Title: A fuzzy approach to value-based service contract selection

Authors: Marco Comerio; Leo Iaquinta; Maria Alessandra Torsello

Addresses: Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication, University of Milano-Bicocca, Viale Sarca, 336-20126 Milano, Italy ' Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication, University of Milano-Bicocca, Viale Sarca, 336-20126 Milano, Italy ' Department of Informatics, Systems and Communication, University of Milano-Bicocca, Viale Sarca, 336-20126 Milano, Italy

Abstract: Service contract matchmaking tools support customers in accurate service selection. Basically, these tools rank services according to the degree of match between explicit customer preferences and contractual terms offered by service providers. However, the usage of such tools assumes that a customer is aware of the contractual terms and that he/she is able to specify preferences on them. Actually, customers often specify preferences only on a limited set of well-known terms. This paper describes an approach to service contract selection that adopts the value in use concept to quantify the trade-off between benefits and sacrifices related to contractual terms on which the customer has omitted to specify preferences. Fuzzy logic is used to evaluate benefits and sacrifices, and the relevance that customers attribute to specific contractual terms is considered to quantify the value in use. Experimental activities in the car insurance domain demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the approach.

Keywords: service contracts; service value; service selection; fuzzy evaluation; non-functional property; NFP; service contract selection; fuzzy logic; contractual terms; car insurance; customer awareness.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSTM.2014.068843

International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 2014 Vol.20 No.4/5/6, pp.175 - 198

Received: 08 Jan 2014
Accepted: 25 May 2014
Published online: 30 Apr 2015 *

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