On agent-mediated electronic commerce
电子商务专业英语资料及答案
单选1．According to a recent report, ____ that Americans consume does not vary greatly from year to year.A）the number of sugar B）a number of sugarC）the amount of sugar D）an amount of sugar2．My dentist appointment is on Friday, ______.A）fifth October B）five OctoberC）the fifth of October D）the five of October3．Flight nineteen from New York to Washington is now arriving at ______.A）the two gate B）gate two C）the gate two D）second gate4．That kind of shoes are______ expensive for me.A）more B）far more C）far too D）much5．The food that Mark is cooking in the kitchen ______ delicious.A）smells B）is smelling C）has smelled D）has been smelling6．It has been ______ for him by his family to marry a girl of his own class.A）arranged B）organized C）settled D）adapted7．There is very______hope that she will pass the exam.A）few B）much C）little D）any8．She ________ large profits from her unique invention.A）reaped B）gathered C）rewarded D）built9．Get me a hammer from the kitchen, ______.A）will you B）would you C）shall you D）do you10．Teachers all ________ the student to enter the competition.A）cheered B）animated C）encouraged D）heartened11．Although the wines vary, the______ is quite good.A）medium B）usual C）average D）ordinary12．________ of a newspaper nor the number of pages in an edition has ever been standardized.A)The page size is neither B)The page size, neitherC)Neither is the page size D)Neither the page size13．He______ his first book to his mother.A）committed B）dedicated C）assigned D）appointed14．One warning______ to stop her doing it.A）suffered B）sufficed(足够) C）suggested D）provided15．How I wish to ______ in your sufferings.A）enter B）contribute C）participate D）provide16．We can visit your company on Monday or Tuesday; our plans are fairly______. A）flexible B）elastic C）supple D）compliant17．It is because English is useful______.A）why we study it hard B）that we study it hardC）what we study hard D）which we study hard18．The plane is______ to take off at 4.A）enlisted B）enrolled C）prompted D）scheduled19．_______ in my present work, I would be quite willing to do what you ask me to. A）Were I not engaged B）I were not engagedC）Engaged I were not D）Were not I engaged20．He ______ that we should probably have rain.A）observed（观测） B）beheld(看见) C）examined D）followed21．A poor memory ______ her efforts to become an actress.A）encouraged B）accomplished C）frustrated(阻挠)D）develop 22．The officer ________ his orders to the men by radio.A）reported B）transmitted(传达) C）communicated(传输/传达)D）exchanged 23．They have got into______ troubles.A）monetary B）affluent C）financial D）miserable24．Churchill(丘吉尔) was______ as the Chancellor of the university.A）established(建立) B）placed C）launched D）installed(任命)25．This substance reacts ________ as fast as the other one.A）one-tenths B）first-ten C）one-ten D）one-tenth26．It is important for university to keep ______ with the changes in science and technology.A）step B）stage C）pace D）space27.It''s______ by coach from Melbourne to Sydney.A. a nine hour''s journeyB. a nine hour journeyC. a nine hours'' journeyD. a nine-hours journey28. They got there ______ we by 20 minutes.A. more early asB. earlier thanC. as early asD. more earlier than29. Those who don’t work hard at English ought to______.A. criticizeB. be criticizedC. have been criticizedD. be criticizing30. If you______ that late movie last night, you wouldn’t be sleepy now.A. hadn’t watchedB. didn’t watchC. haven’t watchedD. wouldn’t have watched31. Weather ______ , we’ll go sightseeing.A. permittedB. is permittedC. permittingD. is permitting32. There are ______ opportunities for employment in the rural area.A. lessB. littleC. smallD. fewer33. A ___ ___ component(成分) of any democracy（民主） is a free labor movement.A. vital（极重要的）B. visual（看得见的）C. sole（唯一的）D. singleCCBCA ACAAC ADBBC ABDAA CBCDD CCBBA CDA翻译句子(1)Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provides your company with new ways of better understanding and serving your customer.客户关系管理(CRM)为您的公司提供新的方式以更好的理解和服务你的客户(2)This service, known as Information Desk, along with other new Web-based information delivery services, has enabled the company and its direct, indirect and channel customers to work together more efficiently.这种被称为“信息桌面”的服务,以及其他以网络为基础提供信息的新的服务,使得公司和它的直接、间接和渠道的客户更有效地合作(3) As a result of getting confidential documents faster, three-fourths of Intel's direct customer engineers shaved a week or more off their product development cycle.更快了解机密文件的结果是：英特尔公司四分之三的直接客户工程师将其产品研发周期缩短了一周或更多(4) Over the last few years the Internet has evolved from being a scientific network only, to a platform that is enabling a new generation of businesses.在过去的几年中，因特网已经从一个仅用于科研的网络发展成了一个使新一代商务模式成为可能的平台(5) The e-business in the title is not the same as IBM is seeing it, it is much more, as you will discover by reading this book, therefore the "B" in e-business not written in capital letters as in IBM's ease.标题中的e-business与IBM所理解的并不一样，当你读完这本书你就会发现其内涵要丰富得多，所以，e-business中的字，字母B并没有像IBM一样大写(6) Once you have this data gathered, business intelligence applications let you analyze the information to help you optimize your Web site一旦你收集了这些数据，智能商务软件将帮你进行分析以是你的网站最佳化(7) Track Web hits or transactions against fluctuations in your offline sales channels, for example, or see what happens to order volumes at the beginning of a fiscal quarter when many departments have new budgets to work with.例如，将你的网站的成功点击率或交易量与你的线下销售波形图进行比较，或者当许多部门在一个季度开始做新的预算时，了解一下订单的数量(8) You can glean trends during peak traffic periods that result in server overloads, or identify search criteria that consistently fail to deliver anticipated content.在最高流量的时段，你可以了解一下是什么导致了服务器超载，或者确认哪些搜索标准总是不能达到预期的搜索结果(9)Executives who have successfully led change efforts advocate in-person discussions and meetings as the most effective communication vehicles.曾经成功领导了变革的决策者们主张将亲自参加讨论和会议作为最有效的沟通方式(10) Continuous innovation, a critical element of e-business strategy, is at the mercy of an organization's communication structure.不断地变革——,电子商务战略中最关键的因素，完全取决于机构的沟通体系1．贸易，商业 merce2. 紧缩v. deflate3. 命令的，权威 adj. & n. injunctive 4. 拥抱，包含 v.embrace 6. 垂直的，直立的adj. vertical7．参与，参加v. participate 8．可用的,可获得的adj. available9．自动化,自动n. automation 10. 包含, 牵涉 v. involve11. 地方, 位置 n. location 13. 单独的, 个人的 adj. individual14. 服从, 顺从, 提交 v. submit 15. 投资n. investment16. 基本的, 基础的, 主要的 adj. foundational17. 分配, 分布, 分发 v. distribute 23. 基金, 经费 n. fund25．预置, 初始化n. initialization 3. 顾问 n. consultant8. 本质，精髓，精华 n. essence 9. 放弃，遗弃 v. abandon1. retrieval technologies检索技术2. value chain _价值链3. direct billing直接结算4. supply chains供应链5. global marketplace全球市场6. tangible benefit有形效益7. virtual private network (VPN)虚拟专用网8. frequently asked questions (FAQ) 常见问题 EDI电子数据交换5. privacy policy隐私策略6. dispute resolution调解纠纷、争端解决7. business process re-engineering (BPR)业务流程再造8. return on investment投资报酬9. search engines搜索引擎10. shopping cart购物车 11. online marketing在线营销12. DigiCash电子现金13. cross-sell交叉销售14. text documents文本文件完形填空(1)Several regions in the world are subject 1 storms which are so severe that they 2 damage on a tremendous scale. The regions are all located on the edges of great oceans. The 3 term for such severe storms is "cyclone". The term "hurricane" is 4 for storms that occur in the North Atlantic Ocean.Cyclones(龙卷风) and hurricanes(飓风) differ in one curious 5 : in a cyclone, the wind circulates in a clockwise direction; in a hurricane, the wind direction is counter-clockwise. 6 cyclones and hurricanes have one ominous similarity. 7 the damage they cause on land and at sea, they are identical.Australia undergoes a number of cyclones every year along its northern coast, which faces Indonesia. The cyclones 8mainly in December and January, the summer months in the southern hemisphere.Usually the Australian cyclones don't cause great damage because Australia's northern territory has vast empty regions that are virtually 9 .There are few coastal cities. When a cyclone 10 move inland from the sea, it usually blows itself out without striking any inhabited area.1．A）to B）for C）of D）on2．A）make B）cause C）happen D）suffer3．A）full B）common C）ordinary D）general4．A）made B）called C）meant D）defined5．A）way B）manner C）angle D）feature6．A）However B）And C）But D）Then7．A）In that B）In terms of C）Except for D）Along with8．A）occur B）rise C）raise D）foster9．A）populated B）deserted C）unpopulated D）undeserved10．A）could B）does C）would D）shouldABDDA CBACB(2)Human beings act in a different way from 1 of animals just because they canspeak while animals cannot. Even the cleverest animals cannot do things which to us seem very 2 and which small children, as soon as they learn to talk, would be able to do.A German scientist, who 3 experiments for many years with big apes(猿), found that his apes could use his sticks(棍) as tools to pull down bananas which they could not 4 . But they only used the stick to get a banana when both the banana and the stick were in view at the same time. If the banana was in front of them and the stick was behind them, they could not use the stick. They could not keep the banana 5 enough in mind to look around and then pick up the stick and use it.The 6 for this is clear. We have words for banana and stick which help use to think about these things when they are not in 7 . Even a small child knowing the words "banana" and "stick" has an idea of their relationship and is able to think "stick" together with "banana" and to remember this long enough to pick the stick 8 behind and use it on the banana.9 to speak, animals cannot keep their knowledge of things for long. That is why they often interrupt one line of action to do something else and later forget it completely. Human beings, on the other hand, use 10 and are able to do one thing continuously.1．A）that B）this C）way D）eat2．A）honest B）foolish C）simple D）evident3．A）carried B）dealt C）developed D）performed4．A）get B）reach C）eat D）take5．A）clear B）alive C）long D）complete6．A）answer B）truth C）reason D）cause7．A）vision B）mind C）thought D）sight8．A）from B）in C）at D）around9．A）incapable B）unable C）unwilling D）hard10．A）knowledge B）language C）expressions D）mindACDBC CDABB(3)It is not surprising that people 1 ever associate Britain with wine and ill fact it may astonish you to learn that grapes are grown in the open air in England and nearly 200,000 2 were sold in 1975. There is nothing very new in growing grapes in Britain, 3 the climate. The Romans planted the first vines about AD 300 and 4 a long time people always drank home-produced wines. What destroyed the English wine industry was not5 a change in the climate as the fact that an English King, Henry II, inherited the Bordeaux area of France as part of his dominions6the twelfth century and the imported wine provided7 of competition. The English wine industry did not disappear, however,8the sixteenth century, when the monks, who had been the main producers in the meantime, had their estates taken away by Henry VIII. The new owners let the vineyards die out. But now English people, probably9their memories of holidays by the Mediterranean, drink more wine than ever and the new industry is now developing 10a modest but consistent rate.1．