Agent based mobile negotiation for personalized pricing of last minute theatre tickets

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Expert Systems with Applications. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier B.V.This paper proposes an agent based mobile negotiation framework for personalized pricing of last minutes theatre tickets whose values are dependent on the time remaining to the performance and the locations of potential customers. In particular, case based reasoning and fuzzy cognitive map techniques are adopted in the negotiation framework to identify the best initial offer zone and adopt multi criteria decision in the scoring function to evaluate offers. The proposed framework is tested via a computer simulation in which personalized pricing policy shows higher market performance than other policies therefore the validity of the proposed negotiation framework.The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (Korea

INFORMATION FUSION IN CONTINUOUS ASSURANCE

We extend continuous assurance research by proposing a novel continuous assurance architecture grounded in information fusion research. Existing continuous assurance architectures focus primarily on methods of monitoring assurance clients’ systems to detect anomalous activities and have not addressed the question of how to process the detected anomalies. Consequently, actual implementations of these systems typically detect a large number of anomalies, with the resulting information overload leading to suboptimal decision making due to human information processing limitations. The proposed architecture addresses these issues by performing anomaly detection, aggregation and evaluation. Within the proposed architecture, artifacts developed in prior continuous assurance, ontology, and artificial intelligence research are used to perform the detection, aggregation and evaluation information fusion tasks. The architecture contributes to the academic continuous assurance literature and has implications for practitioners involved in the development of more robust and useful continuous assurance system

The Common Body of Knowledge: A Framework to Promote Relevant Information Security Research

This study proposes using an established common body of knowledge (CBK) as one means of organizing information security literature. Consistent with calls for more relevant information systems (IS) research, this industrydeveloped framework can motivate future research towards topics that are important to the security practitioner. In this review, forty-eight articles from ten IS journals from 1995 to 2004 are selected and cross-referenced to the ten domains of the information security CBK. Further, we distinguish articles as empirical research, frameworks, or tutorials. Generally, this study identified a need for additional empirical research in every CBK domain including topics related to legal aspects of information security. Specifically, this study identified a need for additional IS security research relating to applications development, physical security, operations security, and business continuity. The CBK framework is inherently practitioner oriented and using it will promote relevancy by steering IS research towards topics important to practitioners. This is important considering the frequent calls by prominent information systems scholars for more relevant research. Few research frameworks have emerged from the literature that specifically classify the diversity of security threats and range of problems that businesses today face. With the recent surge of interest in security, the need for a comprehensive framework that also promotes relevant research can be of great value

Marine accident learning with Fuzzy Cognitive Maps : a method to model and weight human-related contributing factors into maritime accidents

Previous statistical maritime accident studies are focused on identifying human factors. However, the previous studies were not capable of modelling the complex interrelations that exist between these factors. As accidents are complex processes, researchers fail to agree on the contribution of each human factor. Therefore, in this research study, a new Fuzzy Cognitive Map (FCM)-based technique known as MALFCMs has been introduced and applied. Its novelty is the application of FCM concepts to model the relationships of accident contributors by combining historic accident data with expert opinion. Our approach is capable of integrating information obtained from real occurrences, therefore, the results can be considered more objective. Thus, in this paper, MALFCMs was applied to grounding/stranding accidents in general-cargo vessels, revealing that ‘unprofessional behavior’, ‘lack of training’, and ‘inadequate leadership and supervision’ are the most critical factors, with a normalised importance weighting of 13.25%, 13.24%, and 13.24% respectively

The Common Body of Knowledge: A Framework to Promote Relevant Information Security Research

This study proposes using an established common body of knowledge (CBK) as one means of organizing information security literature. Consistent with calls for more relevant information systems (IS) research, this industrydeveloped framework can motivate future research towards topics that are important to the security practitioner. In this review, forty-eight articles from ten IS journals from 1995 to 2004 are selected and cross-referenced to the ten domains of the information security CBK. Further, we distinguish articles as empirical research, frameworks, or tutorials. Generally, this study identified a need for additional empirical research in every CBK domain including topics related to legal aspects of information security. Specifically, this study identified a need for additional IS security research relating to applications development, physical security, operations security, and business continuity. The CBK framework is inherently practitioner oriented and using it will promote relevancy by steering IS research towards topics important to practitioners. This is important considering the frequent calls by prominent information systems scholars for more relevant research. Few research frameworks have emerged from the literature that specifically classify the diversity of security threats and range of problems that businesses today face. With the recent surge of interest in security, the need for a comprehensive framework that also promotes relevant research can be of great value

