Orchestrating fair exchanges between mutually distrustful web services

In this paper, we propose a modular and fully decentralized protocol to orchestrate fair exchanges between mutually distrustful yet collaborating web services. Our motivation roots in the observation that fair exchange is a key problem in settings where mutually distrustful entities are willing to exchange critical digital items in the absence of a trusted third party, which is typically the case of web services collaborating on a peer-to-peer basis. Examples of such scenarios include multiparty exchanges of security information (e.g., cryptographic keys), multiparty sharing of digital rights (e.g., to display some digital content), digital contract signing, etc. Our fair exchange orchestration protocol is based on two key building blocks, namely a tamperproof secure box and a module solving the well-known Byzantine agreement problem. The tamperproof secure boxes need not communicate directly with each other and are only required in a limited number of key steps of our algorithm. Our approach has the advantage to allow fair exchanges to complete even though truly malicious participants have aborted

Authentication and privacy in mobile web services

This thesis looks at the issue of authentication and privacy in mobile Web services. The work in this thesis builds on GSM and UMTS security framework to develop security protocols for mobile Web services environment. The thesis initially highlights some core principles of designing security protocols in such environment. The next two chapters look at the core technologies and building blocks in Web services systems and the core security features in mobile networks mainly GSM and UMTS. Registration and authentication were identified as security issues in federated systems. Proposed solutions were developed utilizing XML security mechanisms with SIM card security in GSM environment to address these issues. Also a novel system was proposed in which it is possible for a mobile user to securely authenticate and have full anonymity as far as the service providers are concerned; however it is possible for a trusted authority to reveal the identity of the user if he or she is suspected of illegal activities. The next section analyze in detail the Generic Authentication Architecture from 3GPP. Combining SAML with the Generic Authentication Architecture, we propose a novel "generic mobile Web service platform" for M-Commerce. Various solutions have been proposed to address privacy concern in distributed networks; the Platform for Privacy Preferences is one of the popular proposal, though it has many desirable features, it is not easy to enforce it. We argue that this limitation can be managed in federated system such as the Liberty Alliance framework. In the final chapter we make the case for using timestamp based authentication protocol in mobile Web service on the ground of efficiency gain

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Systemická korupce je běžný vědecký pojem, nicméně chybí shoda ohledně významu tohoto termínu stejně jako důsledná analýza tohoto tématu. Tento nedostatek ve výzkumu představuje prostor pro analýzu tohoto tématu systemické korupce, jež stojí proti směru, který se zaměřuje na jednotlivce. Cílem této práce je rozšíření koncepčního rozsahu výzkumu systemické korupce s využitím "pattern-to-process" smíšených metod. Jádrem metodologie tohoto výzkumu je kombinování empirických dat ze sektoru veřejných zakázek umožňujících analýzu tzv. "spatio- temporal" vzorů síťového chování s popisem procesu díky hloubkovým pohovorům. Výsledky empirického výzkumu dokazují statisticky významný rozdíl mezi výhrami ve veřejných zakázkách firem, které vykazují znaky politického vlivu od těch, jež nikoliv. Tato práce operacionalizuje termín politického vlivu jako korupci, kdy by veřejní úředníci nevykonali stejné rozhodnutí bez speciálního zvážení politického přičlenění, příspěvku nebo síťového napojení. Po izolování vysvětlujících faktorů firemní kompetence data odhalují, že firmy s charakteristikami vlivu vyhrávají významně častěji, stejně tak tyto firmy častěji shodují v typu vykonávané produkce. Užití "geospatial cluster" analýzy ve spojení s výsledky šetření odhaluje vlivové skupiny jako takové, jež upevňují...Systemic corruption is a common term amongst scholars and practitioners, yet there is sparse conceptual agreement and substantive analysis within the discourse. Regardless of the current deficit, there is considerable pioneering space and advantages to contrast against the overwhelming emphasis on individuals. This paper aims to broaden the conceptual scope of systemic corruption research through a pattern-to-process mixed-methods design. The design combines empirical data from the public procurement sector analyzing the spatiotemporal patterns of network behavior with a descriptive account of processes from in-depth interviews. The empirical approach statistically distinguishes the performance differentials of public procurement awards amongst firms that exhibit the characteristics of political influence from those that do not. This paper operationalizes that political influence is corruption when a public official would not have made the same decision without the special consideration of political affiliation, contribution, or network connection. After stripping away explanatory factors for firm competence, the data reveals that firms with influence characteristics win substantially more and more often performing similar work. The usage of geospatial cluster analysis, in conjunction with field...Katedra veřejné a sociální politikyDepartment of Public and Social PolicyFaculty of Social SciencesFakulta sociálních vě

