isAnon => cache

Abstract
Notre recherche vise à approfondir la compréhension de l'issue des projets TI (échec ou réussite) par une prise en compte du rôle actif des objets (la technologie, notamment) et de leurs interactions avec les humains formant le projet. Face à cet enjeu, cet article souhaite poser une première pierre en répondant aux deux questions suivantes : Comment observer les interactions entre acteurs et technologie dans une perspective ontologique relationnelle au sein d'un projet TI donné, en accord avec les principes de l'ANT ? Dans quelle mesure cette nouvelle grille de lecture permet d'expliquer les résultats obtenus ? Le projet donné est un projet TI d'industrialisation d'une technologie (le Pupitre Virtuel) qui s'est soldé par un échec (l'abandon du projet). Ainsi, pour répondre à ces questions, nous proposons une méthode de visualisation du projet à partir d'une analyse réticulaire fondée sur la théorie de l'acteur-réseau (ANT). Cette méthode d'observation des projets TI est appliquée à l'étude longitudinale et en temps réel du projet Pupitre Virtuel. Cette recherche présente deux contributions. La première, d'ordre théorique, dévoile un mode d'opérationnalisation de l'ANT visant à améliorer la lecture et la compréhension de l'issue des projets TI, et permet en partie, de répondre aux limites de son opérationnalisation dans sa dimension ontologique. Le modèle développé rend compte des interactions dynamiques entre les entités du projet et permet ainsi de comprendre l'évolution du réseau selon un continuum convergent/divergent. Il montre alors la nécessité de renoncer aux chaînes linéaires de relation cause-effet et l'importance de créer et de maintenir une « symbiose technologique » entre humains et non-humains pour favoriser la réussite du projet TI. La seconde contribution, d'ordre méthodologique, s'inscrit dans des travaux récents visant à améliorer la cartographie des controverses, et propose une première méthode de visualisation (graphiques) des réseaux socio-techniques et de leur évolution.

Abstract
The discipline of Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM) deals with the alignment of business and information systems architectures. While EAM has long been regarded as a discipline for IT managers this book takes a different stance: It explains how top executives can use EAM for leveraging their strategic planning and controlling processes and how EAM can contribute to sustainable competitive advantage. Based on the analysis of best practices from eight leading European companies from various industries the book presents crucial elements of successful EAM. It outlines what executives need to do in terms of governance, processes, methodologies and culture in order to bring their management to the next level. Beyond this, the book points how EAM might develop in the next decade allowing today's managers to prepare for the future of architecture management.

Abstract
This CEN Workshop Agreement summarizes the results of the GITB project's second phase (http://www.ebusiness-testbed.eu/).¦The Global eBusiness Interoperability Test Bed (GITB) project aims at¦1) developing the required global Testing Framework, architecture and methodologies for state-of-the-art eBusiness Specifications and profiles covering all layers of the interoperability stack (business processes, business documents, transport and communication);¦2) supporting the realization of GITB as a network of multiple Test Beds, thereby leveraging existing and future testing capabilities from different stakeholders (for example standards development organizations and industry consortia, Test Bed Providers, and accreditation / certification authorities);¦3) establishing under EU support and guidance, a setup of a comprehensive and global eBusiness interoperability Test Bed infrastructure in a global collaboration of European, North American and Asian partners.¦Main result of the second phase is the GITB Testing Framework which comprises architecture, methodology and guidelines for assisting in the creation, use and coordination of Test Beds,¦including¦• Test Artifacts (test logic, test configuration and test output documents),¦• Test Service and interface definitions (design, deploy, execute, search),¦• Test Bed Components (core platform and user-facing components as well as "plug-ins" for specific¦testing capabilities),¦• a Test Registry and Repository (for managing, archiving and sharing distributed Testing Resources).¦This GITB Testing Framework has been instantiated and validated for the use cases, and a pilot implementation has been done in one case.

Abstract
As the lack of business ethics is increasingly seen as a threat to sustainable business practices, creating and maintain good relationships between businesses¦and their stakeholders over a period of time that exceeds the quarterly results is one of the main challenges in the current business networks. Relationships and¦interactions in this network can be modeled as a problem from game theory.¦Traditional solutions to these problems include changing the rules of the game through adequate regulations that would favor cooperation over defection. In this preliminary study we build on recent advancements in evolutionary game theory that suggest that the structure of the network influences cooperation.¦In the context of open innovation, we propose to extend the prescriptive contingency view of organizational decision making with a design model for information systems to structure relationships among firms and stakeholders to tilt the game towards cooperation, we call these systems cooperation support systems. We illustrate this theory with examples.

Abstract
Platforms like eBay allow product seekers and providers to meet and exchange goods. On eBay, consumers can return a product if it does not correspond to expectations; eBay is the third-party firm in charge of assuring that the agreement among seekers and providers will be respected. Who provides the same service for what concerns open innovation, where specifications might not fully defined? This paper describes the business model of an organizational structure to support the elicitation and respect of agreements among agents, who have conflicting interests but that gain from cooperating together. Extending previous studies, our business model takes into account the economic dimensions concerning the needs of knowledge share and mutual control to allow a third-party to sustainably reinforce trust among untrusted partners and to lower their overall relational risk.

Abstract
The widespread deployment of IT in the past decades has significantly increased the integration reach, breadth, and scope in organisations. Many of the associated socio-economic phenomena have been studied by IS researchers, for example, in the context of IT adoption, the business value of IT, and IS success. Surprisingly though, the concept of integration in itself has so far attracted only little interest on the part of researchers. According to our knowledge, no established theoretical framework seems to place integration-related constructs at the centre of scientific inquiry. The objective of the present study is to take a first step to fill this gap by reviewing the literature on integration in order to structure the existing body of knowledge and to derive an agenda for further research in this area. Our literature review reveals that, in spite of its importance for academia and practice, integration is still an under-researched topic, with a noticeable lack of theorization and synthesis of the different research strands into a more holistic model. As we argue, a to-be-developed 'Theory of Integration' would be highly valuable to increase our understanding of the different phenomena surrounding integration on the technological and the organisational level within the firm.

Abstract
While there has been extensive research in the field of software evolution, to date little research has been carried out as to the management of these evolutions in a business context. This research in progress proposes a frame- work that helps information systems managers to interpret present state of the system, to understand its past and to predict its future. The framework addresses both the users' perspective of the system and how well it supports the business activities. The benefits of the framework are twofold. First, it gives managers a tool for assessing the impact of a change from either the users and the business/IS perspective. Managers can use this framework to design a strategy for information system evolution. Second, the framework allows the study of information systems evolution by revealing, through the repeated use of the framework, specific evolution patterns. This research is conducted using a design science approach in information systems.

Abstract
To reduce the complexity of the management task, managers have to depend upon reliable technical tools. Quantum key distribution (QKD) can provide a partial answer, particularly with respect to the confidentiality constraint. QKD could be seen as a point of departure for changing security paradigms: as small challenges in the overall process are met by the application of such technologies, resources can be directed to newer and wider strategic challenges.

Abstract
Enterprise architectures (EA) are considered promising approaches to reduce the complexities of growing information technology (IT) environments while keeping pace with an ever-changing business environment. However, the implementation of enterprise architecture management (EAM) has proven difficult in practice. Many EAM initiatives face severe challenges, as demonstrated by the low usage level of enterprise architecture documentation and enterprise architects' lack of authority regarding enforcing EAM standards and principles. These challenges motivate our research. Based on three field studies, we first analyze EAM implementation issues that arise when EAM is started as a dedicated and isolated initiative. Following a design-oriented paradigm, we then suggest a design theory for architecture-driven IT management (ADRIMA) that may guide organizations to successfully implement EAM. This theory summarizes prescriptive knowledge related to embedding EAM practices, artefacts and roles in the existing IT management processes and organization.

Abstract
Enterprise architectures (EA) are considered promising approaches to reduce the complexities of growing information technology (IT) environments while keeping pace with an ever-changing business environment. However, the implementation of enterprise architecture management (EAM) has proven difficult in practice. Many EAM initiatives face severe challenges, as demonstrated by the low usage level of enterprise architecture documentation and enterprise architects' lack of authority regarding enforcing EAM standards and principles. These challenges motivate our research. Based on three field studies, we first analyze EAM implementation issues that arise when EAM is started as a dedicated and isolated initiative. Following a design-oriented paradigm, we then suggest a design theory for architecture-driven IT management (ADRIMA) that may guide organizations to successfully implement EAM. This theory summarizes prescriptive knowledge related to embedding EAM practices, artefacts and roles in the existing IT management processes and organization.

Abstract
The cultural dimension is known to be crucial for the introduction of architectonic and urbanistic standards into countries with emerging economies. Particularly, the recent presence of digital media and tools has incremented the easy assimilation of Western standards. From the architect's point of view this represents a problematic trend, not only leading to conflictual situations during the development and construction process, but also to conceptual failures caused by insufficient consideration of local values and know-how. In this paper, we propose novel ways to conceive solutions for international development projects by involving on the one hand recurrent criteria, but on the other also by exploring and fostering local values and manufacture skills.¦We ground our approach onto existing models of theory building by implementing typologies or ideal types as elements of concept formation in the architectonic design process. Using a recent case study in China we will illustrate the application of such an ideal type. In the case study we describe how within a Sino-Swiss academic environment we have co-authored a project-specific architectonic language through the use of a commonly generated ontology by considering environmental and cultural issues. Great emphasis has been laid on a mutual learning effect and the involvement of a development process related to crafting prototypes. This approach has allowed us to address issues of environmental sustainability at a very early and high-level conceptual stage by involving and developing conceptual skills borne from local needs and potentials. Together with our partner we have tried to balance arguments stemming from the original contextual background and a striving for innovation. The aim of our activities is to transfer to our partner institution a frame for architecture centred on cross-disciplinary autodidactic academic learning.¦Two of the prototypes issued from this ontology have been constructed and exhibited at the Beijing Design Week and Beijing Triennale 2011. In both of them, the slightly distinct approach reflects not only some of the actually existing cultural differences, but also the endeavour of creating together. This article concludes the start-up phase of an on-going project.

Abstract
This article envisions the use of context-awareness to improve single sign-on solutions (SSO) for mobile users. The attribute-based SSO is expected to increase users' perceived ease of use of the system and service providers' authentication security of the application. From these two features we derive two value¦propositions for a new business model for mobile platforms.¦The business model can be considered as an instantiation of the privacy-friendly business model pattern presented in our previous work, reinforcing our claim that privacy-friendly value propositions are possible and can be used to obtain a competitive advantage.

Abstract
Previous researches in pedagogy and project management have already underlined the positive contribution of serious games on project management courses. However, the empirical outcome of their studies has not been translated yet into functional and technical specifications for "serious games" designers. Our study aims at obtaining a set of technical and functional design guidelines for serious game scenario editors to be used in large classes of project management students. We have conceived a framework to assess the influence of different serious games components over student's perceived acquired competency. Such frameworks will allow us to develop a software module for reflective learning, which is meant to extend theory of serious games design.

Abstract
We present a two-level model of concurrent communicating systems (CCS) to serve as a basis formachine consciousness. A language implementing threads within logic programming is ¯rstintroduced. This high-level framework allows for the de¯nition of abstract processes that can beexecuted on a virtual machine. We then look for a possible grounding of these processes into thebrain. Towards this end, we map abstract de¯nitions (including logical expressions representingcompiled knowledge) into a variant of the pi-calculus. We illustrate this approach through aseries of examples extending from a purely reactive behavior to patterns of consciousness.

Abstract
We study the robustness of Barabási-Albert scale-free networks with respect to intentional attacks to highly connected nodes. Using the simulated annealing optimization heuristic, we rewire the networks such that their robustness to network fragmentation is improved but without changing neither the degree distribution nor the connectivity of single nodes. We show that simulated annealing improves on the results previously obtained with a simple hill-climbing procedure. We also introduce a local move operator in order to facilitate actual rewiring and show numerically that the results are almost equally good.

Abstract
We study the networks formed by the directors of the most important Swiss boards and the boards themselves for the year 2009. The networks are obtained by projection from the original bipartite graph. We highlight a number of important statistical features of those networks such as degree distribution, weight distribution, and several centrality measures as well as their interrelationships. While similar statistics were already known for other board systems, and are comparable here, we have extended the study with a careful investigation of director and board centrality, a k -core analysis, and a simulation of the speed of information propagation and its relationships with the topological aspects of the network such as clustering and link weight and betweenness. The overall picture that emerges is one in which the topological structure of the Swiss board and director networks has evolved in such a way that special actors and links between actors play a fundamental role in the flow of information among distant parts of the network. This is shown in particular by the centrality measures and by the simulation of a simple epidemic process on the directors network.

Abstract
Gene-on-gene regulations are key components of every living organism. Dynamical abstract models of genetic regulatory networks help explain the genome's evolvability and robustness. These properties can be attributed to the structural topology of the graph formed by genes, as vertices, and regulatory interactions, as edges. Moreover, the actual gene interaction of each gene is believed to play a key role in the stability of the structure. With advances in biology, some effort was deployed to develop update functions in Boolean models that include recent knowledge. We combine real-life gene interaction networks with novel update functions in a Boolean model. We use two sub-networks of biological organisms, the yeast cell-cycle and the mouse embryonic stem cell, as topological support for our system. On these structures, we substitute the original random update functions by a novel threshold-based dynamic function in which the promoting and repressing effect of each interaction is considered. We use a third real-life regulatory network, along with its inferred Boolean update functions to validate the proposed update function. Results of this validation hint to increased biological plausibility of the threshold-based function. To investigate the dynamical behavior of this new model, we visualized the phase transition between order and chaos into the critical regime using Derrida plots. We complement the qualitative nature of Derrida plots with an alternative measure, the criticality distance, that also allows to discriminate between regimes in a quantitative way. Simulation on both real-life genetic regulatory networks show that there exists a set of parameters that allows the systems to operate in the critical region. This new model includes experimentally derived biological information and recent discoveries, which makes it potentially useful to guide experimental research. The update function confers additional realism to the model, while reducing the complexity and solution space, thus making it easier to investigate.

Abstract
In this work, we present a new methodology to study the structure of the configuration spaces of hard combinatorial problems. It consists in building the network that has as nodes the locally optimal configurations and as edges the weighted oriented transitions between their basins of attraction. We apply the approach to the detection of communities in the optima networks produced by two different classes of instances of a hard combinatorial optimization problem: the quadratic assignment problem (QAP). We provide evidence indicating that the two problem instance classes give rise to very different configuration spaces. For the so-called real-like class, the networks possess a clear modular structure, while the optima networks belonging to the class of random uniform instances are less well partitionable into clusters. This is convincingly supported by using several statistical tests. Finally, we briefly discuss the consequences of the findings for heuristically searching the corresponding problem spaces.

Abstract
In this paper, we show how business model modelling can be connected to IT infrastructure, drawing parallels from enterprise architecture models such as ArchiMate. We then show how the proposed visualization based on enterprise architecture, with a strong focus on business model strategy, can help IT alignment, at both the business model and the IT infrastructure level.

Abstract
Cet ouvrage offre un panorama global, pédagogique et concis des aspects techniques, organisationnels et juridiques du monde de la sécurité informatique, de la sécurité des réseaux et de la sécurité des télécoms. Partant des enjeux et des menaces liés à la sécurité informatique, il passe en revue les concepts permettant la maîtrise des risques et la mise en oeuvre de solutions de sécurité. Cette troisième édition tous les exercices corrigés ont été revus et actualisés.

Abstract
Time is a central concept but its nature and status in in Organization Studies remains under-studied. By opening the study of time on the sociomaterial perspective, we argue that construction of time is anchored in very heterogeneous human and non-human elements. Two main ideas are developed. The first one is that the definition of time is always performed within an entanglement of the human and non-human produces and reproduces over time. Also, the temporality and pace of activities are based on heterogeneous elements that permit the objectification of this temporality. Our second theoretical proposal addresses the status of time in activities. Whatever the ontology of time, actors perceive time as an external force influencing their daily life. Time is defined as a limited resource that both enables and constrains the activity. Furthermore, time can be comprehended as a non-human actor playing a role in the course of activities. We illustrate these theoretical proposals using a case about the development of a competencies management device in a bank. From this empirical illustration, we highlight several materializations of time within the project: some regarding the anticipation of the project, and other developing during the course of the project. Finally, we discuss the role and the status of time in activities, and thus, in Organization Studies. More precisely, we discuss the mediation role played by representations of time in organizing.

Abstract
Mobile technologies offer major opportunities for improving the productivity of business users and running business processes with higher effectiveness and efficiency. This particularly applies for service and maintenance processes of complex technical systems which are highly dependent on high-quality information. However, the proliferation of mobile business applications is still limited and we are lacking a deeper understanding of how they can be utilized successfully. Thus, the objective of this study is to gain a better understanding of mobile business applications' effectiveness in the context of service and maintenance processes. For this purpose, we adapt the DeLone and McLean IS Success Model to this particular context. The model is validated with survey data from 374 mobile service users in periodical technical vehicle inspection. Our results indicate that, besides system quality, the quality of process support is the main determinant of individual benefits from using the mobile devices in service and maintenance processes. The study's findings support practitioners in understanding the levers with which to improve mobile business applications. By empirically validating a success model for such applications, the study's results advance theoretical development in the area of mobile service and maintenance systems and present a basis for further research in this field.

Abstract
Along with the widespread use of mobile applications in our society the pervasive abundance of information raises questions about citizen's privacy, knowing that there is no privacy without security and that identity stealth is at the base of many cyber- crimes. This proposal presents my research in progress to design a dynamic system for context-aware mobile user privacy management. With the aim to address different gaps in the existing literature on which factor(s) affecting mobile user adoption of privacy management applications, the results indicate that (1) the characteristics of a dynamic privacy management system. (2) Using the semantic web technologies for designing a new privacy-friendly single sign-on application for privacy management. (3) An economically sustainable trade-off between the personal data disclosed and user's payoff by using a location-based mobile service in privacy management system.

