Addressing Dynamism in E-negotiations by Workflow Management Systems

Workflows (Wfs) are a major enabling technology for e-commerce. In our research, a Combined Negotiation (CN) is modeled and enacted using Wf technology. The modeling task captures the sequencing of the individual negotiations as well as the dependencies between them, and the enacting task runs the model. A CN support system (CONSENSUS) is used by the user to perform both tasks. Supporting dynamic modifications to the model during run-time should increase the benefits of our approach. In this paper, we highlight the need for such support by identifying the dynamic aspects that can occur while negotiating the different items of a package (i.e., the CN object). To address these aspects, we experimented using ADEPT, a Wf Management System supporting dynamism. This leads us to discuss the Wf Reference Model of the Wf Management Coalition, and suggest a "dynamic" extension to the current functional areas and architecture. La technologie des Workflows (Wfs) s'est avérée importante pour le commerce électronique. Dans le cadre de notre recherche, une négociation combinée (CN) est modélisée et exécutée utilisant un Wf. La phase de modélisation capture la séquence des différentes négociations ainsi que les dépendances qui existent entre elles. La phase d'exécution quant à elle, permet comme son nom l'indique, d'exécuter le modèle. Un système de support pour les CN (CONSENSUS) est utilisé pour accomplir ces deux tâches. Supporter les modifications dynamiques du modèle lors de l'exécution devrait augmenter les bénéfices de notre approche. Dans cet article, nous mettons l'emphase sur le besoin d'un tel support, ceci en identifiant les aspects dynamiques qui peuvent apparaître lors de la négociation des différents items d'un package (i.e., l'objet de la CN). Nous utilisons ADEPT - un système de gestion de Wf qui supporte le dynamisme - pour étudier ces aspects. Ceci nous mène à discuter le modèle de référence de la Wf Management Coalition, et à proposer une extension "dynamique" à l'architecture actuelle.e-Negotiations, Sourcing, Workflows, Workflow management systems, Dynamism, Négociations électroniques, Approvisionnement, Workflows, Systèmes de gestion de Workflow, Dynamisme

Centralized versus market-based approaches to mobile task allocation problem: State-of-the-art

Centralized approach has been adopted for finding solutions to resource allocation problems (RAPs) in many real-life applications. On the other hand, market-based approach has been proposed as an alternative to solve the problem due to recent advancement in ICT technologies. In spite of the existence of some efforts to review the pros and cons of each approach in RAPs, the studies cannot be directly applied to specific problem domains like mobile task allocation problem which is characterised with high level of uncertainty on the availability of resources (workers). This paper aims to review existing studies on task allocation problems(TAPs) focusing on those two approaches and their comparison and identify major issues that need to be resolved for comparing the two approaches in mobile task allocation problems. Mobile Task Allocation Problem (MTAP) is defined and its problematic structures are explained in relation with task allocation to mobile workers. Solutions produced by each approach to some applications and variations of MTAP are also discussed and compared. Finally, some future research directions are identified in order to compare both approaches in function of uncertainty emerging from the mobile nature of the MTAP

ADEPT Workflow Management System Flexible Support for Enterprise-Wide Business Processes - Tool Presentation -

In this tool presentation we give an overview of the ADEPT workflow management system (WfMS), which is one of the few available research prototypes dealingwith enterprise-wide, adaptive workflow (WF) management. ADEPT offers sophisticated modeling concepts and advanced features, like temporal constraint management, ad-hoc WF changes, WF schema evolution, synchronization of inter-workflow dependencies, and scalability. We sketch these features and describe how they have been realized within ADEPT. In addition, we show which tools and interfaces are offered to developers and users in this context. ADEPT follows a holistic approach, i.e., the described concepts have not been implemented in an isolated fashion only, but are treated in conjunction with each other by integrating them within one WfMS

Enabling Process Support for Advanced Applications with the AristaFlow BPM Suite

A process-aware information system (PAIS) will be not accepted by end users if its software clients do not support their native workflows or are too complex for them. When implementing business processes based on process management technology important issues are, therefore, how end-users can participate in the execution of the processes and how this can be accomplished as intuitively as possible. This becomes extremely important if high flexibility demands need to be fullled during process execution, while PAIS robustness and error safety need to be assured. In this software demonstration we show how the AristaFlow BPM Suite - an adaptive process management system developed by us - was applied to challenging applications in domains like healthcare, logistics, disaster management, and software development. The implementation of adaptive software clients in these different applications particularly proves the benefits provided by an open application programming interface (API) as offered by AristaFlow

Web Services Support for Dynamic Business Process Outsourcing

Outsourcing of business processes is crucial for organizations to be effective, efficient and flexible. To meet fast-changing market conditions, dynamic outsourcing is required, in which business relationships are established and enacted on-the-fly in an adaptive, fine-grained way unrestricted by geographic distance. This requires automated means for both the establishment of outsourcing relationships and for the enactment of services performed in these relationships over electronic channels. Due to wide industry support and the underlying model of loose coupling of services, Web services increasingly become the mechanism of choice to connect organizations across organizational boundaries. This paper analyzes to which extent Web services support the dynamic process outsourcing paradigm. We discuss contract -based dynamic business process outsourcing to define requirements and then introduce the Web services framework. Based on this, we investigate the match between the two. We observe that the Web services framework requires further support for cross - organizational business processes and mechanisms for contracting, QoS management and process-based transaction support and suggest ways to fill those gaps

Fostering Distributed Business Logic in Open Collaborative Networks: an integrated approach based on semantic and swarm coordination

Given the great opportunities provided by Open Collaborative Networks (OCNs), their success depends on the effective integration of composite business logic at all stages. However, a dilemma between cooperation and competition is often found in environments where the access to business knowledge can provide absolute advantages over the competition. Indeed, although it is apparent that business logic should be automated for an effective integration, chain participants at all segments are often highly protective of their own knowledge. In this paper, we propose a solution to this problem by outlining a novel approach with a supporting architectural view. In our approach, business rules are modeled via semantic web and their execution is coordinated by a workflow model. Each company’s rule can be kept as private, and the business rules can be combined together to achieve goals with defined interdependencies and responsibilities in the workflow. The use of a workflow model allows assembling business facts together while protecting data source. We propose a privacy-preserving perturbation technique which is based on digital stigmergy. Stigmergy is a processing schema based on the principle of self-aggregation of marks produced by data. Stigmergy allows protecting data privacy, because only marks are involved in aggregation, in place of actual data values, without explicit data modeling. This paper discusses the proposed approach and examines its characteristics through actual scenarios

An Analysis of Service Ontologies

Services are increasingly shaping the world’s economic activity. Service provision and consumption have been profiting from advances in ICT, but the decentralization and heterogeneity of the involved service entities still pose engineering challenges. One of these challenges is to achieve semantic interoperability among these autonomous entities. Semantic web technology aims at addressing this challenge on a large scale, and has matured over the last years. This is evident from the various efforts reported in the literature in which service knowledge is represented in terms of ontologies developed either in individual research projects or in standardization bodies. This paper aims at analyzing the most relevant service ontologies available today for their suitability to cope with the service semantic interoperability challenge. We take the vision of the Internet of Services (IoS) as our motivation to identify the requirements for service ontologies. We adopt a formal approach to ontology design and evaluation in our analysis. We start by defining informal competency questions derived from a motivating scenario, and we identify relevant concepts and properties in service ontologies that match the formal ontological representation of these questions. We analyze the service ontologies with our concepts and questions, so that each ontology is positioned and evaluated according to its utility. The gaps we identify as the result of our analysis provide an indication of open challenges and future work

Towards an Agent-Based Approach for Multimarket Package e-Procurement

While most e-commerce research focuses on one market based problems, less work has been done on multimarket aggregation. Nowadays it is important to address the multimarket package e-procurement problem if we want to acquire a combination of goods and services from different suppliers and service providers. To achieve this, one should address the issues pertaining to identifying of a company's needs, discovering potential partners and suppliers, gathering distributed information and conducting combined negotiations, creating a seamless of information flow with different heterogeneous markets, suppliers, and partners, and finally concluding transactions. Several commercial e-procurement applications already automate some aspects of the procurement processes, helping decision makers and employees complete their purchasing activity. But none take into account the key aspects of combining goods and services into one aggregated package. Agent-based systems are well equipped to address the challenges of multimarket package e-procurement. Indeed, goal driven autonomous agents aim to satisfy user requirements and preferences while being flexible enough to deal with the diversity of semantics amongst markets, suppliers, service providers, partners and individual sellers. A distributed common shared space, called infospace, comprised of the negotiation exchanges and states, allows for agent coordination, market aggregation, and packages construction. This paper presents some issues and challenges faced in multimarket package e-procurement, and puts forward an agent-based approach to deal with them. La plupart des recherches sur le commerce électronique s'intéressent aux problèmes reliés à des marchés uniques. Moins de travaux ont été réalisés autour de l'approvisionnement multimarché. Le problème d'approvisionnement électronique (e-procurement) multimarché d'un paquet consiste en l'acquisition d'une combinaison d'objets à partir de différents fournisseurs de biens et services. Afin d'y parvenir, nous devons identifier les besoins de l'entreprise, découvrir les fournisseurs et partenaires potentiels, extraire de l'information distribuée et eventuellement gérer des négociations combinées, gérer le flux d'information circulant entre des marchés hétérogènes, vendeurs et partenaires, et finalement conclure des transactions. Il existe un certain nombre d'applications commerciales d'approvisionnement électronique qui automatisent quelques aspects du processus d'approvisionnement pour les entreprises, en aidant les preneurs de décisions et les employés dans leurs activités d'achats et d'approvisionnement. Mais aucune de ces applications ne tient en compte l'aspect de combinaison d'objets en un paquet agrégé. Les systèmes à base d'agents représentent une approche adéquate pour faire face aux problématiques posées de l'approvisionnement électronique multimarché d'un paquet. En effet, les agents autonomes essayent de satisfaire les besoins et préférences de l'utilisateur en étant assez flexibles pour gérer la diversité sémantique entre marchés, vendeurs, et fournisseurs de services. Un espace commun et partagé, appelé InfoSpace, contenant les échanges de données et les états des négociations, assure la coordination des agents, l'agrégation des marchés et la construction des paquets. Ce papier présente quelques problématiques et défis reliés à l'approvisionnement électronique multimarché de paquets, et expose une approche basée sur les agents pour y faire face.Markets, e-Procurement, Combined Negotiations, Multi-agent Systems, Marchés, e-procurement, négociations combinées, systèmes à base d'agents