Blockchain Papers

Yosep Lee, Young B. Park

No abstract is available for this record.

Florian Gräbe, Niclas Kannengießer, Sebastian Lins, Ali Sunyaev

Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) enables a new way of inter-organizational collaboration via a shared and distributed infrastructure. Meanwhile, there is plenty of DLT designs (e.g., Ethereum, IOTA), which differ in their capabilities to meet use case requirements. A structured comparison of DLT designs is required to support the decision for an appropriate DLT design. However, existing criteria and processes are abstract or not suitable for an in-depth comparison of DLT designs. We select and operationalize DLT characteristics relevant for a comprehensive comparison of DLT designs. Furthermore, we propose a comparison process, which enables the structured comparison of a set of DLT designs according to application requirements. The proposed process is validated with a use case analysis of three use cases. We contribute to research and praxis by introducing ways to operationalize DLT characteristics and generate a process to compare different DLT designs accordingly to their suitability in a use case.

Markus Schinle, Christina Erler, Wilhelm Stork

Costs, risks and inefficiencies in Collaborative Networks (CNs) resulting from information asymmetries have been discussed in the scientific community for years. In this work, supply chain networks, as common representative of CNs, are used as object of investigation. Therein, problems and requirements of interorganizational information exchange are elaborated as well as the potential role Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) could play to address them. As major challenge, convincing all relevant network partners to resolve asymmetric information by sharing sensitive data is identified. To face this issue, the value of shared information is prioritized as a motivational aspect. Finally, we propose a search process to systematically assess the benefits of information sharing in collaborative networks. To coordinate and implement this process regarding the derived requirements of CNs we propose system components based on DLT design patterns.

Xuejun Yuan, Shuai Zhang, Fan Wu, Ming Ye

In the power equipment supply chain collaborative application system, through the organic integration of logistics and financial services, the construction of power equipment supply chain financial collaborative service system, for logistics, information flow and capital flow, power equipment procurement, manufacturing, logistics and construction provides whole process of installation financial services to satisfy the demand for liquidity of enterprises in the power equipment supply chain, improve the liquidity of assets of various enterprises, and reduce the capital occupation of enterprises.

Rabin Bhandari, Ricardo Colomo‐Palacios

Holacracy can be seen as a strategy for decentralized management and organizational governance in which authority and decision-making are delivered by means of autonomous and self-organizing groups or teams. Although the topic is not new, its application in software development has not a long history behind it. This study is meant to give an overview on holacracy for software development teams, its features, benefits gained, as well as its challenges. To do so, in this paper, authors present a multivocal literature review in which a panoply of sources including research and grey literature is reviewed. Our study shows that adapting holacracy towards self-organizing software development teams can result in increased product transparency, improved decision making, more efficient progress, and a higher sense of individual responsibility. However, there are reported challenges such as implementation difficulty and increase in employee outflows.

Weiting Li, Zhi-Ping Lu

Block chain is a decentralized infrastructure that is widely used in emerging digital cryptocurrencies and has received attention and research as Bitcoin has gradually become accepted. Block chain technology is the underlying technology of Bitcoin. Its decentralization, block data cannot be tampered with, and it is trusted, which makes its application in various fields gradually gaining attention. With the deepening of the phenomenon of globalization and division of labor, the supply chain of modern enterprises began to appear fragmentary, complex, decentralized, and other phenomena, which brought great challenges to the supply chain management. First of all, it gives a basic overview of the block chain technology, explains its composition, basic framework and technical characteristics, then analyzes the problems in the current supply chain management, and finally points out that the block chain technology solves the above-mentioned supply chain management problems. The purpose is to help the block chain technology in the field of supply chain related research.

Wenjin Zhang

The block chain constructs a decentralized trust and collaboration system. The emergence of block chain technology effectively solves the problem that trust and value cannot be transferred in the Internet era, which makes information have value and guarantees the rights and interests of information producers. This paper briefly introduces the basic concept of block chain, and then expounds the application value of block chain technology in the field of global trade and finance.

