A MULTI-AGENT SYSTEM FOR MANAGING THE QUALITY OF SERVICE IN TELECOMMUNICATIONS NETWORKS

1. Introduction In this paper we propose X-MAQoS, a novel XML-based multi-agent system for the QoS management in telecommunications networks. The motivations underlying our system and its general characteristics are illustrated in this section. Specifically, the motivations are presented in Section 1.1, whereas the general characteristics are described in Section 1.2. 1.1 Motivations The last few years are witnessing a fast evolution of the telecommunications systems towards the full dep…     

A CASE FOR SERVICE SYSTEMS ENGINEERING

A case is made for further developing a branch of systems engineering that focuses on problemsand issues which arise in the service sector We promulgate this special focus not only because of thesize and importance of the service sector but also because of the unique opportunities that systemsengineering can exploit in the design and joint production and delivery of services. We begin byconsidering the economic, technological and demographic contexts within which the service sector hasflourished; we then address both services, especially emerging services, and systems engineering,followed by a discussion of how to advance the field of service systems engineering, and concludingwith several remarks. In particular, a number of service systems engineering methods are identified toenhance the design and production/delivery of services, especially taking advantage of the uniquefeatures that characterize services-namely, services, especially emerging services, are information-driven, customer-centric, e-orien     

SERVICE ATTRIBUTE-PROCESS MATRIX： A TOOL FOR DESIGNING AND MANAGING SERVICES

The growing importance of the service economy during the last 40 years has raised the need for new tools for designing and managing services. As a result, several authors have developed service classification systems, in order to better understand the nature of service operations and provide methods and tools to improve service efficiency and quality. This paper exploits the work resulting from service classification systems and identifies the principal attributes to be considered in service management. The tool introduced for this purpose is the Service Attribute-Process Matrix （SAPM）, which uses selected results from existing service classification schemes to investigate the importance of the significant service attributes to major processes of the service life cycle.     

GUEST EDITORIAL： NEW TRENDS ON SERVICE SYSTEMS AND SERVICE MANAGEMENT

The International Conference on Service Systems and Service Management （ICSSSM06） was held on October 25-27, 2006 in Troyes, France. This conference was sponsored by IEEE Systems, Man and Cybernetics Society. More than 500 articles were submitted to the conference and after a peer-reviewing process, 284 papers were accepted and published in the conference proceedings.     

SERVICE VALUE NETWORKS： INTO PRACTICE

Modeling a business to match its customer perceived （and customer desired） outcomes, remains an on-going task. This paper considers shows how a service value networks （SVNs） approach may be engaged to model, and deliver, understanding of the front-end business and its direct engagement with its immediate （or front-end） customers. These front-end customers may be either： （1） its off-line, in-store customers - engaging directly with the business sales staff （or representative）, or-（2） its on-line, virtual customers - engaging with the business via internet or remote access. In this situation, both the business, and the customer draw upon their respective viewpoints, and both sides influence the interaction. External to these business and customer influences are additional factors that capture the immediate and broader global effects - termed environmental effects. These three business-customer engagement areas of influence are captured by a SVN SEM approach.
Without a business-customer encounter of some kind the likelihood of a services business, and a prospecting customer, successfully engaging in an exchange process is reduced. This exchange may be a physical, and/or services exchange, and/or an information and/or ideas exchange. To the business, this encounter is, in effect, a trade, and as a result, the business targets acquiring an economic exchange that will ultimately deliver a net positive economic outcome. To the customer, external and internal information feeds, servicing, perceived value, and satisfaction, are key encounter drivers. SVNs offers a new way to understand the business-customer encounter, and to then utilize this acquired knowledge to either： （1） build a strategic management model, or （2） reengineer its business networks, and to then create a re-positioned, more customer-aligned business operation - one that is capable of delivering win - win, competitive business-customer solutions.     

A SUSTAINABLE PLATFORM FOR E-SERVICE SYSTEM DESIGN

1. Introduction We all know that service business is a verycomplex and dynamic system, which meansthat many elusive and interrelated componentsor objects are involved in the service business,and they are dynamically interrelated.Accord…     

A TWO-PHASE APPROACH TO FUZZY SYSTEM IDENTIFICATION

A two-phase approach to fuzzy system identification is proposed. The first phase produces a baseline design to identify a prototype fuzzy system for a target system from a collection of input-output data pairs. It uses two easily implemented clustering techniques: the subtractive clustering method and the fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering algorithm. The second phase (fine tuning) is executed to adjust the parameters identified in the baseline design. This phase uses the steepest descent and recursive least-squares estimation methods. The proposed approach is validated by applying it to both a function approximation type of problem and a classification type of problem. An analysis of the learning behavior of the proposed approach for the two test problems is conducted for further confirmation.     

