Knowledge-Based Intermediaries

A new generation of intermediaries is predicted to flourish in the emerging electronic markets. They rely on new information technologies such as the semantic Web, rule-based triggers, and knowledge-based constraint maintenance systems. These technologies do not automate or reduce intermediation, but inspire new types of intermediaries that rely on the technologies and complement them with human organizations. An interorganizational architecture based on multiple levels of intermediation is described, and arguments are presented for its usefulness in emerging electronic markets.