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Smart technologies and connected objects are rapidly changing the organizational frontline. Yet, our understanding of how these technologies infuse service encounters remains limited. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to update existing classifications of Frontline Service Technology (FST) infusion. Moreover, the authors discuss three promising smart and connected technologies – conversational agents, extended reality (XR) and blockchain technology – and their respective implications for customers, frontline employees and service organizations.

This paper uses a conceptual approach integrating existing work on FST infusion with artificial intelligence, robotics, XR and blockchain literature, while also building on insights gathered through expert interviews and focus group conversations with members of two service research centers.

The authors define FST and propose a set of FST infusion archetypes at the organizational frontline. Additionally, the authors develop future research directions focused on understanding how conversational agents, XR and blockchain technology will impact service.

This paper updates and extends existing classifications of FST, while paving the road for further work on FST infusion.

Intelligent agents – software components designed to perform complex tasks for the user (with or without the presence of the user) – are used in a variety of settings, from instant messaging and web auctions, to ATM network management and air traffic control systems. The technology also has applicability within libraries, adding a level of user‐oriented control and flexibility to activities such as digital collection management and virtual reference. The use of intelligent agents to assist users with their searches has perhaps the greatest potential. The purpose of this article is to provide background information on the use of agent technology in information settings, and review three library‐based projects that utilize agent technology in a practical way.

A comprehensive literature review combined with brief case studies of practical applications of agent technology in three modern library settings. A conceptual model of a virtual, agent‐based personalized library is also presented.

Librarians and others in the information profession recognize the potential of agent technology within the library setting. The paper presents a number of practical scenarios for using agents, from supporting digital libraries and teaching information literacy to virtual reference.

There are numerous implications for current and future use of agent technology in libraries, including how to engage IT staff in the development process, how to educate users about the benefits of the technology, and how to make sure library professionals have the skill set to allow them to participate in the conceptualization, design and implementation of agents.

There is a wealth of professional literature on agent technology and its uses, mostly from a computing or engineering perspective. This paper has value in that it presents the concept from a library perspective, and includes references to relevant library literature and projects.

This article reports the results from a panel discussion held at the 2019 European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS) on the use of technology-based autonomous agents in collaborative work.

The panelists (Drs Izak Benbasat, Paul Benjamin Lowry, Stefan Morana, and Stefan Seidel) presented ideas related to affective and cognitive implications of using autonomous technology-based agents in terms of (1) emotional connection with these agents, (2) decision-making, and (3) knowledge and learning in settings with autonomous agents. These ideas provided the basis for a moderated panel discussion (the moderators were Drs Isabella Seeber and Lena Waizenegger), during which the initial position statements were elaborated on and additional issues were raised.

Through the discussion, a set of additional issues were identified. These issues related to (1) the design of autonomous technology-based agents in terms of human–machine workplace configurations, as well as transparency and explainability, and (2) the unintended consequences of using autonomous technology-based agents in terms of de-evolution of social interaction, prioritization of machine teammates, psychological health, and biased algorithms.

Key issues related to the affective and cognitive implications of using autonomous technology-based agents, design issues, and unintended consequences highlight key contemporary research challenges that allow researchers in this area to leverage compelling questions that can guide further research in this field.

As the technology evolves, the ways in which supply chain is coordinated improve. During a careful study on the intelligent wireless web (IWW) and its services for future applications, its great potentials for the implementation of a mobile real‐time system for supply chain coordination were realized. This paper seeks to introduce a development process for the IWW. In addition, it aims to explain the concept of mobile real‐time supply chain coordination, and propose and describe a practical model for this subject matter based on the most recent technologies including the IWW and agents.

Objectives were achieved through a thorough study on the IWW, agent technology, and the ways of applying them for mobile real‐time coordination in supply processes. As a method to conduct the research, first, the paper made out what the IWW services are and how one may develop them. Since mobile real‐time coordination is an absolutely innovative concept, the study prepared a comprehensive understanding of it and then, a practical framework was sketched and explained to implement the suggested system. The approach to this topic was a realistic one and an attempt was made to include all the prerequisites and details for the intended system.

