A Survey on a Conceptual Model of Enterprise

Enterprise ontology serves as a foundational framework for semantically comprehending the nature of organizations and the essential components that uphold their integrity. The systematic and conceptual understanding of organizations has garnered significant attention from researchers due to its pivotal role in various domains, including business modeling, enterprise architecture, business process management, context-aware systems, application development, interoperability across diverse systems and platforms, knowledge management, organizational learning and innovation, and conflict resolution within organizations. Achieving a consensus on the concepts related to the fundamental elements that constitute an organization is therefore critical. This study aimed to conduct a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the existing conceptual models of enterprises as documented in scholarly articles published over the past decade. The comparison revealed significant variations in coverage, adaptability, and maturity across models, with many lacking completeness or alignment with comprehensive frameworks like Zachman’s framework. The strengths and weaknesses of each model were discussed and a robust framework for their evaluation was introduced. To facilitate this evaluation, we proposed several pertinent criteria derived from established methodologies for assessing the ontologies. Furthermore, we identified contemporary challenges and issues that have been overlooked in prior studies, offering insights and suggestions for future research directions in enterprise modeling. Ultimately, a roadmap for enhancing the systematic understanding of organizations through refined enterprise ontology frameworks was presented.

کلیدواژه ها:

Enterprise ontology ، Conceptual model ، Enterprise dimension ، Enterprise Architecture