A）hardly B）almost C）nearly D）seldom2．A）bottles of wine B）bottles of wines C）wine bottles D）of wine bottles 3．A）although B）whatever C）in spite of D）however4．A）during B）from C）since D）for5．A）enough B）such C）too much D）so much6．A）on B）during C）for D）since7．A）much B）many C）a great deal D）a large number8．A）as long as B）as far as C）since D）until9．A）because B）for C）because of D）due10．A）in B）by C）at D）onAACDDBCDCC阅读理解答案:(1)CAA (3)ABC (4)ADB (5)BAC (6)CCAD (7)ABAD1 CAB 2CCDD 3ABC 4 ADB 5 BAC 6BCAD 7ABADPassage 1People over the age of 65 in the U.S.A are called senior citizens. Life for these people is different from that for younger Americans. Most senior citizens retire, or no longer work full time. Also it is unusual for people of this age to live with their children and grandchildren. Grandparents tend to live in their own houses or apartments away from their families.For many senior citizens, the years after 65 are not enjoyable. They feel unproductive when they no longer work. Their lives lose meaning. In addition, they may feel lonely being away from their families and the contacts they had in their work. Moreover, they become more concerned with their health as they grow older. If they live in big cities, they often worry about their safety.Other senior citizens enjoy their lives. They feel free to do things they were not able to do when they were working and raising families. They now have time to enjoy hobbies and sports and travel. They associate with their fellow senior citizens who have common interests and equal free time. Many senior citizens move to retirement communities located in warm climates. Some senior citizens continue to work beyond retirement age. Many find new careers and professional opportunities after they retire.The number of senior citizens in the U.S.A is increasing rapidly because people are living longer than before. The average life span for Americans in now more than 74 years. Because of their larger numbers and more active life styles, senior citizens are gaining social influence in the country both politically and economically. Their concerns are receiving a wider audience than ever before. The time may come when all Americans will look forward to becoming senior citizens.1．Many senior citizen ________.A）are enjoyable B）live together with their familiesC）feel unproductive, lonely and unsafe D）feel safe in big cities 2．Senior citizens are gaining social influence because ________.A）the number of senior citizens is growing and because senior citizens are more activeB）senior citizens have experienceC）their average life span is longerD）they do more work now3．Implied but not stated: ________.A）Most of American senior citizens have lived a lonely and unhappy life. B）They have played an important part in society.C）Like young people, senior citizens can still enjoy everything they like.D）Their average lifespan is becoming longer and longer.Passage 2The Great Fire of London started in the very early hours of 2 September 1666. In four days it destroyed more than three-quarters of the old city, where most of the houses were wooden and close together. One hundred thousand people became homeless, but only a few lost their lives.The fire started on Sunday morning in the house of the King's baker in Pudding Lane. The baker, with his wife and family, was able to get out through a window in the roof. A strong wind blew the fire from the bakery into a small hotel next door. Then it spread quickly into Thames Street. That was the beginning.By eight o'clock three hundred houses were on fire. On Monday nearly a kilometer of the city was burning along the River Thames. Tuesday was the worst day. The fire destroyed many well-known buildings, old St Paul's and the Guildhall among them.Samuel Pepys, the famous writer, wrote about the fire. People threw their things into the river. Many poor people stayed in their houses until the last moment. Birds fell out of the air because of the heat.The fire stopped only when the King finally ordered people to destroy hundreds of buildings in the path of the fire. With nothing left to burn, the fire became weak and finally died out.After the fire, Christopher Wren, the architect, wanted a city with wider streets and fine new houses of stone. In fact, the streets are still narrow; but he did build more than fifty churches, among them new St Paul's.The fire caused great pain and loss, but after it London was a better place: a city for the future and not just of the past.4．The fire began in______.A）a hotel B）the palaceC）Pudding Lane D）Thames Street5．It seems that the writer of the text was most sorry for the fact that______.A）some people lost their lives B）the birds in the sky were killed by the fireC）many famous buildings were destroyed D）the King's bakery wasburned down6．Why did the writer cite Samuel Pepys? ______A）Because Pepys was among those putting out the fireB）Because Pepys also wrote about the fireC）To show that poor people suffered mostD）To give the reader a clearer picture of the fire7．How was the fire put out according to the text? ______.A）The king and his soldiers came to helpB）All the wooden houses in the city were destroyedC）People managed to get enough water from the riverD）Houses standing in the direction of the fire were pulled downPassage 3Music which is original is individual and personal. That is to say, it can be identified as belonging to a particular composer. It has particular qualities, or a style, which are not copied from another. If you can recognize the style of a composer, you will probably be able to tell that a certain composition belongs to him or her even though you have never heard it before. A composer organizes his melodies (旋律) and rhythms and combines sounds to create harmony. He may be capable of thinking up very good, original tunes, yet if tunes are poorly organized, the final result will not be to standard.Good music expresses feelings in a way that is suitable to those feelings. There may be joy, sorrow, fear, love, anger, or whatever. Bad music, on the other hand, may confuse unrelated feelings, it may not express any important feeling at all, or it may exaggerate some feelings and make them vulgar, that is, cheap and ugly.Good music will stand the test of time. It will not go out of fashion but will continue to be enjoyed and respected long after it is first introduced. It will gain a kind of permanent status while bad music will disappear and be forgotten quickly. In pop music, where the general rule seems to be "the newer the better", the test of time is the hardest test of all to pass.1．A piece of original music ______.A）has a personal style B）sounds very familiar to our earsC）is one whose style you cannot recognize D）cannot be recognized as belonging to any composer2．Good music is ______.A）well-organized tunes B）the proper expression of feelingsC）an expression of mixed feelings D）exaggeration of some feelings3．The passage is concerned with ______.A）how to compose music B）how to enjoy musicC）how to judge music D）how to perform musicPassage 4Shopping-bag ladies don't beg publicly, but they do not refuse what is offered. Once a shopping-bag lady appears where you live, it is as hard to pass her by without giving her some money as it is to pay no attention to the collection box in church. And although you may not like it, if she chooses your doorway as her place to sleep in the night, it is as morally hard to turn her away as it is to do with a lost dog.Most shopping-bag ladies seem to be between the ages of 40 and 65. They wear layers of clothes even in summer time, with newspapers filled between the layers as something against bad weather.No one knows how many shopping-bag ladies there are in New York. The number is going up. Some persons and researchers spend a great deal of time taking care of or observing shopping-bag ladies and doing what they can to better the life lady hermits（隐士） who're down.1．Shopping-bag ladies are ______.A）lady beggars B）ladies who sell shopping-bagsC）ladies who make shopping-bags D）Those who go hungry 2．They fill newspapers between the layers of their clothes because ______.A）they are so poor B）they have no place to put themC）they want to hide them D）they have to use them to keep the cold out3．Which of the following statements is NOT true.A）There are more and more shopping-bag ladies in the United States .B）Shopping-bag ladies appear only in New York.C）Some people are helping shopping-bag ladies.D）Some people are engaged in their research on these shopping-bag ladies. Passage 5The Internet will play a central role in conducting international trade beyond the year 2000. The World Trade Centers Association (WTCA) recently announced a plan to assist developing countries develop a capacity for e-commerce and e-business. The spin off from this decision can pay huge dividends to offshore companies that position themselves on-line right now to supply goods and services to the coming global Internet trading market.E-business will help you get set up and operate with a minimum of effort and at reasonable prices.E-business Incorporated works with international companies to set up a web-office, or CyberSuite as its own domain accessible over the Internet via its owndomain name or from the e-business Cyberspace Station.If you are a supplier, your CyberSuite would have a showroom where visitors —especially wholesale importers and distributors — can examine images, drawings or listings of what you have to offer. If you are a buyer, your web-office can include a notice board listing products or services or agreements you are looking for and a bidding gallery where suppliers can post bids and link you to their sites to examine products. Trading partners can make purchases, send invoices, hold business meetings, track shipments, and work out potential trade agreements within the E-business Cyberspace Station. E-business seminars and conferences will introduce new potential trade partners to each other.Orders placed on the site are sent immediately to manufacturers and any suppliers integrated into the trade process. For example, established trading partners might include an importer ordering large shipments from a manufacturer and suppliers of parts or raw materials in other countries. By electronically notifying the whole trade net at the same time, each partner is able to trim supply and demand to "just in time" delivery of goods or services. The savings of doing business this way can be substantial — even without the tax advantages.1．