The Internet-of-Things Meets Business Process Management: Mutual Benefits and Challenges

The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to a network of connected devices collecting and exchanging data over the Internet. These things can be artificial or natural, and interact as autonomous agents forming a complex system. In turn, Business Process Management (BPM) was established to analyze, discover, design, implement, execute, monitor and evolve collaborative business processes within and across organizations. While the IoT and BPM have been regarded as separate topics in research and practice, we strongly believe that the management of IoT applications will strongly benefit from BPM concepts, methods and technologies on the one hand; on the other one, the IoT poses challenges that will require enhancements and extensions of the current state-of-the-art in the BPM field. In this paper, we question to what extent these two paradigms can be combined and we discuss the emerging challenges

07061 Abstracts Collection -- Autonomous and Adaptive Web Services

From 4.2.2007 to 9.2.2007, the Dagstuhl Seminar 07061 ``Autonomous and Adaptive Web Services\u27\u27 was held in the International Conference and Research Center (IBFI), Schloss Dagstuhl. During the seminar, several participants presented their current research, and ongoing work and open problems were discussed. Abstracts of the presentations given during the seminar as well as abstracts of seminar results and ideas are put together in this paper. The first section describes the seminar topics and goals in general. Links to extended abstracts or full papers are provided, if available

‘Good’ Outcomes

‘Good’ Outcomes – Handling Multiplicity in Government Communication This thesis examines how five Danish government organizations produce and assess communicative solutions in practice, and argues that government communication may be understood as a case of multiplicity. In the practices of producing and assessing communicative solutions it is uncertain what constitutes a ‘good’ outcome of government communication. This uncertainty is grasped by drawing upon analytical resources from the field of multiplicity-oriented ANT analyses. Empirically, the thesis is based on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at the five government organizations. Combining empirical observations, theoretical insights, and political programmes, four ‘modes of ordering’ are developed and these are utilized in exploring how the multiplicity of government communication unfurls and how it is handled in practice. The thesis shows how the ordering attempts described by the four modes of ordering coexist and interfere, and it suggests the notions of ‘sequencing’ and ‘singularizing’ for understanding how the multiplicity of government communication is handled in the production and assessment of communicative solutions. The study upon which the thesis reports has been carried out in connection with a larger Industrial PhD project, entitled Measurements you can learn from, that aimed at developing, testing, and implementing new and better communication measurements

2014 Digital Rsearch in the Humanities and Arts (Full (DRHA): Full paper proceedings

This publication includes a selection of peer reviewed academic papers. The full paper/Proceedings publication for the DRHA2014 conference showcase up to-date discussions, dynamic debates and innovative keynotes and aims to open a discussion on defining digital communication futures, as a theme that connects interdisciplinary practices, focusing particularly on issues of communication and its impact on creative industries

