The role of intelligent agents and data mining in electronic partnership management

The marketspaces of the “New Economy” and the eServices revolution have enabled the formation of new types of partnerships which are electronically mediated. Web-based electronic commerce has also brought a tremendous increase in the volume of data that can be mined for valuable managerial knowledge. The data mining procedures used in this process can be enhanced by employing intelligent agents. This paper describes emerging electronic partnerships between players in developing electronic marketspaces and identifies typical data flows between such players, with an analysis of the potential role of data mining and intelligent agent technology. By identifying the complex nature of information flows between the vast numbers of economic entities, we identify opportunities for applying data mining techniques that can lead to knowledge discovery. In particular, we show how a Generic Agent-based data Mining Architecture (GAMA) can be customized to support managerial decision-making and problem solving in a networked economy. A prototype implementation of GAMA is presented, along with a demonstration of the some of the capabilities of the system. Finally, we explore the role of agents in promoting and maintaining strong automated relationships between various strategic partners.