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Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies 244
Alfred Zimmermann
Robert J. Howlett
Lakhmi C. Jain
Rainer Schmidt Editors
Human Centred
Intelligent
Systems
Proceedings of KES-HCIS 2021
Conference
123
Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies
Volume 244
Series Editors
Robert J. Howlett, Bournemouth University and KES International,
Shoreham-by-sea, UK
Lakhmi C. Jain, KES International, Shoreham-by-Sea, UK
The Smart Innovation, Systems and Technologies book series encompasses the
topics of knowledge, intelligence, innovation and sustainability. The aim of the
series is to make available a platform for the publication of books on all aspects of
single and multi-disciplinary research on these themes in order to make the latest
results available in a readily-accessible form. Volumes on interdisciplinary research
combining two or more of these areas is particularly sought.
The series covers systems and paradigms that employ knowledge and
intelligence in a broad sense. Its scope is systems having embedded knowledge
and intelligence, which may be applied to the solution of world problems in
industry, the environment and the community. It also focusses on the knowledge-
transfer methodologies and innovation strategies employed to make this happen
effectively. The combination of intelligent systems tools and a broad range of
applications introduces a need for a synergy of disciplines from science,
technology, business and the humanities. The series will include conference
proceedings, edited collections, monographs, handbooks, reference books, and
other relevant types of book in areas of science and technology where smart
systems and technologies can offer innovative solutions.
High quality content is an essential feature for all book proposals accepted for the
series. It is expected that editors of all accepted volumes will ensure that
contributions are subjected to an appropriate level of reviewing process and adhere
to KES quality principles.
Indexed by SCOPUS, EI Compendex, INSPEC, WTI Frankfurt eG, zbMATH,
Japanese Science and Technology Agency (JST), SCImago, DBLP.
All books published in the series are submitted for consideration in Web of
Science.
Editors
123
Editors
Alfred Zimmermann Robert J. Howlett
Reutlingen University ‘Aurel Vlaicu’ University of Arad, Romania,
Reutlingen, Germany Bournemouth University and KES
International Research
Lakhmi C. Jain Shoreham-by-sea, UK
KES International
Shoreham-by-Sea, UK Rainer Schmidt
Munich University of Applied Sciences
Munich, Germany
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license
to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the Publisher, whether
the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse of
illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and
transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar
or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from
the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this
book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the
authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained
herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard
to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Preface
v
vi Preface
We are satisfied with the quality of the program and would like to thank the
authors for choosing KES-HCIS 2021 as a forum for presentation of their work.
Also, we gratefully acknowledge the hard work of the members of the international
program committee and the organization team.
Alfred Zimmermann
Rainer Schmidt
Robert J. Howlett
Lakhmi C. Jain
Organization
Honorary Chairs
General Chairs
Alfred Zimmermann Reutlingen University, Germany
Rainer Schmidt Munich University of Applied Sciences,
Germany
Executive Chair
Robert J. Howlett ‘Aurel Vlaicu’ University of Arad, Romania
and Bournemouth University, UK
Program Chairs
Yoshimasa Masuda Carnegie Mellon University, USA,
and Keio University, Japan
Abdellah Chehri University of Quebec & Ottawa, Canada
vii
viii Organization
xi
xii Contents
xv
xvi About the Editors
Lakhmi C. Jain received his Ph.D., M.E., B.E.(Hons) from the University of
Technology Sydney, Australia, and Liverpool Hope University, UK, and is Fellow
of Engineers Australia. Professor Jain serves the KES International for providing a
professional community the opportunities for publications, knowledge exchange,
cooperation, and teaming. Involving around 5,000 researchers drawn from uni-
versities and companies worldwide, KES facilitates international cooperation and
generates synergy in teaching and research. KES regularly provides networking
opportunities for professional community through one of the largest conferences of
its kind in the area of KES.
1 Introduction
Digitization and associated opportunities for companies to increase their business perfor-
mance (e.g. via online shops and mobile applications) are important topics for research
and enterprises in the digital age [5]. Accordingly, companies are offering digital or
semi-digital products and adapting their business models to the new circumstances [13].
Universities, as public enterprises, are also enhancing their digital performance [15].
To analyze digital potential and to determine measures to enhance performance, the
research project, indoor navigation with high resolution on large areas, along corri-
dors and within separate rooms (INAFeR), was initiated in 2018 by Wismar University
for the Wismar Business School together with the company DEJ Technology GmbH.
This research project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The aim
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Zimmermann et al. (Eds.): KES-HCIS 2021, SIST 244, pp. 3–12, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3264-8_1
4 T. Paetow et al.
2 Literature Review
As the INAFeR project focuses on an ultrasound-based solution for indoor navigation, the
scope of this research is non-technical, and we determined research that considers indoor
navigation services and mockups for campuses to be relevant for this research. Bearing
this in mind, we analyzed literature using the Scopus and Google Scholar databases and
the search terms “indoor navigation” and “campus”, “indoor navigation” and “mock-
up” and “indoor navigation” and “university”. Similar, Hammadi et al. [3] conducted
research for developing a wayfinding system based on NFC technology and QR codes to
identify current user locations. Of special relevance for our research in this context are
the additional functions of this application beyond navigation, namely that individuals
can be located, and contact details can be identified. The mockups produced by Ham-
madi et al. provide a function for viewing the campus map and a search function, as
well as navigation to the nearest toilet and information about parking lots. As this liter-
ature provides a clear structure concerning the mockups, it is relevant for our research.
Hadwan et al. [2] also provided an application for indoor navigation by describing the
implementation and simulation perspective using Bluetooth low-energy beacons. Their
framework generated a focus on the user functions “Searching”, “Navigation”, “Posi-
tioning” and “Settings”, which are applied in the front-end mockup. Because of the
provided functions, this investigation is also relevant for our research. Nitami et al. [7]
designed a navigation application based on a search function for room numbers that was
converted into a functional mockup. This application can also be used for navigation
within trains to find one’s seat. To facilitate the identification of destinations, we also
consider mapping using floors and rooms for orientation to be relevant. Thereby, Nitami
et al.’s routing is based on a 2D map. As an advancement to 2D navigation, Möller
et al. [6] conducted research that represents a navigation user interface that uses aug-
mented reality and virtual reality elements. Using augmented reality for navigation is
also relevant to our research and will be included in further studies.
Campus-Navigation-System Design for Universities 5
3 Method
3.1 Digital Innovation and Transformation Process – An Overview
For this research we used the Digital Innovation and Transformation Process (DITP).
The DITP is designed to support technology- and innovation-driven companies in their
change initiatives [22]. Figure 1 illustrates the different process steps.
The application of the first step DITP 1 (Analyze & Intention), has been realized
prior to this work, which was performed based on structured, participatory workshops
[10] with 62 students that were conducted in September and October 2020. In this
context, user stories [19] were generated, answering the questions in DITP 1.1 (What?),
DITP 1.2 (Who?), DITP 1.3 (How?) and DITP 1.4 (Value?) (for further explanation, see
Chapter 4.2: [21]). Thereby, four major digital goals were identified in the first step of
DITP:
Since the application of the first step has already been realized, this research focuses
on the application of the second step of the DITP. This research describes the business
model and is divided into three sub-activities: First, DITP 2.1 (Method Selection) rep-
resents the selection of the business modeling approach. Second, DITP 2.2 (Business
Modeling) provides the process for designing the solution. Third, DITP 2.3 (Documen-
tation) contains recommendations for documenting the results and highlighting the most
important parameters. The business model approach, according to [17], was used as the
basis for DITP 2, as it provides extensive support in its methodology.
6 T. Paetow et al.
During the first step, DITP 2.1 (Method Selection), the selection of the methodology for
this research was initiated in a participatory process with the respective students, focus-
ing on working towards a common goal. Prior to the workshops, the objectives were
explained to the participants until all related questions the participants were answered.
