Software Characteristics of B2B Electronic Intermediaries: A Novel Design Science Approach

Long being seen as commercially unsuccessful after the dot-com era, web-based B2B electronic intermediaries are currentlyundergoing a renaissance driven by globalization and an ever increasing cost-pressure on procurement departments ofenterprises. These systems are getting more sophisticated almost by the day, which is also reflected by numerous relatedscientific articles. This development raises the question of the latest characteristics of such systems scientifically described.In order to answer this question, the work at hand depicts the results of a novel design science approach based on a structuredliterature review. The outcomes of this research are i) a state-of-the-art overview of scientifically described softwarecharacteristics of B2B electronic intermediaries, and ii) a taxonomy for structuring software characteristics of this type ofsystems. The results may help practitioners to further develop B2B electronic intermediaries and e-procurement systems, andwill serve as a basis for future research endeavors in the field

Cognition driven framework for improving collaborative working in construction projects: Negotiation perspective

Negotiation is the popular collaborative decision‐making behavior in inter‐organization systems, especially in the collaborative working in construction projects (CWCP). However, negotiation has long been recognized as a critical but time‐ and energy‐consuming process. The lack of an effective framework to improve the efficiency (performance) of negotiation is a major problem for those seeking to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of collaborative working in construction projects. This paper aims to develop a cognitive mapping‐based application framework for improving collaborative working in construction project from negotiation perspective (CF‐CWCP). This framework includes two‐fold: (1) mapping negotiation process in construction projects using cognitive mapping technique; (2) developing CF‐CWCP by integrating intelligent agent and cognitive mapping techniques. This research will benefit the partners in construction projects to improve construction negotiation performance. A prototype of CF‐CWCP is developed. Santrauka Derybos yra populiarus bendradarbiavimu gristas tarimasis tarp organizaciniu sistemu priimti sprendi‐mus, ypač vykdant statybu projektus. Derybos jau seniai suvokiamos kaip vertingas, tačiau daug laiko ir energijos atimantis procesas. Veiksmingos sistemos, galinčios padeti pagerinti derybu efektyvuma, trūku‐mas yra viena iš pagrindiniu problemu siekiantiems padidinti bendradarbiavimo veiksminguma vykdant statybos projektus. Pagrindinis šio straipsnio tikslas ‐ išpletoti pažinimo kartografija paremtos sistemos, kuri pagerintuben‐dradarbiavima vykdant statybos projektus, taikyma atsižvelgiant i derybu perspektyvas. Šia sistema suda‐ro dvi dalys: 1) kartografinis derybu procesas vykdant statybos projektus, pagristas pažinimo kartografijos technologija; 2) pažinimo sistemos, gerinančios bendradarbiavima vykdant statybos projektus, pletojimas integruojant intelektinius agentus ir pažinimo kartografijos technologija. Šis tyrimas pades statybu projek‐tu dalyviams pagerinti derybu efektyvuma, be to, išpletotas pažinimo sistemos prototipas. First Published Online: 09 Jun 2011 Reikšminiai žodžiai: pažinimo kartografija, bendradarbiavimas, derybos, statybos projekta

KEMNAD: A Knowledge Engineering Methodology for Negotiating Agent Development

Automated negotiation is widely applied in various domains. However, the development of such systems is a complex knowledge and software engineering task. So, a methodology there will be helpful. Unfortunately, none of existing methodologies can offer sufficient, detailed support for such system development. To remove this limitation, this paper develops a new methodology made up of: (1) a generic framework (architectural pattern) for the main task, and (2) a library of modular and reusable design pattern (templates) of subtasks. Thus, it is much easier to build a negotiating agent by assembling these standardised components rather than reinventing the wheel each time. Moreover, since these patterns are identified from a wide variety of existing negotiating agents(especially high impact ones), they can also improve the quality of the final systems developed. In addition, our methodology reveals what types of domain knowledge need to be input into the negotiating agents. This in turn provides a basis for developing techniques to acquire the domain knowledge from human users. This is important because negotiation agents act faithfully on the behalf of their human users and thus the relevant domain knowledge must be acquired from the human users. Finally, our methodology is validated with one high impact system

