44,201 research outputs found
A Communication Framework Towards Flexible Associations of Business Entities Within Evolving Environments
The Internet and its manifestations, such as electronic commerce or in general network communication between different groups of interest (i.e., agents) have become indispensable for many of us. To adequately use the ever increasing amount of data, attempts are being made to extend data processing from a merely lexical view towards more complex, but equally important, multi-level view, including meaning and/or context (e.g., DAML, Web Services). The goal of this paper is to introduce a formal framework, apt to model communications from such a multi-level perspective. Therein, we discuss fundamental ideas of communication, such as agents involved and their respective structure. We integrate the concept of an agent's adaptive behaviour in order to assure a high degree of understanding. The framework is then illustrated using practical examples where we briefly present its usefulness and how it may be further developed. L'Internet et l'utilisation qu'on en fait, par exemple le commerce électronique ou plus généralement l'établissement de réseaux de communications entre différents intervenants (c.-à-d., agents) est devenu indispensable pour plusieurs d'entre nous. Il devient de plus en plus difficile d'utiliser adéquatement la vaste quantité de données s'y trouvant. À cette fin, de nombreuses initiatives tentent de faire évoluer les systèmes d'information les faisant passer de simples outils permettant le traitement lexical des données à des engins complexes comprenant les données et leur contexte d'interprétation (p.ex., DAML, Web Services). Dans cet article, nous présentons un cadre formel qui modélise les interactions, tout en tenant compte de plusieurs niveaux d'abstraction (p.ex., lexical, syntaxique, sémantique, etc.). Nous nous attardons aux concepts fondamentaux de la communication, tels que les agents impliqués dans les interactions et leur structure. Nous considérons aussi comment ces agents évoluent pour assurer la plus grande compréhension possible des messages reçus. Des exemples concrets servent à mieux expliquer comment le cadre peut être utilisé et comment il peut être raffiné.Inter-enterprise communication framework, information system evolution, adaptive systems., Cadre descriptif des communications inter-entreprise, évolution des systèmes d'information, systèmes adaptatifs
Complexity and Philosophy
The science of complexity is based on a new way of thinking that
stands in sharp contrast to the philosophy underlying Newtonian science, which is
based on reductionism, determinism, and objective knowledge. This paper reviews
the historical development of this new world view, focusing on its philosophical
foundations. Determinism was challenged by quantum mechanics and chaos theory.
Systems theory replaced reductionism by a scientifically based holism. Cybernetics
and postmodern social science showed that knowledge is intrinsically subjective.
These developments are being integrated under the header of “complexity science”.
Its central paradigm is the multi-agent system. Agents are intrinsically subjective
and uncertain about their environment and future, but out of their local interactions,
a global organization emerges. Although different philosophers, and in particular the
postmodernists, have voiced similar ideas, the paradigm of complexity still needs to
be fully assimilated by philosophy. This will throw a new light on old philosophical
issues such as relativism, ethics and the role of the subject
The Ontology of Group Agency
We present an ontological analysis of the notion of group agency developed
by Christian List and Philip Pettit. We focus on this notion as it allows us to
neatly distinguish groups, organizations, corporations – to which we may ascribe
agency – from mere aggregates of individuals. We develop a module for group
agency within a foundational ontology and we apply it to organizations
Travel Agencies: From online channel conflict to multi-channel harmony
The adoption of Internet as a distribution channel and a privileged e-commerce tool has pressed Travel Agencies
(TAs) to a latent channel conflict. Our main interest is to understand how the traditional independent travel agencies
in Portugal deal with the online channel. We suggest that TAs have to develop an innovative business model based on the
online and offline complementary channels, in order to achieve a multi-channel harmony
A Process Approach to Corporate Coherence
We address the notion of 'corporate coherence', recently made prominent by Teece, Rumelt, Dosi and Winter (1994). We argue that the literature is confused on the meaning of the notion (and similar notions) in a number of dimensions. Drawing on insights from market-process theories, we put forward a dynamic understanding of corporate coherence as involving the corporate capacity to strike a favorable balance between the production and the exploitation of new knowledge. This argument is elaborated drawing on Austrian, evolutionary and post- Marshallian economics.Corporate coherence, knowledge, competences
Detection and resolution of normative conflicts in multi-agent systems : a literature survey
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