Arguing over Goals for Negotiation: Adopting an Assumption-Based Argumentation Decision Support System

Computational models of argumentation has been put forward as a promising approach to support decision making. In this context several recent works have proposed argumentation-based frameworks for decision making. In this paper we describe an application based on an argumentation-based mechanism for decision-making to concede. Adopting the assumption-based approach of argumentation, we propose an argumentation framework in which preferences are attached to goals. Arguments are defined as tree-like structures. Our framework is equipped with a computational counterpart for solving a decision problem, modeling the intuition that high-ranked goals are preferred to low-ranked goals which can be withdrawn. In this way, our framework suggests some decisions and provides an interactive and intelligible explanation of this choice. Our implementation, called MARGO, has been used for service selection within the ArguGRID project. We illustrate our approach with an industrial application, and illustrate the operation of the system with a running example.     

EZB-Krisenpolitik: OMT-Programm, Vollzuteilungspolitik und Lender of Last Resort

This paper applies the economic argumentation put forth by the OMT’s opponents before the German Federal Constitutional Court [Bundesverfassungsgericht] to the full allotment policy practiced by the ECB since October 2008. The comparison shows that under this line of reasoning, the full allotment policy also contravenes the ECB’s mandate. Ultimately, therefore, the ECB is not in court because of monetary financing, but rather in its role as a lender of last resort. Accordingly, a court decision against the OMT would endorse an economic argumentation which contradicts 150 years of modern central bank history.     

The Challenge of Self-adaptive Systems for E-commerce

For future E-commerce systems that are engaged in many dynamic trading relationships, the ability to adapt themselves smoothly will increasingly become a critical property. In this paper, we first define the basic semantic structure of a collaborative process. Then we introduce a formal framework for self-adaptive systems. We argue that self-adaptive systems should specify goals explicitly, and propose a goal-based architecture. We further argue that for systems that operate in a shared environment with other systems, self-adaptation should be extended with co-adaptation. We define four levels of co-adaptation, and present an argumentation mechanism that can be used to enable co-adaptation at the higher levels.     

An inquiry into pseudo‐legitimations: A framework to investigate the clash of managerial legitimations and employees' unfairness claims

Based on the argumentation theory of new rhetoric, this paper offers an analytical framework to facilitate empirical investigations on how managers in organizations handle unfairness claims. The proposed framework advocates a rhetorical approach that seeks to understand whether managers absolve themselves of unfairness accusations by pseudo‐legitimations. Pseudo‐legitimation is defined as an attempt to legitimate an action without any genuine reasoning. While the precision of formal deductive reasoning tends not to apply to moral disputes, rhetoric enables rational argumentation and the use of practical reasoning to achieve resolution. Therefore, if managerial judgments are genuine products of reasoning, managers' use of rhetoric to legitimate their actions should be respected in acknowledging value plurality within their boundaries of authority. By contrast, managerial legitimations that are based on irrational grounds should be disrespected, as they can lead to arbitrariness and abuse of power. Institutional dynamics may either permit or inhibit such uses of irrationality. Thus, the proposed framework should be considered alongside the perspective of rhetorical institutionalism.     

浅议资本结构和治理结构目标一致性

以多种经济学和管理学理论的观点作为研究基础,采取以理论论证为主、理论与联系实际分析研究为辅的方法,最后得出资本结构和治理结构的目标一致性,即价值最大化的结论。     

A Conflict Case Approach to Business Ethics

Departing from frequent use of moral conflict cases in business ethics teaching and research, the paper suggests an elaboration of a moral conflict approach within business ethics, both conceptually and philosophically. The conceptual elaboration borrows from social science conflict research terminology, while the philosophical elaboration presents casuistry as a kind of practical, inductive argumentation with a focus on paradigmatic examples.     

