Software Agent-Supported Interorganizational Communication in the Settlement Phase

Freimut Bodendorf ([email protected]) is Professor for Information Systems at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany. Their research focuses on electronic markets. In the project FAN/EFFEKT (see references) research is conducted about efficient coordination in the service sector. Abstract Considering the way information is exchanged in the settlement phase for Tracking and Tracing tasks, it is obvious that there has merely been an electronification of existing ways to exchange information (EDIFACT messages instead of fax-messages or phone calls) [ADAM, ET AL. 1996]. In order for the sender to keep control over the forwarder’s proper delivery process, status messages prove that certain milestones have been achieved. Taking into account that only a very small number of shipments face problems leading to a delay in delivery, this principle of pushed information causes a large amount of unnecessary EDIFACT-messages. Therefore, a pull principle for information exchange seems to be appropriate. In cooperation with a large company sending more than 10 million shipments per year, a software agent based concept was developed to cope with the problem described and to capitalize on the close relationship among the business entities.