E-business Incorporated can help a company to______.A）set up a web-office free of charge B）build a Cybersuite as its domainC）get its own domain name D）have its web site accessible via its own domain name2．In a Cybersuite, a supplier can ______.A）exhibit its products and services B）find more images and drawingsC）get many lists of products D）bid for a certain product or service3．The passage mainly tells about ______.A）the benefits brought by e-business B）how to do e-commerce via InternetC）a project by WTCA D）how to find trade partners via InternetPassage 6For some time past it has been widely accepted that babies - and other creatures - learn to do things because certain acts lead to "rewards"; and there is no reason to doubt that this is true. But it used also to be widely believed that effective reward, at least in the early stages, had to be directly related to such basic physiological (生理的) "drives" as thirst or hunger. In other words, a baby would learn if he got food or drink of some sort of physical comfort, not otherwise.It is now clear that this is not so. Babies will learn to behave in ways that produce results in the world with no reward except the successful outcome.Papousek began his studies by using milk in the normal way to "reward" thebabies and so teach them to carry out some simple movements, such as turning the head to one side or the other. Then he noticed that a baby who had had enough to drink would refuse the milk but would still go on making the learned response with clear signs of pleasure. So he began to study the children's responses in situations where no milk was provided. He quickly found that children as young as four months would learn to turn their heads to right or left if the movement "switched on" a display of lights - and indeed that they were capable of learning quite complex turns to bring about this result, for instance, two left or two right, or even to make as many three turns to one side.Papousek's light display was placed directly in front of the babies and he made the interesting observation that sometimes they would not turn back to watch the lights closely although they would "smile and bubble" when the display came on. Papousek concluded that it was not primarily the sight of the lights which pleased them, it was the success they were achieving in solving the problem, in mastering the skill, and that there exists a fundamental human urge to make sense of the world and bring it under intentional control.4．According to the author, babies learn to do things which ______.A）are directly related to pleasure B）will meet their physical needsC）will bring them a feeling of success D）will satisfy their curiosity 5．Papousek noticed in his studies that a baby ______.A）would make learned responses when it saw the milkB）would carry out learned movements when it had enough to drinkC）would continue the simple movements without being given milkD）would turn its head to right or left when it had enough to drink6．In Papousek's experiment babies make learned movements of the head in order to______.A）have the lights turned on B）be rewarded with milk C）please their parents D）be praised7．The babies would "smile and bubble" at the lights because ______.A）the lights were directly related to some basic "drives"B）the sight of the lights was interestingC）they need not turn back to watch the lightsD）they succeeded in "switching on" the lightsPassage 7The digital revolution, as exemplified by the Internet and electronic commerce, has shaken marketing practices to their core. In a recent paper, Wharton's Jerry Wind, director of the SEI Center for Advanced Studies in Management, and co-author Vijay Mahajan, a marketing professor at the College of Business Administration of the University of Texas at Austin, examine the impact of digital marketing on concepts like pricing, when customers can propose their own prices (), or buyersand sellers can haggle independently in auctions ().The paper provides an overview of some of the emerging realties and new rules of marketing in a digital world, and outlines what the new discipline of marketing may look like in the early part of the new century.To begin with, say the authors, the rapid-fire growth of the Internet is helping to drive changes. "It is not just our computers that are being reprogrammed; it is customers themselves, " says Wind. "These emerging cyber consumers are like an alien race that have landed in the midst of our markets. They have different expectations and different relationships with companies from which they purchase products and services. "For one thing, cyber consumers expect to be able to customize everything —from the products and services they buy and the information they seek, to the price they are willing to pay. And with digital technology opening new channels for gaining information, they are more knowledgeable and demanding than previous consumers.Digital customers can also sort products based on any desired attribute, price, nutritional value, or functionality, and they can easily obtain third-party endorsements and evaluations, tapping the experience of other users. "Companies that cannot meet their demands and expectations will be at a loss, " says Wind.4．The passage was most likely to be taken from ________.A）an overview of a paper B）an introduction to a book C）a book on digital revolution D）a paper discussing digital revolution5．From the third paragraph, we can infer that ________.A）the customers are also reprogrammed by computersB）e-business companies need be more knowledgeable about cyber consumers C）cyber consumers are a group of strange peopleD）cyber consumers came from outer space6．Compared with traditional customers, the emerging cyber consumers ________. A）are more difficult to satisfy B）have less knowledge about businessC）have more problems with prices D）are less willing to buy products and services7．In the last paragraph, what Wind said means ________.A）digital consumers' decision to buy depends largely on others' evaluationB）it will be more and more difficult for companies to earn profit in e-businessC）most of the companies in e-business are at a lossD）companies should try their best to meet the digital consumers' demands and expectations。
电子商务英语答案
电子商务英语答案Answers of Unit OneText AⅠ.Review the questions 略Ⅱ. Put in the missing information based on the text1. frequently2. perspectives3. emerging; exchanging; information4. globalization; productivity; competitive5. employment; commercial6. replace7. people; policy; technical; protocolsⅢ. Translate the following passage into Chinese1. 电子商务是一个刚出现的概念，即通过计算机网络，包括了互联网，来描述买卖过程或产品、服务和信息的交易。
2. EC的应用有许多，例如：家庭银行、在网上商店购物、购买股票、寻找工作、网上拍卖以及利用电子手段在研究和项目开发方面进行合作。
Ⅳ.Translate the following sentences into English1. Some people think that EC is just another overused and discarded buzzword.2. The term electronic commerce is restricting, however, and does not fully encompass the truenature of the many types of information exchanges occurring via telecommunication devices. 3. There are more non-enterprise organizations, such as academic institutions, non-profitorganizations, religious organizations, social organizations and the governments, employing variety of E-Commerce to reduce the costs and improve the operation.4. The definition of E-Business is broader than that of E-Commerce, which electronicallyinvolves the interaction of all information.Text BⅠ.True or FalseF F T F F T F F T FⅡ. Put in the missing information based on the text1. complicated2. communication; information3. wiring4. Wireless5. separate6. digital; analog7. social; teleconferencing; telecommunications8. ubiquity; convenience9. retail; auctions 10. hierarchical; relational; network; objectSkills of Understanding1． Despite the fact that cars from Germany and Japan are flooding the American market. Ford,General Motors and Chrysler are hiring more workers than ever before.2． It is difficult for adult learners to come to classes to study at a fixed time. 3． Traffic congestion results in adverse effects.Skills of Translation1. 每个人的生活都有甜蜜和苦涩。
《电子商务英语》复习资料
一、客观部分：（单项选择、多项选择、不定项选择、判断）（一）、选择部分1.In general, the major benefits of B2B are( ABCD ).A. reduce administrative costsB. expedite cycle timeC. lower search costs and time forbuyers D. decrease productivity of employees E. reduce inventory levels★考核知识点: 企业间的电子商务，参见P148附1.1.1（考核知识点解释）：总的来说，B2B的主要优点有：取代了纸质单据，节约管理成本；减低搜索成本，节约买主的时间；提高雇员处理采购和销售的效率；减少失误，提高服务质量；降低库存水平和库存成本；增加生产弹性，实现即时送货；方便大宗定制；增加合作的机会。
2.In order to keep competitive in EC, logistics industry has begun to employ the（ABD ）structureA. openingB. systematicalC. conservativeD. technicalE. close★考核知识点: 电子商务中的物流，参见P174附1.1.2（考核知识点解释）：为了保持在电子商务中的竞争力，物流业已经开始使用开放的、系统化的技术结构，为企业营造连贯的物流过程，从而实现整个供应链的无缝多点集成。
3.Brokerage models include（ABD ）A. marketplace exchangeB. content-targeted advertisingC. buy/sell fulfillmentD. bounty brokerE. information exchange★考核知识点: 网上商务模式，参见P73附1.1.3（考核知识点解释）：中介模式包括：市场交易、买卖活动、需求收集系统、拍卖中介、交易中介、奖励金中介、分销商、搜索代理、网上商场。
电子商务英语翻译
电子商务文献翻译班级：电子商务0902姓名：陈正祥学号：090506037STRUCTURE AND MACRO-LEVEL IMPACTS OF ELECT RONIC COMMERCE: FROM TECHNOLOGICAL INFRAST RUCTURE TO ELECTRONIC MARKETPLACES VLADIMIR ZWASS电子商务的结构和宏观影响：从技术层面的基础设施建设到虚拟的电子市场Abstract摘要Electronic commerce (E-commerce) is sharing business information, maintaining busi ness relationships, and conducting business transactions by means of telecommunicati ons networks. Traditional E-commerce, conducted with the use of information technol ogies centering on electronic data interchange (EDI) over proprietary value-added net works, is rapidly moving to the Internet. The InternetWorld Wide Web has become the prime driver of contemporary E-commerce, which has been vastly broadened and red efined by the use of the new medium.通过通讯网络电子商务可以实现分享信息，维护商业关系和进行商业交易的目的。
传统的电子商务在附有专有价值的网络上以电子信息交流为中心使用信息技术，目前正在逐渐向因特网转移。
商务英语词汇术语
最惠国待遇
most-favorednationtreatment-MFNT
-------------------价格条件----------------------
价格术语tradeterm(priceterm)运费freight
单价price码头费wharfage
分三个月，每月平均装运inthreeequalmonthlyshipments
立即装运immediateshipments
即期装运promptshipments
收到信用证后30天内装运shipmentswithin30daysafterreceiptofL/C
允许分批装船partialshipmentnotallowedpartialshipmentnotpermitted
IMF(InternationalMonetaryFund)国际货币基金组织
CTG(CouncilforTradeinGoods)货币贸易理事会
EFTA(EuropeanFreeTradeAssociation)欧洲自由贸易联盟
AFTA(ASEANFreeTradeArea)东盟自由贸易区
JCCT(China-USJointCommissiononCommerceandTrade)中美商贸联委会
发盘(发价)offer
发实盘offerfirm
询盘(询价)inquiry;enquiry
指示性价格priceindication
速复replyimmediately
参考价referenceprice
习惯做法
交易磋商
不受约束
业务洽谈
usualpractice
e-comerce
14
Forms of Internet Mediated Commercial Activities4
• Intelligent and software agents play an increasingly important role in EC. Intelligent EC. agents and their subset software agents are computer programmes that help the users to conduct routine tasks, search and retrieve information, support decision making, and act as domain expects. expects. • They are also used to overcome tremendous amount of information overload. overload.
