The Internet is spawning many new markets and electronic commerce is changing many market conventions. Not only are old commercial practices being adapted to the new conditions of immediacy brought forth by the global networks, but new products and services, as well as new practices, are beginning to appear. There is already ample evidence that agent-based technologies will be crucial for these - velopments. However many theoretical, technological, sociological, and legal - pects will need to be addressed before such opportunities become a significant reality. In addition to streamlining traditional transactions, agents enable new types of transactions. For example, the elusive one-to-one marketing becomes more of a - ality when consumer agents capture and share (or sell) consumer demographics. Prices and other transaction dimensions need no longer to be fixed; selling agents can dynamically tailor merchant offerings to each consumer. Economies of scale become feasible in new markets when agents negotiate on special arbitration c- tracts. Dynamic business relationships will give rise to more competitively agile organizations. It is these new opportunities combined with substantial reduction in transaction costs that will revolutionize electronic commerce.
Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence Subseries of Lecture Notes in Computer Science Edited by J. G. Carbonell and J. Siekmann Lecture Notes in Computer Science Edited by G.Goos, J. Hartmanis, and J. van Leeuwen 1788 ¿ Berlin Heidelberg New York Barcelona Hong Kong London Milan Paris Singapore Tokyo Alexandros Moukas Fredrik Ygge (Eds.) Carles Sierra Agent Mediated Electronic Commerce II Towards Next-Generation Agent-Based Electronic Commerce Systems ½¿ Series Editors Jaime G. Carbonell, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA, USA J¨org Siekmann, University of Saarland, Saarbr¨ucken, Germany Volume Editors Alexandros Moukas MIT Media Laboratory and Frictionless Commerce Inc. 20 Ames Street Cambridge, MA 02142, USA E-mail:
[email protected] Carles Sierra IIIA-Institut d’Investigaci´o en Intel.ligencia CSIC-Spanish Scientific Research Council Campus UAB 08193 Bellaterra, Catalonia Spain E-mail:
[email protected] Fredrik Ygge EnerSearch AB and Uppsala University Chalmers Science Park 412 88 Gothenburg, Sweden E-mail:
[email protected] Cataloging-in-Publication Data applied for Die Deutsche Bibliothek - CIP-Einheitsaufnahme Agent mediated electronic commerce 2 : Towards next generation agent based electronic commerce systems / Alexandros Moukas ... (ed.). - Berlin ; Heidelberg ; New York ; Barcelona ; Hong Kong ; London ; Milan ; Paris ; Singapore ; Tokyo : Springer, 2000 (Lecture notes in computer science ; 1788 : Lecture notes in artificial intelligence) ISBN 3-540-67773-9 CR Subject Classification (1998): I.2.11, K.4.4, C.2, H.3.4-5, H.4.3, H.5.3, I.2, J.1, K.5 ISBN 3-540-67773-9 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg New York This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, re-use of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other way, and storage in data banks. Duplication of this publication or parts thereof is permitted only under the provisions of the German Copyright Law of September 9, 1965, in its current version, and permission for use must always be obtai