In the course of the work, it was found that the IWW and other corresponding technologies have the greatest potentials ever available for the realization of a mobile real‐time supply chain coordination system and most of the chapters illustrate the claim.

Mobile real‐time coordination and its use in supply chains is something new. The development process for IWW proposed here is totally practicable and no other implementation scenario for the application of the IWW in mobile real‐time coordination has been suggested yet.

The purpose of this paper is to present a modeling approach for aggregate and disaggregate level models for cluster‐based diffusion of a new technology. The aggregate approach refers to the diffusion modeling of a product at the overall population level, while the disaggregate approach refers to the diffusion process at the individual entity level.

The pattern of diffusion of a new technology in a representative two‐cluster situation is studied. In the aggregate level modeling, a diffusion model is developed in which potential adopters of both clusters learn about the new technology from each other. This is done by a Lotka‐Volterra type of dynamical system of equations. Then, to focus on relatively micro‐level phenomena, such as different propensities of imitation and innovation of firms within a cluster, an agent‐based disaggregate model for cluster‐based diffusion of technology is proposed. In these disaggregate models, the effects of heterogeneity and the inter‐cluster and intra‐cluster distances between the agents are captured.

The results highlight two major points: first, both aggregate and disaggregate models are in agreement with each other, and second, both of the models exhibit a form similar to the Bass model. Thus, consistent with the general theme of why the Bass model fits without decision variables, it is found that the Bass model, when extended appropriately, can be expected to work well also in the cluster‐based technology diffusion situation.

This modeling approach can be applied to the modeling of those situations in which heterogeneous industrial units are present in geographical clusters. It can also be applied in the related contexts such as diffusion of practices (e.g. quality certifications) within a multi‐divisional organization or across various networked clusters.

For a homogenous population, the Bass model has been used extensively to predict the sales of newly introduced consumer durables. In comparison, little attention has been given to the modeling of the technology adoption by the industrial units present in disparate groups, called clusters. The major contribution of this paper is to propose a framework for cluster‐based diffusion of technological products, and then to present an analysis of that framework using two different methodologies.

The purpose of this paper is to presents the current and prospective state of affairs when it comes to the information and communication technologies (ICTs) in condition monitoring (CM) and maintenance, especially for the e-maintenance approach.

The author presents some of the standards for the domain of interest, such as the open system architecture condition-based maintenance. In addition, the e-maintenance approach is gone through as well as such ICTs as, for instance, the emergent web technologies, the service-oriented architecture (SOA), the web services and the Web 2.0 are analysed.

The findings highlight the need for a clearer understanding of the characteristics of different ICTs, such as Web 2.0 technologies, Cloud computing, agent technologies, etc., to be able to use them in an optimal manner for various purposes in the e-maintenance applications. In addition, the standardisation of the emergent ICTs different aspects is shown to be an important factor for the development of different phases of software as well as for its overall acceptance.

The given work presents the current and emergent ICTs for the domain of interest and provides the discussion and various issues connected to these ICTs.

The author provides practical implications of the different ICTs mentioned in the paper, i.e. benefits and possibilities as well as risks when those technologies are implemented for CM and maintenance, especially for the e-maintenance.

The paper provides insight into various current and prospective ICTs for the domain of interest that provides important knowledge for different employees with the objective of a purchase, users of the system, such as technicians, maintenance engineers as well as developers of these systems. Consequently, the paper provides knowledge of different characteristics of the current and prospective technologies, which is important to take into account in order to be able not only to use them in an optimal manner, but also to understand possible constraints if they are used in the system and in applications in the domain.

