Are BPR practitioners really addressing business processes?

Business process re-engineering (BPR), a management tool that initially adv ocated a revolution in the way businesses are driven, now carries the stigm a of being a major cause of job elimination. This study reveals the depth o f involvement of BPR practitioners in what, advocates claim, are the fundam ental ingredients of BPR - business processes. The data alert the reader to the different understandings and Practices related to business Process ana lysis held by several UK and Brazilian companies. Possible reasons are give n accounting for why some of the companies investigated seemed to lose a BP R focus in favour of more urgent restructuring matters. The authors conclud e that companies often lack a basic awareness of the business process conce pt, and that misconceptions about these issues can lead to unrealised expec tations at various levels in the organization.