3
Categories of
1. Electronic Markets
1 ee-Commerce
(3 Types)
• An electronic market is the use of information and communications technology to present a range of offerings available in a market segment so that the purchaser can compare the prices (and other attributes) of the offerings and make a purchase decision. The usual example of an decision. electronic market is an airline book system
常用国际贸易术语200个
常用国际贸易术语200个Advertising campaign（广告活动）Advertising（广告）After-sales service（售后服务）Agent（代理商）Anti-dumping duty（反倾销税）Anti-dumping measures（反倾销措施）Arbitration（仲裁）B2B (Business-to-Business)（企业对企业）B2C (Business-to-Consumer)（企业对消费者）Balance of payments（国际收支平衡）Balance of trade（贸易差额）Bilateral trade（双边贸易）Bill discounting（票据贴现）Bill of lading（提单）Brand management（品牌管理）Branding（品牌建设）Business license（营业执照）Business negotiation（商务谈判）Business networking（商务社交）Certificate of compliance（合规证书）Certificate of conformity（合格证书）Certificate of inspection（检验证书）Certificate of origin（原产地证书）CIF (Cost, Insurance, and Freight)（成本、保险和运费）Command economy（计划经济）Commercial invoice（商业发票）Common market（共同市场）Competitive analysis（竞争分析）Competitive intelligence（竞争情报）Contract negotiation（合同谈判）Copyright（版权）Counterfeit goods（假冒商品）Countervailing duties（反补贴税）Cross-border trade（跨境贸易）Currency appreciation（货币升值）Currency devaluation（货币贬值）Currency fluctuation（货币波动）Customer relationship management (CRM)（客户关系管理）Customer retention（客户保留）Customer satisfaction（客户满意度）Customs broker（报关行）Customs clearance（海关清关）Customs clearance（清关）Customs duty（关税）Customs union（关税同盟）Customs（海关）DDP (Delivered Duty Paid)（货到付款）Demand forecasting（需求预测）Direct investment（直接投资）Distribution channel management（渠道管理）Distribution channel（分销渠道）Distribution strategy（分销策略）Distribution（配送）Distributor（经销商）Documentary collection（跟单托收）Dumping investigation（倾销调查）Dumping margin calculation（倾销幅度计算）Dumping margin（倾销幅度）Dumping（倾销）E-commerce（电子商务）Economic sanctions（经济制裁）Ex works（工厂交货）Exchange rate fluctuations（汇率波动）Exhibition booth（展位）Export controls（出口管制）Export credit agency（出口信用机构）Export credit（出口信贷）Export documentation（出口文件）Export duty（出口关税）Export license（出口许可证）Export promotion（出口促进）Export quota（出口配额）Export regulations（出口法规）Export subsidy scheme（出口补贴计划）Export subsidy（出口补贴）Export（出口）Export-oriented production（出口导向型生产）EXW (Ex Works)（工厂交货）FCL (Full Container Load)（整柜）FOB (Free On Board)（离岸价）Foreign exchange market（外汇市场）Foreign exchange rate（汇率）Foreign exchange rate（外汇汇率）Franchising（特许经营）Free trade agreement（自由贸易协定）Free trade zone（自由贸易区）Free trade（自由贸易）Freight forwarding（货运代理）GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade)（关税和贸易总协定）GSP (Generalized System of Preferences)（普惠制）Hedging（套期保值）Import documentation（进口文件）Import duty rate（进口关税税率）Import duty（进口关税）Import license（进口许可证）Import quota system（进口配额制度）Import quota（进口配额）Import regulations（进口法规）Import restrictions（进口限制）Import substitution（进口替代）Import（进口）Incoterms（国际贸易术语解释）Indirect export（间接出口）Insurance policy（保险单）Intellectual property infringement（知识产权侵权）Intellectual property rights protection（知识产权保护）Intellectual property rights（知识产权）International Chamber of Commerce (ICC)（国际商会）International payment（国际支付）International standards（国际标准）International trade fair（国际贸易博览会）International trade finance（国际贸易融资）International trade（国际贸易）Inventory management（库存管理）Joint venture（合资企业）LCL (Less than Container Load)（散货）Letter of credit（信用证）Letter of intent（意向书）Licensing（许可）Logistics（物流）Manufacturer（制造商）Market access（市场准入）Market analysis（市场分析）Market demand（市场需求）Market economy（市场经济）Market entry barrier（市场准入壁垒）Market entry barriers（市场准入壁垒）Market entry mode（市场进入方式）Market entry strategy（市场进入策略）Market expansion（市场扩张）Market expansion（市场拓展）Market growth（市场增长）Market opportunity（市场机会）Market penetration（市场渗透）Market positioning（市场定位）Market research report（市场研究报告）Market research（市场调研）Market research（市场研究）Market saturation（市场饱和）Market segmentation（市场细分）Market share analysis（市场份额分析）Market share（市场份额）Market trend analysis（市场趋势分析）Market trend（市场趋势）Marketing campaign（营销活动）Marketing mix（市场营销组合）Marketing strategy（营销策略）Mediation（调解）Memorandum of understanding (MOU)（谅解备忘录）MFN (Most Favored Nation) status（最惠国待遇）Mixed economy（混合经济）Multilateral trade（多边贸易）Non-disclosure agreement (NDA)（保密协议）Non-tariff barriers（非关税壁垒）Online marketing（网络营销）Online marketplace（在线市场）Open account（开放账户）Order fulfillment（订单履行）Packing list（装箱单）Patent（专利）Payment terms（支付条款）Preferential trade agreement（优惠贸易协定）Preferential trade（优惠贸易）Price negotiation（价格谈判）Pricing strategy（定价策略）Product development（产品开发）Product differentiation（产品差异化）Product positioning（产品定位）Product quality control（产品质量控制）Product recall（产品召回）Proforma invoice（形式发票）Promotion（推广）Public relations（公关）Purchase order（采购订单）Quality control（质量控制）Quota（配额）Retailer（零售商）Risk management（风险管理）Royalties（版税）Rules of origin（原产地规则）Safeguard measures（保障措施）Sales contract（销售合同）Sales forecast（销售预测）Sales promotion（促销）Social media marketing（社交媒体营销）Strategic alliance（战略联盟）Subsidy investigation（补贴调查）Subsidy（补贴）Supplier（供应商）Supply chain management（供应链管理）Supply chain optimization（供应链优化）Supply chain（供应链）Tariff（关税）Tariffication（关税化）Trade agreement（贸易协定）Trade association（行业协会）Trade barrier（贸易壁垒）Trade barriers（贸易壁垒）Trade credit insurance（贸易信用保险）Trade credit（贸易信用）Trade deficit（贸易逆差）Trade dispute resolution（贸易争端解决）Trade dispute settlement（贸易争端解决）Trade dispute（贸易争端）Trade embargo（贸易禁运）Trade facilitation agreement（贸易便利化协定）Trade facilitation measures（贸易便利化措施）Trade facilitation（贸易便利化）Trade finance agreement（贸易融资协议）Trade finance facility（贸易融资工具）Trade finance instruments（贸易融资工具）Trade finance options（贸易融资选择）Trade finance（贸易融资）Trade financing options（贸易融资选择）Trade imbalance（贸易失衡）Trade in goods（货物贸易）Trade in services（服务贸易）Trade insurance（贸易保险）Trade liberalization（贸易自由化）Trade mission（贸易代表团）Trade negotiations（贸易谈判）Trade policy（贸易政策）Trade promotion activities（贸易促进活动）Trade promotion organizations（贸易促进组织）Trade promotion（贸易促进）Trade protectionism（贸易保护主义）Trade remedies（贸易救济措施）Trade restrictions（贸易限制）Trade secrets（商业机密）Trade show participation（参展）Trade show（贸易展览会）Trade surplus（贸易顺差）Trade（贸易）Trademark（商标）Trade-related investment measures（与贸易有关的投资措施）Trading bloc（贸易集团）TRIPS Agreement(Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights)（与贸易有关的知识产权协议）Warehousing（仓储）Wholesaler（批发商）World Trade Organization (WTO)（世界贸易组织）WTO rules（世界贸易组织规则）。
电子商务英语专业术语
Unit 3
Card reader 读卡器 Consumer-aggressive techniques 侵犯消费者权益的技术 Informaiton superhighway 信息高速公路 push marketing 推式营销 Pull marketing 拉式营销
电子交易 商业指南列表 财会系统 商业需求 信用等级 技术解决方案 门户网站 内容网站
Information public Information private Informtion safety Dispatch management Distribute processes Access market
Relational database
01
Flat model database
02
Hierarchical model database
03
Network model database
04
Relational model database
05
1
Conversion: 转型
2
Backbone :主干
charge-free policy 免费政策
profit-making models 盈利模式
gross profit margin 毛利率
profit margin 边际利润率
sell product line 销售产品线
operating profit 营业利润
cost-cutting moves 成本消减措施 after-hours trading 盘后交易 fulfillment cost 实现成本 customer-service center 客服中心 e-taxe(electronic taxe) 电子税收 e-shop 网上商店 general counsel 法律总顾问
金融英语单词
1、lending and deposit-taking 贷款和存款2、epicenter of commercial banking 商业银行的中心3、government deregulation 政府放松管制4、competitive pressures 竞争压力5、the creation of money 货币创造6、the overall management of the flow of money货币流动的全面管理7、ancillary services 配套（补充）服务8、trust 信托9、leasing 租赁10、depositor 储户11、debtor 债务人12、creditor 债权人13、principal 委托人14、agent 代理人15、bailor 委托保管人16、bailee 受托人17、intermediary services 中介（中间）服务18、fiduciary 受托（信托）19、reimburse 补偿，偿还20、indemnify 赔偿21、fund transfer 资金转移22、clearing 清算23、factoring 保理业务24、safe custody 妥善保管25、safekeeping 保管业务26、vaults 保险库27、negotiable instruments 可转让票据28、safe deposit boxes 保险箱29、custodial functions 托管功能30、loan collateral 贷款的抵押物31、mechanism of payment 支付机制32、funds transfer / transfers of funds 资金转移33、settlement of funds 资金结算34、credit card 信用卡35、debit cards 借记卡36、A TMs 自动取款机37、Plastic Money 塑胶货币38、smart cards intelligent cards 智能卡39、tangible piece of property 有形财产40、unconditional order 无条件命令41、reconciled 协调，调整42、acceptance 承兑43、forged and unauthorized signatures 伪造和未经授权的签名44、indorsement /endorsement 背书45、general crossings 普通划线46、two transverse parallel lines across the face of the cheque特殊划线（两个平行线）支票上画两条平行线47、special crossings 特殊划线48、bank drafts 银行汇票49、drawer 出票人50、drawee 付款人51、dishonour 拒付52、the payee or the holder 收款人或持有人53、surety 担保54、bank notes 钞票55、bearer 持票人（来人）56、on demand 即期汇票57、legal tenders 法定货币58、cardholder 持卡人59、card issuer 发卡机构60、outstanding balance 未偿还余额61、sales slip 销售发票62、compound interest 复利63、delivery of goods 交付货物64、POS(point of sale) terminals 销售点终端65、Electronic Commerce on the Internet 在互联网上的电子商务66、collection 托收67、documentary credit 跟单信用证68、trust services 信托服务69、fiduciary relationship 受托关系70、trustor 委托人71、settlor 财产授予人72、grantor 让与人73、donor 捐助人74、beneficiary 受益人75、trustee 受托人76、remainderman 不动产继承人77、trust deposits 信托存款78、lease 租赁79、tenements 房屋80、chattels 动产81、ground rent 地面租金82、tax-deductible expense 税收抵扣的费用83、lessee 承租人84、lessor 出租人85、capital lease 资本租赁86、noncancelable 不可取消的87、paid out(amortized) 支付（摊销）88、operating lease 经营租赁89、leveraged lease 杠杆租赁90、garment industry 服装行业91、discount factoring 贴现保理业务92、maturity factoring 成熟的保理业务93、accounts-receivable financing 应收账款融资94、collateralized lending 抵押贷款95、unsecured lending 无抵押（担保）贷款96、credit line 信用额度97、consigns goods 托运货物98、the copy of invoice 发票复印件99、IOUs(I owe you) 欠条100、saver 存款人101、short-term 短期102、long-term 长期103、intermediate-term 中间短期104、common