Software Agents for Environmental Scanning in Electronic Commerce

To properly implement and use electronic commerce systems companies need to evaluate considerable amount of information from their business environment in activities such as environmental scanning. This information is needed both for strategic management and for operational decisions. However, the relevant information may be difficult to find and interpret due to information overload and the fact that the information may be in many locations. Fortunately, most of the information is on the Web (Internet, extranets). To overcome the search problem, especially in large organizations, one should consider the use of software agents. This paper presents an overview for the utilization of such agents today and in the future by describing a prototype system designed for information monitoring and collection from Web sources for the pulp and paper industry. The paper also describes the use of other agents that can supplement the system in specific electronic commerce application areas. Finally, some implementation issues are discussed.