DYNAMICS OF KNOWLEDGE ACCUMULATION IN TECHNOLOGY FOLLOWER COUNTRIES： A SYSTEM DYNAMICS APPROACH

In this paper the process of knowledge accumulation for a particular technology is studied. Two countries, say the technology follower and the technology frontier, are considered. The frontier’s knowledge growth is determined by its R&;D efforts on the technology. The level of knowledge stock for the follower country is augmented by its R&;D activities for the technology and absorbing some of the external knowledge through spillover from the frontier. The extent to which the follower is able to exploit the external knowledge depends on technological gap, absorptive capacity, absorption time and degree of spillover. New concepts such as natural and enhanced degree of spillover, background and innovative knowledge and absorption speed are introduced in the present work to deeply explore the process of knowledge spillover. The factors influencing the knowledge development in the long term are simultaneously studied in an integrated structure provided by the System Dynamics approach. This framework shows the responses to the changes and provides the basis for examining the interactions among the variables over time.     

A PRODUCTION-INVENTORY SYSTEM WITH AN UNRELIABLE CONTINUOUS TRANSFER LINE

This paper extends a production-inventory model with one unreliable machine to one that hasn machines in series, separated by finite buffers. It is shown how customer service levels and otherperformance measures can be calculated as a function of the availabilities of the machines and thesizes of the intermediate buffers.     

SERVICE VALUE NETWORKS： VALUE, PERFORMANCE AND STRATEGY FOR THE SERVICES INDUSTRY

1. Introduction The services industry provides services notgoods (Hughes and Mitchell et al., 1993). Thisindustry is moving towards globalization(Kathawala and Abdou, 2003). In 1870 theservice sector employed slightly more than 20%of the U.S.…     

On integration and adaptation in complex service systems

The services sector employs a large and growing proportion of workers in the industrialized nations, and it is increasingly dependent on information and communication technologies. While the interdependences, similarities and complementarities of manufacturing and services are significant, there are considerable differences between goods and services, including the shift in focus from mass production to mass customization （whereby a service is produced and delivered in response to a customer＇s stated or imputed needs）. In general, services can be considered to be knowledge-intensive agents or components which work together as providers and consumers to create or co-produce value. Like manufacturing systems, an efficient service system must be an integrated system of systems, leading to greater connectivity and interdependence. Integration must occur over the physical, temporal, organizational and functional dimensions, and must include methods concerned with the component, the management, and the system. Moreover, an effective service system must also be an adaptable system, leading to greater value and responsiveness. Adaptation must occur over the dimensions of monitoring, feedback, cybernetics and learning, and must include methods concerned with space, time, and system. In sum, service systems are indeed complex, especially due to the uncertainties associated with the human-centered aspects of such systems. Moreover, the system complexities can only be dealt with methods that enhance system integration and adaptation. The paper concludes with several insights, including a plea to shift the current misplaced focus on developing a science or discipline for services to further developing a systems engineering approach to services, an approach based on the integration and adaptation of a host of sciences or disciplines （e.g., physics, mathematics, statistics, psychology, sociology, etc.）. In fact, what is required is a services-related transdisciplinary - beyond a single disciplinary - ontology or taxon     

A calculus for services innovation

Innovation in the services area - especially in the electronic services （e-services） domain - can be systematically developed by first considering the strategic drivers and foci, then the tactical principles and enablers, and finally the operational decision attributes, all of which constitute a process or calculus of services innovation. More specifically, there are four customer drivers （i.e., collaboration, customization, integration and adaptation）, three business foci （i.e., creation-focused, solution-focused and competition-focused）, six business principles （i.e., reconstruct market boundaries, focus on the big picture not numbers, reach beyond existing demand, get strategic sequence right, overcome organizational hurdles and build execution into strategy）, eight technical enablers （i.e., software algorithms, automation, telecommunication, collaboration, standardization, customization, organization, and globalization）, and six attributes of decision informatics （i.e., decision-driven, information-based, real-time, continuously-adaptive, customer-centric and computationally-intensive）. It should be noted that the four customer drivers are all directed at empowering the individual - that is, at recognizing that the individual can, respectively, contribute in a collaborative situation, receive customized or personalized attention, access an integrated system or process, and obtain adaptive real-time or just-in-time input. The developed process or calculus serves to identify the potential white spaces or blue oceans for innovation. In addition to expanding on current innovations in services and related experiences, white spaces are identified for possible future innovations; they include those that can mitigate the unforeseen consequences or abuses of earlier innovations, safeguard our rights to privacy, protect us from the always-on, interconnected world, provide us with an authoritative search engine, and generate a GDP metric that can adequately measure the growing knowledge economy,     

