Logic as a Power Tool to Model Negotiation Mechanisms in the Semantic Web Era

The key theme of our research is the modeling of multi-attribute negotiation scenarios with the aid of logic languages, going from very simple (and not so expressive) languages as propositional logic up to more expressive logics, such as Description Logics (DLs). The approach to multi-attribute negotiation we are investigating on exploits logic languages at least in two ways: (1) to model, through an ontology, relations between attributes to be negotiated and (2) to characterize buyer and seller preferences. Some of the advantages of such an approach are intuitive: the possibility to model disjontness, implication, utilities on bundle of issues are all useful in settings where negotiation is not limited to undifferentiated goods but is based on complex descriptions that require adequate negotiation mechanisms to produce —in an automated way— fair deals. The research problem is both challenging and very timely for the Semantic Web initiative, because of the undeniable importance of e-commerce and negotiation over the Web and because Description Logics are at the core of Semantic Web languages. Indeed, many recent research efforts have been focused on automated negotiation in various contexts, including e-marketplaces, resource allocation settings, online auctions, supply chain management and, generally speaking, e-business processes. We think that, as it will be outlined in the next sections, DLs can be the pivotal tool in modeling negotiation mechanisms in the tumultuous Semantic Web arena.