Abstract
This paper presents a theoretical model to analyze the privacy issues around location based mobile business models. We report the results of an exploratory field experiment in Switzerland that assessed the factors driving user payoff in mobile business. We found that (1) the personal data disclosed has a negative effect on user payoff; (2) the amount of personalization available has a direct and positive effect, as well as a moderating effect on user payoff; (3) the amount of control over user's personal data has a direct and positive effect, as well as a moderating effect on user payoff. The results suggest that privacy protection could be the main value proposition in the B2C mobile market. From our theoretical model we derive a set of guidelines to design a privacy-friendly business model pattern for third-party services. We discuss four examples to show the mobile platform can play a key role in the implementation of these new business models.

Abstract
In a context of project-based organization reinforcement, the question of knowledge management has become an issue for companies as well as for research in management. The point for the companies is to jointly manage the knowledge development and the development of innovative products and services through projects. The literature recognizes the need for a link between knowledge management and project-based organization, but contributions are nonetheless limited when it comes to distinguish the various levers of action that could be triggered to manage knowledge together with projects. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the different levers of this joint management. Our research is based on a qualitative approach, centered on a multiple case study, undertaken within four project-oriented companies operating in different sectors: IBM, Hewlett-Packard, Arkopharma, and Temex. The analysis of the four cases, in the light of the existing literature, enables us to identify and discuss eight levers of action ensuring the link between knowledge management and project-based organization: formalization of project management, post-project analysis, project documentation and its computer storage, professional communities of practice, physical proximity of the actors, staff inter-project meetings, occupational projects, and research and development upstream. The paper is original because it investigates the framework of levers of action to improve the understanding of knowledge management in project-based organizations.

Abstract
Cet article propose une nouvelle méthode de suivi des projets SI pour comprendre leur échec : une analyse socio-technique réticulaire. Cette perspective vise à intégrer les interactions entre technique et social. Ap-pliquée à la description et compréhension d'une étude de cas longitudinale en temps réel, cette méthode apporte trois contributions majeures. Elle comble une des limites des travaux antérieurs sur l'échec des projets TI. Elle montre l'intérêt des apports de l'ANT en matière de management de projet TI, en soulignant l'importance de la convergence dans l'accomplissement de tels projets et dévoile un mode d'instrumentalisation de cette théorie. Enfin, par la vision holistique et représentation graphique qu'elle permet, elle enrichie notre compréhension du déroulement du projet tant sur les plans théoriques que pratiques.¦The study aims to develop a new IT project management to understand failures: a network's socio-technical analysis. This method takes into account interactions between technical and social. The findings reported in this paper were based on a longitudinal case study led in real time. Finally, this method goes over one limit of previous researches. It reveals interest of ANT in IT project management, and instrumentalize this theory. It improves IT project management by the graphic visualization and holistic understanding of IT projects

Abstract
Information technology has become a critical factor for enterprises of all sizes. However, after years of increasing business process digitisation, companies face various challenges: On the one hand, the number of information systems and the intensity of their use have significantly increased, and the IT landscape's inherent complexity requires a great deal of effort to change the existing information systems; on the other hand, companies are forced to continuously adapt to the fast-paced business environment and realise that their IT landscapes can no longer cope with the current and future business requirements. As IT is increasingly regarded as a hindering factor, companies launch IT transformation initiatives to overcome the dilemma of their overly complex IT landscapes.¦The purpose of this article is to investigate the nature and characteristics of IT transformation. Using the resource-based view as a theoretical lens, we suggest conceptualising IT transformation as a fundamental IT capability and resource change. On the basis of three case studies, we analyse the changes in IT capabilities and resources in the course of IT transformation and explore their interplay with business capabilities. Our empirical results confirm the nature of IT transformation as a second-order change affecting technological and human IT resources' 'deep-structure'. From our cross-case analysis, we identify a set of technological IT capabilities induced by IT transformation as well as dynamic human IT capabilities required to manage this set's reconfiguration.

Abstract
Using the recently proposed model of combinatorial landscapes: local optima networks, we study the distribution of local optima in two classes of instances of the quadratic assignment problem. Our results indicate that the two problem instance classes give rise to very different configuration spaces. For the so-called real-like class, the optima networks possess a clear modular structure, while the networks belonging to the class of random uniform instances are less well partitionable into clusters. We briefly discuss the consequences of the findings for heuristically searching the corresponding problem spaces.

Abstract
The competitiveness of businesses is increasingly dependent on their electronic networks with customers, suppliers, and partners. While the strategic and operational impact of external integration and IOS adoption has been extensively studied, much less attention has been paid to the organizational and technical design of electronic relationships. The objective of our longitudinal research project is the development of a framework for understanding and explaining B2B integration. Drawing on existing literature and empirical cases we present a reference model (a classification scheme for B2B Integration). The reference model comprises technical, organizational, and institutional levels to reflect the multiple facets of B2B integration. In this paper we onvestigate the current state of electronic collaboration in global supply chains focussing on the technical view. Using an indepth case analysis we identify five integration scenarios. In the subsequent confirmatory phase of the research we analyse 112 real-world company cases to validate these five integration scenarios. Our research advances and deepens existing studies by developing a B2B reference model, which reflects the current state of practice and is independent of specific implementation technologies. In the next stage of the research the emerging reference model will be extended to create an assessment model for analysing the maturity level of a given company in a specific supply chain.

Abstract
Information systems have become a critical element of every organization's¦structure. A malfunction of the information and communication technology¦(ICT) infrastructure can paralyse the whole organization and have disastrous¦consequences at many levels (e.g., finances and reputation, to name just two).¦On the other hand, modern businesses and organizations collaborate increasingly¦with companies, customers, and other stakeholders by technological¦means. This emphasizes the need for a reliable and secure ICT infrastructure¦for companies whose principal asset and added value is information.¦This book proposes a global and systemic multidimensional integrated¦approach to the holistic evaluation of the information security posture of an¦organization. The Information Security Assurance Assessment Model¦(ISAAM) presented in this book is based on, and integrates, a number of¦information security best practices, standards, methodologies and sources of¦research expertise, in order to provide a generic model that can be implemented¦in organizations of all kinds as part of their efforts towards better governing¦their information security.¦This approach will contribute to improving the identification of security¦requirements, measures and controls. At the same time, it provides a means of¦enhancing the recognition of evidence related to the assurance, quality and¦maturity levels of the organisation's security posture, thus driving improved¦security effectiveness and efficiency.¦The value added by this evaluation model is that it is easy to implement¦and operate, and that through a coherent system of evaluation it addresses¦concrete needs in terms of reliance on an efficient and dynamic evaluation¦tool.

Abstract

In this work we introduce and discuss a model for the bee hive, in which only adult bees and drones are modeled. The role that the latter have in the system is interesting, their population can retrieve even if they are totally absent from the bee hive. The feasibility and stability of the equilibria is studied numerically. A simplified version of the model shows the importance of the drones' role, in spite of the fact that it allows only a trivial equilibrium. For this simplified system, no Hopf bifurcations are shown to arise.

Abstract
Abstract¦This thesis proposes a set of adaptive broadcast solutions and an adaptive data replication solution to support the deployment of P2P applications. P2P applications are an emerging type of distributed applications that are running on top of P2P networks. Typical P2P applications are video streaming, file sharing, etc.¦While interesting because they are fully distributed, P2P applications suffer from several deployment problems, due to the nature of the environment on which they perform. Indeed, defining an application on top of a P2P network often means defining an application where peers contribute resources in exchange for their ability to use the P2P application. For example, in P2P file sharing application, while the user is downloading some file, the P2P application is in parallel serving that file to other users. Such peers could have limited hardware resources, e.g., CPU, bandwidth and memory or the end-user could decide to limit the resources it dedicates to the P2P application a priori. In addition, a P2P network is typically emerged into an unreliable environment, where communication links and processes are subject to message losses and crashes, respectively.¦To support P2P applications, this thesis proposes a set of services that address some underlying constraints related to the nature of P2P networks. The proposed services include a set of adaptive broadcast solutions and an adaptive data replication solution that can be used as the basis of several P2P applications. Our data replication solution permits to increase availability and to reduce the communication overhead. The broadcast solutions aim, at providing a communication substrate encapsulating one of the key communication paradigms used by P2P applications: broadcast. Our broadcast solutions typically aim at offering reliability and scalability to some upper layer, be it an end-to-end P2P application or another system-level layer, such as a data replication layer.¦Our contributions are organized in a protocol stack made of three layers. In each layer, we propose a set of adaptive protocols that address specific constraints imposed by the environment. Each protocol is evaluated through a set of simulations. The adaptiveness aspect of our solutions relies on the fact that they take into account the constraints of the underlying system in a proactive manner.¦To model these constraints, we define an environment approximation algorithm allowing us to obtain an approximated view about the system or part of it. This approximated view includes the topology and the components reliability expressed in probabilistic terms.¦To adapt to the underlying system constraints, the proposed broadcast solutions route messages through tree overlays permitting to maximize the broadcast reliability. Here, the broadcast reliability is expressed as a function of the selected paths reliability and of the use of available resources. These resources are modeled in terms of quotas of messages translating the receiving and sending capacities at each node. To allow a deployment in a large-scale system, we take into account the available memory at processes by limiting the view they have to maintain about the system. Using this partial view, we propose three scalable broadcast algorithms, which are based on a propagation overlay that tends to the global tree overlay and adapts to some constraints of the underlying system.¦At a higher level, this thesis also proposes a data replication solution that is adaptive both in terms of replica placement and in terms of request routing. At the routing level, this solution takes the unreliability of the environment into account, in order to maximize reliable delivery of requests. At the replica placement level, the dynamically changing origin and frequency of read/write requests are analyzed, in order to define a set of replica that minimizes communication cost.

Abstract
Game theory describes and analyzes strategic interaction. It is usually distinguished between static games, which are strategic situations in which the players choose only once as well as simultaneously, and dynamic games, which are strategic situations involving sequential choices. In addition, dynamic games can be further classified according to perfect and imperfect information. Indeed, a dynamic game is said to exhibit perfect information, whenever at any point of the game every player has full informational access to all choices that have been conducted so far. However, in the case of imperfect information some players are not fully informed about some choices. Game-theoretic analysis proceeds in two steps. Firstly, games are modelled by so-called form structures which extract and formalize the significant parts of the underlying strategic interaction. The basic and most commonly used models of games are the normal form, which rather sparsely describes a game merely in terms of the players' strategy sets and utilities, and the extensive form, which models a game in a more detailed way as a tree. In fact, it is standard to formalize static games with the normal form and dynamic games with the extensive form. Secondly, solution concepts are developed to solve models of games in the sense of identifying the choices that should be taken by rational players. Indeed, the ultimate objective of the classical approach to game theory, which is of normative character, is the development of a solution concept that is capable of identifying a unique choice for every player in an arbitrary game. However, given the large variety of games, it is not at all certain whether it is possible to device a solution concept with such universal capability. Alternatively, interactive epistemology provides an epistemic approach to game theory of descriptive character. This rather recent discipline analyzes the relation between knowledge, belief and choice of game-playing agents in an epistemic framework. The description of the players' choices in a given game relative to various epistemic assumptions constitutes the fundamental problem addressed by an epistemic approach to game theory. In a general sense, the objective of interactive epistemology consists in characterizing existing game-theoretic solution concepts in terms of epistemic assumptions as well as in proposing novel solution concepts by studying the game-theoretic implications of refined or new epistemic hypotheses. Intuitively, an epistemic model of a game can be interpreted as representing the reasoning of the players. Indeed, before making a decision in a game, the players reason about the game and their respective opponents, given their knowledge and beliefs. Precisely these epistemic mental states on which players base their decisions are explicitly expressible in an epistemic framework. In this PhD thesis, we consider an epistemic approach to game theory from a foundational point of view. In Chapter 1, basic game-theoretic notions as well as Aumann's epistemic framework for games are expounded and illustrated. Also, Aumann's sufficient conditions for backward induction are presented and his conceptual views discussed. In Chapter 2, Aumann's interactive epistemology is conceptually analyzed. In Chapter 3, which is based on joint work with Conrad Heilmann, a three-stage account for dynamic games is introduced and a type-based epistemic model is extended with a notion of agent connectedness. Then, sufficient conditions for backward induction are derived. In Chapter 4, which is based on joint work with Jérémie Cabessa, a topological approach to interactive epistemology is initiated. In particular, the epistemic-topological operator limit knowledge is defined and some implications for games considered. In Chapter 5, which is based on joint work with Jérémie Cabessa and Andrés Perea, Aumann's impossibility theorem on agreeing to disagree is revisited and weakened in the sense that possible contexts are provided in which agents can indeed agree to disagree.

Abstract
This study obtains a set of guidelines with which IS designers can achieve regulatory compliance with data retention requirements. Previous work has explored how to assess compliance threats and to visualize the outcome of policies enforcement but has failed to address how regulatory compliance involves multiple agents seeking to optimize their individual payoffs. We propose a typology that acknowledges in the enterprise business model the return on investment of agents affected by the new controls. Such agents are assumed to be co-opeting, i.e. they gain by cooperating, even if they have different goals. Grounded in control theory and the technology acceptance model, our conceptual design and its implementation represent an economically viable way to align business, legal and IT requirements concerning regulatory compliance with data retention requirements.

Abstract
In this paper we discuss the main privacy issues around mobile business models and we envision new solutions having privacy protection as a main value proposition. We construct a framework to help analyze the situation and assume that a third party is necessary to warrant transactions between mobile users and m-commerce providers. We then use the business model canvas to describe a generic business model pattern for privacy third party services. This pattern is then¦illustrated in two different variations of a privacy business model, which we call privacy broker and privacy management software. We conclude by giving examples for each business model and by¦suggesting further directions of investigation

Abstract
This article aims at improving the information systems management support to Risk and Compliance Management process, i.e. the management of all compliance imperatives that impact an organization, including both legal and stra- tegically self-imposed imperatives. We propose a process to achieve such regula- tory compliance by aligning the Governance activities with the Risk Management ones, and we suggest Compliance should be considered as a requirement for the Risk Management platform. We will propose a framework to align law and IT compliance requirements and we will use it to underline possible directions of investigation resumed in our discussion section. This work is based on an exten- sive review of the existing literature and on the results of a four-month internship done within the IT compliance team of a major financial institution in Switzer- land, which has legal entities situated in different countries.

Abstract
Abstract in English :¦Ubiquitous Computing is the emerging trend in computing systems. Based on this¦observation this thesis proposes an analysis of the hardware and environmental constraints¦that rule pervasive platforms. These constraints have a strong impact on the¦programming of such platforms. Therefore solutions are proposed to facilitate this¦programming both at the platform and node levels.¦The first contribution presented in this document proposes a combination of agentoriented¦programming with the principles of bio-inspiration (Phylogenesys, Ontogenesys¦and Epigenesys) to program pervasive platforms such as the PERvasive computing framework for modeling comPLEX virtually Unbounded Systems platform.¦The second contribution proposes a method to program efficiently parallelizable¦applications on each computing node of this platform.¦Résumé en Français :¦Basée sur le constat que les calculs ubiquitaires vont devenir le paradigme de programmation¦dans les années à venir, cette thèse propose une analyse des contraintes matérielles¦et environnementale auxquelles sont soumises les plateformes pervasives. Ces¦contraintes ayant un impact fort sur la programmation des plateformes. Des solutions¦sont donc proposées pour faciliter cette programmation tant au niveau de l'ensemble¦des noeuds qu'au niveau de chacun des noeuds de la plateforme.¦La première contribution présentée dans ce document propose d'utiliser une alliance¦de programmation orientée agent avec les grands principes de la bio-inspiration¦(Phylogénèse, Ontogénèse et Épigénèse). Ceci pour répondres aux contraintes de programmation¦de plateformes pervasives comme la plateforme PERvasive computing framework for modeling comPLEX virtually Unbounded Systems .¦La seconde contribution propose quant à elle une méthode permettant de programmer¦efficacement des applications parallélisable sur chaque noeud de calcul de la plateforme

Abstract
Abstract¦Sitting between your past and your future doesn't mean you are in the present.¦Dakota Skye¦Complex systems science is an interdisciplinary field grouping under the same umbrella dynamical phenomena from social, natural or mathematical sciences. The emergence of a higher order organization or behavior, transcending that expected of the linear addition of the parts, is a key factor shared by all these systems. Most complex systems can be modeled as networks that represent the interactions amongst the system's components. In addition to the actual nature of the part's interactions, the intrinsic topological structure of underlying network is believed to play a crucial role in the remarkable emergent behaviors exhibited by the systems. Moreover, the topology is also a key a factor to explain the extraordinary flexibility and resilience to perturbations when applied to transmission and diffusion phenomena. In this work, we study the effect of different network structures on the performance and on the fault tolerance of systems in two different contexts.¦In the first part, we study cellular automata, which are a simple paradigm for distributed computation. Cellular automata are made of basic Boolean computational units, the cells; relying on simple rules and information from- the surrounding cells to perform a global task. The limited visibility of the cells can be modeled as a network, where interactions amongst cells are governed by an underlying structure, usually a regular one. In order to increase the performance of cellular automata, we chose to change its topology. We applied computational principles inspired by Darwinian evolution, called evolutionary algorithms, to alter the system's topological structure starting from either a regular or a random one. The outcome is remarkable, as the resulting topologies find themselves sharing properties of both regular and random network, and display similitudes Watts-Strogtz's small-world network found in social systems. Moreover, the performance and tolerance to probabilistic faults of our small-world like cellular automata surpasses that of regular ones.¦In the second part, we use the context of biological genetic regulatory networks and, in particular, Kauffman's random Boolean networks model. In some ways, this model is close to cellular automata, although is not expected to perform any task. Instead, it simulates the time-evolution of genetic regulation within living organisms under strict conditions. The original model, though very attractive by it's simplicity, suffered from important shortcomings unveiled by the recent advances in genetics and biology. We propose to use these new discoveries to improve the original model. Firstly, we have used artificial topologies believed to be closer to that of gene regulatory networks. We have also studied actual biological organisms, and used parts of their genetic regulatory networks in our models. Secondly, we have addressed the improbable full synchronicity of the event taking place on. Boolean networks and proposed a more biologically plausible cascading scheme. Finally, we tackled the actual Boolean functions of the model, i.e. the specifics of how genes activate according to the activity of upstream genes, and presented a new update function that takes into account the actual promoting and repressing effects of one gene on another. Our improved models demonstrate the expected, biologically sound, behavior of previous GRN model, yet with superior resistance to perturbations. We believe they are one step closer to the biological reality.

