Recommendations for Writing a "Business Case"-like Chapter for the book

Semantic Web Methodologies for E-Business Applications:
Ontologies, Processes and Management Practices

Chapter Template: Microsoft Word .DOT

This document provides some recommendations for writing a chapter for the original call for chapters that resembles a business case. The idea is to make it easier to read for the managers that would at last decide to put Semantic Web technologies into practice in enterprises. Many information systems managers are used to business cases and they are commonly used as a teaching resource in management masters (e.g. MBA).

The objective is to make more people aware of the benefits that Semantic Web technologies can carry to E-Business information systems, focusing on the people that would have the last word in this process.

Moreover, the structure of a business case does not differ too much from the basic structure of a research paper or technical book chapter. The objective is to detect and opportunity or problem and to make the benefits of the proposed solution, in this cased based on Semantic Web methods and technologies, clear and justifiable from a cost vs. benefits point of view.

This approach pretends also to make chapter more practical and less theoretic. Each business case should present a current E-Business situation where Semantic Web technologies can be applied producing some benefits and opportunities that justify the cost. The situation can be related to any E-Business scenario.

For instance, some internal information need (e.g. disparate databases integration), a generic inter-organisational integration scenario (business processes integration) or a vertical solution for a concrete business sector (e.g. to build shared conceptual model for a business domain), etc.

Some question a business case should answer are:

• Why the project is needed? Existing issues and opportunities.
• How will the effort solve the issues or opportunities facing the organisation?
• What is the recommended solution(s)?
• How does the solution address the issues or opportunities (benefits)?
• What are the risks if the issues or opportunities are not faced?
• Qualitatively, how much will all this cost? Is it worth compared to the benefits?

Chapter Extent

7,000-10,000 words, including figures, tables and references.

Business Case Structure

A proposed structure might be as the one that follows, although authors are free to add and remove sections while the spirit of a business case-like chapter is retained:

1. Abstract
   This is a short summary where the entire chapter is presented.
2. Current Situation
   This section details the current situation. The scenario is described paying special attention to how the things are before semantic web methodologies are applied.
1. Problem Statement
   From the previous situation description, the current problem is highlighted. This statement should make it clear that there are issues that are limiting how E-Business is conduced and that there is an opportunity for the Semantic Web.
3. Solution Description
   Description of the proposed solution.
1. Objectives
   Clearly state the objective of the proposed solution.
2. Overview
   Provide an overview of the solution.
3. Details
   Enter into the details of the proposed solution (approach, architecture, components, implementation...).
4. Alternatives
   The related work section. Introduce some alternatives in the Semantic Web world and outside it, i.e. how things are done without the Semantic Web. In other words, the competitors of the proposed solution.
4. Cost and Benefits
   Provide an overview of the costs associated to the solution. There is no need to enter into detailed economic costs, the idea is just to provide some sketches of the implications relative to development cost, additional infrastructure requirements, etc. compared to the current situation. On the other hand, the objective is to make clear that the proposed solution has benefits that surpass the costs, but from a qualitative perspective (operational savings, improved customer and employee satisfaction,...).
5. Risk Assessment
   The objective of this section is to document the critical assumptions that have been made in order to develop the solution, e.g. technical assumptions about scalability or future evolution of semantic web technologies. Then, there is a discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) associated with the solution. Finally, the risks associated with implementing and not implementing the solution are presented.
6. Future Trends
   Discuss future and emerging trends. Provide insight about the future of Semantic Web and E-Business from the perspective of your topic. If appropriate, suggest future research opportunities within the domain of the topic.
7. Conclusions
   Reiterate the key issues that caused the solution to be proposed and restate the solution at a high-level. The overall benefits of the solution are then presented together with the main risks of doing nothing and continuing with a semantic web agnostic situation. Finally, state the conclusions the reader should draw from the business case and the proponents recommendations for next steps.

References

APA (American Psychological Association) style must be followed for the references. References should relate only to material cited within the manuscript and be listed in alphabetical order, including author's name, complete title of the cited work, title of the source, volume, issue, year of publication, and pages cited. Please do not include any abbreviations. Please see the following examples:

One author:
Author, A. A. (2005). Title of work. Location/City, State: Publisher.

Two authors:
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (2005). Title of work. Location/City, State: Publisher.

More than two authors:
Author, A. A., Author, B. B., & Author, C. C. (2005). Title of work. Location/City, State: Publisher.

Journal article:
Sawyer, S., & Tapia, A. (2005). The sociotechnical nature of mobile computing work: Evidence from a study of policing in the United States. International Journal of Technology and Human Interaction, 1(3), 1-14.

Instance of publication in press:
Junho, S. (in press). Roadmap for e-commerce standardization in Korea. International Journal of IT Standards and Standardization Research.

Edited book:
Zhao, F. (Ed.). (2006). Maximize business profits through e-partnerships. Hershey, PA: IRM Press.

Chapter in an edited book:
Jaques, P. A., & Viccari, R. M. (2006). Considering students’ emotions in computer-mediated learning environments. In Z. Ma (Ed.), Web-based intelligent e-learning systems: Technologies and applications (pp. 122-138). Hershey, PA: Information Science Publishing.

Report from a university:
Broadhurst, R. G., & Maller, R. A. (1991). Sex offending and recidivism (Tech. Rep. No. 3). Nedlands, Western Australia: University of Western Australia, Crime Research Centre.

Published proceedings:
Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (1991). A motivational approach to self: Integration in personality. In R. Dienstbier (Ed.), Nebraska Symposium on Motivation: Vol. 38. Perspectives on motivation (pp. 237-288). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

Unpublished doctoral dissertation or master’s thesis:
Wilfley, D. (1989). Interpersonal analyses of bulimia: Normal-weight and obese. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Missouri, Columbia.

Paper presented at … :
Lanktree, C., & Briere, J. (1991, January). Early data on the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSC-C). Paper presented at the meeting of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, San Diego, CA.

Web site:
VandenBos, G., Knapp, S., & Doe, J. (2001). Role of reference elements in the selection of resources by psychology undergraduates. Journal of Bibliographic Research, 5, 117-123. Retrieved October 13, 2001, from http://jbr.org/articles.html

When using the source in the text, state the author's name and year of publication. Please see the following examples:

Example 1: In most organizations, data resources are considered to be a major resource (Brown, 2002; Smith, 2001).
Example 2: Brown (2003) states that the value of data is recognized by most organizations.

When quoting another author’s work, the author's name, the date of publication, and the page(s) on which the quotation appears in the original text should follow the direct quote.

Example 1: Brown (2002) states that "the value of data is realized by most organizations" (p. 45).
Example 2: "In most organizations, data resources are considered to be a major organization asset" (Smith, 2003, pp. 35-36) and must be carefully monitored by the senior management.

For further information concerning the APA style, consult your library or contact: Order Department, American Psychological Association, P.O. Box 92984, Washington, DC 20090-2984 or www.apastyle.org, for a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association – 5th edition for APA style. You may also find it helpful to consult the following Web sites:

http://www.apastyle.org/faqs.html
http://www.apastyle.org/previoustips.html

Details to keep in mind

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