The Grid has revolutionized the way computations are done on the Internet. Access to remote computational resources and ad hoc creation of virtual organizations across administrative domains opens new opportunities on the Grid. The newly developed web services based Open Grid Services Architecture makes the Grid more accessible by allowing the Grid to be constructed from distinct platform independent components. Together they provide an environment for application sharing (or trading), collaborations and access to remote data repositories. The application marketplace is a natural extension to this application sharing environment. The marketplace addresses the fact that the existing infrastructure is still incomplete without provisions for publishing and discovering applications and resources, including the application descriptors that must be moved between the market participants. This work demonstrates a web service instance-based infrastructure, the application market that allows the sellers, the application and the CPU providers to publish their applications for the users to find and use. The application market uses a portal architecture built on top of Globus toolkit 3.0 that interacts with the providers and the users. The market services provide distinct interfaces that allow providers to advertise applications and users to select, configure, and run these applications. The applications themselves are modeled as stateful objects represented using XML which can be exchanged between the providers and users when required. The marketplace, through its interfaces, effectively hides the compute resource and application complexity thus allowing end users to explore and use applications unfamiliar to them with ease.

Yes / This article highlights the generative properties of context for consumer experiences of racism and discrimination. Drawing from conceptualizations of context in social anthropology and human geography, it develops a framework to systematically catalogue intersections of various micro- and macro-social contexts that configure within and across marketplace geographies and inform racism and discrimination. The framework is applied to an integrative review of studies on marketplace racism and discrimination. The review illuminates that: 1) application of intersectional perspectives varies significantly across cultural difference dimensions; 2) knowledge is clustered within specific micro-social context expressions of cultural difference dimensions; 3) studies intersecting micro- and macro-social expressions commonly reveal underexplored discrimination instances; and 4) knowledge on macro-social contextual forces significantly lacks non-western perspectives. Drawing on the review findings, a list of areas of advancement for future scholarship is presented, along with recommendations for marketing practitioners acting towards identifying, understanding, and counteracting racism and discrimination.

Abstract The purpose of the thesis is to explore two main subjects. First of all by interviewing managers and researchers who are highly involved in industrial e-Marketplaces to understand the developing stage of e-Marketplace in Taiwan domestic Steel and Automobile industry. Then, this thesis will compare the interviewing results with related literatures and researching papers in order to analyze and explain the differences and reasons between them. Second, this thesis also tries to predict the future expanding trends of the domestic Steel and Automobile industrial e-Marketplaces and discusses the impacts on representative companies¡¦ strategies by e-Marketplaces and how the representative companies reach their strategic goals through using e-Marketplaces. The main conclusions of this thesis include the nine lists below. 1. The e-Marketplace can¡¦t replace all established trading process, trading habits and supply relations in the short run. 2. The e-Marketplace can let buyers touch more sellers, increase information transparency and get the commodities with lower price by grouping auctions. 3. Buyers will transfer their transactions to on-line e-Marketplace step by step. 4. E-Marketplace can let sellers touch more customers, decrease inventory cost and grasp the market reactions and news. 5. E-Marketplace is sellers¡¦ new channel, but most of sellers still sell their products through established websites and channels. 6. The functions of e-Marketplaces always emphasize on competitive bidding and auctioning instead of buyer-supplier relations. 7. When an industry fragmentation is lower, that the industrial e-Marketplace led by leading company will be finer; when an industry fragmentation is higher, that the industrial e-Marketplace governed by justice third party will be better. 8. The main revenue of the e-Marketplace comes from transaction fees, subscription fees, added service fees and license fees. 9. The key success factors of the e-Marketplace operating are to gather many buyers and sellers, the most comfortable business services, deeply domain knowledge, good trading relations and good uses of customer data.