Startup’s critical failure factors dynamic modeling using FCM

The emergence of startups and their influence on a country's economic growth has become a significant concern for governments. The failure of these ventures leads to substantial depletion of financial resources and workforce, resulting in detrimental effects on a country's economic climate. At various stages of a startup's lifecycle, numerous factors can affect the growth of a startup and lead to failure. Numerous scholars and authors have primarily directed their attention toward studying the successes of these ventures. Previous research review of critical failure factors (CFFs) reveals a dearth of research that comprehensively investigates the introduction of all failure factors and their interdependent influences. This study investigates and categorizes the failure factors across various stages of a startup's life cycle to provide a deeper insight into how they might interact and reinforce one another. Employing expert perspectives, the authors construct fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs) to visualize the CFFs within entrepreneurial ventures and examine these factors' influence across the four growth stages of a venture. Our primary aim is to construct a model that captures the complexities and uncertainties surrounding startup failure, unveiling the concealed interconnections among CFFs. The FCMs model empowers entrepreneurs to anticipate potential failures under diverse scenarios based on the dynamic behavior of these factors. The proposed model equips entrepreneurs and decision-makers with a comprehensive understanding of the collective influence exerted by various factors on the failure of entrepreneurial ventures

Fuzzy cognitive map modelling the adoption of educational software in schools

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.This thesis focuses on modelling factors in the adoption of educational software in schools based on the perceptions of key stakeholders. Findings indicate educational software adoption in UK secondary schools is unsatisfactory. Given the potential of educational software to affect the learning process; the government's emphasis on developing software content for learning purposes and the concern that scarce resources in schools are wasted on software that is inappropriately used or not used at all, there is a need to ensure the successful take-up of educational software. This study aims to provide schools the means to facilitate better management of resources and achieve greater utilisation of educational software. The study in recognising the importance of stakeholders in any technological adoption considers modelling educational software adoption in schools, based on key stakeholders' perceptions. Fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs), considered extensions of cognitive maps used for modelling complex chains of casual relationships, are used as a modelling approach in this study. A mixed methods research approach is adopted. Participants, include students; a range of teachers; ICTCoordinators and ICT-Technicians, drawn from three UK secondary schools. The resulting FCM model offers a visual medium providing insight into the factors required in the take-up of educational software. Some factors identified include the availability and accessibility to IT facilities and equipment; the availability of educational software; software ability to satisfy learning requirements and to meet curriculum requirements. The model provides the means to identify factors which have a greater impact on educational software adoption, so scarce resources can be directed accordingly. As a holistic model it provides insight into the context of educational software adoption in schools. As a dynamic model it allows the opportunity to explore `what-if possibilities relating to policy and investment options. The model can act as a guide for planners, decision-makers and software developers

Fuzzy cognitive map modelling the adoption of educational software in schools

This thesis focuses on modelling factors in the adoption of educational software in schools based on the perceptions of key stakeholders. Findings indicate educational software adoption in UK secondary schools is unsatisfactory. Given the potential of educational software to affect the learning process; the government's emphasis on developing software content for learning purposes and the concern that scarce resources in schools are wasted on software that is inappropriately used or not used at all, there is a need to ensure the successful take-up of educational software. This study aims to provide schools the means to facilitate better management of resources and achieve greater utilisation of educational software. The study in recognising the importance of stakeholders in any technological adoption considers modelling educational software adoption in schools, based on key stakeholders' perceptions. Fuzzy cognitive maps (FCMs), considered extensions of cognitive maps used for modelling complex chains of casual relationships, are used as a modelling approach in this study. A mixed methods research approach is adopted. Participants, include students; a range of teachers; ICTCoordinators and ICT-Technicians, drawn from three UK secondary schools. The resulting FCM model offers a visual medium providing insight into the factors required in the take-up of educational software. Some factors identified include the availability and accessibility to IT facilities and equipment; the availability of educational software; software ability to satisfy learning requirements and to meet curriculum requirements. The model provides the means to identify factors which have a greater impact on educational software adoption, so scarce resources can be directed accordingly. As a holistic model it provides insight into the context of educational software adoption in schools. As a dynamic model it allows the opportunity to explore `what-if possibilities relating to policy and investment options. The model can act as a guide for planners, decision-makers and software developers.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo