Evaluating exploitation versus exploitation by simulation

A general simulation model of market competition is de veloped to explore the effectiveness of and interactions be tween different types product exploration and exploitation strategies i.e. innovation, imitation and process improve ment. The model, like real markets, is highly non-linear such that analytical solutions are not possible. We use sim ulation experiments to examine ?rm survival and the effec tiveness of different strategy mixes and show how these. depend on the length of time it takes for each strategy to bear fruit, the speed of new product diffusion and the du ration of product life cycles. The model is freely available on the Internet and provides the basis for further experi ments to examine the impact of different combinations of ?rm strategies on survival and performance

Dispute Resolution Using Argumentation-Based Mediation

Mediation is a process, in which both parties agree to resolve their dispute by negotiating over alternative solutions presented by a mediator. In order to construct such solutions, mediation brings more information and knowledge, and, if possible, resources to the negotiation table. The contribution of this paper is the automated mediation machinery which does that. It presents an argumentation-based mediation approach that extends the logic-based approach to argumentation-based negotiation involving BDI agents. The paper describes the mediation algorithm. For comparison it illustrates the method with a case study used in an earlier work. It demonstrates how the computational mediator can deal with realistic situations in which the negotiating agents would otherwise fail due to lack of knowledge and/or resources.Comment: 6 page

Network Data Mining: Methods and techniques for discovering deep linkage between attributes

Abstract. Network Data Mining identifies emergent networks between myriads of individual data items and utilises special algorithms that aid visualisation of ‘emergent ’ patterns and trends in the linkage. It complements conventional data mining methods, which assume the independence between the attributes and the independence between the values of these attributes. These techniques typically flag, alert or alarm instances or events that could represent anomalous behaviour or irregularities because of a match with pre-defined patterns or rules. They serve as ‘exception detection ’ methods where the rules or definitions of what might constitute an exception are able to be known and specified ahead of time. Many problems are suited to this approach. Many problems however, especially those of a more complex nature, are not well suited. The rules or definitions simply cannot be specified. For example, in the analysis of transaction data there are no known suspicious transactions. This chapter presents a human-centred network data mining methodology that addresses the issues of depicting implicit relationships between data attributes and/or specific values of these attributes. A case study from the area of security illustrates the application of the methodology and corresponding data mining techniques. The chapter argues that for many problems, a ‘discovery’ phase in the investigative process based on visualisation and human cognition is a logical precedent to, and complement of, more automated ‘exception detection ’ phases

Intelligent agents for multi-issue auctions and bidding

An approach to auctions and bidding is founded on observations and expectations of the opponents' behavior and not on assumptions concerning the opponents' motivations or internal reasoning. The approach draws ideas from information theory. A bidding ag

"Inner Listening" as a Basic Principle for Developing Immersive Virtual Worlds.

Ludmil Duridanov and Simeon Simoff call in their paper “'Inner Listening' as a Basic Principle for Developing Immersive Virtual Worlds” for an approach that focuses on visualisation as an important way of analysing a Virtual World. They argued that immersive Virtual Worlds have developed on ad-hoc basis, driven mainly by the need for creating inhabited places for virtual communities and environments for distributed gameplay. The goal of achieving immersion has been mainly pursued using convincing 3D interactive graphics technology and the approaches to design have focused on the visualisation aspects, neglecting the “audio design” and the consistent integration of visual and audio designs. As the collaborative and community-related aspects of these environments are expected to be dominant in the future, the authors argue that there is a clear need to develop deeper underlying principles for the design of these inhabited virtual spaces. They conclude that Virtual Worlds of the future should be places that allow for a creative and enlightened state of mind by their inhabitants. Thereby two sources of wisdom – the Judeo-Islamic and Buddhist tradition – should be explored for establishing the principle of “inner listening” as one of the basic principles for developing immersive Virtual Worlds

Capturing and Utilising Information about Interactions During the Learning Process in 3D Virtual Worlds

The range of interactions in immersive 3D virtual worlds is increasing as new technologies are integrated with such environments. The increased complexity, however, does not necessarily deliver information on the interaction process specifically to the interacting and/or instructional parties. The challenge is how to extract and utilise information regarding the interaction process between team members in such environments enabling and supportive of the learning process. This paper reports on the application of a visual language in virtual worlds to provide information about the interaction process between team members in a learning context as it unfolds. The process of interaction over a number of weeks between team members, undergraduate design students, is demonstrated through chat logs. The resultant representations are described and commented upon as to their merit in provision of feedback on the interaction process. Reflection in action using shared knowledge products is a key component of the approach