The rapid evolution of the DiffServ framework in our days has provided the means for efficient QoS provisioning over contemporary IP networks. The provisioning of services according to the DiffServ framework has in turn raised the requirements for pricing mechanisms that preserve the potential and flexibility of the DiffServ framework. At the same time, such mechanisms should reflect resource u...

In this paper we explore the idea that by combining different sources of information in a hospital environment, valuable e-services can be developed for reducing cost and improving quality of service. Companies, like Philips Medical Systems, may have a competitive advantage, because they have a large installed base which may provide valuable information already, and because they can change thei...

Providing guaranteed QoS necessarily requires allocation of scarce resources. It is conceivable that at least at system edges scarcity of resources, exposed in the form of non-negligible (virtual) costs, will prevail to necessitate explicit allocation of resources as opposed to pure overdimensioning. An example of this logic is constituted by the Differentiated Services (DiffServ) architecture....

Although e-service quality (e-SQ) is vital for online purchases and loyalty, and the Internet is globalizing services, limited knowledge exists regarding the impact of Web users’ cultural profiles on their perceptions of e-SQ. Within the tourism industry, this is crucial as Web sites target multicultural users and firms are trying to develop localized Web stores. This study addresses this gap b...

Future international military operations will be more complex than traditional operations undertaken by just one nation; military units from different nations will have to cooperate with not only with each other but also with local governments and civil organizations in order to reach common goals and to ensure a shared understanding of each other’s task and domain responsibility. One character...

We describe steps required for realizing QoS for the metro Ethernet services, including classification of Customer-VLAN (C-VLAN) traffic, relevant traffic contract specifications per C-VLAN at the User to Network Interface (UNI), appropriate buffer management and scheduling of the queues at the nodes, and admission control and traffic engineering geared towards multipoint services. General func...

With the shift to a service-oriented architecture, goals concerning the IT of an organization, such as an increased flexibility and maintainability, are expected to be attained. For this purpose, the building blocks of the serviceoriented architecture, the services, have to be designed that certain quality attributes, such as loose coupling or autonomy, are fulfilled. Existing design processes ...