Business engineering
Encyclopedia
Business Engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering
that focuses on how complex business
es should be designed and managed.
, business engineering does not only include marketing
related tasks, but also most of the other business administration tasks. Financial and operational tasks are of equal importance, for example.
Business engineering includes all activities that are necessary to develop and maintain an independent line of business. It is comparable with starting a business, but includes the novel component. That means that there is no core market yet and market opportunities need to be created. Most likely, the output of business engineering substitutes known forms of supply, in existing markets.
Therefore business engineering aims to establish new, future oriented forms of businesses but with reference to existing or emerging needs. Business engineering is most likely related with the area of future technology
. To abstract it, business engineering combines the establishment of a completely new business in a prospect business environment.
(BE) is defined by Van Meel and Sol
(1996) as the "integral design of both organizational structures and information systems". Despite the numerous developments in this field, Business Engineering has so far achieved little theoretical and methodological support. In the 1990s Van Meel and Sol finished a four years action research
project to overcome this problem. A key factor in their approach is dynamic modeling, a structured problem-solving approach for real-life problems using simulation
.
Among others, university business schools offering those programmes are the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management
(Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel), ICHEC Brussels Management School
, the Louvain School of Management
(Université catholique de Louvain / FUNDP - University of Namur / FUCaM - Catholic University College of Mons / FUSL - Saint-louis University of Brussels), HEC Management School - University of Liege
, the KULeuven, Ghent University or still the University of Antwerp.
offers an academic program in Business Engineering. Similar as in Belgium, the program combines management science, business administration, finance and economics. Graduates are awarded with the academic degree "Master of Business Engineering" (MBE) after the end of the two years of study. Usually it is required to hold a degree in engineering to get admission to the program.
People involved in Business engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
that focuses on how complex business
Business
A business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
es should be designed and managed.
Overview
Business engineering circumscribes the domain of designing new business fields. Unlike business developmentBusiness development
A subset of the field of commerce, business development comprises a number of techniques and responsibilities which aim at:1. Researching new types of business/products/services with an emphasis on identifying gaps in the mitigation of needs of potential clients .2. Attracting new customers3...
, business engineering does not only include marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
related tasks, but also most of the other business administration tasks. Financial and operational tasks are of equal importance, for example.
Business engineering includes all activities that are necessary to develop and maintain an independent line of business. It is comparable with starting a business, but includes the novel component. That means that there is no core market yet and market opportunities need to be created. Most likely, the output of business engineering substitutes known forms of supply, in existing markets.
Therefore business engineering aims to establish new, future oriented forms of businesses but with reference to existing or emerging needs. Business engineering is most likely related with the area of future technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
. To abstract it, business engineering combines the establishment of a completely new business in a prospect business environment.
History
Business EngineeringBusiness engineering
Business Engineering is an interdisciplinary field of engineering that focuses on how complex businesses should be designed and managed.- Overview :...
(BE) is defined by Van Meel and Sol
Henk G. Sol
Henk Gerard Sol is a Dutch organizational theorist and Professor of Business Engineering and ICT at Groningen University. His research focuses on the development of services enabled by ICT, management information systems, decision enhancement and telematics.- Biography :Henk Sol was born in 1951...
(1996) as the "integral design of both organizational structures and information systems". Despite the numerous developments in this field, Business Engineering has so far achieved little theoretical and methodological support. In the 1990s Van Meel and Sol finished a four years action research
Action research
Action research or participatory action research – is a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "community of practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems. Action research is done simply by action,...
project to overcome this problem. A key factor in their approach is dynamic modeling, a structured problem-solving approach for real-life problems using simulation
Simulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
.
In Belgium
In Belgium, universities offer academic programmes in Business Engineering. These studies are combining management science, business administration, finance, economics, mathematics, sciences and technologies for the main but also computer science as well as social science (ethics and law) and foreign languages. They are composed of a Bachelor of Science (BS/BSc; 3-year track) and followed by a Master's degree leading to the title of "Business Engineer" ("Ingénieur de Gestion" in French / "Handelsingenieur" in Dutch). This master (MS/MSc; 2-year track) degree leads to a specialization (quantitative financial markets, IT & data management, industrial & environmental management, innovation management & entrepreneurship, marketing engineering, services management, operational research & econometrics, global strategy & leadership, etc.). Graduates are granted at the end of the five (or more) years a diploma of "Master of Science in Business Engineering".Among others, university business schools offering those programmes are the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management
Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management
The Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management is an economics and management school and a Faculty of the Université libre de Bruxelles, in Brussels, Belgium.-History:...