Furthermore, groups were built containing 10 students per workshop using the partici-
pative process method according to [10]. The results of the workshop are presented in
Fig. 1.
Building on this, DITP 2.2 (Business Modeling) and the activities related to business
model prototype development were initiated. In this context, the following steps are to
be conducted and are based on [11] and [18]:
• Determining the business model’s visions to generate ideas for the design of the
business model elements. The execution of those elements will then be guided by
the vision. The vision is to find a technical solution that facilitates the following:
wayfinding to POIs, rooms, and people; booking appointments and rooms; locating
parking lots and books in the library; displaying important information about POIs
(Fig. 2).
• Considering existing models in research and business to enhance business model
elements. Existing approaches serve as references for business model patterns. More-
over, existing indoor navigation solutions in research and business are considered, as
presented in Sect. 2, as are solutions from industry, for example from infsoft [4].
• Combining the determined business model visions with the advantages of exist-
ing and generic approaches to define the business model prototype. To achieve this
combination, we used the rapid prototyping process [14] for iterative steps.
• Evaluating business model prototype to measure the acceptance and to determine
improvements. In this case, we evaluated the prototype created with rapid prototyping
by administering a usability test to the target group of students, which is represented
in Sect. 5.
Based on this, objectives for the mobile application for indoor navigation were
determined in a participatory manner and are as follows:
Campus-Navigation-System Design for Universities 7
• Objective1 : Considering additional functions for the prototype and respective business
model elements by considering the results of the participatory workshops and the
identified literature.
• Objective2 : Determining synergies within the business model elements to further
improve the business prototype.
• Objective3 : Evaluation of the business model prototype to further improve it through
iterative steps and to enhance the performance.
Finally, Schallmo [11] specifies steps for the development of the business model,
and these define the DITP 2.3 (Documentation). It is necessary to define the customer,
benefit, value creation, partner, and financial dimensions. The measures for developing
the business model prototype and for specifying the primary target group, “students,”
are presented in Sect. 4.
After creating the service sitemap, DITP2.2 (Business Modeling) was initiated, and
UI mockups were designed according to the service sitemap. Figure 4 represents the UI
prototype for the start page, the search, the map, and the planner functions. The start page
also considers functional templates for g2–g4 (room booking, parking lot, and cafeteria)
that will be the subject of further research.
Consideration the research question, the UI prototype must be attractive, functional,
and user oriented. A clearly arranged start page was created that provides an overview
of the various functions of the indoor navigation application. Likewise, a personalized
welcome message is displayed based on the user’s name: in this example, the message
8 T. Paetow et al.
Fig. 4. UI Mockup start page (Level 1.1), map (Level 2.1), planner (Level 2.3), selected student
event (Level 3.2); Icons based on [12], UI Kit based on [1]
reads, “Good morning, Tom”. The start page is divided into six sub-functions. The search
engine can be used for POIs, rooms, and people at the university. The map function
provides the user the ability to scroll over an indoor map containing the floor plan of
the building, to determine their own position, or to explore the campus digitally. The
room booking function provides a form to request a room booking for the respective
university department and will be included in further research (g3). The parking lot
button provides a function for locating free parking lots (g4). The parking lot button will
be realized by using sensor technology in the Wismar University parking lot according to
[9]. The planner button is based on g2, and it reminds and navigates students according
to their timetable, with the help of an application programming interface (API), to the
student organization system, Stud.IP. The cafeteria button includes functions regarding
the meal plan and the digital wallet for the cafeteria. The favorites tab allows users
to store specific POIs, e.g., a certain room or an event. The settings tab allows profile
settings that provide extra functions for navigation, for example barrier-free navigation.
Based on the service sitemap (Fig. 3), Fig. 4 also represents the design prototype on the
second level with the main functions, map and planner. The map function displays a 2D
map (Level 2.1). By opening the map, the user’s current location is displayed. Within
the map function, one may start a search for POIs, rooms, and individuals. The results
will then be displayed on the map. For general orientation, the user can use a slider
to see the different floors of the building the individual is currently in or to explore a
building based on the results of the search. The individual can also zoom in and out. With
the planner function (Level 2.3), users can check their upcoming events. This includes
room bookings, teaching events and appointments or consultations. Once an event is
selected (Level 3.2), for example a consultation (also see Fig. 4), the user can start a
navigation process to the event. Additionally, the user can display the location (room)
of the event on the map and, if it is a consultation, can phone-call the corresponding
individual. Level 2.2 provides the aforementioned search function. After performing a
Campus-Navigation-System Design for Universities 9
search task, the user can select individual results. Figure 5 represents a visualization
of a selected person (Level 3.1). It contains a function that enables the user to book
an appointment with an individual by linking the indoor navigation application to the
campus management software via an API. Additionally, phone calls to the respective
individual can be started if the user clicks on the button. If the navigation is started using
the direction arrow next to the profile picture, then the user is redirected to Level 4.1 (see
Fig. 5). If the user starts the navigation process from the map, the search result (Level
3.1), or his planner (Level 3.2), the navigation starts (Fig. 5), and the user is redirected to
the next interface (Level 4.1). Here, the navigation starts with the help of an augmented
reality view. On the screen, directional instructions are provided with the help of arrows.
At the top of the screen, the directions are displayed as text. Navigational information is
displayed at the bottom of the screen. This information includes the expected duration
of the wayfinding process and the arrival time. The X symbol provides the possibility to
cancel the navigation. On reaching an individual, a profile photo will be displayed.
Fig. 5. UI mockup selected poi/room/person (Level 3.1), in this case result of the search (Level
2.2), AR Navigation to selected person “Wißotzki” (Level 4.1), Icons based on [12]; UI Kit based
on [1]
As for DITP 2.3 (Documentation), the main user group for campus indoor navigation
systems are students [2], but this system is also relevant for university staff, professors,
guests and service providers (e.g. parcel carriers or professional painters). The value
of such an application includes that it a) facilitates wayfinding processes for individu-
als on the campus; b) contributes to efficient time planning, as the mobile application
displays the duration until the destination is reached; c) enables comprehensive student
organization for room bookings and the arrangement of appointments or consultations;
d) facilitates the beginning of study for freshman; e) improves the appointment-making
process, as the system is linked to the campus management software, and f) facili-
tates the wayfinding process for individuals with disabilities, as the application provides
barrier-free navigation.
10 T. Paetow et al.
5 Discussion
To evaluate the appropriateness of the UI prototype as simple, attractive, clear, and effi-
cient, 12 students were interviewed. Service requirements and associated UI mockups
were tested through a qualitative survey using interviews with 13 students from Wis-
mar University in January 2021 (7 male, 6 female, age 18–27) as the first iteration of
rapid prototyping [14]. The interviewed individuals were asked about their preferences
regarding the requirements (r V1 -r V4 ). A five-point Likert scale was used to determine
the appropriateness, with values ranging from −2, for “do not agree at all,” to 0, for
“neither degree nor disagree,” to +2 for “completely agree.” The results are presented in
Table 1.
Table 1. Evaluate value requirements (rV1 –rV4 ) for next iteration of rapid prototyping.
The results of the qualitative interviews reflect that the requirements for the appli-
cation, determined through participatory workshops, seem important to the participants
due to high average values. As shown, the answers are very homogeneous, with the
largest absolute difference in terms of variance being 0.74. The survey has determined
that the requirements regarding (r V1 ) and (r V4 ) have been achieved. Furthermore, the
survey has determined the service to be attractive (r V2 ) and clear (rv3).
individuals; b) after implementing new services, such as online appointments for parking
lots, which could also be the subject of further research; and c) by other universities that
utilize this approach. For further research, the DITP 3 (Understand Capabilities) will
be conducted to determine the capability gaps of the university that could be closed due
to navigational services.