[pt] A vez das plataformas de marketplace online finalmente chegou no Brasil, um modelo de negócio que conecta compradores com vendedores por meio de um intermediário. A aplicação desse tipo de comércio em larga escala trouxe consigo diversas modificações no relacionamento entre empresas e consumidores dentro de um ambiente online já bastante carregado de incertezas acerca do objeto de compra. No entanto, grandes empresas que exercem o papel de intermediadoras nessas plataformas, passam a priorizar o volume de acessos de usuários em seus domínios acima das demais atividades relacionadas ao processo de compra em si. O crescente número de reclamações e processos visando reparação de danos de consumidores indica uma piora no setor em geral. Nesse sentido, essa pesquisa busca investigar a importância relativa das percepções do comprador sobre as reputações dos vendedores terceiros, e, seus efeitos na relação de risco percebido e confiança das empresas envolvidas no modelo de marketplace e os consequentes impactos na intenção de compra dos consumidores online. Uma survey online foi conduzida com indivíduos brasileiros que compraram em lojas virtuais ao longo dos últimos 12 meses. Os dados obtidos confirmam as hipóteses colocadas, sugerindo que avaliações de reputações de vendedores exercem influência na intenção de compra por meio de percepções de confiança e risco percebido no processo de compra. Algumas sugestões são propostas para que empresas do setor de e-commerce otimizem seus esforços dentro e fora de ambientes de marketplaces online. / [en] Online marketplace platforms finally arrived in Brazil, a business model that connects buyers with sellers through an intermediary party. This particularly application of commerce in large scale has brought with it several modifications in the relationship between companies and consumers, taking in account an online environment already quite loaded with uncertainties on buy process. However, large companies that act as intermediaries in these platforms, prioritize the volume of user accesses in their domains above the other activities related to the purchase process itself. The growing number of complaints and lawsuits seeking compensation for consumer losses indicates a decline in the industry as a whole. Considering that, this research seeks to investigate the relative importance of buyer perceptions on the reputations of third-party vendors and their effects on the perceived risk and trust relationship of the companies involved in the marketplace model and the consequent impacts on consumers online purchase intention. An online survey was conducted with Brazilian individuals who shopped at virtual stores over the last 12 months. The research s data confirmed all the hypotheses formulated, suggesting that evaluations of reputations of seller s influence in the intention to buy through perceptions of confidence and perceived risk. Some suggestions are proposed for companies in the e-commerce industry to optimize their efforts inside and outside marketplaces online.

This dissertation seeks to clarify the moral and political shape of economic exchange with an intellectual history of capitalism at its eighteenth-century inception. It seeks to avoid the familiar polarities of Marxist and capitalist economic ideologies by framing the ethical questions of economic exchange in historical terms: Why does the modern economic order seem to create moral contradictions and undermine political institutions? In response to this question, the thesis recovers the contributions of the Scottish historian and moral philosopher, Adam Ferguson (1723- 1816). Because modern economy had not yet taken on its modern abstraction and was still a thinkable reality, Ferguson’s treatment on history, action, and political institutions provide a fertile starting point for envisaging a distinctly moral configuration of the economic sphere. He prepares ground for a critical assessment of the political and economic relationship by criticizing the ideal of progress and emphasizing the need for dignified human exertion. His claim is that the liberalized marketplace undermines political institutions—especially law—to the extent that is leaves a people enslaved both to their own dependencies, as well as to other nations for whom commercial luxury is not a vice. My argument carries Ferguson’s claim forward by asserting that the Market itself now tyrannizes and enslaves in much the way Ferguson imagined a military despot would tyrannize unprepared societies of the eighteenth-century. Eighteenth-century theology is, in many respects, a period of relative theological austerity; so it is therefore unsurprising that a morally confused political instrument (capitalism) would emerge in an age largely devoid of theological imagination or conscience. Jesus Christ is no longer the origin, end, or meaning of history; co-creation is no longer the principal object of human action or labour; and the means of Christ’s rule through the political order are rejected in favour of luxuries and conveniences of modern commerce. The marketplace now embodies all the fears eighteenth-century theorists reserved for despots, tyrannizing western societies and threatening the resolve of already fractured political institutions.