Hana Mohelská, Marcela Sokolová

The Industry 4.0 concept describes a decentralized production chain that extends from design to the supply chain, production, distribution as well as customer service. Cyber Physical Systems (CPS) employ software and internet-connected machines that communicate in real-time to reduce error rates and increase efficiency. The basis is the co-operation of separate control units that are capable of autonomous decision-making, managing the assigned technological unit and in particular becoming an independent and full member of comprehensive production units. The Industry 4.0 concept requires continuous innovation and education that not only depends on the peoples’ skills but also on organizational culture. Appropriate managerial approaches play a vital role in the development of organizational culture. Most studies discuss technical aspects, but do not pay attention to managerial approaches and organizational culture, which are a major factor influencing the success of this concept. The aim of the paper is to examine the level of organizational culture in the Czech Republic and to seek appropriate managerial approaches for the development of organizational culture that can support the environment for innovation in the organization and therefore facilitate the entrepreneurship in the Industry 4.0 concept. A partial goal will be, among other things, to identify the implications of Industry 4.0 for human resources. In order to determine organizational culture in organizations, a large study was carried out in the form of a questionnaire survey − the Czech translation of Wallach᾽s Questionnaire (1983). According to the findings, the respondents perceive the organizational culture in the organizations under review is more bureaucratic and supportive than innovative. In their view the signs of innovative culture are not so striking. It is necessary to change managerial approaches to support innovative solutions.

Holger Schiele

No abstract is available for this record.

Jiewu Leng, Pingyu Jiang

No abstract is available for this record.

Jiafu Wan, Baotong Chen, Muhammad Imran, Fei Tao · 7 authors

The cyber-physical production system (CPPS), which combines information communication technology, cyberspace virtual technology, and intelligent equipment technology, is accelerating the path of Industry 4.0 to transform manufacturing from traditional to intelligent. The Industrial Internet of Things integrates the key technologies of industrial communication, computing, and control, and is providing a new way for a wide range of manufacturing resources to optimize management and dynamic scheduling. In this article, OLE for process control technology, software defined industrial network, and device-to-device communication technology are proposed to achieve efficient dynamic resource interaction. Additionally, the integration of ontology modeling with multiagent technology is introduced to achieve dynamic management of resources. We propose a load balancing mechanism based on Jena reasoning and Contract-Net Protocol technology that focuses on intelligent equipment in the smart factory. Dynamic resources management for IoT-based manufacturing provides a solution for complex resource allocation problems in current manufacturing scenarios, and provides a technical reference point for the implementation of intelligent manufacturing in Industry 4.0.

Frank Martela, Tuukka Kostamo

To adaptively grow in rapidly changing business environments, a number of organizations have challenged the traditional bureaucratic way of organizing for a new, more flexible organizational structure: self-organizing. It is based on minimal hierarchy, decentralized decision-making power and a workforce autonomously striving towards a common goal. But to achieve this, one needs proactive and self-managing employees, and accordingly, facilitating the intrinsic motivation and self-determination of the employees becomes a key challenge to make self-organizing a reality. In this chapter, we will first outline the key characteristics of, and differences between, bureaucracy and self-organizing. Then, we turn to a discussion of human nature and motivation, arguing that while extrinsic rewards and controlling might work in bureaucratic settings, only intrinsic motivation and self-determination are compatible with self-organizing. To support our case, we will end the chapter with practical examples of how a few rapidly growing companies have solved the various challenges of self-organizing and been able to keep the business profitable while having highly engaged and proactive employees.

Emilien Bai, Kåre Synnes

This paper presents the design and implementation of a reward system for collaborative care of elderly based on distributed ledger technologies. The work is motivated by the demographic change, where an aging population consequently increases the need for care. This causes a great tension in our society, as care resources become increasingly constrained, both regarding costs and availability of care staff. Much of the daily care of the elderly is today done by family members (spouses, children) and friends, often on a voluntarily basis, which adds to the tension. The core idea of this work is to help broaden the involvement of people in caring for our elderly, enabled by a system for collaborative care. The proposed system benefits from recent advances in distributed ledger technologies, which similarly to digital currencies, are build on the ability for mutual agreements between people who do not know each other. The system also benefits from recent gamification techniques to motivate people to collaborate on a larger scale through performing simple daily tasks. The system builds on rewards automatically given when these smart contracts are fulfilled, a gamification technique that is believed to maintain motivation of the volunteers. In this paper, we thus describe a reward system designed to connect elderly and volunteers by mutual agreements implemented as smart contracts.

Richard Hull, Vishal Batra, Yimin Chen, Alin Deutsch · 6 authors

No abstract is available for this record.

