This paper explores a hitherto largely ignored dimension to norms in multi-agent systems: the normative role played by optimization objectives. We introduce the notion of optimization norms which constrain agent behaviour in a manner that is significantly distinct from norms in the traditional sense. We argue that optimization norms underpin most other norms, and offer a richer representation o...

People find themselves confronted with ever starker tradeoffs in the allocation of resources to competing uses and users. At the local level, for instance, allocation of land or water to agricultural, industrial, municipal, recreational, and conservation activities often involves a zero sum game. This is apparent in the widespread loss of water and land from native habitat to farms and increasi...

It has become increasingly desirable for companies worldwide to outsource their complex e-business infrastructure under the utility computing paradigm by means of service level agreements (SLAs). A successful utility computing provider must be able not only to satisfy its customers’ demand for high service-quality standards, but also to fulfill its service-quality commitments based upon busines...

Ecological impairment and flooding caused by urbanization can be expressed numerically by calculating the risks throughout the watershed (floodplain) and along the main stems of the streams. The risks can be evaluated in terms of the present and/or future. This article describes the methodologies for ascertaining the risks in the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) environment. The objective...

To help practitioners effectively implement security programs, we explored the interrelationship between security objectives and practices by conducting a canonical analysis based on the data from 354 certified security professionals. We found that for moderately information-sensitive organizations, “Confidentiality” had the highest correlation with information security practices. In these orga...

Future work will be more or less telework and telecooperation. These teleprocesses have to be managed, to overcome huge technological, economic and sociological problems. The new task facing management in its daily work lies in drastic reduction of face-to-face contacs between supervisors and workers. Thus person-oriented management patterns have to be rounded out by suitable task-oriented tech...

In this paper we present Context Spaces, a theory that we have developed in order to model and reason over context and situation awareness in pervasive systems. Even though the theory was originally developed within the domain of pervasive computing, we believe it has a wider applicability. Here we sketch an approach to apply it to decision support for IT management.

Based on data for the period from 1948 to 1997, exogenous decreases in demand and increases in costs are estimated to have reduced the annual profitability of the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) by $1 billion. Half of this decline was recouped by reductions in service, increased fares and increased productivity. Even more would have been recouped had the CTA not given away earlier productivity ...

In this research, a complex inventory system has been analyzed under uncertain situations. The item deterioration has been considered and the shortages are allowable. The objectives of the problem are: (1) Minimization of the total present value of costs over time horizon and (2) Decreasing the total quantity of goods in the warehouse over time horizon. The numerical examples are used for evalu...