Multi Agent Systems in Logistics: A Literature and State-of-the-art Review

Based on a literature survey, we aim to answer our main question: “How should we plan and execute logistics in supply chains that aim to meet today’s requirements, and how can we support such planning and execution using IT?†Today’s requirements in supply chains include inter-organizational collaboration and more responsive and tailored supply to meet specific demand. Enterprise systems fall short in meeting these requirements The focus of planning and execution systems should move towards an inter-enterprise and event-driven mode. Inter-organizational systems may support planning going from supporting information exchange and henceforth enable synchronized planning within the organizations towards the capability to do network planning based on available information throughout the network. We provide a framework for planning systems, constituting a rich landscape of possible configurations, where the centralized and fully decentralized approaches are two extremes. We define and discuss agent based systems and in particular multi agent systems (MAS). We emphasize the issue of the role of MAS coordination architectures, and then explain that transportation is, next to production, an important domain in which MAS can and actually are applied. However, implementation is not widespread and some implementation issues are explored. In this manner, we conclude that planning problems in transportation have characteristics that comply with the specific capabilities of agent systems. In particular, these systems are capable to deal with inter-organizational and event-driven planning settings, hence meeting today’s requirements in supply chain planning and execution.supply chain;MAS;multi agent systems

AI-Based Innovation in B2B Marketing: An Interdisciplinary Framework Incorporating Academic and Practitioner Perspectives

Artificial intelligence (AI) rests at the frontier of technology, service, and industry. AI research is helping to reconfigure innovative businesses in the consumer marketplace. This paper addresses existing literature on AI and presents an emergent B2B marketing framework for AI innovation as a cycle of the critical elements identified in cross-functional studies that represent both academic and practitioner strategic orientations. We contextualize the prevalence of AI-based innovation themes by utilizing bibliometric and semantic content analysis methods across two studies and drawing data from two distinct sources, academics, and industry practitioners. Our findings reveal four key analytical components: (1) IT tools and resource environment, (2) innovative actors and agents, (3) marketing knowledge and innovation, and (4) communications and exchange relationships. The academic literature and industry material analyzed in our studies imply that as markets integrate AI technology into their offerings and services, a governing opportunity to better foster and encourage mutually beneficial co-creation in the AI innovation process emerges

Using design thinking to improve strategic decisions during collaborative sensemaking

Human cognitive limitations affect strategic decision-making. One of such effects is emergence of cognitive biases, deviations from rationality in judgment. These biases can negatively influence an organisation's capability to capture and utilize new ideas, thus inhibiting innovation. Researchers have documented different strategies for mitigating cognitive biases – and many of them overlap with the ones emphasised in design thinking. However, research so far does not offer any specific “recipes” for mitigation of cognitive biases. This paper links together research on challenges of strategic decision-making, cognitive biases and design thinking. The paper investigates the effects of applying design-thinking tool in collaborative sense-making stage, within a small business team, aiming to mitigate confirmation bias. The study indicated that newly introduced design-thinking tools did not have the expected positive influence on decision-making. The research contributes to the field by developing a new framework on how to identify and mitigate confirmation bias in strategic decision-making

Ontology-based services for agents interoperability

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores. 2006. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Port

Analyzing the determinants of e-commerce in small and medium-sized enterprises: a cognition-driven framework

The increasing use of information technology in enterprises’ daily operations has led to multiple innovative ways to run a business, including electronic commerce (hereafter, e-commerce). However, firms with fewer resources, such as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), are more reluctant to use electronic channels during transactions. This aversion to contemporary business models is a result of these companies’ lack of knowledge and capabilities regarding e-commerce. To improve their businesses, SMEs’ managers and decision makers could benefit from a methodological framework that fosters a deeper understanding of the determinants of e-commerce. This study sought to explore the use of fuzzy cognitive mapping to address this need. The results are grounded in the knowledge and experience of a panel of experts in e-commerce. The fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) developed shows that entrepreneur profile, market, operational management, marketing and promotions, website and digital platform, and products present the highest centrality indices as determinants of SME e-commerce. The findings offer a better understanding of the cause-and-effect relationships between these determinants. The advantages, limitations, and shortcomings of our constructivist proposal are also discussed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio