Skip to main content

An Agency-Based Framework for Electronic Business

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Cooperative Information Agents III (CIA 1999)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNAI,volume 1652))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of current trends in Electronic Business (E-business), and how an enterprise can use the Electronic Marketspace for strategic advantage. The role of cooperative information agents is discussed within the context of E-business. An agency-based framework is presented for E-business in the class of logistics and supply systems. Such systems are enjoying wide acceptance in commercial and military application domains, as witnessed by the phenomenal growth in Internet stocks for companies such as Amazon.com. We also show how agent-based systems provide scalable, configurable and evolutionary solutions for such applications.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Reference

  1. Bertino, E., Ferrari, E., Atluri, V.: A flexible model for the specification and enforcement of role-based authorizations in workflow management systems. 2nd ACM Workshop on Role-Based Access Control. Fairfax, VA (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Biddle, B.J.: Role theory: concepts and research. Kreiger Publishing (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Boehm, B., Bose, P., Horowitz, E., Le, M.J.: Software requirements negotiation and renegotiation aids: a theory-W based spiral approach. International Conference on Software Engineering (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Brodsky, A., Kerschberg, L., Varas, S.: On Optimal Constraint Decomposition in Distributed Databases. Center for Information Systems Integration and Evolution, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, Technical Report October (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Brown, A.W.: Control Integration Tihrough Message Passing in a Software Development Environment. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, CMU/SEI-92-TR-35, December (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Brown, D.C., Lander, S.E., Petrie, C.J.: Special Issue on The Application of Multiagent Systems to Concurrent Engineering. Concurrent Engineering: Research and Applications. vol. 4 (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Bussmann, S., Miller, J.: A Negotiation Framework for Cooperation. Proceedings 1992 of the Special Interest Group on Cooperating Knowledge Based Systems (CKBSSIG 1992). Dake Center, University of Keele (1992) 117

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chaibdraa, B.: Interaction between Agents in Routine, Familiar and Unfamiliar Situations. International Journal of Intelligent & Cooperative Information Systems. vol. 5 (1996) 125

    Google Scholar 

  9. Chaibdraa, B., Desharnais, J., Lizotte, S.: A Cognitive Map Formulation for Relationships between Agents. University of Laval, SteFoy, PQ, Canada, DIULRR 9505, (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Cohen, P. R.: Pulling Together or Pulling Apart? A Survey of the Eighth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence. AI Magazine, vol. 12, (1991) 1641

    Google Scholar 

  11. Cohen, P.R., Levesque, H.J.: Persistence, Intention and Commitment.: Morgan Kaufman (1987)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Cohen, P.R., Levesque, H.J.: Intention is Choice with Commitment. Artificial Intelligence (1990)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Cohen, P.R., Levesque, H.J.: Communicative Actions for Artificial Agents. ICMAS’ 95 (1995) 65–72

    Google Scholar 

  14. Cohen, P.R., Perrault, C.R.: Elements of a Plan Based Theory of Speech Acts. Cognitive Science. vol. 3 (1979)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Crowston, K.G.: Towards a Coordination Cookbook: Recipes for MultiAgent Action. MIT, Cambridge, MA, CCS TR#128, Sloan WP# 341691, (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Davis, R., Smith, R.: Negotiation as a Metaphor for Distributed Problem Solving. Artificial Intelligence. vol. 20 (1983) 63–109

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Decker, K.S.: Environment Centered Analysis and Design of Coordination Mechanisms. Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Computer Science. Amherst, MA,: University of Massachusetts, (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Decker, K.S., Sycara, K.: Intelligent Adaptive Information Agents. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 9 (1997) 239–260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Dix, A., Finlay, J., Hassell, J.: Environments for Cooperating Agents: Designing the Interface as Medium. HCI Group, University of York, June (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Durfee, E.H.: Planning in Distributed Artificial Intelligence. In: O’Hare, G. M.P., Jennings, N.R., Eds.: Foundations of Distributed Artificial Intelligence. Wiley InterScience (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  21. Ephrati, E., Pollack, M.E., Sigalit, V.: Deriving Multiagent Coordination through Filtering Strategies. Fourteenth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI95). Montreal, Canada (1995) 679–685

    Google Scholar 

  22. Gaines, B.R.: Knowledge Management in Societies of Intelligent Adaptive Agents. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 9 (1997) 277–298

