A trading model and security regime for mobile e-commerce via ad hoc wireless networking

Ad hoc wireless networking offers mobile computer users the prospect of trading with others in their vicinity anywhere anytime. This thesis explores the potential for developing such trading applications. A notable difficulty in designing their security services is being unable to use trusted parties. No one can be guaranteed present in each ad hoc wireless network session. A side benefit is that their costs don't have to be paid for. A reference model is defined for ad hoc m-commerce and a threat model is for- mulated of its security vulnerabilities. They are used to elicit security objectives and requirements for such trading systems. Possible countermeasures to address the threats are critically analysed and used to design security services to mitigate them. They include a self-organised P2P identity support scheme using PGP cer- tificates; a distributed reputation system backed by sanctions; a group membership service based on membership vouchers, quorate decisions by some group members and partial membership lists; and a security warning scheme. Security analysis of the schemes shows that they can mitigate the threats to an adequate degree to meet the trading system's security objectives and requirements if users take due care when trading within it. Formal verification of the system shows that it satisfies certain safety properties

Codified-Tacit and General-Specific Knowledge in the division of labour among firms. A study of the Software Industry

This paper addresses the organisation and codification of knowledge in the software industry. It analyses various economic incentives to codification, including the need to improve the productivity and quality of software production processes and to access inter-firm collaborations. The paper examines the experience of four Italian software firms specialised in software packages and services. It compares their capabilities, the main sources of tacit knowledge, their specific incentives to invest in knowledge codification, their usage of formal software development methodologies and quality control systems. Finally, the paper analyses two distinct technological collaborations that two of these firms have recently established.

Interim research assessment 2003-2005 - Computer Science

This report primarily serves as a source of information for the 2007 Interim Research Assessment Committee for Computer Science at the three technical universities in the Netherlands. The report also provides information for others interested in our research activities

University-local industry linkages : the case of Tohoku University in the Sendai area of Japan

This paper focuses on Tohoku University in Sendai in the nonmetropolitan area of Japan. Both a long historical and comparative perspective and a spacial perspective are essential to discuss the relevance of university-local industry linkages to local regional economic development. The conjunction of these linkages and economic development has been affected by two evolutionary processes: institutional configurations and territorial dynamics in the national innovation system. In addition, university-local industry linkages have been complicated by top-down regionalization and bottom-up regionalism.Tertiary Education,ICT Policy and Strategies,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Technology Industry,Rural Development Knowledge&Information Systems

Space Cooperation Under Anarchy: Commercialization of Outer Space and Space Security in the Post-Cold War Era

The 20th century brought the most horrific weapons and most devastating wars in the history of human civilization. It also gave us the most breathtaking discoveries and technological breakthroughs, including the opening up of outer space to human reach. The commercialization of outer space is one of the most significant developments of our time, giving us an opportunity to put the richness of this medium to the betterment of human conditions on Earth on an increasingly widening scale. Technological advances have also made space more important militarily. A puzzle now is whether the commercialization of outer space facilitates international cooperation in the security realm or makes interstate relations more competitive in the fourth medium. This study tries to address the issue of outer space security by placing it within the realist-liberal debate on economic interdependence and international conflict and cooperation. It shows that as the post-Cold War transition era drew to its close, security interests of the United States, on the one hand, and Russia and China, on the other, continued to diverge with regard to space security. The sole international intergovernmental organization charged with the negotiations on space security issues failed to bridge the differences and bring about compromises among the major space players. As a result, a new space security regime regulating expanding military uses of space has not emerged. Liberal expectations fail on two important accounts. Firstly, the cost-benefit analysis that lies in the heart of the argument of liberal pacification consists of the costs of fighting a war as well as the opportunity costs of war and the former has not necessarily increased with technological progress and, even with greater commercialization of outer space, the latter may not necessarily offset the trend in the former. Secondly, the liberal expectation that expanding commercial relations between states would gradually lead to progressive de-legitimization of the use force has so far failed to materialize with respect to outer space