MODELING AND PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT: THE REMEDY TO TREAT SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENT ISSUES FOR ENTERPRISES IN TODAY\'S DIFFICULT ECONOMIC CLIMATE

Background: European economies have been deeply affected by different crises. The impact of the economic crisis on enterprises is now recognized by everybody. Enterprises need to reorganize in order to be better adapted to this situation and to integrate new dimensions in their development. Reduction of cost is not the only way for making enterprises more efficient. It is now clear that a mono-criterion analysis is not adapted to the actual enterprise situation. Enterprises need a multi-criteria analysis by combining quality, cost, lead time but also carbon management, social societal and environmental dimensions. If QCD criteria are already considered as necessary for obtaining the optimum enterprise system, it remains difficult to convince the enterprise management of the opportunity to integrate social, societal and environmental dimensions for improving cost. This need still needs to be clearly demonstrated.

Method: This paper introduces concepts for showing that enterprises would be more efficient, better-organized and adapted to the new changes in society.

Conclusions: The reduction of cost is necessary, the increase in enterprise turnover too, but it is also indispensable to change the structure of enterprises. Enterprise modeling (GRAI Methodology) and a tool is used for illustrating the concepts presented through a detailed case study.