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Ubiquitous and pervasive commerce : new frontiers for electronic business
(Computer Communications and Networks)
Roussos G., Springer-Verlag New York, Inc., Secaucus, NJ, 2005. 194 pp. Type: Book
Date Reviewed: Mar 28 2006
Ubiquitous computing (UC) applications can now be found in places other than science
fiction books. As they are intended to be invisible, we need to look for them more carefully.
The emergence of techniques for the ubiquitous and pervasive computing paradigm
signifies a new wave in computing, one where technology loses its imminent visibility and
blends with objects, locations, and even humans. Still in its inception, this movement is
gaining momentum in different application areas. The commerce area, however, appears to
have gone further than others.
This volume presents a methodological overview of the new frontiers for e-business,
discussing its past, present, and possible futures. When we look at e-business historically--
from 1951, when for the first time software was used to conduct business (by J. Lyons and
Co., an example from the first chapter of the book), through the development of bar codes,
to the current implementation of radio frequency identification (RFID) tags placed in
products--we become aware of the amount of work and ideas that have been implemented
or abandoned.
In addition to the introductory part, the book has three other parts: "Technology,”
"Business,” and "Society,” with a total of 11 chapters that complement each other greatly.
The "Technology” part of the book focuses on the supply chain management standards in
ubiquitous commerce and on a couple of applications of RFID technology. The "Business”
part discusses such topics as UC approaches to extending customer relationship
management, customer tracking, price discrimination, and the design of pervasive retail
experiences. The "Society” part focuses on the legal and societal challenges of the use of
UC in