Self-managed Workflows for Cyber-physical Systems

Workflows are a well-established concept for describing business logics and processes in web-based applications and enterprise application integration scenarios on an abstract implementation-agnostic level. Applying Business Process Management (BPM) technologies to increase autonomy and automate sequences of activities in Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) promises various advantages including a higher flexibility and simplified programming, a more efficient resource usage, and an easier integration and orchestration of CPS devices. However, traditional BPM notations and engines have not been designed to be used in the context of CPS, which raises new research questions occurring with the close coupling of the virtual and physical worlds. Among these challenges are the interaction with complex compounds of heterogeneous sensors, actuators, things and humans; the detection and handling of errors in the physical world; and the synchronization of the cyber-physical process execution models. Novel factors related to the interaction with the physical world including real world obstacles, inconsistencies and inaccuracies may jeopardize the successful execution of workflows in CPS and may lead to unanticipated situations. This thesis investigates properties and requirements of CPS relevant for the introduction of BPM technologies into cyber-physical domains. We discuss existing BPM systems and related work regarding the integration of sensors and actuators into workflows, the development of a Workflow Management System (WfMS) for CPS, and the synchronization of the virtual and physical process execution as part of self-* capabilities for WfMSes. Based on the identified research gap, we present concepts and prototypes regarding the development of a CPS WFMS w.r.t. all phases of the BPM lifecycle. First, we introduce a CPS workflow notation that supports the modelling of the interaction of complex sensors, actuators, humans, dynamic services and WfMSes on the business process level. In addition, the effects of the workflow execution can be specified in the form of goals defining success and error criteria for the execution of individual process steps. Along with that, we introduce the notion of Cyber-physical Consistency. Following, we present a system architecture for a corresponding WfMS (PROtEUS) to execute the modelled processes-also in distributed execution settings and with a focus on interactive process management. Subsequently, the integration of a cyber-physical feedback loop to increase resilience of the process execution at runtime is discussed. Within this MAPE-K loop, sensor and context data are related to the effects of the process execution, deviations from expected behaviour are detected, and compensations are planned and executed. The execution of this feedback loop can be scaled depending on the required level of precision and consistency. Our implementation of the MAPE-K loop proves to be a general framework for adding self-* capabilities to WfMSes. The evaluation of our concepts within a smart home case study shows expected behaviour, reasonable execution times, reduced error rates and high coverage of the identified requirements, which makes our CPS~WfMS a suitable system for introducing workflows on top of systems, devices, things and applications of CPS.:1. Introduction 15 1.1. Motivation 15 1.2. Research Issues 17 1.3. Scope & Contributions 19 1.4. Structure of the Thesis 20 2. Workflows and Cyber-physical Systems 21 2.1. Introduction 21 2.2. Two Motivating Examples 21 2.3. Business Process Management and Workflow Technologies 23 2.4. Cyber-physical Systems 31 2.5. Workflows in CPS 38 2.6. Requirements 42 3. Related Work 45 3.1. Introduction 45 3.2. Existing BPM Systems in Industry and Academia 45 3.3. Modelling of CPS Workflows 49 3.4. CPS Workflow Systems 53 3.5. Cyber-physical Synchronization 58 3.6. Self-* for BPM Systems 63 3.7. Retrofitting Frameworks for WfMSes 69 3.8. Conclusion & Deficits 71 4. Modelling of Cyber-physical Workflows with Consistency Style Sheets 75 4.1. Introduction 75 4.2. Workflow Metamodel 76 4.3. Knowledge Base 87 4.4. Dynamic Services 92 4.5. CPS-related Workflow Effects 94 4.6. Cyber-physical Consistency 100 4.7. Consistency Style Sheets 105 4.8. Tools for Modelling of CPS Workflows 106 4.9. Compatibility with Existing Business Process Notations 111 5. Architecture of a WfMS for Distributed CPS Workflows 115 5.1. Introduction 115 5.2. PROtEUS Process Execution System 116 5.3. Internet of Things Middleware 124 5.4. Dynamic Service Selection via Semantic Access Layer 125 5.5. Process Distribution 126 5.6. Ubiquitous Human Interaction 130 5.7. Towards a CPS WfMS Reference Architecture for Other Domains 137 6. Scalable Execution of Self-managed CPS Workflows 141 6.1. Introduction 141 6.2. MAPE-K Control Loops for Autonomous Workflows 141 6.3. Feedback Loop for Cyber-physical Consistency 148 6.4. Feedback Loop for Distributed Workflows 152 6.5. Consistency Levels, Scalability and Scalable Consistency 157 6.6. Self-managed Workflows 158 6.7. Adaptations and Meta-adaptations 159 6.8. Multiple Feedback Loops and Process Instances 160 6.9. Transactions and ACID for CPS Workflows 161 6.10. Runtime View on Cyber-physical Synchronization for Workflows 162 6.11. Applicability of Workflow Feedback Loops to other CPS Domains 164 6.12. A Retrofitting Framework for Self-managed CPS WfMSes 165 7. Evaluation 171 7.1. Introduction 171 7.2. Hardware and Software 171 7.3. PROtEUS Base System 174 7.4. PROtEUS with Feedback Service 182 7.5. Feedback Service with Legacy WfMSes 213 7.6. Qualitative Discussion of Requirements and Additional CPS Aspects 217 7.7. Comparison with Related Work 232 7.8. Conclusion 234 8. Summary and Future Work 237 8.1. Summary and Conclusion 237 8.2. Advances of this Thesis 240 8.3. Contributions to the Research Area 242 8.4. Relevance 243 8.5. Open Questions 245 8.6. Future Work 247 Bibliography 249 Acronyms 277 List of Figures 281 List of Tables 285 List of Listings 287 Appendices 28

