Fuzzy Service Selection and Interaction Review in Distributed Electronic Markets

Abstract

Today, the Internet provides an alternative platform where service consumers and service providers can exchange goods and services at electronic marketplaces (e-Markets). In second generation e-Markets consumers and providers have the opportunity to use autonomous agents to act on their behalf to discover, select, and negotiate with potential business partners. Agents can close contracts, make payments, monitor and review contract compliance. Information about the trustworthiness, reputation and the credibility of services, service providers, retailers, and entire business domains is crucial for the assessment of business partners during the service selection process in marketplaces. Agent owners expect their agents to follow social principles and values found in traditional marketplaces. In this paper we discuss the DEco Arch framework which enables autonomous agents to evaluate social information which is then used for service selection. Furthermore, agents will are able to review ongoing or completed business interactions for the benefit of peers and their own future decisions. We simulate how the service selection process progresses through new information drawn from reviews of past business interactions.