Bøger af Yahiko Kambayashi

For more than 20 years, the series of Conceptual Modeling - ER conferences has provided a forum for research communities and practitioners to present and - change research results and practical experiences in the ?elds of database design and conceptual modeling. Throughout the years, the scope of these conferences has extended from database design and speci?c topics of that area to more u- versal or re?ned conceptual modeling, organizing originally weak or ill-structured information or knowledge in more cultured ways by applying various kinds of principles, abstract models, and theories, for di?erent purposes. At the same time, many technically oriented approaches have been developed which aim to facilitate the implementation of rather advanced conceptual models. Conceptual modeling is based on the process of conceptualization, and it is the core of system structuring as well as justi?cation for information systems development. It supports and facilitates the understanding, explanation, pred- tion, and reasoning on information and knowledge, and their manipulation in the systems, in addition to understanding and designing the functions of the systems. The conceptualization process aims at constructing concepts relevant for the knowledge and information system in question. Concepts in the human mind and concept descriptions in computerized information systems are quite di?erent things by nature, but both should be taken into account in conceptual modeling. Usually concept descriptions are properly observed, but concepts in the human mind and their properties are often neglected quite carelessly.

The objective of the workshops associated with ER 2001, the 20th International Con- rence on Conceptual Modeling, was to give participants the opportunity to present and discuss emerging hot topics, thus adding new perspectives to conceptual modeling. This, the 20th ER conference, the ?rst of the 21st century, was also the ?rst one in Japan. The conference was held on November 27-30, 2001 at Yokohama National University with 192 participants from 31 countries. ER 2001 encompasses the entire spectrum of c- ceptual modeling, from theoretical aspects to implementations, including fundamentals, applications, and software engineering. In particular, ER 2001 emphasized e-business and reengineering. To meet this objective, we selected the following four topics and planned four international workshops: - International Workshop on Conceptual Modeling of Human/Organizational/Social Aspects of Manufacturing Activities (HUMACS 2001) Manufacturing enterprises have to confront a host of demands. The competitive climate, enhanced by communication and knowledge sharing, will require incr- singly rapid responses to market forces. Customer demands for higher quality, better services, and lower cost will force manufacturers to reach new levels of ?exibility and adaptability. Sophisticated customers will demand products customized to meet their needs. Industries have so far sought to cope with these challenges primarily through advances in traditional capital by installing more powerful hardware and software technology. Attention to the role of humans combined with organizational and social schemes in manufacturing has only been marginal. The workshop HUMACS 2001 aimed to challenge the relevance of this last point.