Abstract
Diagrams and tools help to support task modelling in engi- neering and process management. Unfortunately they are unfit to help in a business context at a strategic level, because of the flexibility needed for creative thinking and user friendly interactions. We propose a tool which bridges the gap between freedom of actions, encouraging creativity, and constraints, allowing validation and advanced features.

Abstract
The aim of this paper is to compare different context-aware broadcasting approaches in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) and to evaluate their respective performances. Message broadcasting is one of the core challenges brought up by distributed systems and has therefore largely been studied in the context of traditional network structures, such as the Internet. With the emergence of MANETs, new broadcasting algorithms especially geared at these networks have been introduced. The goal of these broadcasting algorithms is to ensure that a maximum number of nodes deliver the broadcasted message (reliability), while ensuring that the minimum number of nodes retransmit the broadcasted message (efficiency), in order to save their resources, such as bandwidth or battery. In recent years, as more and more mobile devices have become context-aware, several broadcasting algorithms have been introduced that take advantage of contextual information in order to improve their performance. We distinguish four approaches with respect to context: (1) context-oblivious approaches, (2) network traffic-aware approaches, (3) power-aware approaches, and (4) location-aware approaches. This paper precisely aims at presenting these four different broadcasting approaches and at measuring the performance of algorithms built upon them.

Abstract
In this paper, we introduce six-shot multicast (6Shot), a location-aware multicast algorithm devised for mobile ad hoc networks. Multicast is a one-to-many communication scheme and has largely been studied in such networks. Indeed, this communication primitive can be used as a building block for popular services, such as data streaming or group communication. The particularity of 6Shot is the location- aware routing scheme of its implementation, which offers improved efficiency in terms of message overhead compared to existing algorithms, for a reasonable cost in terms of reliability.

Abstract
In this thesis, we study the use of prediction markets for technology assessment. We particularly focus on their ability to assess complex issues, the design constraints required for such applications and their efficacy compared to traditional techniques. To achieve this, we followed a design science research paradigm, iteratively developing, instantiating, evaluating and refining the design of our artifacts. This allowed us to make multiple contributions, both practical and theoretical.¦We first showed that prediction markets are adequate for properly assessing complex issues. We also developed a typology of design factors and design propositions for using these markets in a technology assessment context. Then, we showed that they are able to solve some issues related to the R&D portfolio management process and we proposed a roadmap for their implementation. Finally, by comparing the instantiation and the results of a multi-criteria decision method and a prediction market, we showed that the latter are more efficient, while offering similar results. We also proposed a framework for comparing forecasting methods, to identify the constraints based on contingency factors. In conclusion, our research opens a new field of application of prediction markets and should help hasten their adoption by enterprises.¦Résumé français:¦Dans cette thèse, nous étudions l'utilisation de marchés de prédictions pour l'évaluation de nouvelles technologies. Nous nous intéressons plus particulièrement aux capacités des marchés de prédictions à évaluer des problématiques complexes, aux contraintes de conception pour une telle utilisation et à leur efficacité par rapport à des techniques traditionnelles.¦Pour ce faire, nous avons suivi une approche Design Science, développant itérativement plusieurs prototypes, les instanciant, puis les évaluant avant d'en raffiner la conception. Ceci nous a permis de faire de multiples contributions tant pratiques que théoriques.¦Nous avons tout d'abord montré que les marchés de prédictions étaient adaptés pour correctement apprécier des problématiques complexes. Nous avons également développé une typologie de facteurs de conception ainsi que des propositions de conception pour l'utilisation de ces marchés dans des contextes d'évaluation technologique. Ensuite, nous¦avons montré que ces marchés pouvaient résoudre une partie des problèmes liés à la gestion des portes-feuille de projets de recherche et développement et proposons une feuille de route pour leur mise en oeuvre. Finalement, en comparant la mise en oeuvre et les résultats d'une méthode de décision multi-critère et d'un marché de prédiction, nous avons montré que ces derniers étaient plus efficaces, tout en offrant des résultats semblables. Nous proposons également un cadre de comparaison des méthodes d'évaluation technologiques, permettant de cerner au mieux les besoins en fonction de facteurs de contingence. En conclusion, notre recherche ouvre un nouveau champ d'application des marchés de prédiction et devrait permettre d'accélérer leur adoption par les entreprises.

Abstract
The concept of Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has had a significant impact not only on software engineering but on the analysis of an organization’s business layer as well. It contributes to developing information systems that are compatible with the needs of agile organizations. This fact brings us to investigate the new approach of Business-IT Alignment (BITA) by utilizing SOA features. In this paper we will first examine the importance of SOA in both business and IT perspectives. We will proceed by showing the SOA governance as a roadmap for bringing the concept of SOA in the context of BITA (as one of the major IT challenges). Finally, we will propose a SOA Governance Model (SOAGM) that should help aligning IT investments with business strategies.

Abstract
The emergence of the Internet as a global communication infrastructure has dramatically reduced interaction costs within and across organizations, with significant impact on inter-organizational relationships, vertical industry structures, and markets. More recently, service-oriented architectures (SOA) and Web services have introduced the next paradigm shift and foster the idea of dynamic business networks with quick connect and disconnect relationships. However, little research has systematically analyzed how companies leverage SOA to improve their inter-organizational relationships and reshape their business networks. In addition, the mature research stream on inter-organizational information systems (IOS) has not yet sufficiently considered SOA. In order to close this gap, our research seeks to improve the fundamental understanding of how SOA is applied in business networks and how it differs from prior forms of IOS. Using an exploratory research approach, we investigate 33 SOA cases to identify focus areas and patterns of SOA adoption in business networks. Our case analysis builds on a multi-dimensional classification scheme which we derived from prior literature. While our empirical findings do not confirm all promising propositions related to SOA, they underline the specific contribution of SOA compared to prior forms of IOS. We conclude by suggesting five clusters of SOA adoption in the inter-organizational domain, each of those introducing new aspects in the coordination of distributed business networks

Abstract
Particle swarm optimization (PSO), like other population-based meta-heuristics, is intrinsically parallel and can be effectively implemented on Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), which are, in fact, massively parallel processing architectures. In this paper we discuss possible approaches to parallelizing PSO on graphics hardware within the Compute Unified Device Architecture (CUDA(TM)), a GPU programming environment by nVIDIA(TM) which supports the company's latest cards. In particular, two different ways of exploiting GPU parallelism are explored and evaluated. The execution speed of the two parallel algorithms is compared, on functions which are typically used as benchmarks for PSO, with a standard sequential implementation of PSO (SPSO), as well as with recently published results of other parallel implementations. An in-depth study of the computation efficiency of our parallel algorithms is carried out by assessing speed-up and scale-up with respect to SPSO. Also reported are some results about the optimization effectiveness of the parallel implementations with respect to SPSO, in cases when the parallel versions introduce some possibly significant difference with respect to the sequential version.

Abstract
Game theory is a branch of applied mathematics used to analyze situation where two or more agents are interacting. Originally it was developed as a model for conflicts and collaborations between rational and intelligent individuals. Now it finds applications in social sciences, eco- nomics, biology (particularly evolutionary biology and ecology), engineering, political science, international relations, computer science, and philosophy. Networks are an abstract representation of interactions, dependencies or relationships. Net- works are extensively used in all the fields mentioned above and in many more. Many useful informations about a system can be discovered by analyzing the current state of a network representation of such system. In this work we will apply some of the methods of game theory to populations of agents that are interconnected. A population is in fact represented by a network of players where one can only interact with another if there is a connection between them. In the first part of this work we will show that the structure of the underlying network has a strong influence on the strategies that the players will decide to adopt to maximize their utility. We will then introduce a supplementary degree of freedom by allowing the structure of the population to be modified along the simulations. This modification allows the players to modify the structure of their environment to optimize the utility that they can obtain.

Abstract
Résumé :¦Désormais, la lutte contre le blanchiment d'argent constitue une priorité pour les Etats¦et les gouvernements dans le but, d'une part, de préserver l'économie et l'intégrité des¦places financières et, d'autre part, de priver les organisations criminelles des ressources¦financières. Dans ce contexte, la préoccupation majeure des autorités algériennes en charge¦de la lutte contre ce phénomène est de mettre en place un dispositif capable de détecter les¦mécanismes de blanchiment, d'en évaluer la menace et sur la base de cette connaissance, de¦définir et de déployer les moyens de riposte les plus efficaces et efficients.¦Mais nous constatons que mener des enquêtes de blanchiment en conséquence à un¦crime sous-jacent a montré ses limites en matière d'établissement de preuves, d'élucidation¦d'affaires et de recouvrement des avoirs. Par ailleurs, nous pensons qu'il serait plus¦judicieux de mettre en place en amont un contrôle «systématique» des flux financiers et des¦opérations inhabituelles et/ou suspectes et de là, identifier d'éventuelles opérations de¦blanchiment, sans forcément connaître le crime initial, en veillant au maintien de l'équilibre¦entre le «tout sécuritaire» orienté vers la surveillance accrue des flux et la préservation de la¦vie privée et des libertés individuelles.¦Notre thèse apporte un regard critique sur le dispositif actuel de lutte contre le¦blanchiment existant en Algérie que nous évaluons et sur lequel nous relevons plusieurs¦lacunes. Pour répondre aux problèmes identifiés nous proposons des solutions stratégiques,¦organisationnelles, méthodologiques et technologiques intégrées dans un cadre opérationnel¦cohérent au niveau national et international.

Abstract
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY :¦Evaluating Information Security Posture within an organization is becoming a very¦complex task. Currently, the evaluation and assessment of Information Security are commonly¦performed using frameworks, methodologies and standards which often consider the¦various aspects of security independently. Unfortunately this is ineffective because it does not¦take into consideration the necessity of having a global and systemic multidimensional¦approach to Information Security evaluation. At the same time the overall security level is¦globally considered to be only as strong as its weakest link.¦This thesis proposes a model aiming to holistically assess all dimensions of security in¦order to minimize the likelihood that a given threat will exploit the weakest link. A formalized¦structure taking into account all security elements is presented; this is based on a methodological¦evaluation framework in which Information Security is evaluated from a global¦perspective.¦This dissertation is divided into three parts.¦Part One: Information Security Evaluation issues consists of four chapters.¦Chapter 1 is an introduction to the purpose of this research purpose and the Model that will¦be proposed. In this chapter we raise some questions with respect to "traditional evaluation¦methods" as well as identifying the principal elements to be addressed in this direction. Then¦we introduce the baseline attributes of our model and set out the expected result of evaluations¦according to our model. Chapter 2 is focused on the definition of Information¦Security to be used as a reference point for our evaluation model. The inherent concepts of¦the contents of a holistic and baseline Information Security Program are defined. Based on¦this, the most common roots-of-trust in Information Security are identified. Chapter 3¦focuses on an analysis of the difference and the relationship between the concepts of Information¦Risk and Security Management. Comparing these two concepts allows us to identify¦the most relevant elements to be included within our evaluation model, while clearing¦situating these two notions within a defined framework is of the utmost importance for the¦results that will be obtained from the evaluation process. Chapter 4 sets out our evaluation¦model and the way it addresses issues relating to the evaluation of Information Security.¦Within this Chapter the underlying concepts of assurance and trust are discussed. Based on¦these two concepts, the structure of the model is developed in order to provide an assurance¦related platform as well as three evaluation attributes: "assurance structure", "quality issues",¦and "requirements achievement". Issues relating to each of these evaluation attributes are¦analysed with reference to sources such as methodologies, standards and published research papers. Then the operation of the model is discussed. Assurance levels, quality levels and¦maturity levels are defined in order to perform the evaluation according to the model.¦Part Two: Implementation of the Information Security Assurance Assessment¦Model (ISAAM) according to the Information Security Domains¦consists of four chapters. This is the section where our evaluation model is put into a welldefined¦context with respect to the four pre-defined Information Security dimensions: the¦Organizational dimension, Functional dimension, Human dimension, and Legal dimension.¦Each Information Security dimension is discussed in a separate chapter. For each dimension,¦the following two-phase evaluation path is followed.¦The first phase concerns the identification of the elements which will constitute the¦basis of the evaluation:¦? Identification of the key elements within the dimension;¦? Identification of the Focus Areas for each dimension, consisting of the security¦issues identified for each dimension;¦? Identification of the Specific Factors for each dimension, consisting of the security¦measures or control addressing the security issues identified for each¦dimension.¦The second phase concerns the evaluation of each Information Security dimension by:¦? The implementation of the evaluation model, based on the elements identified¦for each dimension within the first phase, by identifying the security tasks,¦processes, procedures, and actions that should have been performed by the¦organization to reach the desired level of protection;¦? The maturity model for each dimension as a basis for reliance on security. For¦each dimension we propose a generic maturity model that could be used by¦every organization in order to define its own security requirements.¦Part three of this dissertation contains the Final Remarks, Supporting Resources¦and Annexes. With reference to the objectives of our thesis, the Final Remarks briefly¦analyse whether these objectives were achieved and suggest directions for future related¦research. Supporting resources comprise the bibliographic resources that were used to¦elaborate and justify our approach. Annexes include all the relevant topics identified within¦the literature to illustrate certain aspects of our approach.¦Our Information Security evaluation model is based on and integrates different Information¦Security best practices, standards, methodologies and research expertise which¦can be combined in order to define an reliable categorization of Information Security. After the definition of terms and requirements, an evaluation process should be performed in¦order to obtain evidence that the Information Security within the organization in question is¦adequately managed. We have specifically integrated into our model the most useful elements¦of these sources of information in order to provide a generic model able to be¦implemented in all kinds of organizations.¦The value added by our evaluation model is that it is easy to implement and operate and¦answers concrete needs in terms of reliance upon an efficient and dynamic evaluation tool¦through a coherent evaluation system. On that basis, our model could be implemented¦internally within organizations, allowing them to govern better their Information Security.¦RÉSUMÉ :¦Contexte général de la thèse¦L'évaluation de la sécurité en général, et plus particulièrement, celle de la sécurité de¦l'information, est devenue pour les organisations non seulement une mission cruciale à¦réaliser, mais aussi de plus en plus complexe. A l'heure actuelle, cette évaluation se base¦principalement sur des méthodologies, des bonnes pratiques, des normes ou des standards¦qui appréhendent séparément les différents aspects qui composent la sécurité de¦l'information. Nous pensons que cette manière d'évaluer la sécurité est inefficiente, car elle¦ne tient pas compte de l'interaction des différentes dimensions et composantes de la sécurité¦entre elles, bien qu'il soit admis depuis longtemps que le niveau de sécurité globale d'une¦organisation est toujours celui du maillon le plus faible de la chaîne sécuritaire.¦Nous avons identifié le besoin d'une approche globale, intégrée, systémique et multidimensionnelle¦de l'évaluation de la sécurité de l'information. En effet, et c'est le point de¦départ de notre thèse, nous démontrons que seule une prise en compte globale de la sécurité¦permettra de répondre aux exigences de sécurité optimale ainsi qu'aux besoins de protection¦spécifiques d'une organisation. Ainsi, notre thèse propose un nouveau paradigme¦d'évaluation de la sécurité afin de satisfaire aux besoins d'efficacité et d'efficience d'une¦organisation donnée. Nous proposons alors un modèle qui vise à évaluer d'une manière¦holistique toutes les dimensions de la sécurité, afin de minimiser la probabilité qu'une¦menace potentielle puisse exploiter des vulnérabilités et engendrer des dommages directs ou¦indirects. Ce modèle se base sur une structure formalisée qui prend en compte tous les¦éléments d'un système ou programme de sécurité. Ainsi, nous proposons un cadre méthodologique¦d'évaluation qui considère la sécurité de l'information à partir d'une perspective¦globale.¦Structure de la thèse et thèmes abordés¦Notre document est structuré en trois parties. La première intitulée : « La problématique¦de l'évaluation de la sécurité de l'information » est composée de quatre¦chapitres. Le chapitre 1 introduit l'objet de la recherche ainsi que les concepts de base du¦modèle d'évaluation proposé. La maniéré traditionnelle de l'évaluation de la sécurité fait¦l'objet d'une analyse critique pour identifier les éléments principaux et invariants à prendre¦en compte dans notre approche holistique. Les éléments de base de notre modèle¦d'évaluation ainsi que son fonctionnement attendu sont ensuite présentés pour pouvoir tracer les résultats attendus de ce modèle. Le chapitre 2 se focalise sur la définition de la¦notion de Sécurité de l'Information. Il ne s'agit pas d'une redéfinition de la notion de la¦sécurité, mais d'une mise en perspectives des dimensions, critères, indicateurs à utiliser¦comme base de référence, afin de déterminer l'objet de l'évaluation qui sera utilisé tout au¦long de notre travail. Les concepts inhérents de ce qui constitue le caractère holistique de la¦sécurité ainsi que les éléments constitutifs d'un niveau de référence de sécurité sont définis¦en conséquence. Ceci permet d'identifier ceux que nous avons dénommés « les racines de¦confiance ». Le chapitre 3 présente et analyse la différence et les relations qui existent entre¦les processus de la Gestion des Risques et de la Gestion de la Sécurité, afin d'identifier les¦éléments constitutifs du cadre de protection à inclure dans notre modèle d'évaluation.¦Le chapitre 4 est consacré à la présentation de notre modèle d'évaluation Information¦Security Assurance Assessment Model (ISAAM) et la manière dont il répond aux¦exigences de l'évaluation telle que nous les avons préalablement présentées. Dans ce chapitre¦les concepts sous-jacents relatifs aux notions d'assurance et de confiance sont analysés. En se¦basant sur ces deux concepts, la structure du modèle d'évaluation est développée pour¦obtenir une plateforme qui offre un certain niveau de garantie en s'appuyant sur trois attributs¦d'évaluation, à savoir : « la structure de confiance », « la qualité du processus », et « la¦réalisation des exigences et des objectifs ». Les problématiques liées à chacun de ces attributs¦d'évaluation sont analysées en se basant sur l'état de l'art de la recherche et de la littérature,¦sur les différentes méthodes existantes ainsi que sur les normes et les standards les plus¦courants dans le domaine de la sécurité. Sur cette base, trois différents niveaux d'évaluation¦sont construits, à savoir : le niveau d'assurance, le niveau de qualité et le niveau de maturité¦qui constituent la base de l'évaluation de l'état global de la sécurité d'une organisation.¦La deuxième partie: « L'application du Modèle d'évaluation de¦l'assurance de la sécurité de l'information par domaine de sécurité » est elle aussi¦composée de quatre chapitres. Le modèle d'évaluation déjà construit et analysé est, dans¦cette partie, mis dans un contexte spécifique selon les quatre dimensions prédéfinies de¦sécurité qui sont: la dimension Organisationnelle, la dimension Fonctionnelle, la¦dimension Humaine, et la dimension Légale. Chacune de ces dimensions et son évaluation¦spécifique fait l'objet d'un chapitre distinct. Pour chacune des dimensions, une évaluation en¦deux phases est construite comme suit.¦La première phase concerne l'identification des éléments qui constituent la base de¦l'évaluation:¦? Identification des éléments clés de l'évaluation ;¦? Identification des « Focus Area » pour chaque dimension qui représentent les¦problématiques se trouvant dans la dimension ;¦? Identification des « Specific Factors » pour chaque Focus Area qui représentent¦les mesures de sécurité et de contrôle qui contribuent à résoudre ou à¦diminuer les impacts des risques.¦La deuxième phase concerne l'évaluation de chaque dimension précédemment présentées.¦Elle est constituée d'une part, de l'implémentation du modèle général d'évaluation à¦la dimension concernée en :¦? Se basant sur les éléments spécifiés lors de la première phase ;¦? Identifiant les taches sécuritaires spécifiques, les processus, les procédures qui¦auraient dû être effectués pour atteindre le niveau de protection souhaité.¦D'autre part, l'évaluation de chaque dimension est complétée par la proposition d'un¦modèle de maturité spécifique à chaque dimension, qui est à considérer comme une base de¦référence pour le niveau global de sécurité.¦Pour chaque dimension nous proposons un modèle de maturité générique qui peut¦être utilisé par chaque organisation, afin de spécifier ses propres exigences en matière de¦sécurité.¦Cela constitue une innovation dans le domaine de l'évaluation, que nous justifions¦pour chaque dimension et dont nous mettons systématiquement en avant la plus value¦apportée.¦La troisième partie de notre document est relative à la validation globale de notre¦proposition et contient en guise de conclusion, une mise en perspective critique de notre¦travail et des remarques finales. Cette dernière partie est complétée par une bibliographie et¦des annexes.¦Notre modèle d'évaluation de la sécurité intègre et se base sur de nombreuses sources¦d'expertise, telles que les bonnes pratiques, les normes, les standards, les méthodes et¦l'expertise de la recherche scientifique du domaine. Notre proposition constructive répond à¦un véritable problème non encore résolu, auquel doivent faire face toutes les organisations,¦indépendamment de la taille et du profil. Cela permettrait à ces dernières de spécifier leurs¦exigences particulières en matière du niveau de sécurité à satisfaire, d'instancier un processus¦d'évaluation spécifique à leurs besoins afin qu'elles puissent s'assurer que leur sécurité de¦l'information soit gérée d'une manière appropriée, offrant ainsi un certain niveau de confiance¦dans le degré de protection fourni. Nous avons intégré dans notre modèle le meilleur du¦savoir faire, de l'expérience et de l'expertise disponible actuellement au niveau international,¦dans le but de fournir un modèle d'évaluation simple, générique et applicable à un grand¦nombre d'organisations publiques ou privées.¦La valeur ajoutée de notre modèle d'évaluation réside précisément dans le fait qu'il¦est suffisamment générique et facile à implémenter tout en apportant des réponses sur les¦besoins concrets des organisations. Ainsi notre proposition constitue un outil d'évaluation¦fiable, efficient et dynamique découlant d'une approche d'évaluation cohérente. De ce fait,¦notre système d'évaluation peut être implémenté à l'interne par l'entreprise elle-même, sans¦recourir à des ressources supplémentaires et lui donne également ainsi la possibilité de¦mieux gouverner sa sécurité de l'information.