Tanya Bondarouk, Christina-Maria Friebe

Abstract Purpose The purpose of this study is to offer an integrated literature review of shared services’ organizational structures by specifically focusing on centralization, specialization, control, and formalization mechanisms. Methodology/approach A sample consisting of 103 empirical and conceptual articles, identified in a structured literature search in Science Direct and Scopus, was analyzed. The focus was on exploring the structural dimensions of shared services in various fields: Supply Chains, Finance, Human Resource Management, and Information Technologies. Findings from the selected articles were codified alongside the structural dimensions drawn from contingency theory. Findings Most of the papers identified were concerned with the Human Resource function or with Accounting and Finance in the private sector. Purchasing was only mentioned in a few general articles and Marketing not represented at all, even though the literature suggests that shared services do exist in this field. This uneven distribution across fields, as well as the reality that many articles fail to make clear divisions between disciplines, is hardly conducive to identifying trends for individual disciplines, and only general trends for each dimension could be identified. Although centralization was one of the most discussed dimensions, there was no consensus as to whether shared services should be centralized or decentralized. Standardization and formalization were both found to be highly important, although a need for customization was also emphasized. Implications Future research should be oriented toward the structural dimensions of shared services in a broader range of fields as current findings are dominated by the Human Resource function. Another implication of our findings is that scholars could usefully test empirically the dimensions, especially those where opinions differed the most: centralization and specialization. Originality/value Earlier conceptualizations noted that the mixed shared service outcomes stem from the diversity in governance and several contingency factors. This work continues the exploration of the contingency factors and mechanisms that, through integration, allow shared services to respond to the environmental uncertainty. The value of this chapter is in examining the structures of different functional types of shared services that are reported as successful in the literature, thus offering an overview of best practices in organizing shared services.

Huaming Song

University autonomous system guarantee in US is a highly decentralized management system of higher education. The principal part in such a system guarantee is made up of the micro management of higher education by government, the internal decision- making ofLegal Person- Board of Directorsin university and the supervision of social intermediary organizations. The management system of higher education in China can be reformed by learning from US experience, reasonable decentralizing, seeking balance of power, improving the president responsibility system under the leadership of the Party Committee, abolishing the executive levels and perfecting the accreditation body of China's higher education.

Feili Yu, Fang Tu, Krishna R. Pattipati

Based on the concept of autonomous cooperating holons, this paper presents a holonic command and control (C2) organizational control architecture (OCA) that models aC2organization as an integration of holonic multilevel decentralized decision-making networks. The OCA consists of two levels: operational- and tactical-level controls. Authority and control are highly distributed among agents belonging to different levels of the holarchy to empower the edges, whereas the integration of decisions is ensured to achieve overall mission objectives. In order to complete a mission in real time in dynamic environments, the decision makers (DMs) at different control levels need to coordinate their actions extensively and be prepared to adapt their schedules. Based on the proposed OCA, we present a holonic multiobjective evolutionary algorithm that produces flexible distributed schedules that account for the unexpected changes in the mission environment, such as asset breakdown, appearance of new events, DM failure, etc. This approach generates multilevel Pareto optimal solutions and, as a consequence, produces a set of ranked neighboring schedules. The actual schedule is a combination of different phases from alternative neighboring schedules that adapt to environmental disturbances. Moreover, the cost of adaptability is reduced while maintaining the stability of the organization. Numerical experiment shows the advantages of the proposed OCA, viz., simplicity, efficiency, and flexibility, which enable an organization to achieve high performance under dynamic and uncertain environments.

Daniel Roy, Didier Anciaux, Thibaud Monteiro, Latifa Ouzizi

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new approach for the supply chain management. This approach is based on the virtual enterprise paradigm and the used of multi-agent concept. Each entity (like enterprise) is autonomous and must perform local and global goals in relation with its environment. The base component of our approach is a Virtual Enterprise Node (VEN). The supply chain is viewed as a set of tiers (corresponding to the levels of production), in which each partner of the supply chain (VEN) is in relation with several customers and suppliers. Each VEN belongs to one tier. The main customer gives global objectives (quantity, cost and delay) to the supply chain. The Mediator Agent (MA) is in charge to manage the supply chain in order to respect those objectives as global level. Those objectives are taking over to Negotiator Agent at the tier level (NAT). These two agents are only active if a perturbation occurs; otherwise information flows are only exchange between VENs. This architecture allows supply chains management which is completely transparent seen from simple enterprise of the supply chain. The used of Multi-Agent System (MAS) allows physical distribution of the decisional system. Moreover, the hierarchical organizational structure with a decentralized control guaranties, in the same time, the autonomy of each entity and the whole flexibility.

Mercedes Canavesio, Ernesto Martínez

No abstract is available for this record.