Cambodia’s hedging foreign policy between the United States and China: the role of domestic politics, 1999-2019

Master of ArtsSecurity Studies Interdepartmental ProgramAndrew G. LongThe rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the apparent transition from the post Cold War unipolarity to multipolarity of the twentieth-first century have resulted in a highly fluid geostrategic environment in the Asia-Pacific region, where signs of potential aggressors are not clear cut, and structural power among major states still unfolds with considerable uncertainty. This condition inclines small states such as Cambodia to reject traditional bandwagoning and balancing schools of thought that require them to choose a side between contesting big powers. Instead, they opt for a pragmatic foreign policy known as “hedging” by forging relations with multiple external players concurrently. Through the lens of survival of authoritarian regimes, this qualitative study contends that Cambodia’s general election cycle influences its hedging between the United States and the PRC from 1999 to 2019. On the one hand, Cambodia’s economic and military relations with the United States remain stable and mature over time, whereas its political ties deteriorate temporarily during elections because of government repression. On the other hand, Cambodia’s relations with China deepen without fluctuation regardless of electoral cycles. The ultimate goal of this strategy is to uphold the legitimacy of the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) by retaining the support of two key constituencies in Cambodian politics: the winning coalition and the opposition group. This study concluded that Cambodia hedged by engaging not only with the United States and China but also with Japan, the European Union, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in order to bolster economic growth, maintain internal stability, strengthen its armed forces, preserve the regional balance of power, and project an ambivalent image of its alignment posture. The thesis offers policy implications for the scholarship on the foreign policy of small autocratic states and the future of U.S. foreign policy in Asia

Impact of information and communication technology (ICT) on trust and information sharing in South African automotive supply chains

The Internet has made a considerable impact on how business is conducted. Empowered by technology consumers are using the Internet as a tool to communicate and transact online. E-commerce (electronic commerce) presents opportunities for business to gain a competitive advantage, however it also posses certain challenges. Small and Medium Hospitality Enterprises (SMHEs) sector within the tourism industry, is one of the sectors which stands to benefit from using the Internet for business. Researchers agree that the contribution made by the tourism sector in developing economies is substantial. However, SMHEs are noted for their failure to derive optimal benefits from using the Internet for business to improve their competitiveness. This study which seeks to develop a model for use by SMHEs as a guide when making the decision to adopt technology was necessitated by the importance of SMHE’s contribution in the economy of developing countries. This model is based on the examination of existing theories and models such as; the Delone and McLean IS success model (2004), and the ITGI’s (2007) IT governance focus areas model. To elicit the desired outcomes, additional data was collected using questionnaires, interviews, and observations. The collected data was analysed and resulted in the development of a model that can be used by SMHEs in order to derive value from IT and to gain a competitive advantage

Civic Engagement and Urban School Improvement: Hard-to-Learn Lessons From Philadelphia

Philadelphia’s Children Achieving was a sweeping systemic reform initiative. Systemic reform eschews a school-byschool approach to reform and relies on coherent policy, improved coordination of resources and services, content and performance standards, decentralization of decision-making, and accountability mechanisms to transform entire school systems. Led by a dynamic superintendent and central office personnel, Children Achieving was the first attempt by an urban district to test systemic reform in practice. In 1996, the Consortium for Policy Research in Education (CPRE) at the University of Pennsylvania and its partner, Research for Action (RFA), were charged by the Children Achieving Challenge with the evaluation of Children Achieving. Between the 1995-1996 and 2000-2001 school years, CPRE and RFA researchers interviewed hundreds of teachers, principals, parents, students, District officials, and civic leaders; sat in on meetings where the plan was designed, debated, and revised; observed its implementation in classrooms and schools; conducted two systemwide surveys of teachers; and carried out independent analyses of the District’s test results and other indicators of system performance. An outline of the research methods used by CPRE and RFA is included in this report