stock 普通股105、dividends 股息106、residual claimant 剩余的索赔人107、primary market 初级市场108、secondary market 二级市场109、investment bank 投资银行110、underwriting 包销(承销)111、New Y ork Stock Exchange(NYSE) 纽约证券交易所112、trading volume 交易量113、brokers 经纪人114、dealers 经销商（交易人）115、surplus funds 盈余资金116、pension funds 养老基金117、in large denominations 在大面额118、default risk 违约风险119、ideal place 理想的地方120、warehouse 仓库121、injection of funds 注入资金122、interim investment 中期投资123、idle cash 闲置的现金124、opportunity cost 机会成本125、temporary funds 临时资金126、cash inflows and outflows 现金流入和流出127、tax revenues 税收收入128、large commercial CDs(Certificate of Deposit) 大额可转让存单129、market participants 市场参与者130、banker’s acceptances 银行承兑131、repurchase agreements 回购协议132、casualty insurance 意外伤害保险133、life insurance 人寿保险134、money market instruments 货币市场工具135、Ministry of Finance 财政部136、Issued at a discount from par 折扣发行137、term security 安全条款138、a demand deposit 活期存款139、a bearer instrument 不记名票据140、in large denominations 在大面额141、a reverse repo 逆回购协议142、a banker’s acceptance 一个银行承兑143、a time draft 即期发票144、regulatory framework 监管框架145、universal banks 全能银行146、acquisitions ,mergers, amalgamations and disposals 收购，兼并，联合和处置147、risk pricing and transfer 风险定价和转移148、bank-orientated system 银行为主导的系统149、market-orientated 以市场为导向150、proprietary trading 自营交易151、fee banking 收费银行业务152、commitment to underwrite 承诺包销153、subscribed 认购154、offering price 发行价格155、underwriting fees 承销费156、initial public offerings(IPOs) 首次公开募股157、additional floats 增发158、over-the-counter stock 柜台股票159、spread 利差160、bid and offer prices 买入和卖出价161、horizontal merger 横向合并162、vertical merger 垂直合并163、conglomerate merger 集团合并164、leveraged buyout(LBO) 杠杆收购165、management buyout(MBO) 管理层收购166、hostile offer 敌意收购167、financial engineering techniques 金融工程技术168、financial advising 财务顾问169、go private 私有化170、spin-off 剥离171、strictest confidence 严格保密172、insider trading 内幕交易173、leaked information 泄露信息174、globalization 全球化175、uncertainty of outcome 结果的不确定性176、totally new competitive landscape for banks全新的银行竞争格局177、telecommunications Titan 电信巨头178、backend processors 后端处理器179、front-end financial software providers 前端的财务软件供应商180、first and foremost 首先181、complex hierarchical organizational structures复杂的层次组织结构182、technologically mediated solutions 技术为媒介的解决方案183、embrace the new opportunities 拥抱新机遇184、proprietary networks 专有网络185、externality 外部（外延）186、information technology(IT) 信息技术187、electronic commerce 电子商务188、labor-intensive 劳动密集189、paying bills 支付账单190、status of payments 支付地位（状态）191、prospectus download 招股书下载192、tax return preparation 税收返还的编制193、proprietorship 独资企业194、partnership 建立伙伴关系195、sunk cost 沉没成本196、back-office system 后端办公系统197、sophisticated retail interfaces 先进（高端）的零售接口198、lose sight 忽视199、proprietary digital data networks 专有的数字数据网络200、overriding dependence on 压倒一切的依赖201、Web server Web服务器202、groupware technology 群件技术。
电子商务领域核心期刊（国外）
电子商务领域核心期刊（国外）管理信息系统、信息管理、电子商务领域高水平学术期刊推荐目录(转)Appendix 1: List of journals related to e-commerce and organizational computing1. Australian Journal of Electronic Commerce2. Computer-Mediated Communication Magazine3. Computer Supported Cooperative Work4. Decision Support Systems5. E-Business Advisor Magazine6. e-Service Quarterly7. Electronic Commerce Research8. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications9. Group Decision and Negotiation10. The Information Society11. Intelligent Enterprise12. International Journal of Cooperative Information Systems13. International Journal of Electronic Business14. International Journal of Electronic Commerce15. International Journal of Electronic Markets16. International Journal of Internet and Enterprise Management17. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication18. Journal of Electronic Commerce in Organizations19. Journal of Electronic Commerce Research20. Journal of Hyperlinked Organization21. Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce22. Organization Science23. Quarterly Journal of Electronic Commerce24. Universal Access in the Information Society25. The dynamics of trust in B2C e-commerce 395 Appendix 2: Top Journals publishing IS research1. MIS Quarterly2. Information Systems Research3. Journal of Management Information Systems4. Decision Support Systems5. Information and Management6. European Journal of Information Systems7. Communications of the AIS8. Journal of Information Systems Management9. Information Systems10. Information Resources Management Journal Multidiscipline journals11. Management Science12. Decision Sciences13. Harvard Business Review14. Sloan Management Review15. Omega16. Organization ScienceReference discipline journals Communications of the ACM1. Journal of the ACM2. IEEE Transactions3. ACM Transactions4. Computer (IEEE)5. Any IEEE publication6. ACM Computing Surveys7. Academy of Management Journal8. Academy of Management Review。
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On Agent-Mediated Electronic Commerce Minghua He,Nicholas R.Jennings,and Ho-Fung Leung Abstract—This paper surveys and analyzes the state of the art of agent-mediated electronic commerce(e-commerce),concentrating particularly on the business-to-consumer(B2C)and business-to-business(B2B)aspects.From the consumer buying behavior perspective,agents are being used in the following activities:need identification,product brokering,buyer coalition formation, merchant brokering,and negotiation.The roles of agents in B2B e-commerce are discussed through the business-to-business transaction model that identifies agents as being employed in partnership formation,brokering,and negotiation.Having identified the roles for agents in B2C and B2B e-commerce,some of the key underpinning technologies of this vision are highlighted.Finally,we conclude by discussing the future directions and potential impediments to the wide-scale adoption of agent-mediated e-commerce.Index Terms—Agent-mediated electronic commerce,intelligent agents.æ1I NTRODUCTIONE LECTRONIC commerce(e-commerce)is increasingly as-suming a pivotal role in many organizations.It offers opportunities to significantly improve(make faster,cheap-er,more personalized,and/or more agile)the way that businesses interact with both their customers and their suppliers.However,in order to harness the full potential of this new mode of commerce,a broad range of social,legal, and technical issues need to be addressed.These issues relate to things such as security,trust,payment mechan-isms,advertising,logistics,and back office management [152],[45],[138],[169].Even more fundamental than these issues,however,is the very nature of the various actors that are involved in e-commerce transactions.In most current(first generation)e-commerce applications,the buyers are generally humans who typically browse through a catalog of well-defined commodities(e.g.,flights,books,compact discs,computer components)and make(fixed price)purchases(often by means of a credit card transaction).However,this modus operandi is only scratching the surface of what is possible. By increasing the degree and the sophistication of the automation,on both the buyer’s and the seller’s side, commerce becomes much more dynamic,personalized,and context sensitive.These changes can be of benefit to both the buyers and the sellers.From the buyer’s perspective,it is desirable to have software that could crawl all the available outlets to find the most suitable one for purchas-ing the chosen good(e.g.,the one that offers the cheapest price,the highest quality,or the fastest delivery time)and that could then go through the process of actually purchasing the good,paying for it,and arranging delivery at an appropriate time.From a seller’s perspective,it is desirable to have software that could vary its offering(in terms of price,quality,warranty,and so on)depending on: the customer it is dealing with(e.g.,offering discounts or special offers to particular target groups),what its compe-titors are doing(e.g.,continuously monitoring their prices and making sure its own price is competitive),and the current state of its business(e.g.,if it has plenty of a particular item in stock,it may be appropriate to reduce the price in order to try and increase demand).To achieve this degree of automation and move to second generation e-commerce1applications,we believe that a new model of software is needed.This model is based upon the notion of interacting agents[64](hence,the term “agent-mediated electronic commerce”).Against this back-ground,the aim of this paper is to motivate the use of agents in e-commerce,to highlight the roles that agents can and are fulfilling in this domain,and to review some of the key technologies that underpin this vision.First,however, we define exactly what we mean by the terms“agent”and “electronic commerce.”1.1Interacting AgentsAn agent is a software program that acts flexibly on behalf of its owner to achieve particular objectives[64].2To do this,the software must exhibit the following properties[162]: .it needs to be autonomous:capable of making decisions about what actions to take withoutconstantly referring back to its user;.it needs to be reactive:able to respond appropriately to the prevailing circumstances in dynamic andunpredictable environments;.M.He and N.R.Jennings are with the Department of Electronics and Computer Science,University of Southampton,Southampton SO171BJ, United Kingdom.E-mail:{mh00r,nrj}@..H.