Ondrej Slapak
Basic Information

...the official page (in Czech)...
 
 
 
Personal Data

now Chief Analyst of Information System in Public Sector (Czech Taxation System ADIS)
at IBM Czech Republic,
 
e-mail: slapak@slapak.cz
   
phone: +420 607 104 055  (mobile),
 
 
 
 
 
Private Research Interest
  • information society,
  • information systems,
  • systems integration,
  • IS/IT management,
  • information technologies,
  • banks, banking,
  • e-business, e-commerce, e-banking
  • electronic money and monetary supply
  • Customer Relationship Management, CRM
  • CRM and a new way of profit management
  • process management
  • quality management

 
 
 
Graduate Thesis

Topic: Methods and Reality of Information Systems design by Using Develpoment Tools

Abstract: The objective of the thesis is to decover problems that may have to be solved during information systems design and that may have an impact to the relationship between an information system and the reality it represents. The thesis introduces a new approach - called Mosaic Approach - to data modelling. The approach enables off-line team work over ERDs (for some development tools a team work at all). Moreover, it offers to manage ERDs on different levels of abstraction. It also helps in situations when the development tool's worksheet is too small. Then, ERD is shown as ambiguous (e.g. defining integration rules). So, an advanced notation of ERD is presented. Other chapter shows a solution of users' access to data in the case of many users (i.e. thousands) and need to control access to single records. The thesis also solves some problems with proprietary logfile (to enable database recovery and audit).

 
 
 
Publication Survey

“Integration in Global Information Society” – a paper for Systems Integration conference ’99

 

This article shows system integration as a never-ending process concerning all subjects of the global society. Origins of the process may be seen in past two or three decades. The article stresses the necessity of existence of an electronic market (meeting of electronic supply and demand) as an environment for global integration of business, commerce, and state services. It also tries to refer to opportunities and risks of the society’s subjects. Moreover, the article is about changes in understanding businesses and their management, relationships of employers and employees. The attention is paid to banking and payment system that must be seen as strategic. Global integration through public communications is not possible without ensuring security of electronic relationships. The article therefore wants to give a hope of secure communication by a treatise on certificate authorities. With chapters about impacts of the information society, the article calls the attention to the very global (not only geographical) character of the starting trend. Finally, problems with system integration of independent subjects of different levels of the society in the global scale are mentioned.

 

“Banks and Electronic Market” in Systémová integrace 4/1999

 

The article is oriented to banking. Banks are shown as subjects of "two faces": an eterprise and a part of a national banking system. This also is the reason why we should be interested in banks apart. The global character of the society enables money transfer away from banking sector. This reduces banks’ possibilities and leads to disintermediation (disabling central bank to do monetary policy effectively). The article shows how banks can save their positions. Acting as intermediaries of remote payments and guarantees of both participants in payment transactions seems to be the best solution. It means to enable customers to communicate with banks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from their homes or wherever they are. To be, or not to be (accessible via Internet)? That’s the question discussed in the article, too. However, being non-stop & on-line reachable requires good process architecture and relevant information system. Besides that, the article shortly calls attention to necessity to find a trade-off solution for central bank supervision and non-stop operating of banks.

 

“Banking in the Information Society” – a paper for Ph.D. Students’ Day session (2000) of Faculty of informatics and statistics (Sborník prací doktorandů vědeckého semináře doktorského studia FIS, VŠE Praha, 2000)

 

This article starts with one-page presentation of global information society’s (GISo) characteristics. After this preface, a model of GISo is proposed. The model consists of layers, subjects, means, and architecture of subjects. There are three layers in the model: legal & working framework, integration & infrastructure services, and producers & consumers. The subjects are: international organisations (UNO, OECD, EU…), supranational organisations/associations/unions (ISF, EUROBIT, HLSG…), certification authorities, banking sector, telecommunications, companies, state administration/Civil Service/government administration, and citizens. Every subject belongs to a certain layer. However, we can see relationships between the layers. The means of GISp are flexible global interconnection, security (content and uniqueness of messages, sender identification + non-repudiation of message, remote contract signing, guaranty of quality), and common language (standards, conventions etc.). Finally, an enhancement of enterprise information systems architecture with emphasis on wide co-operation and interconnection with suppliers, customers, and partners is presented. The process of interconnecting, co-operating, and co-opeting (co-opetition = competition + co-operation) is another phase of system integration. --- The next part of this article is oriented to banking. Banks are shown as subjects of two layers: the integration & infrastructure layer and the producer & consumer layer. Correspondence to the both layers is the reason why we should be interested in banks apart. The global character of the society enables money transfer away from banking sector. This reduces banks’ possibilities and leads to disintermediation (disabling central bank to do monetary policy effectively). The article shows how banks can save their positions. Acting as intermediaries of remote payments and guarantees of both participants in payment transactions seems to be the best solution. It means to enable customers to communicate with banks 24 hours a day, 7 days a week from their homes or wherever they are. To be, or not to be (accessible via Internet)? That’s the question discussed in the article, too. However, being non-stop & on-line reachable requires good process architecture and relevant information system. Besides that, the article shortly calls attention to necessity to find a trade-off solution for central bank supervision and non-stop operating of banks.