References
1. Apple Inc. Apple Design Resources. Design apps quickly and accurately by using Sketch,
Photoshop, and XD templates, guides, and other resources. https://devimages-cdn.apple.com/
design/resources/download/iOS-14-AdobeXD.dmg. Accessed 20 Jan 2021
2. Hadwan, M., Khan, R.U., Abuzanouneh, K.I.M.: Towards a smart campus for Qassim univer-
sity: an investigation of indoor navigation system. Adv. Sci. Technol. Eng. Syst. J. 5, 831–837
(2020). https://doi.org/10.25046/aj050699
3. Hammadi, O.A., Hebsi, A.A., Zemerly, M.J., et al.: Indoor localization and guidance
using portable smartphones. In: 2012 IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conferences on Web
Intelligence and Intelligent Agent Technology, pp. 337–341. IEEE (2012)
4. Infsoft GmbH Indoor Navigation. https://www.infsoft.com/solutions/application-fields/ind
oor-navigation. Accessed 29 Jan 2021
5. Laudien, S.M., Pesch, R.: Understanding the influence of digitalization on service firm busi-
ness model design: a qualitative-empirical analysis. RMS 13(3), 575–587 (2018). https://doi.
org/10.1007/s11846-018-0320-1
6. Möller, A., Kranz, M., Diewald, S., et al.: Experimental evaluation of user interfaces for visual
indoor navigation. In: Jones, M., Palanque, P., Schmidt, A., et al. (eds.) Proceedings of the
SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 3607–3616. ACM, New
York (2014)
7. Nitami, R., Suzuki, A., Murata, Y.: Development of a pedestrian navigation system without
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Navigation (IPIN), pp. 203–209. IEEE (2014)
8. Paetow, T., Wißotzki, M.: Funktionen der Campus-Indoor-Navigation-App der Hochschule
Wismar. Fortlaufende Ausarbeitung (2020). https://www.fww.hs-wismar.de/storages/hs-wis
mar/_FWW/Mitarbeiter/Wissenschaftliche_Mitarbeiter/Paetow/wirtz.pdf. Accessed 22 Jan
2021
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12 T. Paetow et al.
1 Introduction
The submission of a tax return documents is a common, partly mandatory task for many
German citizens [18, § 46] and companies [17, § 149 AO]. Today, the tax return itself
is transmitted electronically by individuals voluntarily and companies by mandatory
electronic means [17, § 87 a, b, c, d AO]. Regardless of which institution makes the
declaration, documents must often be submitted to prove the relief claimed in the tax
return [17, § 147 AO]. These proofs are often submitted in paper form, but increasingly
also in digital form. This procedure has been tried and tested, but allows for numerous
optimisations, which are made possible in particular by digitisation. The following three
optimization options should be examined with the concept:
Tax Document Types: Documents on the use of services and purchases of goods of all
kinds arrive at a single processor at the tax office. Of course, it is difficult for each type
of document, whether service or goods, to make an assessment of its usefulness for the
submitter. It would therefore be desirable if documents from different submitters (i.e.
different tax returns) on the same subject were processed by one specialist.
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Zimmermann et al. (Eds.): KES-HCIS 2021, SIST 244, pp. 13–25, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3264-8_2
14 C. Mahrt and A. Speck
Decentralized
The decentralized approach of the blockchain makes it possible to rely not only on a
monolithic data stock. Although there are different approaches to this, the most fail-safe
variant is that each participant manages one node that is synchronous with all other
nodes, which in turn can be in contact with all other nodes.
Transparent
The data in a blockchain can be displayed in a highly transparent manner. On the one
hand, all nodes can connect to each other and exchange data, on the other hand, the data
stored in the nodes can be displayed in a way that is accessible to the public.
Consensus Based
Since each node can be connected and synchronized with any other node, the distributed
ledger technology approach requires consensus that a large number of nodes recognize.
Immutable
The data in the blockchain is unchangeable. This is a principle that must not be violated
at any time. Only data may be added. An abusive addition of data can only occur if one
party controls 51%, or more, of the nodes.
Open Source
Most Blockchain software is open source and therefore readable for everyone. In
many cases the authors even allow the modification of code to adapt and optimize the
blockchain for specific cases.
Simple Anti-fraud Document Authentication Concept for Public Services 15
A blockchain, as the name suggests, works with blocks. These follow a certain structure
syntax which is divided into five parts [10]. This structure distinguishes a blockchain
and, in contrast to paragraph 2, does not have to be considered in a substituted system
component. However, the following points are relevant for the implementation of the
concept described here.
Main Data. The data in a block is a set of transactions that form the block. This data
can basically be anything. Usually, hash values or other ASCII characters are stored.
However, increasingly other common types of data can be stored, up to so-called off-
chain data blobs.
Hash of the Previous Block. When a transaction is initiated, an appropriate hash value
for the transaction is generated and propagated in the nodes network. There are some
hash value algorithms for this, but in most cases a Merkle Tree is used. The Merkle Tree
allows quite simple generation of hashes, and just as simple reading of hash operations.
Hash of the Current Block. The hash from the previous block is stored in the header
of the current block, while the main data is found in the block body. Blocks are usually
limited in size by the number of transactions.
Timestamp. A very accurate timestamp that describes when the block was created.
The Blockchain technology is commonly divided into four different types [5, 13].
The preferred variant of the blockchain for the concept described here is the Public-
Permissioned blockchain. It is able to allow only authorized users for validation, but
any user can submit queries.
3 Related Work
The Blockchain has already found its way into many areas. Especially for the verification
of documents the blockchain is a suitable technology, as the above mentioned work
shows.
Estonia: X-Road@ software based solution X-tee is the backbone of e-Estonia. Invisi-
ble yet crucial, it allows the nation’s various public and private sector e-service informa-
tion systems to link up and function in harmony. To ensure secure transfers, all outgoing
data is digitally signed and encrypted, and all incoming data is authenticated and logged1 .
EBSI: On 8 October 2019, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre invited
blockchain experts to the event Blockchain Now and Tomorrow: Assessing Multidimen-
sional Impacts of Distributed Ledger Technologies2 .
Dataport AöR: On the basis of this concept, a project is being carried out at the
public service provider Dataport A¨oR to prove the feasibility of the concept. Further
information is currently not available.
Govdigital: Dataport is also a participant in the govdigital eG. Here projects are also
carried out on the basis of blockchain technology [9], which have a similar architecture.
4 Framework Concept
For a simplified explanation of the concept, we will first consider an overview graphic
Fig. 1. The concept is based on the example of the submission of documents to a tax
office in the sense of a tax return.
As already be seen on this overview, the concept attaches great importance to a very
simple structure. This degree of simplicity has been deliberately chosen to appeal to the
largest possible group of users, especially in public administration and for citizens.
Step 1 According to Fig. 1: The process is usually initiated by the user. The user
imports a digitized or digital document using a native software application. This doc-
ument is automatically enriched by the native software application with certain meta
data such as document size, number of characters (if OCR is performed or digital docu-
ment), page number, and other optional data. The user is also prompted to add additional
metadata from the contents of the document. This allows individualization of the meta
1 https://e-estonia.com/solutions/interoperability-services/x-road/.
2 https://ec.europa.eu/cefdigital/wiki/display/CEFDIGITAL/Get+Started+EBSI.
Simple Anti-fraud Document Authentication Concept for Public Services 17
data and thus increases the security of the subsequent verification process. The native
software application then takes over the calculation of the meta data into a hash value
that meets the requirements and links it to the identity-giving address hash value of the
wallet.
The public service first authenticates itself to the keycloak service to obtain a token
for write authorization in the document data blockchain. This token is then used to enter
18 C. Mahrt and A. Speck
the document hash values under the wallet address hash value of the user. Since all values
are stored as hash values at this point in time and therefore cannot be calculated back,
data protection is also satisfied.
The important additional function of the Keycloak service is the logging of read and
write accesses to the document data blockchain. If the public service makes an entry
for a user, this is written to an existing logging chain at the same time as a token is
issued. All read accesses that are also authenticated by a token are also recorded in the
logging chain. This is used for later verification by the user or the public sector. If an
access occurs more often than necessary, this is a sign of abuse and can be detected by
the logging chain data.
