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to note that an economic resource series may substitute an economic resource
in a stock-flow, but the economic resource series must not be used in economic
resource generalization hierarchies. This is prohibited by a corresponding OCL
constraint to the meta model. An
economic resource series
must always be based
on exactly one existing
economic resource
. For an
economic resource
one may
define zero to many
economicresourceseries
(usedindifferent
stock-flows
).
An
economic event
involves
economic agents
. We distinguish between
outside
agents
, i.e. trading partners outside the company, and
inside agents
who are ac-
countable inside the company. The involvement of
economic agents
in
economic
events
is denoted by the concept of
participation
.A
participation
is an associ-
ation that connects exactly one
economic event
with one
economic agent
.An
economic event is associated to at least one, but up to many economic agents.
Hence, an economic event has one to many participation associations. An eco-
nomic agent participates in at least one, but up to many economic events (in the
same, but also in different entity sets of the same or different duality models).
Thus, an economic agent has one to many participations connected.
In addition, there are further constraints assigned to the meta model to handle
specifics of
transfers
.Incaseofa
transfer
,each
economic event
must be assigned
to exactly one
outside agent
and, in addition, to at least one
inside agent
.All
economic events
of the same
transfer
(bothinthe
give
and the
take entity set
)
must involve one and the same
outside agent
.
The relationships among
economic events
,
economic resources
,and
economic
agents
within an
entity set
is also illustrated in the abstract example of Figure
3(b).
Economic events
are denoted by an hexagon. In the
give
partition, there
is only one
economic event
E1. This
economic event
leads to a decrement of
the only associated
economic resource
R1, notated by a drop. Since the
duality
model is a
transfer
,exactlyone
outside agent
Outside 1 and an
inside agent
Inside 1 is involved. The symbol for
economic agents
is a stickman -
outside
agents
have a black head, whereas
inside agents
have a white head.
The
take
partition includes three
economic events
E2, E3, and E4; one of
which (E3) is an
economic event series
. The symbol of an
economic event series
is a pack of hexagons. All three
economic events
together compensate the single
economic event
E1 of the
give
partition. E2 is associated with two
economic
resources
R2 and R3 that are incremented, whereas the series E3 increments
only the
economic resource
R4. E4 leads to an increase of the
economic resource
series
R5. An
economicresourceseries
is depicted by a pack of drops. Given the
example of a
transfer
,allthreeeventsinthe
take
partition must be associated
with the same
outside agent
as the
economic event
of the
give
partition: Outside
1. In addition, E2 and E3 involve two
inside agents
and E4 only one.
3.2 The Value Chain
According to Geerts and McCarty [13], the duality relationships introduced in
the previous chapter are the glue that binds a company's economic events to-
gether into rational economic processes, while ”stock-flow” relationships weave
these processes together into an enterprise value chain. In the latter case, they