Trust and adaptive rationality : towards a new paradigm in trust research

Combining economic, social-psychological and sociological approaches trust, this book provides a general theoretical framework to explain conditional and unconditional trust; it also presents an experimental test of the corresponding integrative model and its predictions. Broadly, it aims at advancing a ‘cognitive turn’ in trust research by highlighting the importance of (1) an actor´s context-dependent definition of the situation and (2) the flexible and dynamic degree of rationality involved in the phenomenon. In essence, trust is as “multi-faceted” as there are cognitive routes that take us to the choice of a trusting act. Therefore, adaptive rationality has to be incorporated as an independent and orthogonal dimension to the typological space of trust. Going from description to prediction, the work develops an analytically precise and tractable model of trust and adaptive rationality. The empirical test presented combines trust games, high- and low-incentive conditions, framing manipulations, and psychometric measurements; it is complemented by decision-time analyses

Orchestration of learning activities through the integration of third-party services in IMS learning design

The range of applicable pedagogical models has increased with the adoption of the Information and Communication Technologies in the educational field. The so called educational modelling languages enable the orchestration of learning activities on distance education scenarios. It is possible, for example, to apply strategies that emphasise the relevance of an active participation of the subject and the interaction among the different actors of the learning process. Computer-mediated orchestration of learning courses can be extended beyong distance education scenarios to face-to-face experiences. The IMS Learning Design specification is the de facto standard educational modelling language. The application of the specification in the support of collaborative learning models or in the creation of adaptive learning material is a frequent topic in current research. However, the model has several limitations that hinder the practical adoption of the IMS Learning Design framework. Among these limitations, the lack of integration with thirdparty tools is an obstacle for the creation and deployment of student-centred learning courses, where the active participation implies the use of Web based tools. Distance and blended learning models are especially affected by this limitation. Another factor that prevents full adoption of the framework is the lack of flexibility of the model: the existing players play a previously created script and leave no room for teachers’ reaction to unexpected events. This dissertation proposes a solution for the previous problems without limiting the intrinsic benefits of the specification, such as interoperability and expressiveness. The adopted research methodology consists of three phases: characterisation of the problem, design and implementation of the solution, and experimental validation of the proposed model. The complete description of the problem has required a revision of the state of the art regarding IMS Learning Design and the design and deployment of several cases of study. The analysis of these cases has been centred in the study of the factors that affect the authoring, deployment and enactment phases of scripted learning courses. The documentation and publication of these experiences is one of the contributions of this dissertation. An extension of the IMS Learning Design framework is proposed as a solution of the described problem. The extension, called Generic Service Integration is platform independent and allows the integration of third-party tools in courses described by IMS Learning Design. The integration is enabled by the automation of administrative tasks such as the instantiation of external tools, and by the information exchange among the platforms that take part in the course. Thus, it is possible to include learning activities whose enactment requires the use of Web based tools without losing the intrinsic characteristics of IMS Learning Design. The framework proposed by Generic Service Integration has been implemented as an extension of GRAIL, the IMS Learning Design player in the .LRN Learning Management System. Such extension has allowed the design and deployment of cases of study in which tool integration played an essential role in the sequence of activities. The analysis of these experiences demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed model. Such feasibility tackles two facts: first, the expresiveness of the combination of IMS LD and GSI; second, the replicability and scalability with a high number of participants. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------La aplicación de las Tecnologías de la Información y la Comunicación al ámbito del aprendizaje tiene como resultado la ampliación del abanico de posibilidades en lo que a modelos pedagógicos se refiere. La aparición de lenguajes de modelado educativo permite la orquestación de actividades en entornos de educación a distancia. Esto hace posible la ejecución de cursos en los que priman la participación activa del sujeto y la interacción entre los diferentes actores del proceso de aprendizaje. La orquestación de cursos guiada por ordenador no es exclusiva de la educación a distancia. En escenarios presenciales, por ejemplo, puede suponer una importante reducción de las tareas administrativas del profesorado. La especificación IMS Learning Design es el actual estándar de facto en el marco de los lenguajes de modelado educativo. Es frecuente la aparición de la especificación en las investigaciones más recientes, explorando su uso en el ámbito del trabajo colaborativo o en la creación de material adaptativo. Sin embargo, son varias las limitaciones que impiden una adopción práctica del esquema de trabajo propuesto por IMS Learning Design. Entre estas limitaciones, la falta de integración con herramientas de terceros dificulta la creación y el despliegue de cursos en los que el papel activo del alumno se refleje en el uso de herramientas basadas en la Web, especialmente en entornos de aprendizaje a distancia o semipresencial. Otro obstáculo importante es la falta de flexibilidad del modelo, ya que las herramientas de despliegue y ejecución de cursos se limitan a reproducir un guión previamente establecido, dejando escaso margen de actuación al profesorado. Esta tesis caracteriza los problemas mencionados y propone una solución factible que no limite las características propias de la especificación, como son su interoperabilidad y expresividad. Para ello, se ha seguido una metodología de trabajo compuesta de tres fases: caracterización del problema, definición e implementación de la solución, y validación experimental del modelo propuesto. Para la caracterización del problema se ha llevado a cabo un estudio del estado del arte con respecto a IMS Learning Design que se ha visto complementado con el diseño y despliegue de casos prácticos reales. En análisis de dichos casos prácticos se ha centrado en el estudio de los factores que afectan a las fases de autoría, despliegue y ejecución de los cursos. La documentación y posterior publicación de dichas experiencias supone por tanto una de las contribuciones de esta tesis. Tras la caracterización del problema, se propone una arquitectura que extiende la especificacióon IMS Learning Design. La arquitectura propuesta es independiente de la plataforma software que se utilice en el diseño y despliegue de cursos. Dicha arquitectura, que recibe el nombre de Generic Service Integration, permite la integración de herramientas de terceros en cursos guiados por IMS Learning Design. Esta integración se basa en la instanciación automática de herramientas externas y el intercambio de información entre las plataformas que intervienen en el curso. Así, se permite la inclusión de actividades que requieran el uso de herramientas basadas en la Web, sin que ello suponga una pérdida de las características propias de IMS Learning Design. El modelo propuesto, Generic Service Integration, ha sido implementado como una extensión de GRAIL, el reproductor de IMS Learning Design en .LRN. Dicha implementación ha permitido la puesta en marcha de casos de estudio en los que la integración de herramientas ha sido un elemento primordial de la secuencia de actividades de aprendizaje. El análisis de dichas experiencias demuestra la viabilidad del modelo propuesto. Esta viabilidad se refiere tanto a la capacidad expresiva de la combinación de IMS LD con GSI, como a su alta replicabilidad y escalabilidad con un número alto de participantes