Step 5 According to Fig. 1: With the successful entry in the document data blockchain,
the locking of the data is triggered for the user, for this document. Once the document has
been successfully checked and entered in the document data blockchain, the user can no
longer make changes to the document itself or to the metadata of the document and submit
it to the public sector again. A change to the data would represent a change to the hash
values and thus make it impossible to check the document for authenticity. In particular
with invoices, which were transmitted e.g. to a tax office, may not be manipulated of
course. It is essential to establish the authenticity of the document beyond doubt for all
parties involved. Deleting the documents in the native software application is of course
possible, but does not change the state of the system.
Steps 7, 8 According to Fig. 1: From this point on, the digital version of the document
is considered genuine by means of the metadata and the possibility of verification. The
document can be used in place of the original. In the same way, a tax office can always
attach previously submitted, verified invoices to the specialist procedure without the
original being presented to the citizen3 (respectively users) in the future.
Step 9, 10 According to Fig. 1: The request is usually made by an issuer. The issuer
can come from virtually any area that has a legitimate interest in the authenticity of
documents, as described in the Sect. 4.2 part. In the problem described, the tax office has
a legitimate interest in reclaiming a previously submitted invoice from the user. Since
this invoice was already available to the tax office at an earlier point in time and was
marked there after a check as genuine and entitled4 , this new check can now be avoided.
The tax office requests the invoice from the user and the user proves the status of the
invoice by the existence of the document and its verification status in the Document Data
Blockchain.
The digital version, or the authenticity data in the document data blockchain, replaces
the need to resubmit the invoice with a simple check.
3 Citizens are also users at the same time. For the sake of continuity, it will therefore be referenced
to users in the future.
4 Entitled here means e.g. the tax relief of a user in the context of a tax return in which the invoice
was submitted as a document.
Simple Anti-fraud Document Authentication Concept for Public Services 19
4.2 Entities
Native Software Application. The native software application available to the user is
a mainstay of the concept. The software should be executable on user-friendly devices
(Fig. 2).
(a) (b)
Fig. 2. (a) Native Software Application; (b) Keycloak service in context to the concept
The Keycloak5 service maps the authentication instance for the entire system. Authen-
tication is required if an issuer, whether a public service or another authorized party,
wants to perform a read or write operation on the document data blockchain. This is
implemented using the Keycloak Service.
In the first step, an issuer addresses a user with the request to be allowed to check
the authenticity of a document. The user receives the issuer’s wallet hash address and
sends it to the Keycloak Service with a time frame and his own wallet hash address. You
can also specify a time frame for checking to limit misuse.
The transferred data is used to generate a token that contains the data in encrypted
form and with which data can be read from the document data blockchain. The entry
of data is reserved for the public sector, but is done in the same way. The issuer now
receives the generated token and can use it to check the authenticity of documents within
the specified period. The token expires at the end of this period.
The basis of the concept is the interchangeability of the system components and the
simplicity of the approach. In order to develop a solution that is as close to the citizen
as possible, practically all components can be substituted, extended or changed as long
as basic requirements are met.
In order to store the metadata hashes from the user software in a concept compli-
ant manner, the blockchain technology is recommended. However, only the following
prerequisites for the memory must generally be fulfilled:
The authentication of users, issuers and document verifiers can also be made more flexible
or substituted. Access logging should be carried out using a blockchain solution, since
this requires essentially the same prerequisites as the document data storage blockchain
(see above).
– The Authentication Service must uniquely identify and authenticate users, issuers and
document verifiers.
– The Authentication Service must verify the user, issuer and document. If authentica-
tion is positive, it must route the document meta data to the document data storage
and distribute tokens for access to the user, issuer and document verifier.
– The Authentication Service must comply with current security standards and it must
provide a logging solution for logging access.
Issuer Software: The issuer software should only be able to read the data provided in
the system and communicate with the user software.
The Destributed Ledger approach can also be used as an advantage in future devel-
opments, since the blockchain can be distributed among any number of participants if
desired.
Advantages Overview [8]
Authorization. As described above, this concept involves the authorization of users via
the Keycloak Service. This service can, among other things, work with the Oauth 2.0
protocol to allow easy integration with existing systems [7].
Confidentiality. The confidentiality of the data is achieved, at least in the present con-
cept, in particular by the exclusive storage of hash values. Hash values are not back-
calculable and can therefore be considered secure at the current point in time when it
comes to confidentiality [12].
Ownership. The ownership of the data is, at least in the present concept, realized via
the user software. The user generally keeps all data on his local device and shares only
the hash values for later comparison with the public service, which stores the data in the
blockchain [21].
Privacy. Data protection, like data ownership, is secured by the way the following
concept handles user data. No (unencrypted) data is transmitted and data protection is
taken into account in the public service audit, as with any official audit [11].
6 Limitations
this concept, generally speaking. As shown in Table 1, the amount of transactions suffers
when many nodes have to be synchronized, but this can be controlled by processing the
transactions in the system piece by piece.
A possible solution to this may be to establish “read-only” nodes. When a “read-only”
request arrives, it can be routed to a node that is only synchronized overnight, but can
handle many read requests. Local legislation on the use of documents can also restrict or
prevent the use of the system. You should check these laws in the corresponding usage
environment.
# of Nodes (n) Batch size (k) Latency Throughput Price per tx 500 byte tx
4 nodes (1 region) 32768 288 ms 113K tx/sec $9.83 ∗ 10−10 42.9K tx/sec
8 nodes 8192 288 ms 14.0K tx/sec $1.59 ∗ 10−8 5.3K tx/sec
16 nodes 8192 0.69 s 11.9K tx/sec $3.37 ∗ 10−8 4.5K tx/sec
… … … … … …
64 nodes 8192 1.79 s 4.5K tx/sec $3.95 ∗ 10−7 1.7K tx/sec
7 Conclusion
That the distributed ledger technology/blockchain can be a key technology for document
verification of all kinds is proven by many examples [3]. However, these examples and
their frameworks are often quite complex and accordingly costly to implement. By a
reduced implementation an economic optimization is finally also feasible.
The above mentioned optimization options can be fully served by the concept. The
first option, the examination of a document type by only one, very highly qualified
employee, of the tax offices can be implemented as follows. If a document has been noted
as correct, regardless of the associated tax return, this is written to the document-data
blockchain and is from then on available to all participants in the system.
The multiple submission of documents is also no longer necessary, since the doc-
uments arrive at the tax office already digitized, but are also stored in the system as
‘correct’. This deposit saves the storage of the entire document. Only the key informa-
tion can be retrieved. If a tax office needs a document a second time, this information can
be retrieved in a few seconds. The processing time of the entire process is thus reduced
enormously. Since the data is also unchangeable, the process can be handled in a legally
compliant and audit-proof manner.
An experiment has to prove whether an optimization can take place in an existing
organization.
24 C. Mahrt and A. Speck
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Supply Networks Going Digital – Causalities
of Value Production in Digitalized Systems
Abstract. New digital technologies are changing the way traditional manufactur-
ing businesses and supply networks operate. The implementation of new digital
technological innovations has crucially impacted the interorganizational supply
networks. Especially in the fields that are considered more traditional and rigid
by nature (e.g. some parts in logistics, machining, energy) have experienced great
difficulties in defining the overall change and its consequences to their supply
network. This study aims to give light to these issues by illustrating the value
causalities of digitalization in different processes in an inter-industrial the supply
network. The empirical part of the study relies on analyzing survey data from 101
companies. The study provides an important, yet sparsely addressed viewpoint in
supply networks by illustrating the customer value causality in implementing new
digital solutions in the supply chain. The findings suggest that increased integra-
tion and information exchange in the network interactions between organizations
can enable combining of the independent business models into a networked busi-
ness model. The findings of the study help to understand the nature and dynamics
of value in the supply chain and how digitalization improves value production in
the supply network.
