The IBM Institute for Advanced Commerce (IAC) was created in 1998 to extend the boundaries of the understanding of electronic commerce and to accelerate change in important areas. The IAC sponsors research at universities and at IBM, publishes papers, organized conferences, and works with leading-edge companies. The IAC is committed to making e-commerce a recognized field of research, one that pushes the limits of computer science and is driven by requirements and knowledge from many fields. We have organized two workshops on curriculum issues involving e-commerce and have worked with business schools as well as computer science departments.

We believe that e-business is a real revolution, a once-in-a-generation jump rather than a modest technology shift. The changes will strain our technological abilities and social fabric. As billions of people become customers and suppliers, as business models evolve at accelerating rates, as business partners are determined dynamically, as relationships become more complex, as users come to expect continuous availability with assured security and privacy, new approaches to building and operating software will be required. The impacts on the economy and society will be profound, demanding a truly interdisciplinary approach across a multitude of subjects, including management, law, economics, and sociology.

The IAC is active in discussions of new curricula involving e-commerce, in organizing both technology and multidisciplinary conferences, and in research in a variety of areas.

We have identified eight themes around which to organize our activities:
· Evolving Marketplace
· Privacy
· Variable Prices and Negotiated Dealings
· Business-to-Business Interactions
· Managing the End Customer
· Impact of Globalization
· Deep Computing for Commerce
· System Foundation

The IAC assisted in the creation of ACM's Special Interest Group on Electronic Commerce (SIGecom). Research sponsored by the IAC has resulted in several dozen publications, as well as in significant IBM products, including auction, privacy management, and e-marketplace software.

Please contact Paridhi Verma to obtain copies of the Computer Science Brochure