Agreement and Coalition Formation in Multiagent-Based Virtual Marketplaces

Abstract

Industrial and commerciale enterprises deal with individuals which, under pressure from the market, may cartelize. These cartels or alliances of parties or interests to further common aims, may be seen as active or dormant; i.e., an active alliance may occur when, under an individual’s initiative, an agreement is negotiated, a dormant one arises by the drop-out of some agent expecting to obtain future gains by acting that way.

In Electronic Commerce (EC), specially in a Virtual Markets (VMs) environment, one is faced with two main contenders: the client and the provider, entities that may be located at different physical sites and conduct their dealings in environments that mimic traditional marketplaces, much like the traditional kasbah.

On the other hand, in a multiagent setting, one has to consider the proper protocols for multiagent interaction. Indeed, a natural approach relies on upholding or favoring democracy or the interests of the common players. This approach is interesting but it usually relies on the fact that all agents are truthful in the advertisement of their information; real-world dealings thrive on the lack of total or even misleading information.

Agreement protocols used in these systems often rely on models that assume characteristics difficult to reach in a real-world environment. Nevertheless the theoretical implications that come from the study of such systems are paramount, and will be the object of this work.