1 Introduction
Digitalization provides multitude of opportunities and challenges in the supply chain and
it can be argued to be the most important megatrend in improving supply chain value
creation performance. In supply chain operations, information integration and electronic
business processes play a significant role, where the benefits of digitalization often lay.
The information exchange and manual processing of information form a major part of
the administrative tasks involved in the business processes of supply chains. In those,
digitalization is proven to increase the performance of both the efficiency and accuracy
of operations. (Büyüközkan and Göçer 2018; Singh and Teng 2016).
Information exchange and integration play a vital role in supply chain performance
and value creation (e.g. Kim and Chai 2017; Gu et al. 2017). Information integration
© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
A. Zimmermann et al. (Eds.): KES-HCIS 2021, SIST 244, pp. 26–35, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-3264-8_3
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15. The Fireside Theatre
i
As the cost of the theater mounts up—the price of seats, the price
of achieving Broadway productions—the Fireside Theater audience
is steadily recruited. If there has existed a prejudice against reading
plays, it is melting. The mere force of conditions would tend to
destroy such a prejudice. The path to Broadway becomes steadily
more difficult and the path away from Broadway narrower—all
because it costs too much to produce a play on Broadway, and far
too much to take the play, once so produced, on the road. Soon the
Broadway theater will survive as the horse survives; and Broadway
productions, inspired by the same motives as the production of horse
races, will be nobly upheld by the same justificatory excuse—it will
be argued that they improve the breed of plays.
It does no harm to have a few horse shows or to have a few
Broadway productions; but the truth must be stated that the theater
in America no longer depends upon the amusement business in the
vicinity of Forty-second Street. To an extent never before equaled,
plays are now published in America regardless of their production;
are bought and read; are read aloud for an exceptional evening’s
entertainment; and are acted under license, and with payment of
very moderate fees, by people to whom a play is a play and not a
pair of high-priced tickets.
For amateur actors, many of them amazingly capable, there are
now available plays of every length and of every conceivable variety
of type, settings, and casts; of extreme, moderate and very slight
demands upon the actors’ skill; tragic, comedic, farcical. And for
readers of plays there are certain immutable advantages that have
been pointed out before but will bear stressing again, such as that
the performance always begins on time, and at your chosen time,
and that the actors, being your own creatures, are always ideal.
I shall try to speak first of some anthologies of plays, then of plays
by individual authors, and finally of a few books about the drama and
the theater.
ii
First I would put Montrose J. Moses’s ample works. His
Representative British Dramas: Victorian and Modern is not only a
complete history of the British stage, from the beginning of the
nineteenth century to 1914; it presents the complete texts of twenty-
one English and Irish plays superbly representative of its century.
Representative Continental Dramas: Revolutionary and Transitional
does much the same thing for Europe as a whole. Eight European
countries are represented in this anthology, which contains the
complete texts of fifteen plays, with a general survey of the
development of Continental drama and individual bibliographies. But
the greatest demand is for anthologies of one-act plays; a demand
richly met by the following standard works:
Representative One-Act Plays by American Authors, compiled by
Margaret G. Mayorga, contains the complete texts of twenty-four, all
of which have been produced in Little Theaters. Among the
dramatists included are Percy Mackaye, Stuart Walker, Jeannette
Marks, George Middleton, Susan Glaspell, Eugene O’Neill, and
Beulah Marie Dix.
Fifty Contemporary One-Act Plays edited by Frank Shay and
Pierre Loving, is an international selection of astonishing variety and
exceptional merit.
Twenty Contemporary One-Act Plays—American, edited by Frank
Shay, is an anthology which affords variety of choice for acting and
ample variety for the reader.
Barrett H. Clark’s Representative One-Act Plays by British and
Irish Authors contains complete texts of twenty one-act plays. Some
of the authors are Pinero, Jones, Arnold Bennett, Yeats, Oscar
Wilde, Granville Barker and Lord Dunsany. Mr. Moses is the compiler
of Representative One-Act Plays by Continental Authors.
Maeterlinck, Arthur Schnitzler, Strindberg, Andreyev, Franz
Wedekind, Sudermann, von Hofmannsthal, Lavedan are some of the
playwrights whose work is included; and the book is equipped with
bibliographies.
Frank Shay is the compiler of Twenty-Five Short Plays:
International, in which is much exotic work—plays from Bengal and
Burma, China and Japan and Uruguay, as well as from countries
with whose drama we have more contact. But as an example of Mr.
Shay’s selections we may note, from among the writers whose work
is fairly familiar, that Austria is represented by a Schnitzler piece,
Italy by one of Robert Bracco’s comedies, Hungary by Lajos Biro’s
“The Bridegroom,” Russia by an example of Chekhov and Spain by
Echegaray.
I may at this point advantageously call attention to Mr. Shay’s One
Thousand and One Plays for the Little Theatre, and his new One
Thousand and One Longer Plays—not anthologies, but exhaustive
lists. The plays are listed alphabetically by authors and by
organizations, and the title, nature of the work, number of men and
women characters, publisher, and price of each play is given.
Certain other books, though offering a number of one-act plays,
have too few inclusions to be described as anthologies. Such are
One-Act Plays from the Yiddish, translated by Etta Block and
presenting half a dozen effective pieces; Three Modern Japanese
Plays, translated by Yozan T. Iwasaki and Glenn Hughes, and
showing the direct result of Western influences on the Japanese
theatre; and Double Demon and Other One-Act Plays, by A. P.
Herbert and others, one of the British Drama League series.
Colin Campbell Clements, whose Plays for a Folding Theatre is
known to most amateurs, has a new book this season called Plays
for Pagans, containing five entertaining short plays, all easy of stage
production. Another such group is to be found in Garden Varieties,
by Kenyon Nicholson, six plays, most of them farcical and amusing.
Certain other one-act plays I shall speak of later in this chapter.
But the record of excellent anthologies is not yet completed. A
Treasury of Plays for Children, by Mr. Moses, provides fourteen
dramas with the abundance of incident and action which young
people demand but with considerable literary merit besides. Mr.
Shay, again, is the compiler of A Treasury of Plays for Women,
eighteen in all, requiring only women to cast or containing only such
male characters as may easily be enacted by women; and also of A
Treasury of Plays for Men, twenty-one altogether, which men may
stage without feminine help. A Treasury of Plays for Men also offers
a working library list for the Little Theater and a bibliography of other
anthologies.
ii
In coming to the work of individual playwrights, I am afraid the
method of conscientious enumeration must to a great extent go on.
Granville Barker’s work is almost too well-known to require special
comment. His plays, some one of which is almost certain to be found
in any comprehensive anthology, are published in seven volumes,
each a single drama except the Three Short Plays. Anatol, to be
sure, is simply Mr. Barker’s splendid version of Arthur Schnitzler’s
gay satire on a gilded youth of Vienna. Probably Waste, at once
intimate in its discussions and intensely serious, is the best-known
drama by Barker; but The Madras House, with its humors of feminine
psychology, and The Voysey Inheritance, that fine study of middle-
class English family life, are both popular. The others are The
Marrying of Ann Leete, at once a comedy and a satire, and the
three-act play called The Secret Life, a play of present-day England
touched with philosophy and mysticism and occasional cynicism, but
of the same distinctive quality as Barker’s other work.
Three plays by Lewis Beach have been published. A Square Peg
presents the tragic results of a mother’s unflinching rule of her family.
The Goose Hangs High is a comedy of family loyalty and affection
which brings the younger generation face to face with its elders; it
has been a success of the last New York season. But the one to
which I want to direct attention especially is Ann Vroome, a play in
seven scenes giving the story of a girl’s long wait for happiness
when she postpones marriage to care for her parents. This play has
a very fine acceleration of dramatic interest, of emotional intensity;
and its literary quality is of a high order. It is evident that Mr. Beach
does nothing badly.