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Genesereth, M., Ketchpel, S.P.: Software Agents. Communications of the ACM. vol. 37 (1994) 48–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Guha, R.V., Lenat, D.B.: Enabling Agents to Work Together. Communications of the ACM. vol. 37 (1994) 126–142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hewitt, C.: Viewing Control Structures as Patterns of Passing Messages. Artificial Intelligence. vol. 8 (1977) 323–364

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Imam, I., Kerschberg, L.: Adaptive Intelligent Agents. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 9 (1997) 211–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Jajodia, S., Kerschberg, L.: Advanced Transaction Models and Architectures. Norwall, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers, (1997)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  28. Jennings, N. R.: Coordination Techniques for Distributed Artificial Intelligence. In: Georgeff, M.P., Jennings, N.R., Eds.: Foundations of Distributed Artificial Intelligence. Wiley InterScience (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  29. Kamel, M., Ghenniwa, H.: A Quantitative Analysis of Coordination Complexity for DAI Systems. Canadian Workshop on Distributed Artificial Intelligence. Banoe, Alberta, Canada, (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Kerschberg, L.: Knowledge Rovers: Cooperative Intelligent Agent Support for Enterprise Information Architectures. In: Kandzia P., Klusch M., Eds.: Cooperative Information Agents, vol. 1202, Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence. Springer-Verlag, Berlin (1997) 79–100

    Google Scholar 

  31. Kerschberg, L.: The Role of Intelligent Agents in Advanced Information Systems. In: Small, C., Douglas, P., Johnson, R., King, P., Martin, N., Eds.: Advanced in Databases, vol. 1271, Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer-Verlag, London (1997) 1–22

    Google Scholar 

  32. Klein, M.: Computer Supported Conflict in Concurrent Engineering: Introduction to Special Issue. Concurrent Engineering: Research and Applications. vol. 2 (1993) 145–147

    Google Scholar 

  33. Klusch, M.: Using a Cooperative Agent System FCSI for a Context-Based Recognition of Interdatabase Dependencies. Workshop on Intelligent Information Agents, CKIM Conference. Gaithersburg, MD (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Klusch, M.: Utilitarian Coalition Formation Between Information Agents. In: Kirn, S., O’Hare, G., Eds.: Cooperative Knowledge Processing. Springer-Verlag, London (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  35. Klusch, M., Shehory, O.: Coalition Formation Among Rational Information Agents. Seventh European Workshop on Modelling Autonomous Agents in a Multi-Agent World (MAAMAW-96). Eindhoven, Netherlands (1996) 204–217

    Google Scholar 

  36. Klusch, M., Shehory, O.: A Polynomial Kernel-Oriented Coalition Algorithm for Rational Information Agents. Second International Conference on Multi-Agent Systems. Kyoto, Japan (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  37. Kraus, S., Wilensky, J., Zlotkin, G.: Multiagent Negotiation Under Time Constraints. Artificial Intelligence (1995) 297–345

    Google Scholar 

  38. Kue-Chu, L., Mansfield Jr., W.,H, Sheth, A.P.: A Framework for Controlling Cooperating Agents. IEEE Computer (1993) 8–16

    Google Scholar 

  39. Lai, K.-Y., Malone, T. W.: Object Lens: Letting End-Users Create Cooperative Work Applications. Proceedings of CHI’91 (1991) 425–426

    Google Scholar 

  40. Laird, J.E., Pearson, D.J., Huffman, S.B.: Knowledge-Directed Adaptation in Multi-Level Agents. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 9 (1997) 261–276

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Lux, A., Bomarius, F., Stiener, D.: A Model for Supporting Human Computer Cooperation. AAAI Workshop on Cooperation among Heterogeneous Intelligent Systems (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Maes, P.: Designing Autonomous Agents: Theory and Practice from Biology to Engineering and Back. Special Issues of Robotics and Autonomous Systems. Cambridge, MA, London, England: The MIT Press, (1990) 194

    Google Scholar 

  43. Maes, P., Darrell, T., Blumberg, B., Pentland, A.: The ALIVE System: Wireless, Full-Body Interaction with Autonomous Agents. ACM Multimedia Systems (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Malone, T.W., Crowston, K.G.: The Interdisciplinary Study of Coordination. ACM Computing Surveys. vol. 26 (1994) 87–119