Processes and Consequences in Business EthicalDilemmas: The Oil Industry and Climate Change

We present a model of rational behavior by which we characterize business ethical dilemmas as trade-offs between processes and consequences. As an illustration, we formulate the oil industry's business ethical dilemma as a trade-off between a socially detrimental process (emitting greenhouse gases, hence inducing a risk of climate change) and a self-interested consequence (profits). The proposed framework allows us to specify two types of strategies, differing by whether priority is given to the consequences or to the processes. We analyze and illustrate these strategies at both the behavioral and the discursive levels. In particular, communication strategies raise questions about good faith in business argumentation, in the sense that business discourse may or may not be consistent with actual assumptions and/or actual behaviors. We conclude on possible drivers of more ethical business behavior.     

论《第二十二条军规》中非逻辑性语言的运用

约瑟夫·海勒在其成名巨著《第二十二条军规》中借助非逻辑性语言,运用循环式论证、自相矛盾论证等论证方式,成功地向读者展现出一个矛盾的、不合逻辑的现实社会。     

湖北高职学生听力障碍调查与研究

“高职学生英语听力障碍调查研究”是湖北省教育厅社科研究重点课题,该课题确定湖北省高职学生为研究对象,从“学习者特征、听力材料特征、说话者特征、任务特征和过程特征、以及听力环境因素”五个方面分析了高职学生英语听力障碍,借助观察法、访谈法、调查问卷法、文献研究法和自然实验法．从心理与行为的角度对他们的英语听力障碍进行调查和研究,并提出相关对策。在此基础上,还展开了一系列的实验进行论证和完善．并随后进行了成果推广实验,取得了良好的效果。文章即是对“高职学生英语听力障碍调查研究”课题的总结。     

Message Reframing in Advertising

Various communication techniques such as humor or two‐sided argumentation are frequently used in advertising. One technique that is common but has not been conceptualized is the deliberate change of perspective of specific product or brand attributes. Based on the reframing method used in neuro‐linguistic programming (NLP) this technique is conceptualized as message reframing, defined as a communication technique that changes the conceptual and/or emotional setting or viewpoint in relation to how a brand is experienced by placing it in a different frame that fits the same brand equally well or better. The effects of message reframing in contrast to conventional advertisements as well as in contrast to humor and two‐sided argumentation are hypothesized and tested in an experimental study. The results reveal that message reframing outplays traditional advertising techniques regarding attention toward the ad, perceived novelty, attitude toward the ad, and attitude toward the brand. Moreover, message reframing does not show the deterioration of source credibility commonly observed in humorous messages, and leads to higher attention, perceived novelty, and attitude toward the ad than two‐sided messages.     

Der Transmissionsmechanismus der Geldpolitik — eine Ergänzung

In March 2015 Wirtschaftsdienst published the article “The Transmission Mechanism of Monetary Policy — Where is the Boost to Lending?” by Daniel Hagemann and Monika Wohlmann. Manuel Rupprecht asserts in his response that their argumentation concentrates too heavily on credit supply. He points to the importance of credit demand and the declining significance of bank loans. Hagemann and Wohlmann respond by providing detailed information on the sources of company financing and state that more than half of the financing for companies in the eurozone originated from banks.     

Friedrich list and his relevance for development policy

Economic independence and a New Economic Order were international political issues long before the North-South controversy was heard of. They were set out as objectives in the USA as early as the beginning of the 19th century. There are striking parallels, even in phraseology and argumentation, between the political-economic conflict between the USA, a weak ex-colonial state, and England, the world power of that time, and the North-South controversy going on at present.     

Emotion as an Argumentation Engine: Modeling the Role of Emotion in Negotiation

The purpose of this paper is to present a model of emotion in negotiation, which reflects the active role emotions play in decision taking as modifiers of theory-of-mind models, goals and strategies. The model is based on empirical studies of human interaction in different activities such as plea bargains, simulated negotiations, doctor patient consultations, and virtual human–human interactions. We use empathy as an example of emotion, which has a natural and powerful function in the shaping and re-contextualization of decision processes. We study also the linguistic realization of emotions as forms of argumentation in authentic discourse.     