The history of Owen Davis has been told many times, but I do not
suppose its impression of the extraordinary is ever lessened. He
wrote, for years, melodramas of the “Nellie, the Beautiful Cloak
Model” order; I am by no means sure he did not write “Nellie.” In
those days he supplied the theaters of the Bowery and other
avenues no better as to art if less notorious. It should be said that
however cheap were these works, they were infinitely more
respectable and of a better moral character than some pretentious
affairs playing uptown. Mr. Davis had two reasonable purposes—to
learn play writing and to make necessary money. When he had
accomplished both, being still a young man, he turned to work of a
different description. His play, The Detour (1921), the story of a
woman’s never-dying aspiration and hope, was one of the finest
things of its season. Clear-cut, dramatic, with comedy and pathos
interwoven, it depicted mental and spiritual force pitted against solely
material ambition in a way that those who saw or read it did not
forget. The evidence was clear that a new American dramatist of the
first rank had been born. Icebound (1922), had immediate attention
and very marked critical praise, crowned by the award to it of the
Pulitzer Prize by Columbia University as the best American play of
the year.
The most successful American playwright of his day, Clyde Fitch
was also one of the ablest. The Memorial Edition of the Plays of
Clyde Fitch, edited, with introductions, by Montrose J. Moses and
Virginia Gerson, and published in four volumes is a gallant and
important affair. The edition is definitive and contains three plays that
were never before in print, “The Woman in the Case,” “Lovers’
Lane,” and that most important of the Fitch plays, “The City.” The
fourth volume of this edition contains Mr. Fitch’s address on “The
Play and the Public.”[78]
The four volumes of Representative Plays by Henry Arthur Jones,
edited, with historical, biographical, and critical introductions, by
Clayton Hamilton, assemble in a splendid library edition the most
interesting work of the British dramatist. Henry Arthur Jones wrote
some sixty or seventy plays, printed mainly in pamphlet form
—“scrips”—for the use, primarily, of actors, professional and
amateur. These Mr. Hamilton sifted, at the same time making an
effort to indicate the range and variety of Jones’s work. As a
consequence, Representative Plays opens with a celebrated old-
time melodrama, “The Silver King,” and illustrates the stages in the
author’s progress until he arrived, in the composition of “The Liars,”
at a really great accomplishment as a master of modern English
comedy. Mr. Hamilton’s introductions carry the reader’s attention
from play to play along a continuous current of historical,
biographical and critical comment. Probably the best-known
inclusions are the plays in the third volume: “Michael and His Lost
Angel,” “The Liars,” “Mrs. Dane’s Defence,” and “The Hypocrites.”
Of Cosmo Hamilton’s Four Plays I have already made mention[79]
and perhaps I should have spoken of Percival Wilde when dealing
with one-act plays. Mr. Wilde’s work is itself an anthology of the one-
act play. This New Yorker was for a while in the banking business; on
the publication of his first story he received so many requests to
allow its dramatization that he thought he would investigate the
drama himself. That was not more than a dozen years ago; yet now
Percival Wilde is commonly said to have had more plays produced—
or rather, to have had a greater number of productions—in American
Little Theaters than any other playwright.
His books to date (of this sort) are five. Eight Comedies for Little
Theatres contains “The Previous Engagement,” “The Dyspeptic
Ogre,” “Catesby,” “The Sequel,” “In the Net,” “His Return,” “The
Embryo,” and “A Wonderful Woman.” Then there are his other
collections—Dawn, and Other One-Act Plays of Life Today (six), A
Question of Morality, and Other Plays (five), and The Unseen Host,
and Other War Plays (five), and The Inn of Discontent and Other
Fantastic Plays (five).
George Kelly, a young American born in a suburb of Philadelphia,
had the daring to satirize the Little Theater movement in America in
“The Torch-Bearers,” which had a New York success. In this past
season his play, The Show-Off, has not only been a memorable
success but has perhaps had more unqualified praise than any
drama in years. “I might as well begin boldly and say that The Show-
Off is the best comedy which has yet been written by an American,”
writes Heywood Broun in his preface to the published play; and this
does not much exaggerate the note of the general chorus. The
committee named to recommend a play for the award of the annual
Pulitzer Prize selected The Show-Off; and the overruling of their
choice by the Columbia University authorities was the subject of
considerable controversy not entirely free from indignant feeling.
What is this play? “A transcript of life, in three acts,” the titlepage
truthfully calls it. The chief character, Aubrey Piper, liar, braggart,
egoist, is almost dreadfully real. It is perhaps possible, however
depressing, to regard him as a symbol of all mankind, bringing us to
realize the toughness of human fiber, as Mr. Broun suggests. But it
seems to me much more likely that the play’s great merit and
supreme interest lies in another point that Mr. Broun makes: there is
no development of character in Aubrey, but only in ourselves, the
audience, who come to know him progressively better, and finally to
know him to the last inescapable dreg. Most critics have tended, I
think, to overlook the splendid characterization of Mrs. Fisher,
Aubrey’s perspicacious and unrelenting mother-in-law. The play is
too true for satire, too serious for comedy, too humanly diverting for
tears. It is certainly not to be missed.
The Lilies of the Field, a comedy by John Hastings Turner, author
of several novels, including that very engaging story, Simple Souls,
is one of the British Drama League series and will probably have a
New York production this season. The desire of twin daughters of an
English village clergyman to become the wives of young men met in
London—young men who toil not, neither do they spin except at
dances—produces the complications, which are both entertaining
and somewhat satirical. Of the other British Drama League plays,
The Prince, by Gwen John, deals with Queen Elizabeth, and is “a
study of character, based on contemporary evidence,” while
Laurence Binyon’s Ayuli is drama in verse, telling a picturesque story
of Eastern Asia. Mr. Binyon has made studies of Oriental art and his
drama is of quite exceptional literary quality.
Of novel interest is The Sea Woman’s Cloak and November Eve,
a volume containing two plays by the American writer, Amelie Rives
(Princess Troubetzkoy), that are as Irish as work by Lady Gregory,
Yeats, or J. M. Synge. “The Sea Woman’s Cloak” is based on an old
legend of Ganore’s mating with a mortal; “November Eve” tells how
Ilva, who is fairy-struck, saves a soul the godly folk won’t risk their
own souls to save.
Dragon’s Glory, a play in four scenes by Gertrude Knevels, is
based on an old Chinese legend, and makes very amusing reading
and a most actable comedy. Yow Chow has purchased the finest
coffin in China (“Dragon’s Glory”) and the action of the piece centers
about this treasure, in which the estimable Yow Chow reposes until a
crisis which is the climax of the play.
The two series known respectively as the Modern Series and the
Little Theatre Series consist of plays published in pamphlet form at a
low price for the convenience of amateur theatrical organizations.
Included in these series are separate plays by such authors as
Booth Tarkington, Christopher Morley, Edna St. Vincent Millay,
Eugene O’Neill, Stuart Walker, Floyd Dell, Rupert Brooke, and
others, to a present total of thirty titles. The Modern Series, edited by
Frank Shay, has two particularly striking new titles in Lord Byron and
Autumn.
Lord Byron, a play in seven scenes by Maurice Ferber, is of the
genre of Drinkwater’s Abraham Lincoln and Mr. Eaton’s and Mr.
Carb’s Queen Victoria. Byron is one of the most dramatic of the
possible subjects for a biographical play, and Mr. Ferber’s work will
undoubtedly be frequently staged and very much read at this time of
the Byron centenary.
Autumn, in four acts, by Ilya Surguchev, translated by David A.
Modell, is the picture of jealousy between a young wife and an
adopted daughter. “This is one of the strongest plays I have ever
read,” says Frank Shay. It is our first introduction to the work of the
Russian author and part of its novelty consists in the last act, which
“achieves a monotony that is real and genuine. It does not bring
husband and wife together in happiness, but shows that there is
nothing else for them to do but to go on.”
But the other new titles in the Modern Series deserve brief
mention. Words and Thoughts, by Don Marquis, presents John and
Mary Speaker, who utter the usual banalities of the world, and John
and Mary Thinker, who utter their true and less pleasant thoughts.
