Like a typical industrial automation system, modern business systems are (near) real time, concurrent, and distributed. However, before established techniques of automation such as finite automata can be used, the behavior of (business) systems must be modeled to take account of the dynamic, concurrent, interdependent, and temporal features of underlying processes, systems, and events. In this book, which is primarily a textbook for graduate students, Kunze and Weske present conceptual tools required to develop such a model.

In the first of three parts, consisting of two chapters, the authors introduce different concepts and define types and characteristics of behavior models. The second chapter emphasizes discrete dynamic systems.

The second part, consisting of three chapters, is on behavior models, with separate chapters on sequential, concurrent, and business process models. The authors discuss the concepts of finite automata, state machines, Petri nets, and workflow patterns using a set of simple nontrivial applications such as a vending machine.

The third part, three chapters, is on the analysis of behavior. The authors introduce concepts of state space and behavior equivalence, inheritance, and similarity. They develop these concepts to introduce (model) verification. Methods for business process compliance using temporal logic, model checking, and behavioral properties are discussed using the same set of examples as in earlier parts.

The authors provide bibliographical notes at the end of each chapter. This and the use of the same set of examples make the book quite easy to read and follow. Its comprehensive list of references has more than 70 entries. It is an excellent text.