102,221 research outputs found
Digital Ecosystems: Ecosystem-Oriented Architectures
We view Digital Ecosystems to be the digital counterparts of biological
ecosystems. Here, we are concerned with the creation of these Digital
Ecosystems, exploiting the self-organising properties of biological ecosystems
to evolve high-level software applications. Therefore, we created the Digital
Ecosystem, a novel optimisation technique inspired by biological ecosystems,
where the optimisation works at two levels: a first optimisation, migration of
agents which are distributed in a decentralised peer-to-peer network, operating
continuously in time; this process feeds a second optimisation based on
evolutionary computing that operates locally on single peers and is aimed at
finding solutions to satisfy locally relevant constraints. The Digital
Ecosystem was then measured experimentally through simulations, with measures
originating from theoretical ecology, evaluating its likeness to biological
ecosystems. This included its responsiveness to requests for applications from
the user base, as a measure of the ecological succession (ecosystem maturity).
Overall, we have advanced the understanding of Digital Ecosystems, creating
Ecosystem-Oriented Architectures where the word ecosystem is more than just a
metaphor.Comment: 39 pages, 26 figures, journa
Biology of Applied Digital Ecosystems
A primary motivation for our research in Digital Ecosystems is the desire to
exploit the self-organising properties of biological ecosystems. Ecosystems are
thought to be robust, scalable architectures that can automatically solve
complex, dynamic problems. However, the biological processes that contribute to
these properties have not been made explicit in Digital Ecosystems research.
Here, we discuss how biological properties contribute to the self-organising
features of biological ecosystems, including population dynamics, evolution, a
complex dynamic environment, and spatial distributions for generating local
interactions. The potential for exploiting these properties in artificial
systems is then considered. We suggest that several key features of biological
ecosystems have not been fully explored in existing digital ecosystems, and
discuss how mimicking these features may assist in developing robust, scalable
self-organising architectures. An example architecture, the Digital Ecosystem,
is considered in detail. The Digital Ecosystem is then measured experimentally
through simulations, with measures originating from theoretical ecology, to
confirm its likeness to a biological ecosystem. Including the responsiveness to
requests for applications from the user base, as a measure of the 'ecological
succession' (development).Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure, conferenc
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Complexity, strategic thinking and organisational change
Comparative considerations of strategy from complexity paradigm and Newtonian paradigm perspectives are discussed in the light of three ideological dispositions towards the future. We term them defensive, opportunist, and goal oriented. Over the years, the strategy literature has identified a number of strategic archetypes (e.g. Miller and Freisen, 1978). What is interesting from our point of view is the patterns of reasoning that underpin them. The study of ideology has identified qualitative patterns of reasoning which underpin different types of strategic decision in both the fields of politics and strategic management. This paper considers three patterns of reasoning and considers how they relate to the complexity and Newtonian paradigms
The Matter of Entrepreneurial Learning: A Literature Review
This paper is a comprehensive review of the entrepreneurial learning literature and its engagement with the material aspects of entrepreneurship, as part of the âmaterial turnâ in the social sciences. Drawing on actor-network theory, we construct a classificatory scheme and an evaluative matrix to find that this field is dominated by an anthropocentric bias and cognitivist approaches which largely ignore issues of materiality in entrepreneurship. However we also identify some heterogeneous network-based conceptualisations of entrepreneurial learning which could provide the foundations for more materially aware approaches. We conclude by calling for a material turn in entrepreneurial learning and outline some possible avenues for it
Conditioned emergence: a dissipative structures approach to transformation
