222 Chapter 8 Discussion Introduction This chapter reflects on the ...

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for the lack of conflicts is that it was a result of having a very small group of stakeholders, who possessed essentially unified views. However, with larger groups of stakeholders, the likelihood is that different members hold different views, and therefore there is a greater possibility of conflicts. The ABSS methodology is not sufficiently developed to give guidance on how to manage conflict issues, should they emerge, during the course of a participatory project. It is an important question because it would, at least in part, indicate how the method would scale up to projects involving lots of stakeholders. More attention would need to be paid to conflicts and power relations amongst stakeholders, and the relations between those individuals and the organisation. It would also be likely to cause more confusion as to the project objectives (i.e. what are we going to study and for what purpose – i.e. who is supposed to benefit?) and problem specification. 8.6 Reflection on the Areas Deserving Further Work <strong>This</strong> <strong>chapter</strong> will now conclude with some suggestions for further research along these lines of enquiry. Firstly, it has been argued that the research approach worked reasonably well for a single case study and has proved worthy of trial for a bigger study incorporating several cases and models of the impact of e-commerce upon the value chain. Similarities exist across industry in the way business-to-business e- commerce is organised. It would be worthwhile to explore how case alignment might be carried out when several (similar) studies exist, and therefore the opportunity exists for making comparisons and generalisations across these findings. Secondly, it would be valuable to undertake a study incorporating ABSS modelling of multiple perspectives of the value chain. There are several market-types that a company may choose to enter: intermediary controlled and buyer controlled as well as those initiated by themselves. Investigating the strategies of other members of the value chain would allow us to develop further insights into the issues associated with the introduction of EC and its impact upon the value chain. 241
Thirdly, further research should aim to demonstrate the utility of the ABSS approach in developing multi-agent software systems using sociological principles. These principles encapsulate the flexible, robust, scalable, distributed and adaptive qualities that we consider important for systems that are required to operate in complex business environments. Finally, it is clear that new tools for improving visualisation of simulation data would greatly enhance the ability of industrial collaborators to interpret the meaning of simulation results and recognise behavioural patterns. These tools would also undoubtedly have a positive impact on the feedback process between industrial participants and research team. 242
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222 Chapter 8 Discussion Introduction This chapter reflects on the ...

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