Abstract
Managing Information Security (InfoSec) within an organization is becoming a very complex task. Currently, InfoSec Assessment is performed by using frameworks, methodologies, or standards which consider separately the elements related to security. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily effective because it does not take into consideration the necessity of having a global and systemic, multidimensional approach to ICT Security evaluation. This is mainly because the overall security level is only as strong as the weakest link. This chapter proposes a model aiming to holistically assess all dimensions of security in order to minimize the likelihood that a given threat takes advantage of the weakest link. Then a formalized structure taking into account all security elements is presented. The proposed model is based on, and integrates, a number of security best practices and standards that permit the definition of a reliable InfoSec framework. At this point an assessment process should be undertaken, the result of which will be the assurance that InfoSec is adequately managed within the organization. The added value of this model is that it is simple to implement and responds to concrete needs in terms of reliance upon efficient and dynamic evaluation tools and through a coherent evaluation system.

Abstract
Coordination games are important to explain efficient and desirable social behavior. Here we study these games by extensive numerical simulation on networked social structures using an evolutionary approach. We show that local network effects may promote selection of efficient equilibria in both pure and general coordination games and may explain social polarization. These results are put into perspective with respect to known theoretical results. The main insight we obtain is that clustering, and especially community structure in social networks has a positive role in promoting socially efficient outcomes.

Abstract
Using a new dynamical network model of society in which pairwise interactions are weighted according to mutual satisfaction, we show that cooperation is the norm in the hawks-doves game when individuals are allowed to break ties with undesirable neighbors and to make new acquaintances in their extended neighborhood. Moreover, cooperation is robust with respect to rather strong strategy perturbations. We also discuss the empirical structure of the emerging networks, and the reasons that allow cooperators to thrive in the population. Given the metaphorical importance of this game for social interaction, this is an encouraging positive result as standard theory for large mixing populations prescribes that a certain fraction of defectors must always exist at equilibrium.

Abstract
The algebraic counterpart of the Wagner hierarchy consists of a well-founded and decidable classification of finite pointed $\omega$-semigroups of width 2 and height $\omega^\omega$. This paper completes the description of this algebraic hierarchy. We first give a purely algebraic decidability procedure of this partial ordering by introducing a graph representation of finite pointed $\omega$-semigroups allowing to compute their precise Wagner degrees. The Wagner degree of any $\omega$-rational language can therefore be computed directly on its syntactic image. We then show how to build a finite pointed $\omega$-semigroup of any given Wagner degree. We finally describe the algebraic invariants characterizing every degree of this hierarchy.

Abstract
The concept of context-awareness offers a great potential for the future of mobile applications. In order to be developed in an optimal way, mobile context-aware applications need appropriate middleware services. This paper introduces Pervaho, an integrated middleware aimed specifically at supporting the development and testing of mobile context-aware applications. To illustrate the use of Pervaho, we walk through the development of a concrete mobile application and show how it can be built on top of Pervaho's location-based publish/subscribe service. We also illustrate how a specialized mobility testing tool significantly simplifies the process of testing proximity-based semantics. We then present the implementation of Pervaho, which is based on a set of communication protocols geared at mesh networks. Finally, we provide a performance analysis of our implementation.

Abstract
We show that the modal µ-calculus over GL collapses to the modal fragment by showing that the fixpoint formula is reached after two iterations and answer to a question posed by van Benthem in [vBe06]. Further, we introduce the modal µ∼-calculus by allowing fixpoint constructors for any formula where the fixpoint variable appears guarded but not necessarily positive and show that this calculus over GL collapses to the modal fragment, too. The latter result allows us a new proof of the de Jongh, Sambin Theorem and provides a simple algorithm to construct the fixpoint formula.

Abstract
We discuss the strictness of the modal µ-calculus hierarchy over some restricted classes of transition systems. First, we show that the hierarchy is strict over reflexive frames. By proving the finite model theorem for reflexive systems the same results holds for finite models. Second, we prove that over transitive systems the hierarchy collapses to the alternation-free fragment. In order to do this the finite model theorem for transitive transition systems is also proved. Further, we verify that if symmetry is added to transitivity the hierarchy collapses to the purely modal fragment.

Abstract
ABSTRACT :¦A firm's competitive advantage can arise from internal resources as well as from an interfirm network. -This dissertation investigates the competitive advantage of a firm involved in an innovation network by integrating strategic management theory and social network theory. It develops theory and provides empirical evidence that illustrates how a networked firm enables the network value and appropriates this value in an optimal way according to its strategic purpose. The four inter-related essays in this dissertation provide a framework that sheds light on the extraction of value from an innovation network by managing and designing the network in a proactive manner.¦The first essay reviews research in social network theory and knowledge transfer management, and identifies the crucial factors of innovation network configuration for a firm's learning performance or innovation output. The findings suggest that network structure, network relationship, and network position all impact on a firm's performance. Although the previous literature indicates that there are disagreements about the impact of dense or spare structure, as well as strong or weak ties, case evidence from Chinese software companies reveals that dense and strong connections with partners are positively associated with firms' performance.¦The second essay is a theoretical essay that illustrates the limitations of social network theory for explaining the source of network value and offers a new theoretical model that applies resource-based view to network environments. It suggests that network configurations, such as network structure, network relationship and network position, can be considered important network resources. In addition, this essay introduces the concept of network capability, and suggests that four types of network capabilities play an important role in unlocking the potential value of network resources and determining the distribution of network rents between partners. This essay also highlights the contingent effects of network capability on a firm's innovation output, and explains how the different impacts of network capability depend on a firm's strategic choices. This new theoretical model has been pre-tested with a case study of China software industry, which enhances the internal validity of this theory.¦The third essay addresses the questions of what impact network capability has on firm innovation performance and what are the antecedent factors of network capability. This essay employs a structural equation modelling methodology that uses a sample of 211 Chinese Hi-tech firms. It develops a measurement of network capability and reveals that networked firms deal with cooperation between, and coordination with partners on different levels according to their levels of network capability. The empirical results also suggests that IT maturity, the openness of culture, management system involved, and experience with network activities are antecedents of network capabilities. Furthermore, the two-group analysis of the role of international partner(s) shows that when there is a culture and norm gap between foreign partners, a firm must mobilize more resources and effort to improve its performance with respect to its innovation network.¦The fourth essay addresses the way in which network capabilities influence firm innovation performance. By using hierarchical multiple regression with data from Chinese Hi-tech firms, the findings suggest that there is a significant partial mediating effect of knowledge transfer on the relationships between network capabilities and innovation performance. The findings also reveal that the impacts of network capabilities divert with the environment and strategic decision the firm has made: exploration or exploitation. Network constructing capability provides a greater positive impact on and yields more contributions to innovation performance than does network operating capability in an exploration network. Network operating capability is more important than network constructing capability for innovative firms in an exploitation network. Therefore, these findings highlight that the firm can shape the innovation network proactively for better benefits, but when it does so, it should adjust its focus and change its efforts in accordance with its innovation purposes or strategic orientation.

Abstract
Abstract¦This PhD thesis addresses the issue of alleviating the burden of developing ad hoc applications. Such applications have the particularity of running on mobile devices, communicating in a peer-to-peer manner and implement some proximity-based semantics. A typical example of such application can be a radar application where users see their avatar as well as the avatars of their friends on a map on their mobile phone. Such application become increasingly popular with the advent of the latest generation of mobile smart phones with their impressive computational power, their peer-to-peer communication capabilities and their location detection technology. Unfortunately, the existing programming support for such applications is limited, hence the need to address this issue in order to alleviate their development burden.¦This thesis specifically tackles this problem by providing several tools for application development support. First, it provides the location-based publish/subscribe service (LPSS), a communication abstraction, which elegantly captures recurrent communication issues and thus allows to dramatically reduce the code complexity. LPSS is implemented in a modular manner in order to be able to target two different network architectures. One pragmatic implementation is aimed at mainstream infrastructure-based mobile networks, where mobile devices can communicate through fixed antennas. The other fully decentralized implementation targets emerging mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), where no fixed infrastructure is available and communication can only occur in a peer-to-peer fashion. For each of these architectures, various implementation strategies tailored for different application scenarios that can be parametrized at deployment time. Second, this thesis provides two location-based message diffusion protocols, namely 6Shot broadcast and 6Shot multicast, specifically aimed at MANETs and fine tuned to be used as building blocks for LPSS. Finally this thesis proposes Phomo, a phone motion testing tool that allows to test proximity semantics of ad hoc applications without having to move around with mobile devices. These different developing support tools have been packaged in a coherent middleware framework called Pervaho.

Abstract
Le partage et la réutilisation d'objets d'apprentissage est encore une utopie. La mise en commun de documents pédagogiques et leur adaptation à différents contextes ont fait l'objet de très nombreux travaux. L'un des aspects qui fait problème concerne leur description qui se doit d'être aussi précise que possible afin d'en faciliter la gestion et plus spécifiquement un accès ciblé. Cette description s'effectue généralement par l'instanciation d'un ensemble de descripteurs standardisés ou métadonnées (LOM, ARIADNE, DC, etc). Force est de constater que malgré l'existence de ces standards, dont certains sont relativement peu contraignants, peu de pédagogues ou d'auteurs se prêtent à cet exercice qui reste lourd et peu gratifiant. Nous sommes parti de l'idée que si l'indexation pouvait être réalisée automatiquement avec un bon degré d'exactitude, une partie de la solution serait trouvée. Pour ce, nous nous sommes tout d'abord penché sur l'analyse des facteurs bloquants de la génération manuelle effectuée par les ingénieurs pédagogiques de l'Université de Lausanne. La complexité de ces facteurs (humains et techniques) nous a conforté dans l'idée que la génération automatique de métadonnées était bien de nature à contourner les difficultés identifiées. Nous avons donc développé une application de génération automatique de métadonnées laquelle se focalise sur le contenu comme source unique d'extraction. Une analyse en profondeur des résultats obtenus, nous a permis de constater que : - Pour les documents non structurés : notre application présente des résultats satisfaisants en se basant sur les indicateurs de mesure de qualité des métadonnées (complétude, précision, consistance logique et cohérence). - Pour des documents structurés : la génération automatique s'est révélée peu satisfaisante dans la mesure où elle ne permet pas d'exploiter les éléments sémantiques (structure, annotations) qu'ils contiennent. Et dans ce cadre nous avons pensé qu'il était possible de faire mieux. C'est ainsi que nous avons poursuivi nos travaux afin de proposer une deuxième application tirant profit du potentiel des documents structurés et des langages de transformation (XSLT) qui s'y rapportent pour améliorer la recherche dans ces documents. Cette dernière exploite la totalité des éléments sémantiques (structure, annotations) et constitue une autre alternative à la recherche basée sur les métadonnées. De plus, la recherche basée sur les annotations et la structure offre comme avantage supplémentaire de permettre de retrouver, non seulement les documents eux-mêmes, mais aussi des parties de documents. Cette caractéristique apporte une amélioration considérable par rapport à la recherche par métadonnées qui ne donne accès qu'à des documents entiers. En conclusion nous montrerons, à travers des exemples appropriés, que selon le type de document : il est possible de procéder automatiquement à leur indexation pour faciliter la recherche de documents dès lors qu'il s'agit de documents non structurés ou d'exploiter directement leur contenu sémantique dès lors qu'il s'agit de documents structurés.

Abstract
On parle de plus en plus de risques systémiques à propos des systèmes financiers. Que signifie la notion de "système" ? Le monde financier utilise-t-il ce concept dans son sens scientifique ou son sens commun ? Comment mettre sous contrôle (dans le sens anglo-saxon de "to control" ou piloter) un système complexe ?

Abstract
The algebraic study of formal languages shows that ω-rational languages are exactly the sets recognizable by finite ω-semigroups. Within this framework, we provide a construction of the algebraic counterpart of the Wagner hierarchy. We adopt a hierarchical game approach, by translating the Wadge theory from the ω-rational language to the ω-semigroup context. More precisely, we first define a reduction relation on finite pointed ω-semigroups by means of a Wadge-like infinite two-player game. The collection of these algebraic structures ordered by this reduction is then proven to be isomorphic to the Wagner hierarchy, namely a decidable and well-founded partial ordering of width 2 and height ω ω .