 

“A Model of the Global Information Society” in Systémová integrace 1/2001

 

This article starts with a presentation of the global information society’s (GISp) characteristics. After this preface, a model of GISp is proposed. The model consists of layers, subjects, means, and architecture of subjects. There are three layers in the model: legal & working framework, integration & infrastructure services, and producers & consumers. The subjects are: international organisations (UNO, OECD, EU…), supranational organisations/associations/unions (ISF, EUROBIT, HLSG…), certification authorities, banking sector, telecommunications, companies, state administration/Civil Service/government administration, and citizens. Every subject belongs to a certain layer. However, we can see relationships between the layers. The means of GISp are flexible global interconnection, security (content and uniqueness of messages, sender identification + non-repudiation of message, remote contract signing, guaranty of quality), and common language (standards, conventions etc.). Finally, an enhancement of enterprise information systems architecture with emphasis on wide co-operation and interconnection with suppliers, customers, and partners is presented.

Read the entire article.

 

“Coverstory of IBM e-Business Academy Conference” in the conferenece proceedings, Dpt. of IT, Univ. of Economics and IBM, also in Zpravodaj VŠE, U. of E., 2/2002

 

This article describes the event of IBM e-Business Academy Conference that was held in January, 2002. Within this conference, members of Dpt. of IT (Univ. of Economics, Prague) and students presented their one year work results.

 

“Care for Customer Not Only in Banks” in Bankovnictví 6-7/2002 a 8/2002, Economia, a.s.

 

This article discusses CRM of banks. It starts with a short historical review that leads to the very basic assumption of every CRM – integration of clients data in order to satisfy internal business needs. The next section shows a little bit different approach which is more convenient these days – it places a client into the center of all. Business is profitable only if every interaction with every client is profitable. To know this, companies must reorganize themselves. After reorganization, CRM inovation may be started. The article gives some ideas how to achieve good results. It also presents actual data of CRM projects.

 

“Impacts of the Global Information Society on the Banking Industry” in SSGRR 2002s conference proceedings, L'Aquila, Italy (July 29 - August 4, 2002, invited speaker)

 

The Human society has lost its borders. It is global and it relies on information. There is almost no delay between the time information is created and the time it is used. There is almost no space between the place of its rise and the place of its processing. Companies beyond our segment are becoming our competitors. Our competitors are becoming our partners. Our clients require new services. This paper describes what it means to banks, the banking industry, and the currency.

Read the entire article
or see slides.

“Total money electronization” in Bankovnictví 6-7/2003 a 8/2003, Economia, a.s.
(University of Ecomomics in Prague Rector's Award for Publication of PhD Students.

 

This article discusses possibilities and impacts of e-money (cashless society). There are at least two ways of money electronization. First: standalone electronic banknotes, second: no e-cash, just money on banking accounts. The first way is interesting as it is neccessary to assure e-cash will have the same functions that paper money has. The second way has strong impacts on money supply, behaviour of basic macroeconomic models (IS-LM, AS-AD), inflation, unemployment etc. The article also presents a new (pragmatic) money definition: money is a measure of what one has done for the society (and how important the society think it was). So, money is a right to draw products and services back from the society.

