SI 652/EECS 547 - Electronic Commerce

Instructor:  Sami
M,W 6:00 – 7:30
3 credits

The Internet is rapidly changing the way we trade with one another, conduct businesses, and organize financial institutions. This course covers a range of important principles -- drawn from computer science, economics, and other disciplines -- that influence the design and analysis of Internet commerce systems. The goal is to develop a mastery of the fundamental concepts and approaches through examples, rather than an exhaustive survey of the field. The course is loosely organized as two half-semester modules -- "Foundations of E-commerce" and "Online Auctions and Pricing." For winter 2006, this is a 3-credit, full-semester course (in subsequent years, the two modules may be offered independently).

The general outline of material breaks trading into three topics -- locating buyers and sellers (search), setting terms of trade (negotiation), and verifying and consummating the deal (exchange). The first half-semester will cover search and exchange systems and introduce students to design and analysis methods to make online commerce robust against failures, malicious attackers, and strategic manipulation. The second half-semester will cover negotiation through an in-depth study of online auctions, exchanges, and pricing schemes. Students study the theory and practice of incentive engineering for business or social goals in this rapidly growing area.

Perquisites:  SI 502 (or taken concurrently) or permission of instructor