En el contexto actual del país, donde entorno tecnológico crece de manera importante, especialmente para el comercio electrónico, surge la pregunta si las PYMEs del subsector moda están listos para integrarse de manera efectiva y rentable. El presente trabajo de investigación tiene como objetivo evaluar la viabilidad de la implementación de un marketplace que, potenciada con tecnología de machine learning, ofrezca tanto a PYMEs como clientes una propuesta de valor única que resuelva las barreras de entrada a este canal, ofreciendo ventajas sobre el canal físico. Además, la propuesta se basa en desarrollar una plataforma web y móvil, bajo el concepto de customer centricity, que brinde una experiencia de compra superior y atractiva tanto para las pequeñas marcas de moda y para los compradores de los segmentos socioeconómicos A, B y C entre los 18 y 55 años, especialmente la generación llamadas “Millennials”. De acuerdo con los supuestos planteados para el modelo de negocios, el resultado de la evaluación financiera a 5 años arroja que el proyecto es viable, el análisis de sensibilidad para diversos escenarios demuestra que existe un grado de importante de riesgo que no justificarían la inversión, especialmente por la falta de capacidad técnica para la gestión de los pequeños empresarios y la informalidad del rubro. Finalmente, se recomienda enfocar los emprendimientos tecnológicos para las PYMEs desde un punto de vista social y con participación estatal. / For current context of country, where technological environment grows significantly, especially for e-commerce, question arises whether SMEs in the fashion subsector are ready to integrate effectively and profitably. The purpose of this research work is to evaluate viability for implementation of a marketplace that, powered by machine learning technology, offers both SMEs and customers a unique value proposition that resolves barriers to entry to this channel, offering advantages over the physical channel. In addition, the proposal is based on developing a web and mobile platform, under concept of customer centricity, which provides a superior shopping experience and attractive to both small fashion brands and customers of socioeconomic segments A, B and C between 18 and 55 years, especially the generation called "Millennials". According to the assumptions made for business model, the result of 5-year financial evaluation shows that project is viable, sensitivity analyzes for several scenarios demonstrates that there is a significant degree of risk that would not justify the investment, especially due to lack of technical capacity for the management of small entrepreneurs and informality. Finally, it is recommended to focus on technological enterprises for SMEs from a social point of view and with state participation. / Trabajo de investigación

Today’s fragmented and intensely competitive market place is the obstacle for retailers and suppliers to do business in a traditional way. Even customers have never been more sophisticated. In this perspective, thousands of idea has already been brought though articles, journals and books and thousands of seminars has been hold to define a new way of managing business. Just as an tremendous heat and pressure create diamond, these uncertainties and competitive challenges has produced a new marketing ideas known as category management that offers an wealth of opportunity for those who can adopt with this systematic approach. In this thesis, some definition and structure-oriented phases as well as the challenging area of category management are mentioned. In the next step, a perfect scenario through different stages starting from zero is brought out to show how retailers and suppliers can overcome the power game and collaborate with each other. Finally I have shown that a trust worthy relationship, coupled with in-store implementation of category management, can create a win-win situation for both retailers and suppliers. / Program: Magisterutbildning i Applied Textile Management

Approach to the Influencing Factors of Partnership in E-Marketplace Abstract In light of the inter-dependency between emerging technology and inter-organizational relationship, an initial research framework is built upon the spirit of Adaptive Structuration Theory. This research aims to explore the influencing factors of three-phased partnership in e-marketplace. As a result, through literature review and expert interview, the framework is verified and presented as the research model. An empirical study is conducted to verify the research model. Through literature review, expert depth interview and questionnaire survey, the viewpoints from practical experts, leading companies in IT industry, and management level are generalized. The forecast of prospective relationship style of partnership in e-marketplace is also constructed in this study. By means of the comparison among those surveyed groups, the common points are explored, as well as the differences. Key words¡GAdaptive struturation theory, E-marketplace, Partnership, Fuzzy Delphi method.

Abstract¡G With the rapid development of electronic marketplace, buyers and sellers can trade more easily without the limitations of time and distance. Internet trading is benefited to both sides in many ways. However, the matching mechanism between buyers and sellers in the electronic marketplace is not explored deeply. Consequently, the purpose of this research is to study the screening and negotiation in the process of matching. In this research, four screening models and related flow charts have been proposed. A negotiation model is also proposed to deal with the bargaining process. Finally, a prototype based on development method is built to demonstrate how the screening models and negotiation models work.

This research questions whether homophily or "sameness" within the advertising agency positively or negatively impacts the black owned advertising agency's ability to build client relationships, expand business related to their perceived expertise, or expand business not related to their perceived expertise. Why study black owned advertising agencies? The case of black advertising agency owners provides a particularly compelling context in which to understand homophily and its impact on relationship marketing. Historically, black advertising entrepreneurs have been marginalized to the black consumer market, which was a reflection of black American citizens' struggle for civil and labor rights. This research seeks to understand whether this historical sameness in ownership, employees, and consumer target negatively or positively impacts 21st century black advertising agency owners' ability to build broader relationships to sustain or grow their businesses. In depth interviews were conducted to understand this issue. Respondents revealed the aspects of homophily or sameness that were important to their relationship marketing activities, the pursuit and development of their advertising agency, employee hiring, and mentoring. This research not only revealed the types of white dominate group bias the respondents experienced, but just as important, revealed in-group or black-on-black bias in the advertising industry as well. / text