RPMInter-work: a multi-agent approach for planning the task-role assignments in inter-organisational workflow

ABSTRACT

Workflow management is a core component of modern Enterprise Information Systems (EISs) infrastructure that automates the execution of critical business processes. One of the particular interests of the security community is how to ensure the completion of the workflow execution in the presence of authorisation constraints. These constraints present some restrictions on the users or the roles that are authorised to execute the workflow tasks. The goal is to enforce the legal assignments of access privileges to the executors of the workflow tasks. Despite the variety of approaches proposed in this context, an approach dedicated to the inter-organisational workflows is still missing. In this paper, we take a step towards this goal by proposing a multi-agent-based model, named RPMInter-Work (task-Role assignment Planning Model for Inter-organisational Workflow). Our approach aims to perform the planning of the task-role assignments in inter-organisational workflow in presence of authorisation constraints that are related to task-role assignments. In our research work, this planning problem is formulated as a DisCSP (Distributed Constraint Satisfaction Problem). Our proposed contribution is based on the requirements of inter-organisational workflows, in particular, the autonomy of the participating organisations and the respect of their privacy. A prototype of RPMInter-Work is implemented using JADE (Java Agent DEvelopment) platform and some evaluation results of this prototype are exposed in this paper.     

TRADE LIBERALIZATION AND FIRM PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF THAILAND

After the Asian Financial Crisis, Thailand's trade policy has been driven by the proliferation of free trade agreements (FTAs). We use firm‐level data to estimate the effects of reductions in tariffs applied to Thai imports on Thai firms. Reductions in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) tariffs were associated with increasing firm employment and exports, lower ASEAN‐China import tariffs were associated with increasing firm employment, while lower tariffs from the Japan‐Thailand FTA were associated with reductions in firm employment and increasing likelihood of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certifications. FTAs were associated with a decrease in firm R&D spending. (JEL F1, F2, F6)     

Do hedge funds trade on private information? Evidence from syndicated lending and short-selling

This paper investigates an important contemporary issue relating to the involvement of hedge funds in the syndicated loan market. In particular, we investigate the potential conflicts of interest that arise when hedge funds make syndicated loans and take short positions in the equity of borrowing firms. We find evidence consistent with the short-selling of the equity of the hedge fund borrowers prior to public announcements of both loan originations and loan amendments. We also find that hedge funds are more likely to lend to highly leveraged, lower credit quality firms, where access to private information is potentially the most valuable and where trading on such information could lead to enhanced profits. Overall, our results have important implications for the current debate regarding regulating the hedge fund industry.     

Factors Associated with the Adoption and Use of Management Accounting Techniques in Developing Countries: The Case of Romania

The purpose of this article is to investigate and analyze through the lens of contingency theory the existence and use of management accounting techniques in Romanian entities, with an in‐depth consideration of the institutional factors characterizing the environment of this country. Using a sample of 109 respondents, we identify factors associated with the existence and use of management accounting techniques in a context where organizational practices are subject to variations, resource and training scarcity, and uncertainty. Our findings indicate that the most important factors are the type of capital and size. The adoption and use of management accounting techniques are mostly associated with the presence of foreign capital as a defining feature of the Romanian environment. However, we find limited statistical support for the importance of the environment and competition, factors usually related to the use of such techniques in other developing countries.     

Alignment Versus Monitoring: An Examination of the Effect of the CSR Committee and CSR-Linked Executive Compensation on CSR Performance

Journal of Business Ethics - This study examines how the CSR committee and CSR-linked executive compensation jointly affect CSR performance as governance mechanisms. Prior studies provided mixed...     

End Matter

This paper presents findings from a qualitative research investigation into tourism firms and the environment. It focuses on the factors preventing a sample of small environmentally accredited businesses from undertaking further action. Attitudinal, financial and operational factors are identified. It argues that in order to encourage businesses to undertake environmentally responsible practices the conditions in which they operate must be favourable; these include adequate support and infrastructure. Crucial, however, is addressing widespread scepticism towards environmental alternatives in both the public and operators, so as to make ‘going green’ commercially viable.     

KFAS mechanism of funding research and development: an assessment

This paper assesses mechanisms of funding research projects used by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS). KFAS is a leading organization that sponsors research projects in Kuwait and whose endowments come through contributions from private sector companies. The assessment described in the paper relies on time series data covering the period from 1978 to 1996. The analysis shows that KFAS funding of research projects has favored projects in sectors such as agriculture and food resources, and has assigned low priority to prime sectors, such as oil, water, and manufacturing. This reflects a lack of coherence between the organization's R&D activities and the country's socioeconomic plans and needs.     

College students’ consumer competence: a qualitative exploration

The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate college people's perception of the competence necessary to play the consumer role and of the different socialization agents and processes involved in their consumer learning. Perception of the meaning of consumer competence seems mostly based on characteristics associated to preventive behaviours. If, on the whole, the subjects think they are competent consumers, their perception of other consumers is much less favourable. The mother appears to remain the most influential socialization agent but the father seems to play an increasing role. Young people's consumer socialization process is mainly achieved through communication, observation, and by learning through trial and error. Some of them find that consumer education in high school was useful but boring, and some others didn’t remember having received this education. The need to study further the competence of young adults and to provide consumer education is discussed.     

Small Fiscal Multipliers Do Not Justify Austerity: A Macroeconomic Accounting Analysis of Public Debt-to-GDP Dynamics

In the aftermath of the Great Recession, a debate about the size of fiscal multipliers emerged. Whatever the estimation approach, fiscal multipliers assumed for projections are the result of extrapolations from time-series data. In this article, I take a different perspective by answering the following question: Is it really necessary to know the value of fiscal multipliers to make sensible policy decisions?