Jennings, Nick, Robert Johnston, Wright, Andy

The move from platform centric planning to network enabled capability poses not only organizational challenges but also challenges to the technology that will be needed to enable networked operations. Within this context, this paper outlines the central role that autonomous software agents, that coordinate their activities in flexible ways, have to play in providing robust system solutions. The major research challenges are addressed in order to take this promising technology forward and to make it suitable for NEC application. The interactions of the various autonomous agents within the system, that are necessary in order to achieve their individual and collective aims, can be analyzed and designed using techniques from Game Theory and Mechanism Design. Game theory is exploited because it has developed powerful tools for analyzing decision making in decentralized open systems with multiple autonomous agents. Recently, these tools have been tailored to computational settings to provide a principled foundation for building multiple agent systems. This tailoring gives rise to the field of computational mechanism design.

Thibaud Monteiro, Daniel Roy, Didier Anciaux

A new approach of coordination of decisions in a multi site system is proposed. It is based this approach on a multi-agent concept and on the principle of distributed network of enterprises. For this purpose, each enterprise is defined as autonomous and performs simultaneously at the local and global levels. The basic component of our approach is a so-called Virtual Enterprise Node (VEN), where the enterprise network is represented as a set of tiers (like in a product breakdown structure). Within the network, each partner constitutes a VEN, which is in contact with several customers and suppliers. Exchanges between the VENs ensure the autonomy of decision, and guarantiee the consistency of information and material flows. Only two complementary VEN agents are necessary: one for external interactions, the Negotiator Agent (NA) and one for the planning of internal decisions, the Planner Agent (PA). If supply problems occur in the network, two other agents are defined: the Tier Negotiator Agent (TNA) working at the tier level only and the Supply Chain Mediator Agent (SCMA) working at the level of the enterprise network. These two agents are only active when the perturbation occurs. Otherwise, the VENs process the flow of information alone. With this new approach, managing enterprise network becomes much more transparent and looks like managing a simple enterprise in the network. The use of a Multi-Agent System (MAS) allows physical distribution of the decisional system, and procures a heterarchical organization structure with a decentralized control that guaranties the autonomy of each entity and the flexibility of the network.

Franco Guidi-Polanco, Claudio Cubillos, Giuseppe Menga

This work presents our agent-based architecture for the development of Global Automation Systems. These systems consist of software applications that manage all the processes in a network of enterprises, in distributed, decentralized and autonomous way. These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

M. Georgoudakis, Christos Alexakos, Αθανάσιος Καλογεράς, John Gialelis · 5 authors

This paper presents a distributed system architecture that is based on the prominent industrial standard ANSI / ISA-95 and utilizes ontologies and web services in an attempt to address the challenge of interoperability in the industrial enterprise environment in an efficient way. Work presented in this paper is partly financed by the PABADIS'PROMISE project framework (FP6-IST-016649). This paper proposes an agent-based approach, which assisted by an appropriate ontology attempts to match the properties of information agents and the generic requirements of the industrial automation domain in order to address automation information handling problems. The novelty of the approach lies in the utilization of ontological descriptions of the resources and the processes invoked by intelligent agents, while it couples production - related processes with shop floor equipment via standard Device Description Language, avoiding ad-hoc implementations. The benefits of this approach are optimal interoperability among the agents and adaptability in dealing with considerable changes in the industrial environment. Although ontological description of resources is hardly a new concept, the problem associated with this approach is the ad hoc methodology of description usually followed which renders the ontology to a dictionary usable only within the boundaries of the enterprise, thus of limited interoperability. The proposed framework is based on emerging web technologies such as Web Services, Ontology Web Language (OWL) and JADE (Java Agent Development Framework) agent platform while it introduces the following features: - ANSI / ISA 95 (2) based ontology implementation is used in order to model knowledge within the industrial environment domain.

JDA Carvalho, NA Moreira, LCM Pires

This paper presents the concept of Autonomous Production Systems (APS), which are the organizational units upon which enterprises can be built and managed in order to better face the globalization challenges. We believe that companies organized as networks of APSs are better prepared to respond to the new economy challenges than organized in a hierarchical fashion. The way a traditional company can be reorganized in terms of a network of APSs using decentralized management is also explored in this article. We propose an approach to create and operate Virtual Enterprises either based on APSs or based on traditional companies. A Production Planning and Control system to operate Virtual Enterprises is also proposed in this paper using the concept of Bill of Materials and Movements.