This paper presents a novel framework for the management of organisational transformation, defined here as a relatively rapid transition from one archetype to another. The concept of dissipative structures, from the field of complexity theory, is used to develop and explain a specific sequence of activities which underpin effective transformation. This sequence integrates selected concepts from the literatures on strategic change, organisational learning and business processes; in so doing, it introduces a degree of prescriptiveness which differentiates it from other managerial interpretations of complexity theory. Specifically, it proposes a three-stage process: first, the organisation conditions the outcome of the transformation process by articulating and reconfiguring the rules which underpin its deep structure; second, it takes steps to move from its current equilibrium and, finally, it moves into a period where positive and negative feedback loops become the focus of managerial attention. The paper argues that by managing at the level of deep structure in social systems, organisations can gain some influence over self-organising processes which are typically regarded as unpredictable in the natural sciences. However, the paper further argues that this influence is limited to archetypal features and that detailed forms and behaviours are emergent properties of the system. Two illustrative case-vignettes are presented to give an insight into the practical application of the model before conclusions are reached which speculate on the implications of this approach for strategy research
Market-Driven Management, Competitive Customer Value and Global Network
Market-Driven Management is a corporate strategy that presupposes direct,
continuous benchmarking with competitors, in a context of customer value management. Market-driven management therefore favours an 'outside-in' vision, based on: the identification of products with a higher value than that of the competition to provoke the intersection with demand ('Before and Better than Competitors'). In global over-supplied markets, a firm's success is conditioned rather by the intensity of the presence and by the level of sophistication of intangible corporate asset; in other words, the peculiar managerial capabilities that regard brand equity, information system and corporate culture.Market-Driven Management; Global Competition; Global Managerial Economics; Brand Equity; Information System; Corporate Culture
Interactive situation modelling in knowledge intensive domains
Interactive Situation Modelling (ISM) method, a semi-methodological approach, is proposed to tackle issues associated with modelling complex knowledge intensive domains, which cannot be easily modelled using traditional approaches. This paper presents the background and implementation of ISM within a complex domain, where synthesizing knowledge from various sources is critical, and is based on the principles of ethnography within a constructivist framework. Although the motivation for the reported work comes from the application presented in the paper, the actual scope of the paper covers a wide range of issues related to modelling complex systems. The author firstly reviews approaches used for modelling knowledge intensive domains, preceded by a brief discussion about two main issues: symmetry of ignorance and system behaviour, which are often confronted when applying modelling approaches to business domains. The ISM process is then characterized and critiqued with lessons from an exemplar presented to illustrate its effectiveness
The historical evolution of accounting in China (novissima sinica): effects of culture (2nd part).
Este artĂculo intenta explicar los criterios que sustentan la idea de que la contabilidad China ha sido conformada durante el pasado siglo con arreglo a factores culturales, econĂłmicos y polĂticos. Asimismo se propone estudiar los fenĂłmenos histĂłricos experimentados por la contabilidad china en el transcurso de los años, y evaluar comparativa y crĂticamente los efectos culturales de los mismos con las transformaciones polĂticas y econĂłmicas que han tenido influencia en el desarrollo de la contabilidad China. This paper attempts to argue the criteria which claim that Chinese accounting has been shaped by together with cultural, economical and political factors in the last century. This paper also aims to compare historical phenomena which occurred in Chinese accounting over the years, and then to assess comparatively or critically the effects of culture with politic and the economic transformations on the development of Chinese accounting.Contabilidad comparativa, contabilidad china, factores culturales, historia, sociologĂa. Chinese accounting, comparative accounting, cultural factors, evolution, history, sociology.
Economic policy from an evolutionary perspective: the case of Finland
In the last decade, the Finnish economy has shown an unprecedented recovery, after being hit by a deep crisis in the early 1990s. The paper views and interprets this successful transformation process based on ICT from an evolutionary perspective. Although the rapid pace of the restructuring of the Finnish economy suggests a break with the past, this remarkable recovery was firmly rooted in its economic history. In addition, Finnish public policy played its role in turning Finland into a knowledge economy. Although a master plan for the Finnish economy was lacking, many policies worked out quite well together over an extended period. Building on education, research and technology policy initiatives taken in the 1970s and 1980s, the deep economic crisis in the early 1990s paved the way for new policy directions, with a focus on network-facilitating innovation policies.evolutionary economics, economic geography, innovation policy, Finnish economy, Finnish policy, ICT cluster
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