Abstract
For each Borel set of reals A, of finite rank, we obtain a ``normal form'' of A, by finding a canonical Borel set Ω, such that A and Ω continuously reduce to each other. In more technical terms: we define simple Borel operations which are homomorphic to ordinal sum, to multiplication by a countable ordinal, and to ordinal exponentiation of base ω1 , under the map which sends every Borel set A of finite rank to its Wadge degree.

Abstract
R&D portfolio management is a critical task with which the majority of the large companies are confronted. Despite its wide implementation in companies there are no widely accepted and used methods to perform this task. Each company uses its own mix of various qualitative and quantitative methods to achieve its goal. The objective of this thesis is to explore the adequacy and the design issues to use a prediction market for supporting the R&D portfolio management process. We chose prediction markets to perform this task since their aggregation mechanisms and information discovery process seems to solve most of the current issues of the R&D portfolio management process.

Abstract
R&D portfolio management is a critical task with which the majority of the large companies are confronted. Despite its wide implementation in companies, there are no widely accepted and used methods to perform this task. Each company uses its own mix of various qualitative and quantitative methods to achieve its goal. The objective of this thesis is to explore the adequacy to use a prediction market for supporting the R&D portfolio management process. We chose prediction markets to perform this task since their aggregation mechanisms and information discovery process seems to solve most of the current issues of the R&D portfolio management process.

Abstract
This paper presents and compares two original approaches for technology assessment and foresight based on opposite paradigm: a management science approach (Multi-Criteria Decision-Making) versus a participatory approach (Prediction Market). These approaches are intended to support the management of a technology portfolio and the assessment of new technology by an IT organization. In order to explore the relevance of the research, we conducted several experiments in real environments. The results demonstrated that the rigor of management science and the participation of the Web 2.0 approach are complementary strengths for technology foresight. Furthermore, a framework has been established to compare the two approaches.

Abstract
The main objective of this research is to use prediction markets as negotiation agents, for supporting R&D portfolio management. To support this research, we iteratively designed, developed, operated and evaluated several prototypes. We start by presenting the weaknesses of the current techniques for managing R&D portfolio. Then, we intend to demonstrate that prediction markets correct these weaknesses in R&D portfolio management. Furthermore, following a design science paradigm, we illustrate the design of our artifacts using build-and- evaluate loops supported with a field study, which consisted in operating the prediction markets in different settings.

Abstract
La perception de la productivité¦SUMMARY¦The main objective of this thesis is the perception of the productivity in the luxury hospitality industry. Despite a lot of efforts which were already made in the field of the production of goods, this concept (productivity) still remains to be defined in the services sector, more still, in that of the luxury hospitality industry. Since the object of this study is the perception of productivity, we decided to analyze the elements considered to be relevant by the top management in this field. Then, it seemed important to evaluate these same elements for the categories of middle-management and by the in-line employees. As perception is not static, it is dependent in an indirect way on its improvement and however also with the means of improvement. The assumption of our work evokes the possible relationship between productivity and its perception (P), (Q) quality and profitability (R). On this basis we built the P-Q-R model:¦R=F(P,Q)¦Finally, our research on this model enabled us to establish a mathematical relation between the three predetermined elements:¦fR=fP+fQ+c¦That means that the function efficiency of a process of services -(fR) is the sum of its quality function (intrinsic and extrinsic)-(fP) and of its productivity function - fQ (and the constant of regression "c"). To increase the profitability of the most significant manner, it is necessary to increase at the same time the productivity and quality. On the other hand, according to this formula but also according to the perception of the managers, with a constant profitability, either the productivity decreases in favor of the increase in quality, or the reverse. If the dimensions of the model influence positively or negatively the production process of services, then those wí11 influence in same manner our model (P, Q, R). We advance a point of view saying that profitability depends on the labor productivity which follows same dynamics than the perception of the productivity. The identification of the labor productivity as an essential element of successful management of the hotel is fundamental.¦The question which always remains in suspense is however the relevance of the concept "labor productivity" for the luxury hospitality industry. It was not proven an obvious correlation between this notion and the one of profitability. We still remain at the stage of perception. It results that one interesting way of future research will be the study of this correlation. As in any kind of luxury industry, the real added value does not consist in the volume produced or in the speed with which the product/service is carried out but in the creativity involved in their results. Let us note that the field of luxury is extremely related to the emotions and to the experience provided to the customers.¦La perception de la productivité...¦RÉSUME¦L'objectif principal de cette thèse est la perception de la productivité dans l'hôtellerie de luxe. Malgré tous les efforts qui ont déjà été faits dans le domaine de la production de biens, ce concept (productivité) reste encore à définir dans le secteur des services, plus encore, dans celui de l'hôtellerie de luxe. Étant donné que l'objet de l'étude est la perception de la productivité, nous avons décidé d'analyser les éléments jugés pertinents par les cadres dirigeants dans ce domaine. Puis, il nous a semblé important d'évaluer ces mêmes éléments pour les catégories de cadres moyens et par les employés in-line. Comme la perception n'est pas statique, elle est liée d'une manière indirecte à son amélioration et cependant également aux moyens d'amélioration. L'hypothèse de notre travail évoque la possible relation entre la productivité et sa perception (P), la qualité (Q) et la rentabilité (R). Sur cette base nous avons construit le modèle P-Q-R de départ¦R=f(P,Q)¦Finalement, notre recherche sur ce modèle nous a permis d'établir une relation mathématique entre les trois construits prédéterminés:¦fR=fP+fQ+c¦Cela signifie que la fonction rentabilité d'un processus de services -(fR) est la somme de sa fonction qualité (intrinsèque et extrinsèque)-fP et de sa fonction productivité -fQ (plus la constante de régression « c »)¦Pour augmenter la rentabilité de la manière la plus significative, il faut augmenter en même temps la productivité et la qualité. En revanche, selon cette formule mais selon aussi la perception des managers, à une rentabilité constante, soit la productivité diminue en faveur de l'augmentation de la qualité, soit l'inverse. Si les dimensions du modèle influencent positivement ou négativement le processus de production de services, alors celles-ci vont influencer de la même manière les construits de notre modèle (P, Q, R).¦Nous avançons un point de vue disant que la rentabilité dépend de la productivité du travail qui suit la même dynamique que la perception de la productivité. L'identification de la productivité du travail comme élément essentiel de gestion réussie de l'hôtel s'avère fondamentale.¦La question qui reste toujours en suspens est pourtant la pertinence de la notion «productivité du travail » pour l'industrie hôtelière de luxe. Il n'a pas été prouvé une corrélation évidente entre cette notion et celle de la profitabilité. Nous restons donc ici encore au stade de perception. Il en résulte que l'une des voies les plus intéressantes de recherche future sera l'étude de cette corrélation. Comme dans toute industrie de luxe, la vraie valeur ajoutée ne consiste pas toujours dans le volume produit, ni dans la vitesse avec laquelle le produit/service est réalisé, mais parfois dans la créativité emmagasinée dans ces résultats. Notons que le domaine de luxe est extrêmement lié aux émotions et à l'expérience fournie aux clients.

Abstract
Résumé¦Lors d'une recherche d'information, l'apprenant est très souvent confronté à des problèmes de guidage et de personnalisation. Ceux-ci sont d'autant plus importants que la recherche se fait dans un environnement ouvert tel que le Web. En effet, dans ce cas, il n'y a actuellement pas de contrôle de pertinence sur les ressources proposées pas plus que sur l'adéquation réelle aux besoins spécifiques de l'apprenant.¦A travers l'étude de l'état de l'art, nous avons constaté l'absence d'un modèle de référence qui traite des problématiques liées (i) d'une part aux ressources d'apprentissage notamment à l'hétérogénéité de la structure et de la description et à la protection en terme de droits d'auteur et (ii) d'autre part à l'apprenant en tant qu'utilisateur notamment l'acquisition des éléments le caractérisant et la stratégie d'adaptation à lui offrir.¦Notre objectif est de proposer un système adaptatif à base de ressources d'apprentissage issues d'un environnement à ouverture contrôlée. Celui-ci permet de générer automatiquement sans l'intervention d'un expert pédagogue un parcours d'apprentissage personnalisé à partir de ressources rendues disponibles par le biais de sources de confiance.¦L'originalité de notre travail réside dans la proposition d'un modèle de référence dit de Lausanne qui est basé sur ce que nous considérons comme étant les meilleures pratiques des communautés : (i) du Web en terme de moyens d'ouverture, (ii) de l'hypermédia adaptatif en terme de stratégie d'adaptation et (iii) de l'apprentissage à distance en terme de manipulation des ressources d'apprentissage.¦Dans notre modèle, la génération des parcours personnalisés se fait sur la base (i) de ressources d'apprentissage indexées et dont le degré de granularité en favorise le partage et la réutilisation. Les sources de confiance utilisées en garantissent l'utilité et la qualité.¦(ii) de caractéristiques de l'utilisateur, compatibles avec les standards existants, permettant le passage de l'apprenant d'un environnement à un autre.¦(iii) d'une adaptation à la fois individuelle et sociale.¦Pour cela, le modèle de Lausanne propose :¦(i) d'utiliser ISO/MLR (Metadata for Learning Resources) comme formalisme de description.¦(ii) de décrire le modèle d'utilisateur avec XUN1 (eXtended User Model), notre proposition d'un modèle compatible avec les standards IEEE/PAPI et IMS/LIP.¦(iii) d'adapter l'algorithme des fourmis au contexte de l'apprentissage à distance afin de générer des parcours personnalisés. La dimension individuelle est aussi prise en compte par la mise en correspondance de MLR et de XUM.¦Pour valider notre modèle, nous avons développé une application et testé plusieurs scenarii mettant en action des utilisateurs différents à des moments différents. Nous avons ensuite procédé à des comparaisons entre ce que retourne le système et ce que suggère l'expert. Les résultats s'étant avérés satisfaisants dans la mesure où à chaque fois le système retourne un parcours semblable à celui qu'aurait proposé l'expert, nous sommes confortées dans notre approche.

Abstract
Interactions giving rise to dilemmas are widespread in society. Starting from the observation that individuals interact through networks of acquaintances, we study the co-evolution of the agents' strategies and of the social network itself using two prototypical games: the Prisoner's Dilemma and the Stag Hunt. We find that cooperation and coordination can be achieved through the self-organization of the social network into strong and stable clusters of identical strategies.

Abstract
La hiérarchie de Wagner constitue à ce jour la plus fine classification des langages ω-réguliers. Par ailleurs, l'approche algébrique de la théorie de langages formels montre que ces ensembles ω-réguliers correspondent précisément aux langages reconnaissables par des ω-semigroupes finis pointés. Ce travail s'inscrit dans ce contexte en fournissant une description complète de la contrepartie algébrique de la hiérarchie de Wagner, et ce par le biais de la théorie descriptive des jeux de Wadge. Plus précisément, nous montrons d'abord que le degré de Wagner d'un langage ω-régulier est effectivement un invariant syntaxique. Nous définissons ensuite une relation de réduction entre ω-semigroupes pointés par le biais d'un jeu infini de type Wadge. La collection de ces structures algébriques ordonnée par cette relation apparaît alors comme étant isomorphe à la hiérarchie de Wagner, soit un quasi bon ordre décidable de largeur 2 et de hauteur ω. Nous exposons par la suite une procédure de décidabilité de cette hiérarchie algébrique : on décrit une représentation graphique des ω-semigroupes finis pointés, puis un algorithme sur ces structures graphiques qui calcule le degré de Wagner de n'importe quel élément. Ainsi le degré de Wagner de tout langage ω-régulier peut être calculé de manière effective directement sur son image syntaxique. Nous montrons ensuite comment construire directement et inductivement une structure de n''importe quel degré. Nous terminons par une description détaillée des invariants algébriques qui caractérisent tous les degrés de cette hiérarchie.¦Abstract¦The Wagner hierarchy is known so far to be the most refined topological classification of ω-rational languages. Also, the algebraic study of formal languages shows that these ω-rational sets correspond precisely to the languages recognizable by finite pointed ω-semigroups. Within this framework, we provide a construction of the algebraic counterpart of the Wagner hierarchy. We adopt a hierarchical game approach, by translating the Wadge theory from the ω-rational language to the ω-semigroup context. More precisely, we first show that the Wagner degree is indeed a syntactic invariant. We then define a reduction relation on finite pointed ω-semigroups by means of a Wadge-like infinite two-player game. The collection of these algebraic structures ordered by this reduction is then proven to be isomorphic to the Wagner hierarchy, namely a well-founded and decidable partial ordering of width 2 and height $\omega^\omega$. We also describe a decidability procedure of this hierarchy: we introduce a graph representation of finite pointed ω-semigroups allowing to compute their precise Wagner degrees. The Wagner degree of every ω-rational language can therefore be computed directly on its syntactic image. We then show how to build a finite pointed ω-semigroup of any given Wagner degree. We finally describe the algebraic invariants characterizing every Wagner degree of this hierarchy.

Abstract
Résumé:¦Les gouvernements des pays occidentaux ont dépensé des sommes importantes pour faciliter l'intégration des technologies de l'information et de la communication dans l'enseignement espérant trouver une solution économique à l'épineuse équation que l'on pourrait résumer par la célèbre formule " faire plus et mieux avec moins ". Cependant force est de constater que, malgré ces efforts et la très nette amélioration de la qualité de service des infrastructures, cet objectif est loin d'être atteint. Si nous pensons qu'il est illusoire d'attendre et d'espérer que la technologie peut et va, à elle seule, résoudre les problèmes de qualité de l'enseignement, nous croyons néanmoins qu'elle peut contribuer à améliorer les conditions d'apprentissage et participer de la réflexion pédagogique que tout enseignant devrait conduire avant de dispenser ses enseignements. Dans cette optique, et convaincu que la formation à distance offre des avantages non négligeables à condition de penser " autrement " l'enseignement, nous nous sommes intéressé à la problématique du développement de ce type d'applications qui se situent à la frontière entre les sciences didactiques, les sciences cognitives, et l'informatique. Ainsi, et afin de proposer une solution réaliste et simple permettant de faciliter le développement, la mise-à-jour, l'insertion et la pérennisation des applications de formation à distance, nous nous sommes impliqué dans des projets concrets. Au fil de notre expérience de terrain nous avons fait le constat que (i)la qualité des modules de formation flexible et à distance reste encore très décevante, entre autres parce que la valeur ajoutée que peut apporter l'utilisation des technologies n'est, à notre avis, pas suffisamment exploitée et que (ii)pour réussir tout projet doit, outre le fait d'apporter une réponse utile à un besoin réel, être conduit efficacement avec le soutien d'un " champion ". Dans l'idée de proposer une démarche de gestion de projet adaptée aux besoins de la formation flexible et à distance, nous nous sommes tout d'abord penché sur les caractéristiques de ce type de projet. Nous avons ensuite analysé les méthodologies de projet existantes dans l'espoir de pouvoir utiliser l'une, l'autre ou un panachage adéquat de celles qui seraient les plus proches de nos besoins. Nous avons ensuite, de manière empirique et par itérations successives, défini une démarche pragmatique de gestion de projet et contribué à l'élaboration de fiches d'aide à la décision facilitant sa mise en oeuvre. Nous décrivons certains de ses acteurs en insistant particulièrement sur l'ingénieur pédagogique que nous considérons comme l'un des facteurs clé de succès de notre démarche et dont la vocation est de l'orchestrer. Enfin, nous avons validé a posteriori notre démarche en revenant sur le déroulement de quatre projets de FFD auxquels nous avons participé et qui sont représentatifs des projets que l'on peut rencontrer dans le milieu universitaire. En conclusion nous pensons que la mise en oeuvre de notre démarche, accompagnée de la mise à disposition de fiches d'aide à la décision informatisées, constitue un atout important et devrait permettre notamment de mesurer plus aisément les impacts réels des technologies (i) sur l'évolution de la pratique des enseignants, (ii) sur l'organisation et (iii) sur la qualité de l'enseignement. Notre démarche peut aussi servir de tremplin à la mise en place d'une démarche qualité propre à la FFD. D'autres recherches liées à la réelle flexibilisation des apprentissages et aux apports des technologies pour les apprenants pourront alors être conduites sur la base de métriques qui restent à définir.¦Abstract:¦Western countries have spent substantial amount of monies to facilitate the integration of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into Education hoping to find a solution to the touchy equation that can be summarized by the famous statement "do more and better with less". Despite these efforts, and notwithstanding the real improvements due to the undeniable betterment of the infrastructure and of the quality of service, this goal is far from reached. Although we think it illusive to expect technology, all by itself, to solve our economical and educational problems, we firmly take the view that it can greatly contribute not only to ameliorate learning conditions but participate to rethinking the pedagogical approach as well. Every member of our community could hence take advantage of this opportunity to reflect upon his or her strategy. In this framework, and convinced that integrating ICT into education opens a number of very interesting avenues provided we think teaching "out of the box", we got ourself interested in courseware development positioned at the intersection of didactics and pedagogical sciences, cognitive sciences and computing. Hence, and hoping to bring a realistic and simple solution that could help develop, update, integrate and sustain courseware we got involved in concrete projects. As ze gained field experience we noticed that (i)The quality of courseware is still disappointing, amongst others, because the added value that the technology can bring is not made the most of, as it could or should be and (ii)A project requires, besides bringing a useful answer to a real problem, to be efficiently managed and be "championed". Having in mind to propose a pragmatic and practical project management approach we first looked into open and distance learning characteristics. We then analyzed existing methodologies in the hope of being able to utilize one or the other or a combination to best fit our needs. In an empiric manner and proceeding by successive iterations and refinements, we defined a simple methodology and contributed to build descriptive "cards" attached to each of its phases to help decision making. We describe the different actors involved in the process insisting specifically on the pedagogical engineer, viewed as an orchestra conductor, whom we consider to be critical to ensure the success of our approach. Last but not least, we have validated a posteriori our methodology by reviewing four of the projects we participated to and that we think emblematic of the university reality. We believe that the implementation of our methodology, along with the availability of computerized cards to help project managers to take decisions, could constitute a great asset and contribute to measure the technologies' real impacts on (i) the evolution of teaching practices (ii) the organization and (iii) the quality of pedagogical approaches. Our methodology could hence be of use to help put in place an open and distance learning quality assessment. Research on the impact of technologies to learning adaptability and flexibilization could rely on adequate metrics.

