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http://hdl.handle.net/11375/5458
Title: | Software agents in electronic commerce |
Authors: | Sproule, Susan Archer, Norman P. McMaster University, Michael G. DeGroote School of Business |
Keywords: | Software agents;Decision support systems;Buyer behaviour |
Publication Date: | Mar-2000 |
Series/Report no.: | Research and working paper series (Michael G. DeGroote School of Business) no. 444 |
Abstract: | <p>Software agents are computer programs that run in the background and perform tasks autonomously as delegated by the user. Although there has been much research on this topic recently, usable software agents are at an early stage of development, and are only now starting to appear in real applications. A fruitful application area for software agents is in the area of electronic commerce where agents can help buyers and sellers deal with the flood of information that can be exchanged and processed. Current developments in agent technology are reviewed, however this paper takes a product focused approach to examine the functions that agents can perform in the commerce process. A model of decision support systems is used to classify agents as providing search support, choice support and interface support. In order to delegate activities to software agents, the user must trust that the agent will perform in a predictable and controllable manner. A framework based on marketing research is used to identify purchasing situations where this trust can develop and where agent technology is therefore likely to be adopted.</p> |
Description: | <p>73 p. : ; Includes bibliographical references (p. 60-70). ; "March, 2000".</p> <p>This research was supported by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.</p> |
URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/11375/5458 |
Identifier: | dsb/12 1011 4944032 |
Appears in Collections: | DeGroote School of Business Working Paper Series |
Files in This Item:
File | Size | Format | |
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fulltext.pdf | 1.78 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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