Changing Professionals: Professionals’ Role in the Institutional Dynamics of German Health Care

With an empirical focus on the health care sector, this dissertation addresses the questions on when, how and why professionals influence institutional change and stability. Specifically, this dissertation focuses on the institutional work efforts of different groups of health care professionals, namely physicians and nurses, within German health care. Given the significant regulatory dynamics that German health care experienced during the last decades, this setting provides a particularly favorable background for the study on when, why, and how professionals seek to create, maintain and disrupt institutions. Elaborating on how professionals interact with the different contexts in which they are embedded, this thesis aims to provide a holistic picture of professionals’ engagement in institutional dynamics. In particular, this thesis contributes to the growing literature on the micro-processes of professionals’ institutional work within the diverse contexts in which these actors operate

Healthy snacks consumption and the Theory of Planned Behaviour. The role of anticipated regret

Two empirical studies explored the role of anticipated regret (AR) within the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) framework (Ajzen, 1991), applied to the case of healthy snacks consumption. AR captures affective reactions and it can be defined as an unpleasant emotion experienced when people realize or imagine that the present situation would be better if they had made a different decision. In this research AR refers to the expected negative feelings for not having consumed healthy snacks (i.e., inaction regret). The aims were: a) to test whether AR improves the TPB predictive power; b) to analyze whether it acts as moderator within the TPB model relationships. Two longitudinal studies were conducted. Target behaviors were: consumption of fruit and vegetables as snacks (Study 1); consumption of fruit as snacks (Study 2). At time 1, the questionnaire included measures of intention and its antecedents, according to the TPB. Both the affective and evaluative components of attitude were assessed. At time 2, self-reported consumption behaviors were surveyed. Two convenience samples of Italian adults were recruited. In hierarchical regressions, the TPB variables were added at the first step; AR was added at the second step, and the interactions at the last step. Results showed that AR significantly improved the TPB ability to predict both intentions and behaviours, also after controlling for intention. In both studies AR moderated the effect of affective attitude on intention: affective attitude was significant only for people low in AR