On a collaborative commerce framework and architecture for next generation commerce

Collaborative commerce (or c-commerce) can be regarded as the next evolutionary step beyond the more basic process of electronic commerce (or e-commerce). It is an emerging area that is based on interactions enabled by Internet technology. It offers many levels of coordination, collaborative interactions and cooperation among or within organizations, and between individuals. C-commerce requires the establishment of dynamic collaborative environments over the Internet. In a collaborative environment, organizations and individuals can work together, share sensitive information, protect their privacy, and collaborate on activities and projects efficiently and effectively. This paper presents an overview of some principal concepts and definitions of c-commerce, and proposes an intelligent collaborative commerce (ICC) system architecture. The core component of the ICC architecture is a collaborative Web portal which can be used with existing e-commerce systems. We then describe each block in the collaborative Web portal component as well as the layers of Web services envisioned and their functions. The architecture can be implemented in a variety of network-centric scenarios, which form the basis for future work and further development