(Université Libre de Bruxelles and Vrije Universiteit Brussel), ICHEC Brussels Management School
ICHEC Brussels Management School
The ICHEC Brussels Management School . The college offers education in commercial and financial sciences.-University level Education:General organisation of studiesThe education given at ICHEC has a dual purpose...
, the Louvain School of Management
Louvain School of Management
The Louvain School of Management is a business school accredited by the European Quality Improvement System , which is part of the Université catholique de Louvain, in Belgium...
(Université catholique de Louvain / FUNDP - University of Namur / FUCaM - Catholic University College of Mons / FUSL - Saint-louis University of Brussels), HEC Management School - University of Liege
HEC Management School - University of Liege
HEC Management School - University of Liège is the graduate college of the University of Liège in the fields of economics, finance, business administration and management science & business engineering.The school of business HEC-ULg also covers, among other things, public economics & public...
, the KULeuven, Ghent University or still the University of Antwerp.
In Ontario
The University of Waterloo is hosting the Ontario Engineering Competition in late January 2010 with the theme of "Redefining Engineering". The hope of this competition is to introduce the aspects of business in engineering and ecoinnovation to the competition. As the duties of engineer have expanded over the years to include doing more than just designing projects; the competition needs to expand as well. For more information see: www.oec2010.uwaterloo.ca http://www.oec2010.uwaterloo.caIn Germany
In Germany, the Steinbeis UniversitySteinbeis-Hochschule Berlin
Steinbeis-Hochschule Berlin is a private German university, which was founded in 1998. The university is based in Berlin, but also owns institutes in Baden-Württemberg....
offers an academic program in Business Engineering. Similar as in Belgium, the program combines management science, business administration, finance and economics. Graduates are awarded with the academic degree "Master of Business Engineering" (MBE) after the end of the two years of study. Usually it is required to hold a degree in engineering to get admission to the program.
See also
Related topics- Business process modelingBusiness process modelingBusiness Process Modeling in systems engineering is the activity of representing processes of an enterprise, so that the current process may be analyzed and improved. BPM is typically performed by business analysts and managers who are seeking to improve process efficiency and quality...
- Enterprise engineeringEnterprise engineeringEnterprise engineering is a subdiscipline of systems engineering, which applies the knowledge and methods of systems engineering to the design of businesses. The discipline examines each aspect of the enterprise, including business processes, information flows, and organizational structure...
- Enterprise modeling
People involved in Business engineering
- Sjir Nijssen
- Hubert ÖsterleHubert ÖsterleHubert Österle is a Professor of Information Management, the Director of the Institute of Information Management at the University of St. Gallen, and a co-founder of the Information Management Group ....
- Henk G. SolHenk G. SolHenk Gerard Sol is a Dutch organizational theorist and Professor of Business Engineering and ICT at Groningen University. His research focuses on the development of services enabled by ICT, management information systems, decision enhancement and telematics.- Biography :Henk Sol was born in 1951...
- Jan VanthienenJan VanthienenJan Vanthienen is a Belgium organizational theorist and Professor of Information systems at Leuven University , known for his contributions to Business Process Modeling and Business Engineering.- Biography :...
Further reading
- Jack Elzinga, Thomas R. Gulledge, Chung-Yee Lee (1999). Business process engineering: advancing the state of the art. Springer, 1999. ISBN 0-7923-8402-4
- Hubert ÖsterleHubert ÖsterleHubert Österle is a Professor of Information Management, the Director of the Institute of Information Management at the University of St. Gallen, and a co-founder of the Information Management Group ....
(1995). Business Engineering. Prozea- Und Systementwicklung: Band 1: Entwurfstechniken. Springer, 1995. ISBN 3-540-60048-5 - Nick V. Flor (2001). Web Business Engineering: Using Offline Activities to Drive Internet Strategies. Addison-Wesley, 2001. ISBN 0-201-60468-X
- Mike Robson, Philip Ullah (1996). A practical guide to business process re-engineering. Gower Publishing, Ltd., 1996. ISBN 0-566-07577-6
- David A. Taylor (1995). Business engineering with object technology. Wiley, 1995. ISBN 0-471-04521-7