Task Recovery in Self-Organised Multi-Agent Systems for Distributed Domains

Grid computing and cloud systems are distributed systems which provide substantial widely-accessible services to resources. Quality of service is affected by the issues around resource allocation, sharing, task execution and node failure. The focus of this research is on task execution in distributed environments and the effects of node failure on service provision. Most methods in the literature which provide fault tolerance, use reactive techniques; these provide solutions to failure only after its occurrence. In contrast, this research argues that using multi-agent systems with self-organising capabilities can provide a proactive methodology which can improve task execution in open, dynamic and distributed environments. We have modelled a system of autonomous agents with heterogeneous resources and proposed a new delegation protocol for executing tasks within their time constraints. This helps avoid the loss of tasks and to improve efficiency. However, this method on its own is not sufficient in terms of task execution throughput, especially in the presence of agent failure. Hence, we propose, a self-organisation technique. This is represented in this research by two different mechanisms for creating organisations of agents with a certain structure; we suggest, in addition, the adoption of task delegation within the organisations. Adding an organisation structure with agent roles to the network enables smoother performance, increases task execution throughput and copes with agent failures. In addition, we study the failure problem as it manifests within the organisations and we suggest an improvement to the organisation structure which involves the use of another protocol and adding a new role. An exploratory study of dynamic, heterogeneous organisations of agents has also been conducted to understand the formation of organisations in a dynamic environment where agents may fail and new agents may join organisations. These conditions mean that new organisations may evolve and existing organisations may change

Theory of deferred action: Agent-based simulation model for designing complex adaptive systems

Deferred action is the axiom that agents act in emergent organisation to achieve predetermined goals. Enabling deferred action in designed artificial complex adaptive systems like business organisations and IS is problematical. Emergence is an intractable problem for designers because it cannot be predicted. We develop proof-of-concept, conceptual proto-agent model, of emergent organisation and emergent IS to understand better design principles to enable deferred action as a mechanism for coping with emergence in artefacts. We focus on understanding the effect of emergence when designing artificial complex adaptive systems by developing an exploratory proto-agent model and evaluate its suitability for implementation as agent-based simulation

False Promises: Migrant Workers in the Global Garment Industry (Discussion Paper)

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide.  Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.CCC_False_Promises.pdf: 1932 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

The organisation of sociality: a manifesto for a new science of multi-agent systems

In this paper, we pose and motivate a challenge, namely the need for a new science of multi-agent systems. We propose that this new science should be grounded, theoretically on a richer conception of sociality, and methodologically on the extensive use of computational modelling for real-world applications and social simulations. Here, the steps we set forth towards meeting that challenge are mainly theoretical. In this respect, we provide a new model of multi-agent systems that reflects a fully explicated conception of cognition, both at the individual and the collective level. Finally, the mechanisms and principles underpinning the model will be examined with particular emphasis on the contributions provided by contemporary organisation theory

Simulating the Emergence of Task Rotation

In work groups, task rotation may decrease the negative consequences of boredom and lead to a better task performance. In this paper we use multi agent simulation to study several organisation types in which task rotation may or may not emerge. By looking at the development of expertise and motivation of the different agents and their performance as a function of self-organisation, boredom, and task rotation frequency, we describe the dynamics of task rotation. The results show that systems in which task rotation emerges perform better than systems in which the agents merely specialise in one skill. Furthermore, we found that under certain circumstances, a task that leads to a high degree of boredom was performed better than a task causing a low level of boredom.Organisation, Task Rotation, Work Groups, Psychological Theory, Multi Agent Simulation

A Generic Agent Organisation Framework For Autonomic Systems

Autonomic computing is being advocated as a tool for managing large, complex computing systems. Specifically, self-organisation provides a suitable approach for developing such autonomic systems by incorporating self-management and adaptation properties into large-scale distributed systems. To aid in this development, this paper details a generic problem-solving agent organisation framework that can act as a modelling and simulation platform for autonomic systems. Our framework describes a set of service-providing agents accomplishing tasks through social interactions in dynamically changing organisations. We particularly focus on the organisational structure as it can be used as the basis for the design, development and evaluation of generic algorithms for self-organisation and other approaches towards autonomic systems

An emergence perspective on entrepreneurship: processes, structure and methodology

This paper explores entrepreneurship from the perspective of emergence, drawing on literature in complexity theory, social theory and entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship is conceptualised as the production of emergence, or emergent properties, via a simple model of initial conditions, processes of emergence that produces emergent properties at multiple levels (new phenomena such as products, services, firms, networks, patterns of behaviour, identities). Conceptualisation through emergence thus embraces actors, context, processes and (structural) outcomes. This paper builds on previous work that theorises the relationship between entrepreneurship and social change. We extend that work by considering the methodological implications of relating processes of entrepreneurship to the emergence of new phenomena