-F.Leung is with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong,Shatin,Hong Kong SAR,P.R.China.E-mail:lhf@.hk.Manuscript received7Feb.2002;revised28Aug.2002;accepted25Nov. 2002.For information on obtaining reprints of this article,please send e-mail to: tkde@,and reference IEEECS Log Number115866.1.Second generation systems are characterized here as having a greater degree of automation on both the buyer’s and the seller’s side.Like many classifications,however,this distinction is not absolute and there are areas of uncertainty between the generations.Moreover,the same is also true of agent-mediated e-commerce in general.While there are some systems that are clearly agent-mediated and some that are not all agent-based,there is a degree of uncertainty in some cases.This is caused by the fact that in such systems,agents are rarely the only technology that is used.Often,an e-commerce system will be composed of a variety of technologies,only a fraction of which will be agent-based.2.Agents are not just used in the domain of e-commerce,although this is arguably their most popular domain.Rather,agent technology shuld be viewed as a general solution paradigm for developing complex systems [63].Overviews of the application of agents in other domains can be found in[23],[66],[69],[109].1041-4347/03/$17.00ß2003IEEE Published by the IEEE Computer Society.it needs to be proactive:able to act in anticipation of future goals so that its owner’s objectives are met.Thus,for example,a buyer may instruct their agent to: 1)find a reasonably cheap notebook computer,with the latest technical specification,that can be delivered within a week and that has a two year warranty,or2)to find a flight that takes her from London to San Francisco with a weekend stop over in New York.Similarly,a seller may instruct an agent to:1)monitor the prices of all its known competitors and automatically adjust its offerings(either up or down)so that they remain attractive to their target audience,or2)to offer a reasonable discount scheme and better credit facilities to highly valued customers.While pursuing their objectives,the agents will invari-ably need to interact with other similarly autonomous agents.This interaction can vary from simple communica-tion(e.g.,a buyer agent asks a seller agent how much a particular computer costs),to more elaborate forms of social interaction(e.g.,cooperation,coordination,and negotia-tion).In the latter case,for example,an agent may be required to:.participate in an online auction, e.g.,monitoring bids,making bids,and withdrawing from theauction;.negotiate on behalf of its owner,e.g.,to ensure that the desired good will be delivered in time or to makethe price acceptable;.cooperate with other agents,e.g.,two sellers of the same product may need to pool their resources inorder to meet a large customer order,or two sellersmay bundle their distinct(complementary)offeringsto make a single more desirable product.In addition to the buyers and the sellers,the third key actor in agent-mediated e-commerce applications is the market owner.The owner is the individual or organization that controls the environment(sets the rules)in which buyers and sellers trade.In first generation systems,the market owner is usually synonymous with the seller. However,this need not always be the case;examples of other possibilities are the numerous third party auction sites that now exist(e.g.,eBay(),Fas-tparts()and Freemarkets ()and situations where buyers put out requests for tender(e.g.,Labx(http:// )and General Electric(http://www.ge. com)).Generally speaking,there will be multiple e-markets trading in different types of goods(e.g.,e-markets for purchasing holidays,e-markets for buying computer equipment,and e-markets for finding plumbers).Moreover, there will,in many cases,be multiple e-markets for the same(or similar)goods(i.e.,there will not be a single market for dealing with holidays).Both within and between different vertical market segments,there will be a sig-nificant variety in the way that e-markets are organized. These will vary from simple,fixed-price catalogs,through various forms of online auction,to sites where buyers and sellers can negotiate directly with one another.1.2Electronic CommerceA general definition of e-commerce,given by the Electronic Commerce Association,is:“electronic commerce covers any form of business or administrative transaction or informa-tion exchange that is executed using any information and communications technology”[147].However,we believe this definition is too broad and so we limit this paper to covering commercial activities conducted on the Internet [56].Therefore,other forms of remote transactions(e.g., ordering an air ticket over the telephone or buying a computer by credit card)are not considered here.According to the nature of the transactions,the following types of e-commerce are distinguished[152]:business-to-business(B2B),business-to-consumer(B2C),consumer-to-consumer(C2C),consumer-to-business(C2B),nonbusiness e-commerce(use of the Internet by nonbusiness organiza-tions such as academic institutions or government agencies to reduce expenses or improve services),and intrabusiness e-commerce.Currently,however,most applications are either B2C or B2B and,therefore,these are the two areas that we focus on here.In more detail,B2C mainly refers to online retailing transactions with individual customers, where shoppers can conduct transactions through a company’s homepage.B2B refers to the transactions where both sellers and buyers are business corporations.Although most of the initial Web-based e-commerce was in the B2C domain,B2C now constitutes a smaller portion of the overall landscape.For example,B2B transactions are expected to be in the range of$800billion by2003,which is five times as much as B2C[132].Moreover,it is widely believed that B2B will be the predominant means of doing business within the next five years[141],[133].Within this context,e-commerce systems provide both commercial information(such as products’prices and available quantities)and facilitate various commercial actions(e.g.,buying,selling,and negotiation).The increas-ing use of information technology in this area has led to fundamental changes in the way these commercial activities are undertaken(e.g.,the rise of dynamic pricing,the ability to easily compare many goods,and the ability to negotiate contracts much more frequently)[133]and as more advanced information processing techniques are brought to bear,so the potential for further changes increases.1.3Agents for Electronic CommerceIDC()estimates that the global market for software agents grew from$7.2million in1997to $51.5million in1999,and that it will reach$873.2million in 2004,with a compound annual growth rate of76.2percent between1999and2004.They also assume that the dramatic growth in B2B e-commerce will accelerate the demand for agents.To this end,and in order to motivate the potential of agent-mediated e-commerce,we consider the following medium term scenarios3as examples of what will be possible[68].Scenario1:Finding closest match to buyer’s requirements.A buyer decides that they would like a holiday in one of the Greek islands,they would like to go next Friday,they would3.We do not focus on current applications because they do not adequately highlight the full potential of agent-mediated e-commerce. Current applications tend to use agents in reasonably straightforward ways. Also,organizations that have adopted agent-based techniques often do not disclose this fact for reasons of retaining competitive advantage.Focusing on medium-term scenarios overcomes both of these concerns without having to gaze too far into the future(which is notoriously unpredictable).like to fly from London,and that the total cost should be less than300pounds.Their software agent is instructed to go and find out what is available and to report the options back to the user who will make the ultimate choice.In order to fulfill this objective,the buyer agent determines those e-markets that deal with leisure activities.From those,it tries to find out holidays that meet the specified requirements.However,it finds no appropriate fixed price offerings and after observing the outcome of several online auctions,it decides that it will be very unlikely that it will be able to meet all of these requirements.It therefore decides to relax some of the user’s constraints and tries to find holidays that are similar.The agent decides to relax the user’s stated requirements in the following way:it looks for holidays to the Greek islands that leave any day next week,that leave from non-London airports in the United Kingdom next Friday,and that cost up to 400pounds.With these new requirements in place,the buyer agent returns to the relevant e-markets,collects the offerings that satisfy these new requirements,and returns them to its user with an explanation of why it acted in this way.Scenario2:Acting across multiple e-markets.A buyer decides that they would like to purchase a new laptop computer;they want a reasonably high specification,are prepared to pay for a good quality brand name,but it must be delivered within a week.Their software agent is instructed that they are prepared for the agent to find the most appropriate model,negotiate the best potential deal available,but that the user would like to make the final choice about