Corporate Social Responsibility as Argument on the Web

This paper critically examines the language drawn on to describe socially responsible activities (CSR) in the context of the corporate web page. I argue that constructions of CSR are made plausible and legitimised according to the context of the expression. The web site is a genre of communication which addresses a broad and discerning audience; hence fractures in the institutionalised nature of argument may be apparent. The focus of this paper is to examine how the rhetoric of CSR is legitimised and to develop a framework of argumentation repertoires that operate in this context     

Argumentation-Based Dialogues for Agent Co-Ordination

Many techniques for coordinating agents require that the agents communicate, and many of the requisite communications need more than the exchange of a few terse illocutions. In other words they require some form of dialogue. This paper discusses one way to create such dialogues, the use of argumentation, and illustrates the use of this approach in the definition of dialogues about joint plans.     

航天器项目试验评估新方法

合理的评估方法是使得航天飞行器项目的试验论证更具有科学性的有力手段。针对航天器项目试验评估的过程复杂且内容目标不明确的现状,归纳总结了对航天器项目试验的关键技术的遴选和评估指标的确定方法,分析了航天器项目试验数据的特性,选择了差分检测法进行异常值的剔除,基于经典数理统计理论进行两类指标的估计,从而形成了完整的航天器项目试验的评估方法构建,为航天器项目试验的评估验证提供了技术途径。     

Distributed Visual Language Environments for Cooperation and Learning: Applications and Intelligent Support

An increasing number of collaborative learning environments is based on shared workspace systems using two-dimensional graph-structured visual representations such as argumentation networks and concept maps. We propose an integrated framework that allows for flexibly specifying a wide range of visual languages and plugging in components for operational semantics, adequate feedback and intelligent support. The generic application CardBoard provides card-based user interaction and collaboration by means of different languages in shared workspaces. To enhance modifiability, the interfaces between the distributed heterogeneous system components, particularly between intelligent components and user interfaces, have been standardised.     

单星无源定位原理及精度分析

针对通信、测控信号窄带、信号持续时间长的特点,分析了通信信号、测控信号工程 可实现的测频精度,论证了在单星平台上利用频率定位方法实现通信、测控信号高精度定位 的可行性,并根据5 km定位精度指标要求计算了对信号持续时间、信号载频、频率测 量误差及卫星轨道高度的要求,研究结论对单星无源定位系统定位精度指标的论证与分解具 有借鉴意义。     

Business Ethics: The Promise of Neuroscience

Cultural diversity is an increasingly important phenomenon that affects not only social and political harmony but also the cohesion and efficiency of organisations. The problems that firms have with regard to managing cultural diversity have been abundantly studied in recent decades from the perspectives of management theory and moral philosophy, but there are still open questions that require deeper reflection and broader empirical analysis. Managing cultural diversity in organisations is of prime importance because it involves harmonising different values, beliefs, credos and customs, and, in essence, human identity. Taking into consideration these cultural differences and harmonising them is a human rights issue (UNDP, Cultural liberty in today’s diverse world, 2004) and a central dimension of corporate social responsibility. Here we are going to focus on theoretical reflection about the ideas that lie behind corporate policies and organisational initiatives that deal with cultural diversity. The aim of our paper is twofold: to present a critical reflection on the ideology of tolerance, and propose an ideology of respect for dealing with cultural diversity. We start by presenting the plurality of interpretations of the concept of ideology, and justify its applicability to the field of cultural diversity. We then reflect on the differences between “tolerance” and “respect” and identifying the practical implications for managing cultural diversity. And finally, we propose a culture of respect that goes beyond tolerance and complements and legitimizes the “business case” perspective for managing cultural diversity in companies. The ideology of respect is based on the Kantian tradition and on the discursive approach where rational dialogue and argumentation are considered the legitimate process for creating a culture of intercultural respect. From this theoretical discussion of the key philosophical concepts we can suggest some general principles for managing cultural diversity in organisations.