    Google Scholar 

  45. Prasad, B.: Concurrent Engineering Fundamentals. Integrated Product Development (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Prasad, B.: Concurrent Engineering Fundamentals, II. Integrated Product and Process Organization (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  47. Rosenschein, J.S., Zlotkin, G.: Rules of Encounter: Designing Conventions for Automated Negotiation among Computers. Cambridge, MA,: MIT Press (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Rosenschein, S., Kaelbling, L.P.: The Synthesis of Digital Machines with Provable Epistemic Properties. Conference on Theoretical Aspects of Reasoning about Knowledge (1986) 83–98

    Google Scholar 

  49. Rus, D., Gray, R., Kotz, D.: Transportable Information Agents. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 9 (1997) 215–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Sandhu, R.: Role hierarchies and constraints for lattice-based access controls. In: Bertino, E., Ed.: Proc. Fourth European Symposium on Research in Computer Security, Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Springer-Verlag, Rome, Italy (1996)

    Google Scholar 

  51. Sandhu, R., Bhamidipati, V.: The URA97 model for role-based administration of user-role assignment. In: Lin, T.Y., Qian, X., Eds.: Database Security XI: Status and Prospects. North Holland (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  52. Sandhu, R., Coyne, E., Feinstein, H., Youman, C.: Role-based access control models. IEEE Computer, vol. 29, (1996) 38–47

    Google Scholar 

  53. Seligman, L., Kerschberg, L.: Federated Knowledge and Database Systems: A New Architecture for Integrating of AI and Database Systems. In: Delcambre, L., Petry, F., Eds.: Advances in Databases and Artificial Intelligence, Vol. 1: The Landscape of Intelligence in Database and Information Systems, vol. 1. JAI Press (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  54. Seligman, L., Kerschberg, L.: A Mediator for Approximate Consistency: Supporting “Good Enough” Materialized Views. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 8 (1997) 203–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Shoham, Y., Tennenholtz, M.: On the Synthesis of Useful Laws for Artificial Agents Societies. Tenth National Conference on Artificial Intelligence. San Jose, CA, (1992) 276–281

    Google Scholar 

  56. Sichman, J.S., Demazeau, Y.: Exploiting Social Reasoning to Deal with Agency Level Inconsistency. First International Conference on MultiAgent Systems. San Francisco, CA (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  57. Varas, S.: On Optimal Constraint Decomposition, Monitoring, and Management in Distributed Heterogeneous Environments. Doctoral Dissertation in Information Technology. Fairfax: George Mason University, (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  58. Wang, X.S., Bettini, C., Brodsky, A., Jajodia, S.: Logical Design for Temporal Databases with Multiple Temporal Types. ACM Transactions on Database Systems (1997)

    Google Scholar 

  59. Wang, X.S., Jajodia, S., Subrahmanian, V.S.: Temporal Modules: An Approach toward Federated Temporal Databases. Information Sciences. vol. 82 (1995) 103–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Wellman, M.: A Market Oriented Programming Environment and its Application to Distributed Multicommodity Flow Problems. JAIR. vol. 1 (1993) 1–23

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  61. Widom, J., Ceri, S.: Active Database Systems: Triggers and Rules for Advanced Database Processing.: Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, Inc., (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  62. Wiederhold, G.: Foreword to Special Issue on the Intelligent Integration of Information. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems. vol. 6, 2/3 (1996) 93–97

    Google Scholar 

  63. Wiederhold, G., Jajodia, S., Litwin, W.: Dealing with Granularity of Time in Temporal Databases. In: Anderson, R., others, Eds.: Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol. 498. Springer-Verlag (1991) 124–140

    Google Scholar 

  64. Wiederhold, G., Jajodia, S., Litwin, W.: Integrating Temporal Data in a Heterogeneous Environment. In: Tansel, A.U., Jajodia, S., others, Eds.: Temporal Databases: Theory, Design, and Implementation. Benjamin/Cummings (1993) 563–579

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1999 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Kerschberg, L., Banerjee, S. (1999). An Agency-Based Framework for Electronic Business. In: Klusch, M., Shehory, O.M., Weiss, G. (eds) Cooperative Information Agents III. CIA 1999. Lecture Notes in Computer Science(), vol 1652. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48414-0_19

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-48414-0_19

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-66325-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-48414-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics