Development and evaluation of Research-driven Information Systems

We propose to create a methodological framework that can be applied to evaluate Research-driven Information Systems (RdIS) in aconsistent way. This is done by picking those examples of RdISs that have been evaluatedproperly and making those evaluation processes standard. Our proposed methodologicalframework for the evaluation of RdISs can assist IS researchers in selecting the appropriateevaluation methods. Further exploration of the characteristics of RdISs has led to a betterunderstanding on suitable methods to evaluate the potential applicability of RdISs in practice.A study of IS literature revealed that the evaluation of RdISs should be interpretive andmulti-method of nature. An RdIS that was developed in our research group is evaluatedusing a method that was designed with the new methodological knowledge

A solution approach for deriving alternative fuel station infrastructure requirements

When an alternative fuel is introduced, the infrastructure through which that fuel is made available to the market is often underdeveloped. Transportation service providers relying on such infrastructures are unlikely to adopt alternative fuel vehicles as it may impose long detours for refueling. In this paper, we design and apply a new solution approach to derive minimum infrastructure requirements, in terms of the number of alternative fuel stations. The effectiveness of our approach is demonstrated by applying it to the case of introducing liquefied natural gas (LNG) as a transportation fuel in The Netherlands. From this case, we learn that, depending on the driving range of the LNG trucks and the size of area on which those trucks operate, a minimum of 5-12 LNG fuel stations is necessary to render LNG trucks economically and environmentally beneficial

How Third Trusted Parties Can Support Negotiations in Multi-Agent Systems for Virtual Enterprises

In a Virtual Enterprise (VE), there are three main functions for an IT infrastructure: support VE formation, track and monitor the execution of customer orders, and support the problem management (delays, re-configurations, re-routings). Formation and problem management implies complex interaction, and one of the crucial aspects of these two functions is the ability of the agents to perform negotiations in conflicting situations. The structure of the VE IT system can be designed to support negotiation. Our working system, called PROVE, enables negotiations by using a Third Trusted Party, that is providing mediator agents, and keeps historical information about previous agent based interaction in the VE. The data kept centrally was designed around the trust concept. Because trust is rather a vague concept, we identified some measures for capturing trust. The one investigated in this paper is the "tendency for exaggeration" during negotiations

Modelling and Executing Complex and Dynamic Business Processes by Reification of Agent Interactions

Abstract. Interaction refers to an abstract and intangible concept. In modelling, intangible concepts can be embodied and made explicit. This allows to manipulate the abstractions and to build predictable designs. Business processes in organisations are in fact reducible to interactions, especially when agent-oriented modelling methods are employed. Business processes represented as interaction structures can appear at different levels of abstraction. There is a compositional coupling between these levels, and this necessitates a method that allows dynamic de/re-composition of hierarchically organised interactions. We introduce the novel concepts that allow interaction-based diagramming and explain the syntax and semantics of these constructs. Finally, we argue that a business process composition with interactions allows more organisational flexibility and agent autonomy, providing a better approach in complex and dynamic situations than current solutions.

Embodied Interactions: a Way to Model and Execute Complex and Changing Business Processes with Agents” submitted to the

Abstract. Interaction refers to an abstract and intangible concept. In modelling, intangible concepts can be embodied and made explicit. This allows to manipulate the abstractions and to build predictable designs. Business processes in organisations are in fact reducible to interactions, especially when agent-oriented modelling methods are employed. Business processes represented as interaction structures can appear at different levels of abstraction. There is a compositional coupling between these levels, and this necessitates a method that allows dynamic de/re-composition of hierarchically organised interactions. We introduce the novel concepts that allow interaction-based diagramming and explain the syntax and semantics of these constructs. Finally, we argue that a business process decomposition with interactions allows more organisational flexibility and agent autonomy, providing a better approach in complex and ever-changing situations than current solutions.