Abstract. This article presents a task allocation protocol that is efficient in time and tolerates crash failures in multi-agent systems. The protocol is an extension of the negotiation protocol defined by Smith and Davis [25,26] for task allocation. Our extension of the Contract Net Protocol (1) enables an agent to manage several negotiation processes in parallel; (2) optimizes the length of the negotiation processes among agents; (3) reduces the contractors' decommitment situations; (4) enables the detection of failures of an agent participating in a negotiation process and prevents a negotiation process with blocked agents.
We discuss problem restructuring involving evolution of the problem representation in group decision and negotiation support systems. We develop the evolutionary systems design (ESD) approach to restructuring involving a heuristic controls/goals/values referral process and other domain-independent methodological knowledge, such as constraint relaxation, contingency planning, coalition formation and flexible goal target. These ideas are applied to multiple problem restructuring in a scenario motivated by labor-management negotiations and buyout in the airline industry, in particular, a composite of negotiations at Eastern Airlines, TWA and UAL.problem restructuring, evolutionary systems design, labor-management negotiations and airline buyout, group decision and negotiation support systems
Based on evolutionary systems design (ESD), group decision and negotiation support in evolving, nonshared information contexts is discussed. A nonshared information context-one without full information sharing-is associated with what has been loosely called a 'noncooperative' context in the group decision and negotiation support systems (GDNSS) literature. Without full information sharing, we have a game with incomplete information that, in general, is evolving. The paper discusses how the GDNSS, MEDIATOR, supports evolution of the group problem representation-a process of consensus seeking (through information sharing, here partial) subject to problem adaptation and restructuring within which compromise is possible.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.