First steps in the study of cyber-psycho-cognitive operations

Dissertação (mestrado)—Universidade de Brasília, Instituto de Relações Internacionais, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Relações Internacionais, 2019.O presente trabalho é uma análise dos mecanismos informáticos e tecno-comunicacionais envolvidos na articulação de mundos da vida orientados estrategicamente para estimular, prever ou minar o desenvolvimento das condições psico-cognitivas adequadas para a construção e sustento da legitimidade racional de uma autoridade ou ação política. A aplicação de instrumentos “arqueológicos” Foucauldianos ao estudo das narrativas políticas que engendraram e surgiram de “Russiagate” permitiu situar a teoria num contexto histórico e validar a premissa da convergência e incorporação de tendências de agendamento comuns e de práticas típicas de operações psicológicas tradicionais. Contudo, os efeitos tanto da disponibilidade comercial das TICs com capacidade de “deep learning”, quanto da estruturação baseada em conhecimento permitida pela ubiquidade e centralidade econômica dessas tecnologias, tornam o conjunto de mecanismos analisados num fenômeno que merece uma conceptualização e marco investigativo únicos. A obra é uma contribuição a esse empreendimento.This is an analysis of the ICT-based mechanisms involved in the articulation of lifeworlds that are strategically oriented to foster, prevent or undermine the development of psycho-cognitive conditions adequate for the construction or sustainability of an authority’s or a political action’s rational legitimacy. While grounding theory to a historical context, the application of Foucauldian “archeological” instruments to the study of the political narratives giving birth and springing from “Russiagate” also served to validate the premised convergence and incorporation of common agenda-setting trends and practices typical of traditional psychological operations. However, the effects of both the commercial availability of deep-learning ICTs and the cognition-based structuration afforded by their ubiquity and economic centrality set this “dispositif” apart, thereby deserving a unique conceptualization and research framework. This study is a contribution to such endeavor

A Diagnosis of Supply Chain Integration in Healthcare

abstract: Despite significant growth in research about supply chain integration, many questions remain unanswered regarding the path to integration and the benefits that can be accrued. This dissertation examines three aspects of supply chain integration in the health sector, leveraging the healthcare context to extend the theoretical boundaries, as well as applying supply chain knowledge to an industry known to be immature in terms of its supply chain practices. In the first chapter, a supply chain operating model that breaks away from the traditional healthcare supply chain structures is examined. Consolidated Service Centers (CSCs) embody a shared services strategy, consolidating supply chain functions across multiple hospitals (i.e. horizontal integration) and disintermediating several key roles in healthcare supply chains such as the group purchasing organizations and national distributors. Through case studies, key characteristics of CSCs that enable them to reduce the level of supply chain complexity are examined. The second chapter investigates buyer-supplier relationships in healthcare (i.e. supplier integration), where a high level of distrust exists between hospitals and their suppliers. This context is leveraged to study both enablers and barriers to buyer-supplier trust. The results suggest that contracting counteracts the negative effects of dependence on trust. Furthermore, the study reveals that hospital buyers may, in some situations, perceive dedicated resource investments made by suppliers as trust barriers, associating such investments with supplier upselling and entrenchment tactics. This runs contrary to how dedicated investments are perceived in most other industries. In the third chapter, the triadic relationship between the hospital, supplier, and physician is taken into consideration. Given their professional autonomy and power, physicians commonly undermine hospital efforts in supply base rationalization and standardization. This study examines whether physician-hospital integration (i.e. customer integration) can drive physicians towards supply selection practices that align with the hospital’s sourcing strategies and ultimately result in better supply chain performance. This study utilizes theory on agency triads and professionalism and tests hypotheses through a random effects regression model applied to data about hospital financial performance and physician-hospital arrangements.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Business Administration 201

Model Interventions: The Evolution of Media Development Strategies in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Macedonia from 2000 to 2007

The United States, in cooperation with European governments and international aid organizations, has sponsored the development of independent media as a major component of both conflict interventions and democratization programs, and more recently as part of nation building efforts. This study explores the evolution and export of those dominant democratic media models and their impact on recipient communities in Bosnia, Kosovo, and Macedonia from 2000 to 2007. International donors came to see media development as a silver bullet for democratization efforts to foster freedom of speech, civil society, good governance, as well as an engaged citizenry. Donors and practitioners initially believed that institutions, once established, would function in a specific way, and coupled with assistance to professionalize and commercialize the media sector, would create or at least jump start systems similar to those in the US and Europe. Over the years, policy makers have identified the vital parts of a democratic media system, but what they have failed to fully understand is the dynamic interaction among them. Now, more than fifteen years after the end of the Bosnian war and twelve after the end of the war in Kosovo, numerous assessments by government sponsors and independent evaluators have reported success in achieving fundamental media freedoms in these countries, yet these media sectors have not demonstrated their anticipated transformative power – leaving struggling or dysfunctional organizations in the wake of donor financial retreat. This study argues that media organizations and institutions are trapped between pressures to commercialize and professionalize, which have become conflicting rather than enabling forces when combined with weak economic environments. In each of the countries in this study, a lack of synchronization among reforms, political divisions, and poor economic growth have contributed to a web of interrelated challenges. Despite significant economic reforms, growth and stability have never reached a threshold for systemic change