Design and development of an m-commerce environment: The E-CWE project

We discuss the use of software agents in the design and development of an m-commerce environment. Software agents are considered because of their features, such as autonomy, sociability, and mobility. Users are currently struggling to complete their e-commerce transactions. For instance, they have to adapt their behaviors when they browse e-commerce sites. Conducting similar transactions from wireless devices (e.g., mobile phones) requires new approaches. Multiple issues, which vary from low bandwidth and high latency to screen sizes, are raised. The E-Commerce Through Wireless Devices project aims at investigating techniques and offering solutions to support users in undertaking m-commerce transactions

A Schema for Specifying Computational Autonomy

A key property associated with computational agency is autonomy, and it is broadly agreed that agents as autonomous entities (or autonomous software in general) have the capacity to become an enabling technology for a variety of complex applications in fields such as telecommunications, e/m-commerce, and pervasive computing. This raises the strong need for techniques that support developers of agentoriented applications in specifying the kind and level of autonomy they want to ascribe to the individual agents. This paper describes a specification schema called RNS ("Roles, Norms, Sanctions") that has been developed in response to this need. The basic view underlying RNS is that agents act as owners of roles in order to attain their individual and joint goals. As a role owner an agent is exposed to certain norms (permissions, obligations and interdictions), and through behaving in conformity with or in deviation from norms an agent becomes exposed to certain sanctions (reward and punishment). RNS has several desirable features which together make it unique and distinct from other approaches to autonomy specification. In particular, unlike other approaches RNS is strongly expressive and makes it possible to specify autonomy at a very precise level

CrossFlow: Cross-Organizational Workflow Management for Service Outsourcing in Dynamic Virtual Enterprises

In this report, we present the approach to cross-organizational workflow management of the CrossFlow project. CrossFlow is a European research project aiming at the support of cross-organizational workflows in dynamic virtual enterprises. The cooperation in these virtual enterprises is based on dynamic service outsourcing specified in electronic contracts. Service enactment is performed by dynamically linking the workflow management infrastructures of the involved organizations. Extended service enactment support is provided in the form of cross-organizational transaction management and process control, advanced quality of service monitoring, and support for high-level flexibility in service enactment. CrossFlow technology is realized on top of a commercial workflow management platform and applied in two real-world scenarios in the contexts of a logistics and an insurance company

A commentary on standardization in the Semantic Web, Common Logic and MultiAgent Systems

Given the ubiquity of the Web, the Semantic Web (SW) offers MultiAgent Systems (MAS) a most wide-ranging platform by which they could intercommunicate. It can be argued however that MAS require levels of logic that the current Semantic Web has yet to provide. As ISO Common Logic (CL) ISO/IEC IS 24707:2007 provides a firstorder logic capability for MAS in an interoperable way, it seems natural to investigate how CL may itself integrate with the SW thus providing a more expressive means by which MAS can interoperate effectively across the SW. A commentary is accordingly presented on how this may be achieved. Whilst it notes that certain limitations remain to be addressed, the commentary proposes that standardising the SW with CL provides the vehicle by which MAS can achieve their potential.</p

SOLACE: A framework for electronic negotiations

Copyright @ 2011 Walter de Gruyter GmbHMost existing frameworks for electronic negotiations today are tied to specific negotiation systems for which they were developed, preventing them from being applied to other negotiation scenarios. Thus, the evaluation of electronic negotiation systems is difficult as each one is based on a different framework. Additionally, each developer has to design a new framework for any system to be developed, leading to a ‘reinvention of the wheel’. This paper presents SOLACE—a generic framework for multi-issue negotiations, which can be applied to a variety of negotiation scenarios. In contrast with other frameworks for electronic negotiations, SOLACE supports hybrid systems in which the negotiation participants can be humans, agents or a combination of the two. By recognizing the importance of strategies in negotiations and incorporating a time attribute in negotiation proposals, SOLACE enhances existing approaches and provides a foundation for the flexible electronic negotiation systems of the future

SMEs, electronically-mediated working and data security: cause for concern?

Security of data is critical to the operations of firms. Without the ability to store, process and transmit data securely, operations may be compromised, with the potential for serious consequences to trading integrity. Thus the role that electronically-mediated working plays in business today and its dependency on data security is of critical interest, especially in light of the fact that much of this communication is based on the use of open networks (i.e. the Internet). This paper discusses findings from a 'WestFocus' survey on electronically-mediated working and telework amongst a sample of SMEs located in West London and adjacent counties in South-Eastern England in order to highlight the problems that such practice raises in terms of data security. Data collection involved a telephone survey undertaken in early 2006 of 378 firms classified into four industrial sectors ('Media', 'Logistics', 'Internet Services' and 'Food Processing'). After establishing how ICTs and the Internet are being exploited as business applications for small firms, data security practice is explored on the basis of sector and size with a focus on telework. The paper goes on to highlight areas of concern in terms of data security policy and training practice. Findings show some sector and size influences.WestFocus* under the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF 2