purchase.In order to fulfill this objective,the buyer agent determines those e-markets that deal with selling computer equipment.From these,it selects those e-markets that offer products that meet the user’s specifica-tion.In order to determine those machines that fit the specification,the buyer agent examines the sites of a number of computer manufacturers to determine the latest specification information and to determine an approximate price to pay.Armed with this information,the agent formulates a strategy for making a deal.The agent knows the maximum price it needs to pay(this will be the minimum of the cheapest fixed price offerings that are available in the catalogs).From this baseline,the agent tries to negotiate directly with several of the suppliers to see if they are willing to reduce the price(or bring forward the delivery time).In parallel to this,the agent tracks a number of online auctions to see if the same good can be purchased more cheaply(it will not actually bid in the auctions since submitting a bid would constitute a commitment on behalf of its buyer).When it has completed its negotiations(or before if a very good deal appears in an auction),the buyer agent reports back a ranked list of purchasing options to its owner.The owner then makes their choice and instructs their agent to complete the deal(including arranging payment and setting the delivery time and place).Scenario3:Coalition formation.A bakery agent receives a request for tender from a supermarket agent who wishes to purchase500iced buns a day throughout the summer period.The bakery agent has sufficient capacity to make 300buns per day.However,the bakery would like to set up links with the supermarket and so is keen to see if it can fulfill the order.Thus,rather than simply turning the order away,the bakery instructs its agent to search for a partner who will produce the remaining200buns for the rest of the summer period.In order to achieve this,the bakery agent contacts all the other sellers present in e-markets that offer iced buns.The bakery agent indicates it has a demand for 200buns per day for the summer period and asks whether any of the other bakeries would like to join in a partnership with it to meet the supermarket’s need.A number of potential collaborators come forward.The bakery agent then conducts a series of negotiations with these agents in order to set up the terms and conditions of the partnership. Eventually,a deal is reached and the bakery agent reports details of the arrangements back to the bakery.In terms of the nomenclature outlined in Section1.1, scenarios1and2fall into the B2C domain.The former shows that agents can,on behalf of their owners,locate and retrieve information and make reasonable decisions(relax-ing the constraints of the search)based on the owner’s profile.The latter scenario demonstrates how agents negotiate with multiple suppliers,monitor multiple auc-tions,and use intelligent strategies to find the best deal for the users.The agents in the third scenario represent companies/organizations in a B2B context.This example not only shows how agents can collaborate with one another to achieve a common goal,but also shows how an agent selects the best partners through negotiation.Although agents can be used in a closed loop fashion (i.e.,without human intervention),in many cases users will simply not be willing to delegate complete autonomy to them.Moreover,the degree of automation that user’s find acceptable is likely to vary between individuals and between tasks for the same individual.For example,some users will not want any automated support—they will directly enact all phases of the trade themselves.Others may be willing to use agents to collate information and present them with options from which they make the subsequent purchasing decision.While yet others,will be happy to delegate all trading activities to their software agents.To reflect this situation,Fig.1shows the range of the automation that a software agent may be given.1.4Structure of the PaperThis paper builds upon a number of previous reviews of agent-mediated e-commerce.Particularly prominent among these are Guttman et al.’s review of agents in B2C e-commerce [54]and Sierra and Dignum’s roadmap of agent-mediated e-commerce in Europe[135].Other important sources include [88],[166],[121],[8],[17],[71],[86],[90],[102].Our paper both extends and updates this previous material and also tries to present a more integrated and coherent view on the field.For example,in contrast to the aforementioned work,we categorize and systematically analyze applications of agent-based e-commerce in the B2C and B2B domains(using the consumer buying behavior(CBB)model and the business-to-business transaction(BBT)model,respectively).We extend the traditional CBB model so that it covers more B2C behaviors(such as buyer coalition formation),and we identify more uses for agents in the BBT model.In more detail,the rest of this paper is structured as follows:Section2describes the basic roles and techniques of agents in B2C e-commerce.Section3performs a similar analysis for B2B e-commerce.Section4explores some of the key underpinning technologies that are used to support B2C and B2B e-commerce.Finally,Section5concludes thisHE ET AL.:ON AGENT-MEDIATED ELECTRONIC COMMERCE987paper and highlights some of the key challenges facing agent-mediated e-commerce.2A GENTS IN B2C E-C OMMERCEB2C e-commerce is becoming more widespread as more people come to recognize its convenience and its ability to offer a quick response to requests and as more products/ services become available[102].As this adoption spreads, the impetus for employing software agents increases in order to enhance and improve the trading experience.In order to systematically analyze the tasks that agents can assist with,we employ the CBB model(based on[54])to capture consumer behavior(see Fig.2).From the CBB model perspective,we believe agents can act as mediators in five of the stages:need identification,product brokering, buyer coalition formation,merchant brokering,and nego-tiation.4Sometimes,the boundary between merchant brokering and negotiation is not always clear cut(because negotiation is sometimes also involved in brokering).For example,Jung and Jo[70]introduce a brokering technique that uses a negotiation protocol to match seller and buyer agents;in the brokering service of[12],a multiattribute auction is proposed to find a suitable supplier for a buyer; and in[32],the brokering service involves finding the optimal winner through a combinatorial auction.Against this background,each of the five above-mentioned agent-mediated stages is explored in more detail in the remainder of this section.2.1Need IdentificationIn this stage,the customer recognizes a need for some product or service.This need can be stimulated in many different ways(e.g.,by advertisement,through friends,and so on).However,in the agent-mediated e-commerce world, it can also be stimulated by the user’s agent.Such an agent is typically called a notification agent.5To do this,the notification agent needs to have a profile for the user.This profile can be obtained in many different ways:through observing the user’s behavior[15],through direct elicitation techniques[114],or through inductive logic programming techniques[28].Once the profile is installed in the agent,it can notify the user whenever an appropriate good/service becomes available(i.e.,the user’s profile matches a good/ service catalog).For example,in Amazon Delivers(http:// ),the latest reviews of exceptional new titles in categories that interest the user are sent auto-matically and Fastparts uses“AutoWatch”to allow users to list parts they need and notify them if those parts become available for sale.2.2Product BrokeringHaving ascertained a need,the product brokering stage involves an agent determining what product to buy to satisfy this need.The main techniques used by the brokers in this stage are:feature-based filtering,collaborative filtering,and constraint-based filtering.Table1shows a number of exemplar e-commerce systems that exploit these techniques.Feature-based filtering involves selecting pro-ducts based on feature keywords.For example,suppose a customer wants to buy a Sony notebook computer through Amazon.His agent selects the“Computers”category first, then indicates“Sony”in the brands field,and the notebook computers with these features are returned.Collaborative filtering[131]involves giving an agent personalized recommendations based on the similarities between differ-ent users’preference profiles.Here,the product rating of988IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON KNOWLEDGE AND DATA ENGINEERING,VOL.15,NO.4,JULY/AUGUST2003Fig.1.Varying degree of agent automation.4.The sixth stage(purchase and delivery)involves paying for the transaction and arranging delivery of the goods/services.Here,the key problems are to ensure safe payment and delivery,problems that are common to e-commerce in general.The last stage involves product services(e.g.,repair and upgrade services)and evaluation(measuring the degree of satisfaction of the user about the goods and the buying procedure). Generally speaking,however,these two stages have little that is specific to agent-mediated e-commerce and,thus,they are not discussed in detail here (interested readers can refer