Abstract
Résumé¦La mondialisation des marchés, les mutations du contexte économique et enfin l'impact des nouvelles technologies de l'information ont obligé les entreprises à revoir la façon dont elles gèrent leurs capitaux intellectuel (gestion des connaissances) et humain (gestion des compétences). II est communément admis aujourd'hui que ceux-ci jouent un rôle particulièrement stratégique dans l'organisation. L'entreprise désireuse de se lancer dans une politique gestion de ces capitaux devra faire face à différents problèmes. En effet, afin de gérer ces connaissances et ces compétences, un long processus de capitalisation doit être réalisé. Celui-ci doit passer par différentes étapes comme l'identification, l'extraction et la représentation des connaissances et des compétences.¦Pour cela, il existe différentes méthodes de gestion des connaissances et des compétences comme MASK, CommonKADS, KOD... Malheureusement, ces différentes méthodes sont très lourdes à mettre en oeuvre, et se cantonnent à certains types de connaissances et sont, par conséquent, plus limitées dans les fonctionnalités qu'elles peuvent offrir. Enfin, la gestion des compétences et la gestion des connaissances sont deux domaines dissociés alors qu'il serait intéressant d'unifier ces deux approches en une seule. En effet, les compétences sont très proches des connaissances comme le souligne la définition de la compétence qui suit : « un ensemble de connaissances en action dans un contexte donné ».¦Par conséquent, nous avons choisi d'appuyer notre proposition sur le concept de compétence. En effet, la compétence est parmi les connaissances de l'entreprise l'une des plus cruciales, en particulier pour éviter la perte de savoir-faire ou pour pouvoir prévenir les besoins futurs de l'entreprise, car derrière les compétences des collaborateurs, se trouve l'efficacité de l'organisation. De plus, il est possible de décrire grâce à la compétence de nombreux autres concepts de l'organisation, comme les métiers, les missions, les projets, les formations... Malheureusement, il n'existe pas réellement de consensus sur la définition de la compétence. D'ailleurs, les différentes définitions existantes, même si elles sont pleinement satisfaisantes pour les experts, ne permettent pas de réaliser un système opérationnel.¦Dans notre approche; nous abordons la gestion des compétences à l'aide d'une méthode de gestion des connaissances. En effet, de par leur nature même, connaissance et compétence sont intimement liées et donc une telle méthode est parfaitement adaptée à la gestion des compétences.¦Afin de pouvoir exploiter ces connaissances et ces compétences nous avons dû, dans un premier temps, définir les concepts organisationnels de façon claire et computationnelle. Sur cette base, nous proposons une méthodologie de construction des différents référentiels d'entreprise (référentiel de compétences, des missions, des métiers...). Pour modéliser ces différents référentiels, nous avons choisi l'ontologie, car elle permet d'obtenir des définitions cohérentes et consensuelles aux concepts tout en supportant les diversités langagières.¦Ensuite, nous cartographions les connaissances de l'entreprise (formations, missions, métiers...) sur ces différentes ontologies afin de pouvoir les exploiter et les diffuser.¦Notre approche de la gestion des connaissances et de la gestion des compétences a permis la réalisation d'un outil offrant de nombreuses fonctionnalités comme la gestion des aires de mobilités, l'analyse stratégique, les annuaires ou encore la gestion des CV.¦Abstract¦The globalization of markets, the easing of economical regulation and finally the impact of new information and communication technologies have obliged firms to re-examine the way they manage their knowledge capital (knowledge management) and their human capital (competence management). It is commonly admitted that knowledge plays a slightly strategical role in the organization. The firms who want to establish one politic of management of these capitals will have to face with different problems. To manage that knowledge, a long process of capitalization must be done. That one has different steps like identification, extraction and representation of knowledge and competences.¦There are some different methods of knowledge management like MASK, CommonKADS or KOD. Unfortunately, those methods are very difficult to implement and are using only some types of knowledge and are consequently more limited in the functionalities they can offer. Knowledge management and competence management are two different domain where it could be interesting to unify those to one. Indeed, competence is very close than knowledge as underline this definition: "a set of knowledge in action in a specified context".¦We choose in our approach to rely on the concept of competence. Indeed, the competence is one of crucial knowledge in the company, particularly to avoid the loss of know-how or to prevent future needs. Because behind collaborator's competence, we can find company efficiency. Unfortunately, there is no real consensus on the definition of the concept of competence. Moreover, existing different definitions don't permit to develop an operational system. Among other key concept, we can find jobs, mission, project, and training...¦Moreover, we approach different problems of the competence management under the angle of the knowledge management. Indeed, knowledge and competence are closely linked. Then, we propose a method to build different company repositories (competence, jobs, projects repositories). To model those different repositories we choose ontology because it permits to obtain coherent and consensual definitions of the concepts with support of linguistics diversities too.¦This building repositories method coupled with this knowledge and competence management approach permitted the realization of a tool offering functionalities like mobility management, strategical analysis, yellow pages or CV management.

Abstract
Protocols and applications could profit of quantum cryptography to secure communications. The applications of quantum cryptography are linked to telecommunication services that require very high level of security such as bank transactions.¦The aim of this paper is to present the possibility to use quantum cryptography in critical financial transactions, to analyse the use of quantum key distribution within IPSEC to secure these transactions and to present the estimated performances of this solution.¦After having introduced basic concepts in quantum cryptography, we describe a scenario of using quantum key distribution in bank transactions in Switzerland. Then, we propose a solution that integrate quantum key distribution into IPSEC. A performance analysis is done to demonstrate the operational feasibility of this solution.

Abstract
Abstract¦The object of game theory lies in the analysis of situations where different social actors have conflicting requirements and where their individual decisions will all influence the global outcome. In this framework, several games have been invented to capture the essence of various dilemmas encountered in many common important socio-economic situations. Even though these games often succeed in helping us understand human or animal behavior in interactive settings, some experiments have shown that people tend to cooperate with each other in situations for which classical game theory strongly recommends them to do the exact opposite. Several mechanisms have been invoked to try to explain the emergence of this unexpected cooperative attitude. Among them, repeated interaction, reputation, and belonging to a recognizable group have often been mentioned. However, the work of Nowak and May (1992) showed that the simple fact of arranging the players according to a spatial structure and only allowing them to interact with their immediate neighbors is sufficient to sustain a certain amount of cooperation even when the game is played anonymously and without repetition. Nowak and May's study and much of the following work was based on regular structures such as two-dimensional grids. Axelrod et al. (2002) showed that by randomizing the choice of neighbors, i.e. by actually giving up a strictly local geographical structure, cooperation can still emerge, provided that the interaction patterns remain stable in time. This is a first step towards a social network structure. However, following pioneering work by sociologists in the sixties such as that of Milgram (1967), in the last few years it has become apparent that many social and biological interaction networks, and even some technological networks, have particular, and partly unexpected, properties that set them apart from regular or random graphs. Among other things, they usually display broad degree distributions, and show small-world topological structure. Roughly speaking, a small-world graph is a network where any individual is relatively close, in terms of social ties, to any other individual, a property also found in random graphs but not in regular lattices. However, in contrast with random graphs, small-world networks also have a certain amount of local structure, as measured, for instance, by a quantity called the clustering coefficient. In the same vein, many real conflicting situations in economy and sociology are not well described neither by a fixed geographical position of the individuals in a regular lattice, nor by a random graph. Furthermore, it is a known fact that network structure can highly influence dynamical phenomena such as the way diseases spread across a population and ideas or information get transmitted. Therefore, in the last decade, research attention has naturally shifted from random and regular graphs towards better models of social interaction structures.¦The primary goal of this work is to discover whether or not the underlying graph structure of real social networks could give explanations as to why one finds higher levels of cooperation in populations of human beings or animals than what is prescribed by classical game theory. To meet this objective, I start by thoroughly studying a real scientific coauthorship network and showing how it differs from biological or technological networks using divers statistical measurements. Furthermore, I extract and describe its community structure taking into account the intensity of a collaboration. Finally, I investigate the temporal evolution of the network, from its inception to its state at the time of the study in 2006, suggesting also an effective view of it as opposed to a historical one. Thereafter, I combine evolutionary game theory with several network models along with the studied coauthorship network in order to highlight which specific network properties foster cooperation and shed some light on the various mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of this same cooperation. I point out the fact that, to resist defection, cooperators take advantage, whenever possible, of the degree-heterogeneity of social networks and their underlying community structure. Finally, I show that cooperation level and stability depend not only on the game played, but also on the evolutionary dynamic rules used and the individual payoff calculations.¦Synopsis¦Le but de la théorie des jeux réside dans l'analyse de situations dans lesquelles différents acteurs sociaux, avec des objectifs souvent conflictuels, doivent individuellement prendre des décisions qui influenceront toutes le résultat global. Dans ce cadre, plusieurs jeux ont été inventés afin de saisir l'essence de divers dilemmes rencontrés dans d'importantes situations socio-économiques. Bien que ces jeux nous permettent souvent de comprendre le comportement d'êtres humains ou d'animaux en interactions, des expériences ont montré que les individus ont parfois tendance à coopérer dans des situations pour lesquelles la théorie classique des jeux prescrit de faire le contraire. Plusieurs mécanismes ont été invoqués pour tenter d'expliquer l'émergence de ce comportement coopératif inattendu. Parmi ceux-ci, la répétition des interactions, la réputation ou encore l'appartenance à des groupes reconnaissables ont souvent été mentionnés. Toutefois, les travaux de Nowak et May (1992) ont montré que le simple fait de disposer les joueurs selon une structure spatiale en leur permettant d'interagir uniquement avec leurs voisins directs est suffisant pour maintenir un certain niveau de coopération même si le jeu est joué de manière anonyme et sans répétitions. L'étude de Nowak et May, ainsi qu'un nombre substantiel de travaux qui ont suivi, étaient basés sur des structures régulières telles que des grilles à deux dimensions. Axelrod et al. (2002) ont montré qu'en randomisant le choix des voisins, i.e. en abandonnant une localisation géographique stricte, la coopération peut malgré tout émerger, pour autant que les schémas d'interactions restent stables au cours du temps. Ceci est un premier pas en direction d'une structure de réseau social. Toutefois, suite aux travaux précurseurs de sociologues des années soixante, tels que ceux de Milgram (1967), il est devenu clair ces dernières années qu'une grande partie des réseaux d'interactions sociaux et biologiques, et même quelques réseaux technologiques, possèdent des propriétés particulières, et partiellement inattendues, qui les distinguent de graphes réguliers ou aléatoires. Entre autres, ils affichent en général une distribution du degré relativement large ainsi qu'une structure de "petit-monde". Grossièrement parlant, un graphe "petit-monde" est un réseau où tout individu se trouve relativement près de tout autre individu en termes de distance sociale, une propriété également présente dans les graphes aléatoires mais absente des grilles régulières. Par contre, les réseaux "petit-monde" ont, contrairement aux graphes aléatoires, une certaine structure de localité, mesurée par exemple par une quantité appelée le "coefficient de clustering". Dans le même esprit, plusieurs situations réelles de conflit en économie et sociologie ne sont pas bien décrites ni par des positions géographiquement fixes des individus en grilles régulières, ni par des graphes aléatoires. De plus, il est bien connu que la structure même d'un réseau peut passablement influencer des phénomènes dynamiques tels que la manière qu'a une maladie de se répandre à travers une population, ou encore la façon dont des idées ou une information s'y propagent. Ainsi, durant cette dernière décennie, l'attention de la recherche s'est tout naturellement déplacée des graphes aléatoires et réguliers vers de meilleurs modèles de structure d'interactions sociales.¦L'objectif principal de ce travail est de découvrir si la structure sous-jacente de graphe de vrais réseaux sociaux peut fournir des explications quant aux raisons pour lesquelles on trouve, chez certains groupes d'êtres humains ou d'animaux, des niveaux de coopération supérieurs à ce qui est prescrit par la théorie classique des jeux. Dans l'optique d'atteindre ce but, je commence par étudier un véritable réseau de collaborations scientifiques et, en utilisant diverses mesures statistiques, je mets en évidence la manière dont il diffère de réseaux biologiques ou technologiques. De plus, j'extrais et je décris sa structure de communautés en tenant compte de l'intensité d'une collaboration. Finalement, j'examine l'évolution temporelle du réseau depuis son origine jusqu'à son état en 2006, date à laquelle l'étude a été effectuée, en suggérant également une vue effective du réseau par opposition à une vue historique. Par la suite, je combine la théorie évolutionnaire des jeux avec des réseaux comprenant plusieurs modèles et le réseau de collaboration susmentionné, afin de déterminer les propriétés structurelles utiles à la promotion de la coopération et les mécanismes responsables du maintien de celle-ci. Je mets en évidence le fait que, pour ne pas succomber à la défection, les coopérateurs exploitent dans la mesure du possible l'hétérogénéité des réseaux sociaux en termes de degré ainsi que la structure de communautés sous-jacente de ces mêmes réseaux. Finalement, je montre que le niveau de coopération et sa stabilité dépendent non seulement du jeu joué, mais aussi des règles de la dynamique évolutionnaire utilisées et du calcul du bénéfice d'un individu.

Abstract
Abstract¦In this thesis we present the design of a systematic integrated computer-based approach for detecting potential disruptions from an industry perspective. Following the design science paradigm, we iteratively develop several multi-actor multi-criteria artifacts dedicated to environment scanning. The contributions of this thesis are both theoretical and practical. We demonstrate the successful use of multi-criteria decision-making methods for technology foresight. Furthermore, we illustrate the design of our artifacts using build and-evaluate loops supported with a field study of the Swiss mobile payment industry. To increase the relevance of this study, we systematically interview key Swiss experts for each design iteration. As a result, our research provides a realistic picture of the current situation in the Swiss mobile payment market and reveals previously undiscovered weak signals for future trends. Finally, we suggest a generic design process for environment scanning.

Abstract
This paper presents and compares two original techniques for disruptive technology assessment and foresight based on opposite paradigm: a management science approach (Multi-Criteria Decision-Making) versus a Web 2.0 approach (Prediction Market). These approaches are intended to support the management of a technology portfolio and the assessment of new technology by an IT organization. In order to explore the relevance of the research, we conducted several experiments in real environments. The results demonstrated that the rigor of management science and the participation of the Web 2.0 approach are complementary strengths for technology foresight.

Abstract
In this paper we present a study that unveils the technological and organizational preferences of various industries for mobile payment developments in Switzerland. Despite the expected success, mobile payments remain at an early stage of development in most countries. At this point, there is a real need for better understanding of the factors hindering the deployment of mobile payments. We conducted several series of interviews involving key Swiss experts to elicit the preferences of the different industries involved in the mobile payment market. The findings indicate that card-based solutions are still preferred to mobile phone-based solutions from an industry point of view. However, in terms of industrial settings, the situation is not as clear for determining the dominant actors who would lead mobile payments solutions in the future. At this stage, this study already reveals some weak market signals concerning the future developments of mobile payments in Switzerland.