“Systems Re-integration in the Global Information Society” in Systémová integrace 1/2003 (May)

 

This arcticle updates systems integration scheme published in another articles. The update is based on the trend of collaboration among businesses that we can see in the global information society (GISc). In the same time, collaboration is essential for GISc. The improvement of the scheme lies in putting stress mainly on integration of businesses with their environments. The interbusiness integration consists of three steps: outer integration, inner integration, and integration of interbusiness processes. Next topic discussed in this article is systems reintegration. The principle of systems reintegration is desintegration of processes inside businesses and their integration in the global information society. This leads to narrow process specialization of businesses and creating real business networking based on full sophisticated outsourcing. Following parts of the article describe a possible problem of loosing competition advantage if core business is not well identified and/or outsourcing is applied in the field of core business.

“Trends and Problem Issues of the Business Infrastructure” in Systémová integrace 1/2003 (May)

 

The paper brings description of trends concerning the business infrastructure, i.e. communication channels, banks and their services, and intermediaries. I have presented the trend of integration of communication channels. The economic point of view is considered in this paper as well. Next, usage of communication channels for banking services is reviewed. Banking and banking services are the main topic of another chapter of this paper, too. Here I put stress on changes we can see in the business environment. The changes may have a radical impact on banks. Besides another topics, the paper talks about account aggregation, banking information systems management, and what banks should do in order to survive successfully, or just to survive. Finally, I focused on intermediaries. Will they disappear? Or, will they find their place? I propose they should become what I call demand aggregators. A very special type of intermediaries are electronic marketplaces. In this paper I show they needn’t be just electronical versions of classical marketplaces. They can offer high value services to their participants. It also means they can offer payment services. This way they directly compete with banks. I discuss again how banks could behave.

“New Way of Profit Management” in Moderní řízení 7/2003

 

This article shows a new way of profit management that is based on 1:1 CRM. I have shown models for profit management being used now not to be sufficient for the global information society. There is no optimal number of products nor customers. Every relationship must be managed individualy, and hence every part of total profit must be controlled individually as well. Profit from every customer must be higher than relevant costs. In spite of this I have proposed some minimal requirements (ranges) for number of customers. Finally, I have presented that this approach of profit management is very similar to investment decision. It is important to evaluate possible risk of future income from every customer. I do not say "old" models are bad. They still work. However, their role is to describe the situation, not to be the main decision tool.

“Secure Communication and Trust in the Global Information Society” in Systémová integrace 2/2003

 

This article is an aggregation of several topics concerning safe and trusty communication in the global information society. First, an improvement of ISO/OSI (Open Systems Interconnection – Basic Reference Model, ISO/TC97/SC16) was presented. The improvement lies in adding a new layer – safety layer. Next topic describes an easy implementation of XOR logic function for getting an unbreakable encryption. Following topics are about relations between subjects. The article solves remote contract signing, discusses possible ways of assuring trust and quality via several systems of certification authorities. Finally, a solution of the problem that arises from cryptographic keys’ limited validity is proposed.

“Different Views of IS Architecture” in Systémová integrace 2/2003

 

In this article, information systems architecture is discussed. First, several contemporary approaches to architecture are presented: a typical general IS architecture, integration of existing applications, application architecture and different levels of intra- and interbusiness integration, a model of e-business management, and portal solutions. Next, a new concept is introduced. This new concept is based on processes and process management. The principle is that an information system is not a scheme of blocks of software. IS is about creating and using information and knowledge, and transforming them to long term prosperity. Hence, the IS architecture must correspond to business architecture. A new scheme of IS process architecture is shown in the article to illustrate the main idea. Also, task of systems integrators is rethought.

“Data, information, knowledge” in E-Logos, Dpt. of Philosophy, University od Economics in Prague

 

This is one of many articles discussing the topics of data, information, and knowledge. It is done with regard to the global information society which we probably are a part of. Explaining the topics does not start with data but rather with relationships among data, information, and knowledge. The article joins Shannon's definition of information, semiotics and other sources. Next, the article shows that information does not always bring less uncertainity as declared by Shannon's definition. Other topics mentioned are knowledge, emotion as an "ingredient" of information, and finally a little bit more pragmatic view of information: using information for management and relation of information to money.

“Deployment of Process Management” in Internet & Information Systems, PEF, ČZU in Prague Praze

 

This paper presents a concept of process management as an approach of tactical management in companies using appropriate information system. The paper also describes the problem of transformation from functional organizations into process ones. A framework for the transformation is suggested here as well.

Read the entire article.

 

 

 


Last update 30 Mar. 2017