Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Paper on Standardization Activities accepted at the WEB 2009

Paper Title: Analyzing Processes behind Web Service Standards Development

Abstract:
Anticipatory standards such as Web service standards are artifacts ‘designed’ by consortium-based standards development organizations. Intricate processes followed to develop anticipatory standards are not well-understood. Recently, the D-S-N model was developed to explain these processes, and suggested that these processes contain cycles of design (D), sense-making (S), and negotiation (N) activities. In this paper, we provide an initial report of a case study that empirically analyzes archival documents of SOAP standard development. Our findings reveal that the D-S-N model is applicable to the Web service standardization process followed at W3C but this model provides only partial explanation of the process, and that design and sense-making are the core activities of the process. Our findings also show that participants spent most of their time discussing technical issues and identifying action items to be performed, large organizations dominated the process, and negotiation is the least frequent activity.

Authors: Karthikeyan Umapathy, Sandeep Purao, and John Bagby

Conference Link: http://www.som.buffalo.edu/isinterface/Web09/

Paper on W3C Standardization Process accepted at the AIS SIGPrag 2009

Paper Title: An Investigation of W3C Standardization Processes Using Rational Discourse

Abstract:
Standards, in particular Web standards, have become critical and complex information technologies as they influence our everyday activities. Standards making is a social practice where in experts engage in discussions to develop standards by weighing various alternative design solutions. Processes followed to develop these standards and how decisions for core features are made is not well understood. In this paper, we drawn on concepts of rational discourse described by Habermas to examine whether processes followed at W3C meets requirements of rational discourse. Our investigation shows that processes followed at W3C do exhibit an approximation of rational discourse, while some concerns exist.

Conference Link: http://www.sigprag.org/phoenix_2009.html