A hybrid reputation model based on the use of organizations

Abstract

In this paper we present a hybrid reputation model focused on organizational structures that attempts to solve problems associated with both centralized and decentralized reputation models. Agents in our approach are able not only to evaluate the behavior of others and store reputations values but also to send such information to a centralized mechanism and ask for reputations to this one and to other agents. The main objective of our approach is to allow agents to reason about the reputation values that they receive. Therefore, together with the reputation values, agents store and send information about norms violated and fulfilled and about the facts that contributed to such behavior. Furthermore, this model provides two different types of reputations, as service provider that is related to the behavior of an agent while providing a service to other agents and as reputation source that is related to the behavior of an agent while providing reputation of others. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2009.