Abstract
Abstract¦The solvability of the problem of fair exchange in a synchronous system subject to Byzantine failures is investigated in this work. The fair exchange problem arises when a group of processes are required to exchange digital items in a fair manner, which means that either each process obtains the item it was expecting or no process obtains any information on, the inputs of others.¦After introducing a novel specification of fair exchange that clearly separates safety and liveness, we give an overview of the difficulty of solving such a problem in the context of a fully-connected topology. On one hand, we show that no solution to fair exchange exists in the absence of an identified process that every process can trust a priori; on the other, a well-known solution to fair exchange relying on a trusted third party is recalled. These two results lead us to complete our system model with a flexible representation of the notion of trust. We then show that fair exchange is solvable if and only if a connectivity condition, named the reachable majority condition, is satisfied. The necessity of the condition is proven by an impossibility result and its sufficiency by presenting a general solution to fair exchange relying on a set of trusted processes.¦The focus is then turned towards a specific network topology in order to provide a fully decentralized, yet realistic, solution to fair exchange. The general solution mentioned above is optimized by reducing the computational load assumed by trusted processes as far as possible. Accordingly, our fair exchange protocol relies on trusted tamperproof modules that have limited communication abilities and are only required in key steps of the algorithm. This modular solution is then implemented in the context of a pedagogical application developed for illustrating and apprehending the complexity of fair exchange. This application, which also includes the implementation of a wide range of Byzantine behaviors, allows executions of the algorithm to be set up and monitored through a graphical display.¦Surprisingly, some of our results on fair exchange seem contradictory with those found in the literature of secure multiparty computation, a problem from the field of modern cryptography, although the two problems have much in common. Both problems are closely related to the notion of trusted third party, but their approaches and descriptions differ greatly. By introducing a common specification framework, a comparison is proposed in order to clarify their differences and the possible origins of the confusion between them. This leads us to introduce the problem of generalized fair computation, a generalization of fair exchange. Finally, a solution to this new problem is given by generalizing our modular solution to fair exchange

Abstract
STRUCTURE DU DOCUMENT ET PRINCIPALES CONTRIBUTIONS¦CHAPITRE 1 INTRODUCTION ET MÉTHODOLOGIE¦Le chapitre 1 présente un aperçu de la recherche, le contexte, les objectifs, la méthodologie, la démarche.¦CHAPITRE 2 : ÉTAT DE LA QUESTION¦Le chapitre 2 présente un état de la question des principaux concepts : les compétences, la gestion des compétences, les systèmes de gestion des compétences.¦La question de la gestion des compétences en sciences de gestion, et son lien avec la stratégie de l'entreprise a beaucoup occupé les chercheurs et les praticiens. On peut distinguer deux tendances principales : les recherches provenant du champ disciplinaire de la stratégie d'entreprise, regroupées par commodité sous l'étiquette «approche stratégique », et les recherches issues du domaine de la gestion des ressources humaines, qu'on appellera GRH.¦Au-delà du vocabulaire souvent commun (ressources, compétences), de la vision partagée qu'il est nécessaire de voir l'entreprise « de l'intérieur » et non plus uniquement dans son environnement, les deux approches ont des problématiques très similaires, comme le lien avec la performance ou les changements organisationnels induits par une démarche compétence. Pourtant, les divergences subsistent. L'approche stratégique procède d'un niveau « macro »pour identifier des « compétences-clés », et peine souvent à opérationnaliser ce concept. Les démarches GRH ont un souci analytique de décomposition de la compétence et de la ressource qui risque de noyer la démarche dans le détail. En outre, alors que le vocabulaire est similaire, les définitions divergent.¦Concilier ces divergences, afin de conserver les avantages de l'une et de l'autre de ces théories, à savoir le lien avec la stratégie pour l'une et le souci d'opérationnaliser les concepts pour l'autre est peut être plus aisé à l'heure ou les nouvelles conditions auxquelles sont soumises les entreprises qui oeuvrent dans l' »économie de la connaissance ». Les technologies qui deviennent accessibles plus facilement font qu'en dernière instance, ce sont bien les collaborateurs de l'entreprise qui sont le support de la compétence.¦L'objectif de cet état de la question n'est pas de procéder à un recensement exhaustif des manières de traiter de la compétence en sciences de gestion. Il est plutôt de mettre en évidence ce que les deux approches peuvent amener, chacun à leur manière, à notre problème, l'identification des compétences d'entreprise en lien avec la stratégie. Ces éléments nous serviront de matériau pour construire notre propre modèle d'identification des compétences.¦C'est sans doute la première fois que ces deux modèles sont confrontés du point de vue de la stratégie de l'entreprise.¦CHAPITRE 3 : LE MODÈLE CONCEPTUEL¦Le chapitre 3 présente le modèle conceptuel d'identification des compétences d'entreprise. Après une discussion sur la notion de modèle en sciences de gestion, il présente l'intérêt d'une modélisation, et la démarche de modélisation. Celle-ci se décompose en 3 étapes concentriques successives : un modèle informel, un modèle semi-formel qui prendra la forme d'une ontologie, et quelques éléments d'un modèle formel. Une présentation des ontologies et de l'utilité de cette technique précèdera la construction du modèle à proprement parler. Cette construction se fera à partir des fonctionnalités d'un système de gestion des compétences défini comme utile à l'entreprise, c'est à dire répondant aux objectifs.¦Dans cette partie, nous construirons notre modèle conceptuel d'identification et de qualification des compétences d'entreprises. Nous commencerons par préciser la notion de modèle. Un modèle consiste en une schématisation, -qui typifie certaines caractéristiques du réel, pour en faire ressortir certains traits dominants, les mettre en valeur et permettre ainsi d'anticiper certains développements de la réalité.¦Nous sélectionnerons et préciserons ensuite les entités nécessaires à la composition du modèle. Nous définirons ainsi le concept de compétences et les concepts qui lui sont liés.¦Dans une troisième partie, nous montrerons en quoi la technique des ontologies peut se révéler utile pour notre problématique.¦CHAPITRE 4 : LE MODÈLE DE RAISONNEMENT¦Le chapitre 4 présente le modèle de raisonnement, quelques fonctionnalités du prototype, quelques éléments de l'algorithme, une esquisse de l'architecture, des requêtes possibles, vues à travers une technique inspirée des use-cases.¦La partie précédente aura permis de sélectionner les entités nécessaires à un modèle d'identification et de qualification des compétences. Dans cette partie, nous allons développer le modèle de raisonnement. L'objectif de notre travail est d'identifier concrètement les compétences de l'entreprise, et de les qualifier, afin de servir d'aide à la décision.¦Dans cette optique, le modèle de raisonnement décrira les opérations effectuées sur les entités identifiées précédemment.¦Après avoir défini le modèle de raisonnement et son fonctionnement, nous présenterons les quatre cas d'utilisation qui nous servirons d'exemples d'utilisation. Il s'agit des cas de dirigeant d'entreprise, responsable des ressources humaines, chef de projet, et collaborateur de l'entreprise.¦Ces cas d'utilisation nous permettrons d'opérationnaliser les concepts décrits dans le modèle conceptuel à travers un système d'indicateurs, d'effectuer des opérations sur ces concepts.¦ANNEXE : UNE ÉTUDE DE CAS¦Enfin, en annexe de ce document, nous décrirons une étude de cas. Il s'agit d'une intervention menée en entreprise, qui a repris, et ainsi testé, une bonne partie des éléments décrits dans ce travail. Cette intervention a débouché sur la mise en place d'une gestion des compétences qui se concrétise notamment par un «tableau de bord des compétences ».¦CHAPITRE 5 : CONCLUSIONS ET PERSPECTIVES¦Le chapitre 5 présente les conclusions, et quelques perspectives. Il présente les principaux apports, les limites, un retour sur certaines questions méthodologiques.¦PRINCIPALES CONTRIBUTIONS¦L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer un modèle qui permette d'identifier et de qualifier les compétences d'entreprise.¦On peut dégager un certain nombre de contributions¦1. Nous proposons un modèle d'identification et de qualification des compétences en cohérence avec les préoccupations des entreprises, notamment par le lien avec la stratégie, qui permet l'adaptabilité et la flexibilité.¦2. Nous proposons une méthode de qualification des compétences qui permet de distinguer les compétences d'entreprise selon différents points de vue¦3. Nous proposons des fonctionnalités et une architecture rendant possible la réalisation d'un outil de gestion des compétences.

Abstract
Résumé¦La cryptographie classique est basée sur des concepts mathématiques dont la sécurité dépend de la complexité du calcul de l'inverse des fonctions. Ce type de chiffrement est à la merci de la puissance de calcul des ordinateurs ainsi que la découverte d'algorithme permettant le calcul des inverses de certaines fonctions mathématiques en un temps «raisonnable ». L'utilisation d'un procédé dont la sécurité est scientifiquement prouvée s'avère donc indispensable surtout les échanges critiques (systèmes bancaires, gouvernements,...). La cryptographie quantique répond à ce besoin. En effet, sa sécurité est basée sur des lois de la physique quantique lui assurant un fonctionnement inconditionnellement sécurisé. Toutefois, l'application et l'intégration de la cryptographie quantique sont un souci pour les développeurs de ce type de solution.¦Cette thèse justifie la nécessité de l'utilisation de la cryptographie quantique. Elle montre que le coût engendré par le déploiement de cette solution est justifié. Elle propose un mécanisme simple et réalisable d'intégration de la cryptographie quantique dans des protocoles de communication largement utilisés comme les protocoles PPP, IPSec et le protocole 802.1li. Des scénarios d'application illustrent la faisabilité de ces solutions. Une méthodologie d'évaluation, selon les critères communs, des solutions basées sur la cryptographie quantique est également proposée dans ce document.¦Abstract¦Classical cryptography is based on mathematical functions. The robustness of a cryptosystem essentially depends on the difficulty of computing the inverse of its one-way function. There is no mathematical proof that establishes whether it is impossible to find the inverse of a given one-way function. Therefore, it is mandatory to use a cryptosystem whose security is scientifically proven (especially for banking, governments, etc.). On the other hand, the security of quantum cryptography can be formally demonstrated. In fact, its security is based on the laws of physics that assure the unconditional security. How is it possible to use and integrate quantum cryptography into existing solutions?¦This thesis proposes a method to integrate quantum cryptography into existing communication protocols like PPP, IPSec and the 802.l1i protocol. It sketches out some possible scenarios in order to prove the feasibility and to estimate the cost of such scenarios. Directives and checkpoints are given to help in certifying quantum cryptography solutions according to Common Criteria.

Abstract
1 6 STRUCTURE OF THIS THESIS¦-Chapter I presents the motivations of this dissertation by illustrating two gaps in the current body of knowledge that are worth filling, describes the research problem addressed by this thesis and presents the research methodology used to achieve this goal.¦-Chapter 2 shows a review of the existing literature showing that environment analysis is a vital strategic task, that it shall be supported by adapted information systems, and that there is thus a need for developing a conceptual model of the environment that provides a reference framework for better integrating the various existing methods and a more formal definition of the various aspect to support the development of suitable tools.¦-Chapter 3 proposes a conceptual model that specifies the various enviromnental aspects that are relevant for strategic decision making, how they relate to each other, and ,defines them in a more formal way that is more suited for information systems development.¦-Chapter 4 is dedicated to the evaluation of the proposed model on the basis of its application to a concrete environment to evaluate its suitability to describe the current conditions and potential evolution of a real environment and get an idea of its usefulness.¦-Chapter 5 goes a step further by assembling a toolbox describing a set of methods that can be used to analyze the various environmental aspects put forward by the model and by providing more detailed specifications for a number of them to show how our model can be used to facilitate their implementation as software tools.¦-Chapter 6 describes a prototype of a strategic decision support tool that allow the analysis of some of the aspects of the environment that are not well supported by existing tools and namely to analyze the relationship between multiple actors and issues. The usefulness of this prototype is evaluated on the basis of its application to a concrete environment.¦-Chapter 7 finally concludes this thesis by making a summary of its various contributions and by proposing further interesting research directions.

Abstract
In 1997, following the works of Klaus W. Wagner on omega-regular sets, Olivier Carton and Dominique Perrin introduced the notions of Chains and Superchains for omega-semigroups. There is a clear correspondance between the algebraic representation of each of these operations and the automata-theoretical one. Unfortunately, chains and superchains do not suffice to describe the whole Wagner hierarchy. We introduce a third notion which completes the task undertaken in Carton O., Perrin D.: "Chains and superchains for omega-rational sets, automata and semigroups" (Int. J. Alg. Comput., vol. 7, no. 7, pp. 673-695, 1997).

Abstract
As the mobile technologies and services are in constant evolution, many speculate on whether or not mobile payments will be a killer application for mobile commerce. To have a better understanding of the market, there is a need to analyze not only the technology but also the different actors that are involved. For this purpose, we propose to conduct two disruption analyses to draw the disruptiveness profile of mobile payment solutions compared to other payment instruments. Then, we try to discover what factors have hindered the technical and commercial development by using a DSS based on a multi-criteria decision making method called Electre I.

Abstract
Résumé¦Si l'impact de l'informatique ne fait généralement pas de doute, il est souvent plus problématique d'en mesurer sa valeur. Les Directeurs des Systèmes d'Information (DSI) expliquent l'absence de schéma directeur et de vision à moyen et long terme de l'entreprise, par un manque de temps et de ressources mais aussi par un défaut d'implication des directions générales et des directions financières. L'incapacité de mesurer précisément la valeur du système d'information engendre une logique de gestion par les coûts, néfaste à l'action de la DSI. Alors qu'une mesure de la valeur économique de l'informatique offrirait aux directions générales la matière leur permettant d'évaluer réellement la maturité et la contribution de leur système d'information.¦L'objectif de cette thèse est d'évaluer à la fois l'alignement de l'informatique avec la stratégie de l'entreprise, la qualité du pilotage (mesure de performance) des systèmes d'information, et enfin, l'organisation et le positionnement de la fonction informatique dans l'entreprise. La mesure de ces trois éléments clés de la gouvernance informatique a été réalisée par l'intermédiaire de deux vagues d'enquêtes successives menées en 2000/2001 (DSI) et 2002/2003 (DSI et DG) en Europe francophone (Suisse Romande, France, Belgique et Luxembourg).¦Abstract¦The impact of Information Technology (IT) is today a clear evidence to company stakeholders. However, measuring the value generated by IT is a real challenge. Chief Information Officers (CIO) explain the absence of solid IT Business Plans and clear mid/long term visions by a lack of time and resources but also by a lack of involvement of business senior management (e.g. CEO and CFO). Thus, being not able to measure the economic value of IT, the CIO will have to face the hard reality of permanent cost pressures and cost reductions to justify IT spending and investments. On the other side, being able to measure the value of IT would help CIO and senior business management to assess the maturity and the contribution of the Information System and therefore facilitate the decision making process.¦The objective of this thesis is to assess the alignment of IT with the business strategy, to assess the quality of measurement of the Information System and last but not least to assess the positioning of the IT organisation within the company. The assessment of these three key elements of the IT Governance was established with two surveys (first wave in 2000/2001 for CIO, second wave in 2002/2003 for CIO and CEO) in Europe (French speaking countries namely Switzerland, France, Belgium and Luxembourg).

Abstract
In large-scale negotiation problems and in assessments of complex and uncertain environments, it is vital to analyze the different stakeholders involved and to evaluate their positions in the negotiations. This paper extends a model, which merges previous multi-issue and actor-focused methods, based on power relationships between stakeholders and their ability to bargain in order to increase their utility. The model has already used for assessing a public WLAN landscape. The paper emphasizes the dynamic application of the model we developed for experimenting the negotiation evolution, shifting positions on some issues, and exchanging positions between actors. We also claim that such forecasting analyses of negotiation landscapes can be significantly improved using more appropriate visualization support. We propose new visualization tools for analyzing negotiation outcomes, representing negotiation landscapes, and applying what-if simulations, using passive influence, expected outcome and dissatisfaction, power distribution, proximity, and negotiation maps.

Abstract
Ce diplôme présente les marchés prédictifs, qui sont un moyen d'agréger l'information en utilisant les processus à la base des marchés financiers et en proposant des contrats à termes représentant la probabilité de survenance d'une proposition. Des publications dans le domaine de la finance, du management ou de l'informatique font référence à l'utilisation des marchés prédictifs et démontrent les bons résultats obtenus par cette méthode. Nous nous sommes demandé s'il était possible de concevoir et utiliser un tel marché dans un milieu académique, pour prédire l'émergence de nouvelles théories et applications dans le domaine des communications mobiles. Pour supporter notre réflexion, nous avons mis en place un prototype qui devrait pouvoir nous permettre de tester le concept, d'étudier les fonctions de calcul de prix et les mécanismes d'agrégation de l'information.¦Pour débuter, nous présentons l'état de l'art en nous appuyant sur la littérature parue depuis 1988 lorsque l'University of Iowa a lancé sa plate-forme Iowa Electronic Market (IEM) dans le cadre de l'élection présidentielle Bush-Dukakis. Depuis, plusieurs chercheurs se sont penchés sur les marchés prédictifs comme instrument de prévision dans de nombreux domaines: politique, sport, cinéma, marketing, ... Nous allons comparer les marchés prédictifs à d'autres outils de prévision puis nous présenterons en détail les marchés prédictifs ainsi qu'un essai d'en formaliser les spécifications. Nous illustrerons alors ceci par des exemples tirés des principales plates-formes en activité pour le moment. S'ensuit une discussion sur l'orientation ludique des plates-formes actuelles et une présentation des utilisations que l'on pourrait en faire et qui apporteraient un réel bénéfice.¦Nous nous penchons alors sur l'analyse des besoins tant de l'expérimentateur que des utilisateurs. Cherchant des raisons à l'absence totale de telles plates-formes dans le cadre de la recherche, nous avons mené une série d'entretiens avec des professeurs de l'EPFL engagés dans la direction du projet MICS. Leurs réticences et craintes ont été prises en compte pour la définition des spécifications du prototype. Nous utilisons la méthode de (Spann and Skiera 2003) pour définir les spécifications de la plate-forme. Ces spécifications comprennent le choix du but prévisionnel, qui dans notre cas découle directement de notre proposition de recherche, des mécanismes financiers à la base des transactions, ainsi que des moyens incitatifs mis en place pour amener les utilisateurs à utiliser la plate-forme et surtout, pour amener les plus éclairés d'entre eux à transmettre leurs informations au marché. Ces spécifications débouchent sur la présentation de quatre cas d'utilisation.¦Notre objectif étant de développer un prototype pour y tester nos hypothèses, nous faisons un tour d'horizon des plates-formes à disposition et présentons l'architecture de ce dernier, basé sur les développements à la base d'USIFEX, qui n'est plus en activité depuis quatre ans. Le prototype utilise la souplesse de la programmation objet en se basant sur le langage Python dans sa version 2.3. Nous nous attardons ensuite sur la présentation de l'interface du prototype et des interactions avec les utilisateurs. Il faudra par la suite s'attacher à refondre l'interface pour le faire évoluer vers plus de convivialité, et nous permettre de guider l'utilisateur lors de ses sessions sur la plate-forme.¦Les parties théoriques et logicielles sous toit il nous reste encore à décrire les contrats et la manière de les formuler. A nouveau nous nous penchons sur les marchés actuels pour y tirer des enseignements qui pourraient nous être utiles. N'ayant malheureusement pas fait l'objet de publications, la définition des contrats est intimement liée avec les auteurs qui les rédigent. Nous tentons de tirer quelques enseignements provenant des contrats actifs sur les marchés des matières premières pour proposer un cadre nous permettant de formaliser la rédaction d'un contrat. Ne s'agissant que d'une proposition, il faudra encore tester et compléter ce cadre pour pouvoir s'assurer que la manière de rédiger les contrats n'influence pas sur la pertinence des prédictions.¦Finalement, nous esquissons les travaux qu'il reste à accomplir avant de pouvoir mener les premiers tests réels de la plate-forme. De la formulation des contrats à l'étude des mécanismes combinatoires d'agrégation de l'information en passant par les fonctions de fixation du prix. Nous revenons sur les travaux effectués dans le cadre de ce diplôme et présentons quelques idées de recherche futures.