to[45],[152],[96],[140]for more information on these topics).5.This is a reasonably simple type of agent.It acts autonomously to inform the user of relevant information,it responds to changes in the environment and,occasionally,it is proactive in that it may inform the user of information that is not exactly what had been asked for,but is judged to be sufficiently interesting to warrant informing the user.shopper A is first compared with that of all the other shoppers in the system.Then,the “nearest neighbor”of A (i.e.,the shopper whose profile is closest to that of A )is identified.Since shoppers with similar tastes and prefer-ences are likely to buy similar products,the profile of the identified shopper is used to pass recommendations onto A ’s agent.For example,in Net Perceptions (),users are recommended the documents that their “knowledge neighbors”find valuable.In CDNOW (),users are notified about the CDs or movies that are popular with other users with similar preferences.Constraint-based filtering involves an agent specifying constraints (e.g.,the price range and date limit)to narrow down the products.In this way,customers’agents are guided through a large feature space of the product [54].For example,eBay guides a user agent to select the products by narrowing down the range of the possibilities based on the constraints the user gives (e.g.,price range,item location,and so on).In the end,a list of the desired products that satisfy the user’s constraints is returned.Some e-commerce systems use more than one kind of filtering technique (since sometimes users do not know exactly the constraints of the goods they are looking for in advance).For example,eBay and Yahoo Shopping ()use both feature-based and constraint-based techniques.The differences among these techniques are summarized in Table 2.6HE ET AL.:ON AGENT-MEDIATED ELECTRONIC COMMERCE 9896.Most of the dimensions in Table 2are self explanatory.However,for “interaction with user,”few interactions are needed in collaborative filtering since what the user agents need to do is just provide their user’s profile and they can then get recommendations from the system.For feature-based and constraint-based systems,some keywords or constraints need to be input until the user can find the exact product they want.The last dimension in the table is “goods suitable for.”Collaborative filtering is more specialized than the other techniques because it works based on perceived quality and people’s tastes rather than objective properties [131].Thus,it is more suited to goods such as novels,CDs,and DVDs because it is subjective judgements thatact as the differentiator in these cases.Fig.2.Consumer behavior buying model.TABLE 1Filtering Techniques for Product Brokering in E-Commerce SystemsTABLE 2Comparisons of Different Product Brokering Techniques2.3Buyer Coalition FormationHaving determined the product to buy,customers may move directly to the merchant brokering phase(see below) or they may interact with other similar buyers to try and form a coalition before moving to the merchant brokering phase.Here,a coalition is viewed as a group of agents cooperating with each other in order to achieve a common task[134].In these“buyer coalitions,”each buyer is represented by their own agent and together these agents try and form a grouping in order to approach the merchant with a larger order(in order to obtain leverage by buying in bulk).In[165],for example,a buyer coalition formation scheme is proposed in which buyer agents specify multiple items in a category and their valuation of these items and the group leader agent is then responsible for dividing the group into coalitions and calculating the surplus division among the buyers.Similarly,Tsvetovat and Sycara[149] view a buyer coalition model as being composed of five stages:negotiation,leader election,coalition formation, payment collection,and execution stages.They test their algorithms in a collective book purchasing setting in the university and show how the supplier agent gives a volume discount according to the size of the coalitions.In both of the above systems,it is essential to have a trustworthy and reliable agent that will collect the buyer’s information, divide the agents into coalitions,and negotiate with sellers (refer to[165],[149]for a full discussion of these issues).2.4Merchant BrokeringHaving selected the desired product,and perhaps after having formed a buyer coalition,merchant brokering involves the agent finding an appropriate merchant to purchase the item from.Initial work in this area focused on finding the merchant that offered the good at the cheapest price.BargainFinder[80]was the first system of this kind to employ agents and it operated in the following way:If a customer wants to buy a music CD,BargainFinder will launch its agent to collect the prices from a predefined set of CD shops,and then it will select the CD with the lowest price for the customer.Another similar example is Priceline (),which carries out the same set of tasks for airline tickets,hotel rooms,and cars.However,in many cases,price is not the only determi-nant for the user.Other relevant issues,for example,might include delivery time,warranty,and gift services.Also, many merchants prefer their offerings not be judged on price alone.Thus,there is a move to extend these agents to consider multiple attributes.Naturally,the importance of the different attributes will vary between consumers and so there needs to be a way for this information to be easily conveyed to the agent.In the Frictionless Sourcing(http:// )platform,“Vendor Scorecards”(multiattribute comparisons)are used to measure the performance of suppliers.For example,when evaluating the performance of different laptop computer suppliers,the key factors considered include reliability,responsiveness (e.g.,reacting quickly),environmental friendliness(e.g., minimal pollution of the environment),and business efficiency(e.g.,support for electronic purchasing over Internet).A total score is then calculated for each supplier based on the weighted score of these individual constituent components.These weights are obtained by the customer identifying themselves with a particular stereotype profile in which the weights are given.2.5NegotiationHaving selected a merchant(or set of merchants),the next step is to negotiate the terms and conditions under which the desired product will be delivered.We believe that one of the major changes that will be brought about by agent-mediated e-commerce is that dynamic pricing and personalization of offers will become the norm for many goods and customers. Thus,negotiation capabilities are essential for e-commerce systems[8].In human negotiations,two or more parties bargain with one another to determine the price or other transaction terms[37].In an automated negotiation,soft-ware agents engage in broadly similar processes to achieve the same end[65].In more detail,the agents prepare bids for and evaluate offers on behalf of the parties they represent with the aim of obtaining the maximum benefit for their users.They do so according to some negotiation strategy. Such strategies are determined by the negotiation protocol that is in place.This protocol defines the“rules of encounter”between the agents[115],i.e.,who can say what,to whom, and at what time.Given the wide variety of possibilities(as will be shown below),there is no universally best approach or technique for automated negotiations[65],rather proto-cols and strategies need to be set according to the prevailing situation[41].Given this,our analysis of automated negotiation models as used in B2C e-commerce is divided into two categories:7auctions(Section2.5.1)and bilateral negotiations(Section2.5.2).2.5.1AuctionsAuctions are one of the most widely studied and employed negotiation methods in e-commerce today[108].For example,in the Internet Auction List,8there are currently more than2,500auction company listings(2002).Online auctions make the physical limitations of traditional auctions disappear(e.g.,time,space,and presence),and they provide millions of globally dispersed customers with more varieties of goods that can be selected within a flexible pricing mechanism[6].Generally speaking,auctions are a very efficient and effective method of allocating goods/ services,in dynamic situations,to the entities that value them most highly[163].In an auction,one or more agents (called auctioneers)initiate the auction,and several(other) agents(called bidders)make bids according to the imposed protocol(which may permit one or multiple rounds).The outcome of the auction is then usually a deal between the auctioneer and the successful bidder.There are many different types of auction(indeed, Wurman et al.[164]define a taxonomy of auction parameters that allows for approximately25million types of auctions).However,there are four common types of990IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON KNOWLEDGE AND DATA ENGINEERING,VOL.15,NO.4,JULY/AUGUST20037.There are other types of negotiation protocol such as multilateralnegotiation(in which the negotiation involves bargaining between multiplenoncooperative parties[1])and n-bilateral negotiations(in which thenegotiation involves multiple bilateral bargaining encounters[33]).How-ever,since these protocols are not as widely used in e-commerce,we do notconsider them here.8..。