John L. Balderston’s A Morality Play for the Leisure Class pictures a
rich collector’s boredom in heaven when he finds that his treasures
there have no monetary value. There is an O. Henry twist to the
ending. Walter McClellan’s The Delta Wife is a genre play of the
Mississippi River mouth, in type resembling Hell-Bent fer Heaven.
The Lion’s Mouth, by George Madden Martin and Harriet L.
Kennedy, deals with the relations of blacks and whites. A white
doctor ignores a black child in his efforts to save a white baby. An old
mammy has an invaluable herb cure; but finding that the doctor
cares nothing for her grandson’s life, she refuses to save the white
infant. Wilbur Daniel Steele’s The Giant’s Stair is a study in mood
and atmosphere, like many of his short stories. Before the play
opens a man has been murdered. A terrific storm is raging. The
scene is between the widow and her demented sister and the sheriff.
Action! by Holland Hudson is a swift-moving, melodramatic comedy.
The son of a silk dealer returns from selling airplanes to protest that
the life of a silk salesman is dull. His objections are interrupted by
the entry of two silk loft burglars and two bootleggers—followed by
Federal officers and policemen with drawn weapons.
The new titles in the Little Theatre Series, edited by Grace Adams,
include Edna St. Vincent Millay’s Aria da Capo and her The Lamp
and the Bell.
Edna St. Vincent Millay’s work is known throughout America. The
Lamp and the Bell, a Shakespearean play written for a Vassar
College anniversary, has for its theme woman’s friendship, and is
very nearly unique among compositions for an occasion in having
solid literary and dramatic merit. Its fresh, vigorous, creative quality
is enriched by some lovely lyrical inclusions. Aria da Capo, Miss
Millay’s bitterly ironic, beautiful and interesting one-act fantasy, has
been played, one is tempted to believe, everywhere; and will for
years be played again and again. No contemporary Pierrot and
Columbine composition excels it, if, indeed, any matches it.
Mary MacMillen’s Pan or Pierrot is a play for children, to be acted
out of doors. And I must again call attention to John Farrar’s
charming plays for children in The Magic Sea Shell.
iii
Books about the theater are various, of course, ranging from
æsthetic studies down to the most practical handbook for amateurs.
Of the latter, I should certainly put first Barrett H. Clark’s How to
Produce Amateur Plays, now in a new and revised edition. This
manual is as nearly indispensable to amateur actors as anything can
be. It tells how to choose a play, how to organize, the principles of
casting, and the methods of rehearsing. It gives very necessary
information about the stage itself, lighting, scenery and costumes,
and makeup. There is also a list of good amateur plays and
information about copyright and royalty.
Another book that will be particularly welcomed by schools and
social organizations is Claude Merton Wise’s Dramatics for School
and Community, which covers much the same fields as Mr. Clark’s
work.
I have already spoken of Percival Wilde’s astonishing success as
an author of one-act plays; it makes his book on The Craftsmanship
of the One-Act Play the last word on the subject. But the special
value of Mr. Wilde’s book is that it considers everything having to do
with the construction of the one-act play from the point of view of the
stage director as well as that of the author.
Granville Barker’s The Exemplary Theatre, though by one of the
best-known men of the group interested in and influencing modern
dramatic theory and esthetics, is preëminently a practical book. It
considers the theater as a civic institution and has a valuable chapter
on the inner and outer organization of a repertory theater; but the
chapters on a director’s duties, choosing the best plays, training the
company, scenery and lighting, and audiences are of widespread
applicability.
A mention of books about the theater is fated to omit many
excellent volumes, but can scarcely fail to include a series of books
which give a complete circumspection of contemporary drama. The
most recent volume in the series is The Contemporary Drama of
Russia, by Leo Wiener, professor of Slavic languages and literature
at Harvard. This entirely new study is likely to create a commotion,
for it belies utterly the conclusions generally arrived at as to the
relative value of the work of such playwrights as Chekhov, Gorki,
Andreyev, Solugub, Evreinov and others, and it brings into
prominence many names never heard of before outside of Russia.
Its picture of the origin and development of the Moscow Art Theater
is not the one of popular legend, and should probably be narrowly
compared with that given by Constantin Stanislavsky in his My Life in
Art[80] and with other accounts. Professor Wiener has relied,
however, upon letters, theatrical annals, and other contemporary
records. His bibliographies contain fairly full accounts of plays from
Ostrovski to the present, lists of books and articles on the
contemporary Russian drama, and lists of all English translations of
plays.
The Contemporary Drama of England, by Thomas H. Dickinson,
covers adequately the history of the English stage since 1866.
Ernest Boyd’s The Contemporary Drama of Ireland presents the Irish
literary movement and the work of Irish dramatists. The
Contemporary Drama of Italy, by Lander MacClintock, traces the
development of the modern Italian theater from its inception down to
the present day, and has interesting chapters on Gabriele
d’Annunzio and the writers now popular in Italy. Frank W. Chandler’s
The Contemporary Drama of France, a longer work than the three
preceding, presents a survey and interpretation of French drama for
three decades, from the opening of the Theatre-Libre of Antoine to
the conclusion of the world war.
16. A Reasonable View of Michael
Arlen
i
There is a book called These Charming People. In making this
statement I pause for an uncertain time. It is necessary to allow a
little interval for readers—quite as necessary as it is for the orator to
give his audience its innings. Readers do not create the same
interruption for a writer, and that is in itself a pity. That fact defeats
much writing; for the writer has rushed on before the reader’s mind
has had a chance to seethe a little and settle, passing on to a
comparatively calm acceptance of the next assertion.
But you can take anybody’s word for These Charming People—
anybody’s, that is, who has read it; and the number of persons who
have read it is very large and increases steadily. The truth is, this
book and its author have become fashionable; and when a book and
an author have become fashionable, some persons will go to any
length. Now it is known that Michael Arlen is the author of These
Charming People, but who knows who Michael Arlen may be? Is
there a View of Michael Arlen? In the favorite adjective of one of Mr.
Arlen’s characters, is there a reasonable view of the presumptively
charming person?
Yes.
The main perspective is before us. Looking down it, we discern
that two years (and less than two years) ago, nobody in America
who was anybody in America (or anywhere else) had heard of
Michael Arlen. I will not conceal the dark fact that two books of his,
entitled A London Venture and The Romantic Lady, had been
published in America.
However, two years ago (as I write) there was published in
America a novel called “Piracy.” No reason existed why people
should buy it and read it, apart from the usual totally inadequate one
of the book’s merits. Yet people did buy it and read it. People said:
“This is rather nice!” “Piracy” sold. It had absolutely nothing to do
with the Spanish Main. If it took life—and perhaps it did take a life or
two, socially speaking—it did so, in Mrs. Wharton’s words describing
the methods of old New York society, “without effusion of blood.”
And early this year (1924) there was published a book called
These Charm—Exactly.
Well, it was so gay, so well-mannered, so witty, so far more than
so-so that women of the most varied taste (and even strong
prejudices) raved over it, and men of the most invariable taste
bought as many as six to a dozen copies to give away to their
friends.
The success of Michael Arlen’s new novel, The Green Hat, has
thus been rendered a mere matter of dispersing the good news. It
will not do to broadcast it; one must be a little particular in matters of
this sort. At the most, it is permitted casually to mention the fact that
a new novel by Michael Arlen is about. Quite of course, one cannot
decently say more than that The Green Hat is a well-polished affair;
for still more of course, it isn’t the hat but the head beneath it which
counts.
The head belongs to Michael Arlen.
(As far as The Green Hat goes, the woman of the green hat was
Iris March, “enchanting, unshakeably true in friendship, incorrigibly
loose in love,” as the disturbed reviewer for the London Times puts
it. “Everything she does has an unnatural elegance and audacity,” he
went on. But what had she done? She had broken a good many
hearts before marriage and one afterward; she had turned a lover
into a husband and then into a cynic; and what she did to Napier
Harpenden and his young wife should have been unpardonable.
