On the Goal Domain in the RM-ODP Enterprise Language: An Initial Appraisal Based on a Foundational Ontology

The “goal domain” addresses objectives in a broad scope ranging from high-level statements expressing the vision and mission of an organization (or community) to declarations of the results that must be achieved by business process execution. This paper reviews the support for the goal domain in ISO RM-ODP. We analyze the conceptualization for goals (objectives) in the reference model’s Enterprise Viewpoint using a fragment of the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO) that deals with some aspects of social reality and intentionality. The interpretation of the RM-ODP concepts in terms of this foundation may help to provide a sound underpinning for these concepts and support the identification of possible extensions of the reference model.