Multiple-criteria decision support systems: The powerful tool for attacking complex,unstructured decisions

The purpose of this research is to introduce the basic concept of multiple-criteria decision support systems (MCDSS) and to provide a general framework for building an effective MCDSS, a powerful tool for managing complex, unstructured decisions. Although various techniques for multiple-criteria decision making (MCDM) have been developed, this paper investigates the functions and properties of goal programming model-based MCDSS, the role of decision makers and MCDM models in the decision-making process, and the dynamic interaction between the model and the decision maker. The potential benefits of the MCDSS are also explained.     

基于突变理论与模糊集的复杂系统多准则决策

针对复杂系统的多准则决策通常具有模糊性和突变理论适合处理具有矛盾性的多准则决策问题的特点,提出了基于突变理论和模糊集的方法对多准则决策问题进行分析建模,并对该方法的灵敏度进行了分析。该方法利用归一公式机理本身来确定各指标对各目标重要性的确定性量化,因而不需要额外考虑指标间的主观权重,所以能够较好地处理复杂系统决策的模糊性。给出了应用改方法的具体步骤,并以一个导弹选型决策问题实例验证了该方法的合理性和可行性。     

THE AHP： A MULTICRITERIA DECISION MAKING METHODOLOGY FOR SHIFTWORK PRIORITIZING

1. Introduction The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) for decision-making uses objective mathematics to process the inescapably subjective and personal preferences of an individual or a group in making a decision. With the AHP, we construct hierarchies that have a first level of strategic or politic criteria, then expand each one of these criteria into more specific subcriteria until reach the terminal criteria, the behavior indicators. Later, makes judgments or performs measurements on pai…     

A complexity architecture for information technologies: A three-year didactic experiment

One medium-term strategy for helping in the management of complexity is the introduction of a conceptual complexity component in the very centre of university curricula. In very few areas is the growth of complexity as evident as in the information technologies (ITs), the focus of the work presented in the current paper. We have therefore developed an integrated way of tackling the specific field of information technologies by means of an approach to complexity. The content of this paper describes the guidelines of our research effort, placing an emphasis on informatics. Concepts of complexity based on the system metaphor have been substantially drawn upon in this exercise and are thus presented in some detail. Also described is a didactic experiment conducted by the author and designed to provide a new and integrating approach to University curricula for future professionals. The students' discovery of complexity is the focal point of the experiment. The findings of this effort are encouraging and call for the continuation and expansion of this experiment.     

Integrating complex system dynamics of pandemic influenza with a multi-criteria decision making model for evaluating public health strategies

Recent developments in computational sciences and computer modeling have allowed emergency preparedness exercises to include simulation models as supporting tools.These simulation models are generally built for predicting temporal and geographic patterns of disease spread.However sole use of simulation models in exercise design falls short in terms of incorporating policy decision makers’ preferences into decision-making processes.In this paper,a general framework for exercising public health preparedness plans with a decision support system is presented to integrate estimation of key epidemiological parameters with a system dynamics model of an outbreak.A multi-criteria decision making framework,an Analytical Hierarchy Process model,is then developed and integrated with the simulation model to help public health policy makers prioritize their response goals and evaluate mitigation strategies in a table-top exercise environment.     

A parable of two princes: An effective approach to national development

The paper compares two opposite strategies for national development: (1) initially optimum policies in the absence of a strong feedback system and (2) initially poor policies with a strong feedback system. The strong feedback system is essentially a real-time information system designed to support national development. A number of principles or guidelines for implementing such a real-time information system are presented. The entire approach is based upon the viable system model of Stafford Beer.     

复杂体系效能测度建模研究

根据复杂体系的概念及其所呈现出的多种特性,提出了复杂体系“两层四级”的效能测度建模框架,并针对复杂体系内部的相互位置层次及其功能关联定义了度量实体、层级映射、系统关联性和软构层等相关概念,清晰地阐释了复杂体系效能测度建模时体系层次映射的实质;最后,进行了复杂体系效能测度的通用建模设计,从而为复杂体系的效能评估以及体系改进和优化提供一定的理论指导.