The organization of transactions research with the Trust and Tracing Game

This paper presents empirical results of research on the influence of social aspects on the organization of transactions in the domain of chains and networks. The research method used was a gaming simulation called the Trust and Tracing game in which participants trade commodity goods with a hidden quality attribute. Previous sessions of this gaming simulation identified a list of variables for further investigation (Meijer et al., 2006). The use of gaming simulation as data gathering tool for quantitative research in supply chains and networks is a proof-of-principle. This paper shows results from 27 newly conducted sessions and previously unused data from 3 older sessions. Tests confirmed the use of network and market modes of organization. Pre-existing social relations influenced the course of the action in the sessions. Being socially embedded was not beneficial for the score on the performance indicators money and points. The hypothesized reduction in measurable transaction costs when there was high trust between the participants could not be found. Further analysis revealed that participants are able to suspect cheats in a session based on other factors than tracing. Testing hypotheses with data gathered in a gaming simulation proved feasible. Experiences with the methodology used are discusse

Coalition structure generation in cooperative games with compact representations

This paper presents a new way of formalizing the coalition structure generation problem (CSG) so that we can apply constraint optimization techniques to it. Forming effective coalitions is a major research challenge in AI and multi-agent systems. CSG involves partitioning a set of agents into coalitions to maximize social surplus. Traditionally, the input of the CSG problem is a black-box function called a characteristic function, which takes a coalition as input and returns the value of the coalition. As a result, applying constraint optimization techniques to this problem has been infeasible. However, characteristic functions that appear in practice often can be represented concisely by a set of rules, rather than treating the function as a black box. Then we can solve the CSG problem more efficiently by directly applying constraint optimization techniques to this compact representation. We present new formalizations of the CSG problem by utilizing recently developed compact representation schemes for characteristic functions. We first characterize the complexity of CSG under these representation schemes. In this context, the complexity is driven more by the number of rules than by the number of agents. As an initial step toward developing efficient constraint optimization algorithms for solving the CSG problem, we also develop mixed integer programming formulations and show that an off-the-shelf optimization package can perform reasonably well

An economic giant, political dwarf and military worm?: introducing the concept of 'transnational power over' in studies of (the EU’s) power

This paper challenges the common depiction of the European Union (EU) as an economic giant, political dwarf and military worm. It argues that this depiction fails to acknowledge the EU’s structural power and the more subtle ways in which the Union exerts power in the international realm. Building on Susan Strange’s theory of the United States (U.S.) as a ‘transnational empire’ and Stephan Keukeleire’s concept of ‘structural foreign policy’, the paper seeks to demonstrate that EU is more powerful than is still commonly thought. To account for the more subtle and indirect manners in which the EU exerts power on the global stage, the paper presents a new conceptual understanding of power, adapted to the present-day realities of globalisation, interdependence and post-Cold War order, notably ‘transnational power over’ (TNPO). Combining insights from Steven Lukes’s work on power with reflections from Susan Strange and other scholars of international political economy (IPE), the concept of TNPO captures the degree to which international actors are institutionally, materially and/or ideationally subordinate to or dependent on a dominant actor, making it difficult for them to resist its initiatives or turn down its offers. The paper concludes by presenting a conceptual framework based on the notion of TNPO. The framework demonstrates how a dominant actor such as the EU can rely on its TNPO to negotiate favourable agreements, which in turn strengthen its TNPO

How can economic sociology help business relationship management?

Purpose – By analyzing organizations as social actors and business relationships as social relationships, sociology can improve business relationship management. This paper aims to explore the issues involved. Design/methodology/approach – A business relationship is an interactive exchange between two organizations embedded in a network of business connections. The paper reviews theories of social actions and social actors and the concepts of economic field and embeddedness to illustrate some social dimensions of business relationships. Findings – Social action and social actor theories emphasize that co-operation is always encumbered with conflicts, that consciousness about the relationship is fundamental for both strongly and weakly structured actors, and that actors (people involved in a business relationship) always have some freedom of manoeuvre. The concept of economic field underscores the specificity of each business relationship and the critical need for concrete analysis. The concept of embeddedness highlights that no business relationship is possible without personal bonds. Research limitations/implications – These are the first results of a deeper and broader research directed towards a conceptual model of business relationship management. Practical implications – The paper can help managers to analyze more deeply the social dimensions of business relations with both suppliers and buyers. Consciousness, the ongoing presence of conflicts, the unavoidable role of personal bonds, and interactivity are always relevant in business relationship management. Originality/value – The paper integrates sociological and business marketing approaches. It applies essential sociological theories and concepts to business relationship management

Location-based and contextual mobile learning. A STELLAR Small-Scale Study

This study starts from several inputs that the partners have collected from previous and current running research projects and a workshop organised at the STELLAR Alpine Rendevous 2010. In the study, several steps have been taken, firstly a literature review and analysis of existing systems; secondly, mobile learning experts have been involved in a concept mapping study to identify the main challenges that can be solved via mobile learning; and thirdly, an identification of educational patterns based on these examples has been done. Out of this study the partners aim to develop an educational framework for contextual learning as a unifying approach in the field. Therefore one of our central research questions is: how can we investigate, theorise, model and support contextual learning