Should. “It is with a sense of having been cheated that we witness
her final whitewashing.” You see how upset he is, though one cannot
say he is outraged, can one, when he talks about a lady like that?...)
ii
Londoners apparently know him as a dark, handsome, suave
person who circulates in Mayfair. Travellers away from London report
his presence at the correct season in Paris, Monte Carlo, and Biskra
(not to mention the Riviera). He is outwardly one of the gay rout. He
is inwardly—— Well, I don’t know whether he would want me to
mention.
Librarians (some librarians) are relentless persons, however
charming. They ferret. They discover things, and then they root them
out. Or at any rate, they make Records. Among other things of which
they make Records are the True Names of Authors. Was Mr.
Tarkington, in infancy, Newton Booth Tarkington? Then it goes on the
librarian’s card. Was Joseph Conrad born Teodor Jozef Konrad
Korzeniowski? Then no well-trained librarian ever completely ignores
the fact. An author, in the circumstances, cannot take too much
pains to be born and christened aright.
Occasionally the librarians make a grievous mistake—as when
they identified Rebecca West as Regina Miriam Bloch. Caught in this
astounding error, I believe they have now insisted that she is Cecily
Fairfield. Yet they must be aware that both in England and America
the law permits anyone to change his name at will. If he be
consistent in the change, and if he use the new name and induce
those who know him to use it, it becomes his lawful name. The sole
purpose of going to court about a change of name is to make it a
matter of public record—important when the title to property comes
up for search. Rebecca West is—simply Rebecca West.
All this is to a point, for already the librarians have rushed to affix
to Michael Arlen the name Dikran Kuyumjian. Not only do they tack
this name on him, they give it preference. I have before me a
clipping from a periodical which is widely relied upon by librarians in
making their records and buying their books. And this periodical
begins a notice of These Charming People as follows:
Kuyumjian, Dikran (Michael Arlen, pseud.)
Where they got it, goodness, or rather badness, only knows. I
suppose they chanced to learn that Michael Arlen is of Armenian
blood. I have nothing to say against Dikran Kuyumjian as an
excellent Armenian name. But I imagine Mr. Arlen may have
something to say to the founders, editors and reporters of this
periodical. I can only hope that, as his English is polite and polished,
and as they appear to be versed in a foreign tongue, he will say it in
Armenian.
iii
Of course, the fact that he is an Armenian lends a joyous piquancy
to one of the tales in These Charming People. You remember the
one where Mr. Michael Wagstaffe impersonated greatly? It is called
“The Man With the Broken Nose,” and as your copy of the book has
been borrowed and never returned, I will quote it for you:
“The dark stranger walked silently but firmly. He was a tall young
man of slight but powerful build; his nose, which was of the patrician
sort, would have been shapely had it not once been broken in such a
way that forever after it must noticeably incline to one side; and,
though his appearance was that of a gentleman, he carried himself
with an air of determination and assurance which would, I thought,
make any conversation with him rather a business. There was any
amount of back-chat in his dark eyes. His hat, which was soft and
had the elegance of the well-worn, he wore cavalierly. Shoes by
Lobb.
“At last a picture rose before our eyes, a large picture, very blue.
Now who shall describe that picture which was so blue, blue even to
the grass under the soldiers’ feet, the complexions of the soldiers’
faces and the rifles in the soldiers’ hands? Over against a blue tree
stood a man, and miserably blue was his face, while the soldiers
stood very stiffly with their backs to us, holding their rifles in a
position which gave one no room to doubt but that they were about
to shoot the solitary man for some misdemeanor. He was the
loneliest looking man I have ever seen.
“‘Manet,’ said Tarlyon.
“The dark young stranger was absorbed; he pulled his hat a little
lower over his left eye, so that the light should not obtrude on his
vision....
“‘Come on,’ I whispered to Tarlyon, for we seemed to be intruding
—so that I was quite startled when the stranger suddenly turned
from the picture to me.
“‘You see, sir,’ he said gravely, ‘I know all about killing. I have killed
many men....’
“‘Army Service Corps?’ inquired Tarlyon.
“‘No, sir,’ snapped the stranger. ‘I know nothing of your Corps. I
am a Zeytounli.’
“‘Please have patience with me,’ I begged the stranger. ‘What is a
Zeytounli?’
“He regarded me with those smoldering dark eyes; and I realized
vividly that his nose had been broken in some argument which had
cost the other man more than a broken nose.
“‘Zeytoun,’ he said, ‘is a fortress in Armenia. For five hundred
years Zeytoun has not laid down her arms, but now she is burnt
stones on the ground. The Zeytounlis, sir, are the hill-men of
Armenia. I am an Armenian.’
“‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’ Tarlyon murmured.
“‘Why?’ snarled the Armenian.
“‘Well, you’ve been treated pretty badly, haven’t you?’ said Tarlyon.
‘All these massacres and things....’
“The stranger glared at him, and then he laughed at him. I shall
remember that laugh. So will Tarlyon. Then the stranger raised a
finger and, very gently, he tapped Tarlyon’s shoulder.
“‘Listen,’ said he. ‘Your manner of speaking bores me. Turks have
slain many Armenians. Wherefore Armenians have slain many
Turks. You may take it from me that, by sticking to it year in and year
out for five hundred years, Armenians have in a tactful way slain
more Turks than Turks have slain Armenians. That is why I am proud
of being an Armenian. And you would oblige me, gentlemen, by
informing your countrymen that we have no use for their discarded
trousers, which are anyway not so good in quality as they were, but
would be grateful for some guns.’
“He left us.
“‘I didn’t know,’ I murmured, ‘that Armenians were like that. I have
been misled about Armenians. And he speaks English very well....’
“‘Hum,’ said Tarlyon thoughtfully. ‘But no one would say he was
Armenian if he wasn’t, would he?’”
iv
One of the six most famous American men novelists wrote about
Michael Arlen a year or so ago, as follows:
“He is one of the phenomena of our time. You may or may not like
phenomena”—this seems a little gratuitous. “But anyway, you
probably like an original story, so in Michael Arlen’s case you can
compromise on that. He himself does not compromise on anything,
though he did once say that ‘discretion is the better part of literature.’
Since then, however, his novel, ‘Piracy,’ in which half London society
figures, has run into many editions. The other half is no doubt
wondering what he will say next.
“Michael Arlen is 25 years old; and, having served the usual terms
at an English public school and University he is, so he says, entirely
self-educated. There was also a war. And yet, though no human eye
has ever seen him at work, he has written four successful books.
“The first, which he published at the age of twenty, was his
memoirs and confessions, for he thought that he would be done with
them at the beginning. Many people thought that the book, A London
Venture, was by George Moore under a pseudonym; some papers
stated the fact with authority. Since then he has been more
frequently compared to Guy de Maupassant.
MICHAEL ARLEN
v
But already there is a word minted. “These Charming People,”
observes Mr. Philip Page, in some nondescript London newspaper
cutting, “is very Arlenesque.” Mr. Page preferred it to “Piracy”—and it
is indeed better work—although he missed the fun which “Piracy”
afforded “of celebrity spotting, and the satisfaction of being able to
say to myself, with a glowing feeling of being in the swim: ‘Here is
Lady Diana Cooper!’ or ‘Here is Mr. Eddie Marsh!’” It is to be feared
that most Americans cannot have Mr. Page’s warm sensation of
culture, but in our uncultured way it is quite possible for us to enjoy
such a portrait as the following, from “Piracy”—for we have him in
America, too:
“The poetry Pretty Leyton discovered was often good, for his was
a delicate and conservative taste; but it would have been easier to
appreciate the good if one could only have discovered it among the
bad, for his was also a delicate and kindly nature. While as for the
young poets, of whom many called and all were chosen, he was
continually begging his women friends, particularly Lois and Virginia,
not to be ‘too cruel’ to them, for they were so sensitive and