model and measurement by proposing a unified quality model conception and a new measurement process. Finally, we review the interests, with respect to systems engineering, of a qualimetry approach reinforced with our contributions versus the traditional way of quantifying quality.
The authors apply the ideas of the object-oriented approach to designing the quality model. For this reason, they added a polymorphism attribute to the model. The essence of the approach is that the life cycle of an expert system for assessing the quality of a conceptual model should consist of the following successive stages: object-oriented analysis; object-oriented design; layout; implementation; integration testing.
It is clear that in the era of the digital economy and innovative approaches involving the knowledge economy, conceptual models, in terms of their design and use, should be implemented in the form of an intelligent expert enterprise management system with a crisis management subsystem, the core of which is computer software based on the application of the methodology of the object-oriented approach or other modern approaches. There is a need for normative standardization of approaches to crisis management based on deep theoretical and methodological research conducted at the state level.
By the way, Ukraine has joined the Recommendations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Council on Artificial Intelligence (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Recommendation of the Council on Artificial Intelligence, OECD/LEGAL/0449) [13]. In December 2020, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved the Concept of the Development of Artificial Intelligence in Ukraine [14], European Parliament resolution of 16 February 2017 with recommendations to the Commission on Civil Law Rules on Robotics (2015/2103 (INL)) [15]. The development of an expert system based on an object-oriented approach will improve the modern paradigm of crisis management in enterprises, increase its quality, facilitate communications between developers, users and all interested parties, reduce the costs of developing and maintaining the system, etc.
Conclusions of this study and prospects for further research in this area. The analysis of available sources of information showed that the problem of anti-crisis management in enterprises remains largely unsolved, but it is relevant for countries all over the world, especially for Ukraine at the present time.
The modern paradigm of anti-crisis management is proactive. Proponents of the reactive paradigm are gradually losing their positions, but in practice the reactive approach prevails. This situation is explained by the absence of a specifically organized and continuously operating component within the enterprise.
Enterprises enjoy greater economic security, developing their potential, sufficient to overcome any crisis, even a completely new one. Businesses with planned crisis management on the basis of a scenario model can specify response plans for known types of disasters, such as fires, but compared to a scenario-based model, a potential-based crisis management model emphasizes the formation of sufficient crisis management capabilities, such as communications, financial reserve plans and readiness to work remotely.
Anti-crisis management models are the basis for its further conceptual modeling. For their development, it is advisable to use the so-called object-oriented approach, which makes it possible to avoid developing certain parts of the conceptual model every time, but to reuse them without any changes. This provides a reduction in labor intensity, a reduction in the duration of creating a conceptual model, and also increases its quality.
In the era of the digital economy and the knowledge economy, conceptual models, in terms of their design and use, should be included in the intelligent expert management system of enterprises with the crisis management subsystem, the core of which is computer software based on the application of the object-oriented approach methodology or other modern approaches. There is a need for the regulatory standardization of approaches to anti-crisis management based on in-depth theoretical and methodological research conducted at the state level. All this will contribute to increasing the efficiency of enterprises and the economy as a whole, reducing losses caused by crises and the bankruptcy probability for enterprises.
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