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H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F
P E N N S Y L V A N I A L A W S C
H O O L
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L E C T R O N I C C O M M E R C
E : V E R S I O N 2.0
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Congratulations to the Fall 2001 class for an excellent semester.
eCommerce will return next year.
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eCommerce Competition I:
The Perils of New Commercial Technologies
The new technologies of eCommerce
have allowed the deployment of new business models and commercial
practices. Many of these developments, of course, promise better access
to good at ever-lower costs. Yet is there a "dark side"
to these new commercial technologies? We'll consider that issue in
this class.
1. Introduction to Antitrust Law [ optional
]
First, if you haven't had some exposure to U.S.
Federal Antitrust Law, read the following overview :
Federal
Trade Commission, Promoting Competition, Protecting Consumers:
A Plain English Guide to Antitrust Laws (2000) (read the
Introduction, the Antitrust Primer, the Illegal
Business Practices, and Maintaining or Creating a Monopoly)
[optional]
2. The Consumer Impact of "Exchanges"
The Case of Covisint
Covisint,
Overview, Nov. 2000 [pdf]
FTC,
Termination Announcement of HSR Waiting Period for Covisint
(Sept. 11, 2000).
Christopher
Marquis, U.S. Approves Formation of Supply Web Site for Automakers,
NY Times, September 12, 2000
FTC Staff Report,
Entering the 21st Century: Competition Policy in the World
of B2B Electronic Marketplaces, October 2000
(Introduction and Summary Only) [pdf]
Orbitz
Orbitz.com
[web site]
Tom Spring, Orbitz
Stokes Web Airfare Wars, Critics Say, The Industry Standard,
Jun 05 2001 [txt]
Melanie
Austria Farmer, It's liftoff for Orbitz, CNET News.com,
June 4, 2001
Online Music
Associated
Press, Feds Probe MusicNet, Pressplay, Wired News, Aug.
6, 2001
3. A New Era of Price Discrimination?
David Wessel,
How Technology Tailors Price Tags, Wall Street Journal,
June 21, 2001. [pdf]
4. Is there such a thing as too much competition?
In this class, we'll consider whether the advent
of transparent competition at high rates of speed -- especially
as implemented by 'bots and software agents -- may have a negative
impact on consumers. We'll discuss whether the antitrust laws
may play a role in preventing this anticompetitive situation.
DealTime.com
[visit and search for your choice of a product]
Chip
Bayers, Capitalist Econstruction, Wired 8.03, March 2000
[focus on the section entitled "Battle of the Bots"]
Jeff
Kephart and Amy Greenwald, Shopbot Economics, IBM Institute
for Advanced Commerce, 1999 [if the economics gives you
fits, don't worry -- just read the introduction and conclusion]
N O T E S &
Q U E S T I O N S
1. Are online "exchanges" or "clearinghouses"
a benefit or detriment to consumers? Why?
2. At present, the US Government seems to be
taking a "wait and see" attitude towards exchanges.
Is this the right approach? Is there any downside to waiting?
T moving right away?
3. What, if anything, is wrong with price discrimination?
Are there any technologies or practices we've discussed in the
course that would aid in price discrimination? Should we look
at these technologies or practices in a new light?
4. Is shopbots are going to be socially harmful,
should they be outlawed? Or is these some other rule or regulation
that we might use to help control shopbot behavior?
[ pageprints
]
C
O P Y R I G H T © 2001 R. P O L K W
A G N E R.
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