Interorganizational business process standards (IBPS) are IT-enabled process specifications that standardize, streamline, and improve business processes related to interorganizational relationships. There has been much interest in IBPS as organizations from different industries implement these process standards that lead to successful organizational outcomes by integrating and standardizing intra- and inter-organizational business processes. These process standards enable data analytics capabilities by facilitating new sources of interorganizational process data. The purpose of this paper is to unearth employees’ reactions to a new type of supply chain process innovations that involved an implementation of new IBPS, a supply chain management (SCM) system, and associated analytics capabilities.

The authors gathered and analyzed qualitative data for a year from the employees of a healthcare supplier, a high-tech manufacturing organization, during the implementation of a SCM system and RosettaNet-based IBPS.

In what the authors termed the initiation stage, there was quite a bit of confusion and unrest among employees regarding the relevance of the new process standards and associated analytics capabilities. With the passage of time, in the institutionalization stage, although the situation improved slightly, employees found workarounds that allowed them to appropriate just part of specific processes and the analytics capabilities. Finally, once routinized, employees felt comfortable in the situation but still did not appropriate the new supply chain processes faithfully. Overall, employees’ reactions toward the SCM system and associated analytics capabilities were different from their reactions toward the new business processes.

The paper contributes to the literature by offering novel insights on how employees react to and appropriate process innovations that change their work processes.

With the growing trend toward the use of international supply chain and e‐commerce, logistic service providers for product warehousing, transportation and delivery are placing great emphasis on information technology (IT) to be competitive globally. Realizing that the current service tracking system merely supports order status tracking within a service provider, applies mobile agent technology for online order tracking across the global logistic alliances. Utilizes a three‐tier architecture for mobile agent technology and develops a prototype system for global logistic service tracking. Demonstrates the concept and technology proposed. The online service tracking services enable customers to monitor the real‐time status of their service requests and therefore becomes key tool for modern enterprises to compete successfully in a global marketplace.

The purpose of this paper is to create a platform framework based on agent for virtual enterprise (VE) with the characteristic of supply chain by adopting multi‐agent technology.

According to the system hierarchy theory and the features of VE with the characteristic of supply chain, the conception and organization structure of supply chain‐oriented VE are proposed. Combined with characters of multi‐agent, a platform framework based on agent for VE with the characteristic of supply chain is created. Aiming at complexity of net node of running platform framework, two‐layer architecture mode, which are information alternation layer and basic function layer inside net node based on agent, are designed. The modes are proved to be reasonable in the management of the system and networks resources.

The theory base of realization of the VE based on agent with the characteristic of supply chain is found.

The reasonable basic function design of various agents are main limitations.

The paper presents a very useful tool for the operation and management of VE.

A new approach and scheme for VE with the characteristic of supply chain is presented. This paper is aimed at researchers and engineers.

Every company or manufacturing system is vulnerable to breakdowns. This research aims to analyze the role of Multi-Agent Technology (MAT) in minimizing breakdown probabilities in Manufacturing Industries.

This study formulated a framework of six factors and twenty-eight variables (explored in the literature). A hybrid approach of Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Technique (MCDM) was employed in the framework to prioritize, rank and establish interrelationships between factors and variables grouped under them.

The research findings reveal that the “Manufacturing Process” is the most essential factor, while “Integration Manufacturing with Maintenance” is highly impactful on the other factors to eliminate the flaws that may cause system breakdown. The findings of this study also provide a ranking order for variables to increase the performance of factors that will assist manufacturers in reducing maintenance efforts and enhancing process efficiency.

The ranking order developed in this study may assist manufacturers in reducing maintenance efforts and enhancing process efficiency. From the manufacturer’s perspective, this research presented MAT as a key aspect in dealing with the complexity of manufacturing operations in manufacturing organizations. This research may assist industrial management with insights into how they can lower the probability of breakdown, which will decrease expenditures, boost productivity and enhance overall efficiency.

This study is an original contribution to advancing MAT’s theory and empirical applications in manufacturing organizations to decrease breakdown probability.