Abstract
This paper aims to clarify the concept of business models, its usages, and its roles in the Information Systems domain. A review of the literature shows a broad diversity of understandings, usages, and places in the firm. The paper identifies the terminology or ontology used to describe a business model, and compares this terminology with previous work. Then the general usages, roles and potential of the concept are outlined. Finally, the connection between the business model concept and Information Systems is described in the form of eight propositions to be analyzed in future work.

Abstract
In strategic prospective, scenario thinking and negotiation processes, the analysis of the actor game plays an important role. Such an analysis intends to rank the stakeholders? positions on many strategic issues, assess the convergences and divergences, and anticipates coalitions and conflicts. Many models and tools have been proposed and used which rest on matrix analysis, game theory and simulation. The paper examines two of them: Mactor, a model of scenario planning, and a negotiation model derived from a game theory based political decision model. The paper detects their flaws, similarities and differences. Based on this comparison, the paper proposes a new model, called MASAM, with the advantages of both, but without their detected flaws. The model and its associated tool have been applied for assessing the public WLAN landscape. The paper sketches the first results which have to be integrated in a more sophisticated scenario analysis.

Abstract
La thèse essaie de montrer comment il est possible d'offrir une implémentation fonctionnelle d'un agent doté d'une conscience (psychologique). Une première étape étudie les différentes approches, définitions et théories de la conscience proposées par la littérature. Cette étude dégage plus particulièrement un modèle psychologique qui offre une modélisation des fonctionnalités de la conscience, de ses éléments constitutifs et des relations entre ces éléments. Cet effort de formalisation permet d'identifier les corrélations computionnelles du modèle ouvrant ainsi la voie à une implémentation fonctionnelle de la conscience. Une seconde étape réuni les outils et méthodes informatiques existants en vue de procéder à une telle implémentation. En particulier, celle-ci repose sur un modèle de communication permettant d'élaborer une machine virtuelle basée sur des processus concurrents synchronisés. La troisième étape consiste à implémenter les corrélations computationnelles dont l'une est une fonction de délibération qui, après une analyse itérative de son état et de son environnement (machine à état), aboutit à la sélection d'une action. Une deuxième fonction est la formation de contextes, autrement dit l'apprentissage d'automatismes, consistant à compiler la délibération. Cette compilation s'opère grâce à un processus concurrent reflétant le processus de délibération, dotant ainsi l'agent de la capacité d'observer son propre fonctionnement. La thèse se conclut en proposant quelques axes de recherches et d'applications futures susceptibles de prolonger le travail.

Abstract
The goal of this dissertation is to find and provide the basis for a managerial tool that allows a firm to easily express its business logic. The methodological basis for this work is design science, where the researcher builds an artifact to solve a specific problem. In this case the aim is to provide an ontology that makes it possible to explicit a firm's business model. In other words, the proposed artifact helps a firm to formally describe its value proposition, its customers, the relationship with them, the necessary intra- and inter-firm infrastructure and its profit model. Such an ontology is relevant because until now there is no model that expresses a company's global business logic from a pure business point of view. Previous models essentially take an organizational or process perspective or cover only parts of a firm's business logic. The four main pillars of the ontology, which are inspired by management science and enterprise- and processmodeling, are product, customer interface, infrastructure and finance. The ontology is validated by case studies, a panel of experts and managers. The dissertation also provides a software prototype to capture a company's business model in an information system. The last part of the thesis consists of a demonstration of the value of the ontology in business strategy and Information Systems (IS) alignment.¦Structure of this thesis:¦The dissertation is structured in nine parts:¦Chapter 1 presents the motivations of this research, the research methodology with which the goals shall be achieved and why this dissertation present a contribution to research.¦Chapter 2 investigates the origins, the term and the concept of business models. It defines what is meant by business models in this dissertation and how they are situated in the context of the firm. In addition this chapter outlines the possible uses of the business model concept.¦Chapter 3 gives an overview of the research done in the field of business models and enterprise ontologies.¦Chapter 4 introduces the major contribution of this dissertation: the business model ontology. In this part of the thesis the elements, attributes and relationships of the ontology are explained and described in detail.¦Chapter 5 presents a case study of the Montreux Jazz Festival which's business model was captured by applying the structure and concepts of the ontology. In fact, it gives an impression of how a business model description based on the ontology looks like.¦Chapter 6 shows an instantiation of the ontology into a prototype tool: the Business Model Modelling Language BM2L. This is an XML-based description language that allows to capture and describe the business model of a firm and has a large potential for further applications.¦Chapter 7 is about the evaluation of the business model ontology. The evaluation builds on literature review, a set of interviews with practitioners and case studies.¦Chapter 8 gives an outlook on possible future research and applications of the business model ontology. The main areas of interest are alignment of business and information technology IT/information systems IS and business model comparison. Finally, chapter 9 presents some conclusions.

Abstract
Abstract:¦Genetic programming is a machine learning technique to automatically create computer programs from high-level specifications of a problem. It achieves this goal by genetically breeding a population of computer pro-grams using the principles of Darwinian natural selection and biologically inspired operations. Selection is obtained by attaching to each program a fitness value, which quantifies how well it solves the problem. In spite of the numerous practical successes of genetic programming and the good quality of theory that has been developed until nowadays, some unsolved problems persist. In synthesis: metodologies to predict, or to measure, the difficulty of problems have not been developed yet (i.e. no technique to measure the capability of genetic programming to find good solutions for a given problem exists) and genetic programming is, in general, a slow and resource consuming process. Proposing solutions to these problems is the guiding thread of this thesis.¦Two measures of problem difficulty are presented: fitness distance cor-relation (based on the idea that what makes a problem difficult or easy for genetic programming is the relationship between fitness and distance to the goal) and negative slope coefficient (which quantifies some aspects of evolvability, i.e. the ability of genetic operators to produce offsprings that are fitter than their parents). These measures are based on statistical sampling of the search space. Both of them succeed in correctly measuring the dif-ficulty of a wide range of different problems. Advantages and drawbacks of these measures are discussed in depth. Furthermore, a discussion of the concept of fitness landscape, on which these two measures are inspired, is proposed.¦Among the main causes of inefficiency of genetic programming, one may mention: premature convergence (or the tendecy to produce populations in which all the individuals have similar characteristics), bloat (or progressive individuals' code growth) and the fact that fitness evaluation often requires¦the execution of programs on many different input data (known as fitness cases). This thesis shows how distributing individuals into separate communicating subpopulations naturally counteracts premature convergence and bloat, allowing genetic programming to find solutions of better quality, more quickly. The advantage of parallelizing genetic programming is twofold: on the one hand it enables to achieve time savings by distributing the computational effort on a set of calculating agents, on the other hand, the parallel setting offers benefits from the algorithmic point of view, in analogy with the natural parallel evolution of spatially distributed populations. Furthermore, techniques to dynamically tune the size of populations, and to limit the number of fitness cases to be tested, in order to save computational effort, are proposed.¦Version Abrégée¦La programmation génétique est une technique du domaine de l'apprentissage artificiel ("machine learning"). Elle permet de créer automatiquement des programmes à partir d'une spécification de haut niveau d'un problème. Elle réalise cet objectif à l'aide d'une population de programmes qui évolue en utilisant les principes de la sélection naturelle darwinienne et des opérateurs inspirés par la Biologie. La sélection est obtenue en attachant à chaque programme une valeur de fitness, qui mesure à quel point ce programme résout le problème. Malgré les succès indéniables de la programmation génétique, quelques problèmes non résolus demeurent. En résumé: aucune méthodologie permettant de prévoir ou de mesurer la difficulté des problèmes n'a encore été développée (ce qui signifie qu'aucune technique n'existe à l'heure actuelle pour mesurer la capacité de la programmation génétique à trouver de bonnes solutions pour un problème donné). Par ailleurs, la programmation génétique reste, en général, un processus lent qui utilise beaucoup de ressources. Ce travail vise à apporter des solutions à ces problèmes.¦Deux mesures de difficulté des problèmes sont présentées: la corrélation distance-fitness (basée sur l'idée que ce qui rend un problème difficile ou facile pour la programmation génétique c'est le rapport entre le fitness et la distance au but) et le coefficient de pente négative (qui mesure quelques aspects du processus de l'évolution, c'est-à-dire la capacité des opérateurs génétiques à produire des fils qui ont un fitness meilleur que leurs parents). Ces mesures sont basées sur des échantillons statistiques de l'espace de recherche. Elles réussissent toutes deux à mesurer correctement la difficulté de problèmes de nature différente. Les avantages et les inconvénients de ces mesures sont discutés en détails. En outre, la thèse présente une discussion sur le concept de paysage de fitness, sur lequel ces deux mesures sont basées.¦Parmi les principales causes de l'inefficacité de la programmation génétique, on peut mentionner: la convergence prématurée (ou la tendance à produire des populations dans lesquelles tous les individus ont des caractéristiques semblables), le "bloat" (ou croissance progressive du code des individus) et le fait que l'évaluation du fitness exige souvent l'exécution de programmes sur des données d'entrée très différentes (connues sous le nom de "cas de fitness"). Cette thèse montre que la répartition des individus en sous-populations qui communiquent entre elles empêche naturellement la convergence prématurée et le "bloat", permettant ainsi à la programmation génétique de trouver des solutions de meilleure qualité et plus rapidement. L'avantage consistant à paralléliser la programmation génétique est double: il permet un gain de temps en distribuant l'effort de calcul sur un ensemble de processeurs différents, par ailleurs, les systèmes de programmation génétique parallèles offrent des avantages du point de vue algorithmique. Il suffit de se référer à l'évolution naturelle des populations d'êtres vivants, dans lesquelles le parallélisme est implicite. Enfin, cette thèse propose des techniques pour ajuster dynamiquement la taille des populations et pour limiter le nombre de cas de fitness à examiner, afin d'économiser du temps de calcul.

Abstract
The m-business landscape never stops to change and the impacts on the mobile market are constant as players reposition themselves on the market according to the new opportunities and threats brought by rapid technological developments. This paper provides a conceptual tool to better understand this player arena and its objective is threefold. The first one is to analyze the role of the key actors using ontology for defining and assessing their business models. The second objective is to analyze and visualize the interaction of actors with each other from a value system perspective. The final objective is to evaluate and represent the dependencies of the actors, their strategies and their convergence or divergence on different issues by using an approach borrowed from policy making.

Abstract
Twenty years ago, Klaus. W. Wagner came up with a hierarchy of omega-regular sets that actually bears his name. It turned out to be exactly the Wadge hierarchy of the sets of omega-words recognized by deterministic finite automata. We describe the Wadge hierarchy of context-free omega-languages, which stands as an extension of Wagner's work from automata to pushdown automata.

Abstract
Given well ordered countable sets of the form $\lamphi$, we consider Borel mappings from $\lamphiom$ with countable image inside the ordinals. The ordinals and $\lamphiom$ are respectively equipped with the discrete topology and the product of the discrete topology on $\lamphi$. The Steel well-ordering on such mappings is defined by $\phi\minf\psi$ iff there exists a continuous function $f$ such that $\phi(x)\leq\psi\circ f(x)$ holds for any $x\in\lamphiom$. It induces a hierarchy of mappings which we give a complete description of. We provide, for each ordinal $\alpha$, a mapping $\T\alpha$ whose rank is precisely $\alpha$ in this hierarchy and we also compute the height of the hierarchy restricted to mappings with image bounded by $\alpha$. These mappings being viewed as partitions of the reals, there is, in most cases, a unique distinguished element of the partition. We analyze the relation between its topological complexity and the rank of the mapping in this hierarchy.

Abstract
Composantes d'une démarche qualité - Esprit et objectifs d'un Système qualité

Abstract
The m-business landscape never stops to change and the impacts on the mobile market are constant as players reposition themselves on the market according to the new opportunities and threats brought by rapid technological developments. This paper provides a conceptual tool to better understand this player arena and its objective is threefold. The first one is to analyse the role of the key actors using an ontology for defining and assessing their business models. The second objective is to analyse and visualize the interaction of actors with each other from a value system perspective. The final objective is to evaluate and represent the dependencies of the actors, their strategies and their convergence or divergence on different issues by using an approach borrowed from policy making.

Abstract
?Business model? is one of the latest buzzwords in the Internet and electronic business world. This paper has the ambition to give this term a more rigorous content. The objective is threefold. The first one is to propose a theoretical e-business model framework for doing business in the Internet era. The second one is to propose a multi-dimensional classification-scheme for eBusiness Models, as opposed to the actual tendency in academic literature to use two-dimensional classifications. The final objective is to define critical success factors, based on a field study in order to find out and compare the performance indicators used by e-business firms which are competing with similar businesses models.

Abstract
Dans le cadre de ce travail de thèse intitulé, nous avons étudié les impacts des nouvelles technologies de l?information et de la communication sur les administrations publiques. Notre objectif principal était de modéliser un guichet virtuel puis d?en implémenter un prototype. Nous avons donc dans un premier temps étudié une sélection de réalisations internationales et suisses dans le domaine, ainsi que des travaux de recherche visant à développer des modèles pour un état électronique. Nous avons ensuite travaillé sur la base des résultats d?une enquête de terrain menée au sein d?une administration cantonale et auprès de citoyens. Ces données de base nous ont permis de définir un modèle de guichet virtuel, qui couvre les aspects statiques et dynamiques d?un tel système. Enfin nous avons utilisé le modèle abstrait pour définir l?architecture théorique de notre prototype de guichet virtuel, avant d?effectuer certains choix technologiques et de l?implémenter.

Abstract
Faced with increased pressure to reduce costs companies in every industry are placing emphasis on procurement as it represents the single largest expense at most organization [1]. Procurement can mainly be performed in three ways: through catalogs, auction or request for proposals. RFPs are seen as the most effective way to identify the price of non-standardized goods but also as a time consuming and costly process. E-Commerce solutions are being developed to help reduce inheriting coordination costs as well as to increase competition among suppliers. In this later case, results are however not as brilliant as one could foresee in comparison with the millions of companies using the web on a daily basis. This paper reviews evaluation mechanisms and reputation indexes. It also presents the solution retained to help companies minimizing their business risk by developing a collective memory that will be shareable among and outside the organization to help find new suppliers and evaluate current ones.

Abstract
Une expérience précoce (1996) d'utilisation d'un site Web (version 1) dédié et conçu spécifiquement pour le soutien des activités dans le cas d'un enseignement présentiel

Abstract
In this paper we demonstrate why executives and academics should consider thinking about e-business models. We show that the business model concept is an interesting tool for understanding, designing, sharing, measuring, changing and even simulating businesses. Based on an extensive review of e-business and business model literature we develop an e-business model ontology. This ontology defines the concepts in e-business models and the relationships between them and shall be the foundation for a variety of management tools that facilitate business decisions. Our e-business model ontology outlines what value a company offers to which customer segments. It describes the architecture of the firm and its network of partners for creating, marketing and delivering value and relationship capital, in order to generate profitable and sustainable revenue streams.

Abstract
After explaining why business executives and academics should consider thinking about a rigorous approach to e-business models, we introduce a new e-Business Model Ontology. Using the concept of business models can help companies understand, communicate and share, change, measure, simulate and learn more about the different aspects of e-business in their firm. The generic e-Business Model Ontology (a rigorous definition of the e-business issues and their interdependencies in a company?s business model), which we outline in this paper is the foundation for the development of various useful tools for e-business management and IS Requirements Engineering. The e-Business Model Ontology is based on an extensive literature review and describes the logic of a ?business system? for creating value in the Internet era. It is composed of four main pillars, which are product innovation, infrastructure management, customer relationship and financials. These elements are then further decomposed.

Abstract
Dans cet article nous commençons par l?intérêt à utiliser des approches formelles pour décrire des ebusiness modèles. En effet, le concept de business modèle permet aux différents acteurs de comprendre, de communiquer et partager, de modifier, de mesurer et de simuler les différents aspects du e-business dans leurs entreprises. Pour ce faire, nous proposons une ontologie d?e-business modèles. Cette ontologie permet d?envisager une panoplie d?outils logiciels pour la gestion d?entreprise, la conception des processus business et la spécification des systèmes d?information. L?ontologie proposée décrit la logique d?un « système business » pour créer de la valeur à l?ère d?Internet ; son développement est basé sur une analyse exhaustive de la littérature dans ce domaine. Elle est formée de quatre piliers qui sont l?« innovation produit », la « gestion de l?infrastructure », la « relation client » et les « aspects financiers ». Ces éléments sont à leurs tours formés de composants plus spécifiques.

Abstract
The m-business landscape never stops to change and the impacts on the mobile market are constant as players reposition themselves on the market according to the new opportunities and threats brought by rapid technological developments. This paper proposes a conceptual tool to better understand this player arena. Its objective is to provide the researchers with an ontology for analyzing and assessing the business models adopted by these players.

Abstract
The primary goal of the ARIADNE project, supported by the European Commission, is to foster share and reuse of digital pedagogical material. For this purpose, a Europe-wide repository of reusable pedagogical documents, called the Knowledge Pool System (KPS) has been set up. One of the key features of the KPS is the underlying metadata specification, which has been used in extensive experiments. The ARIADNE metadata scheme includes both mandatory and optional elements, and is at the basis of the emerging Learning Objects Metadata standard, developed by the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee. This article presents the ARIADNE metadata scheme and discusses ARIADNE tools developed to support metadata authoring and indexing, database querying, and course development activities. A discussion of the ARIADNE community's experience is also presented.

Abstract
The authors discuss Garf object-oriented tool that supports the design and programming of reliable distributed applications. Garf lets developers program an application and then replicate its critical components over several machines. Using a built-in library of distributed abstractions, developers can choose a replication strategy for each component of the application.