Proceedings of the 8th international conference on Electronic commerce: The new e-commerce: innovations for conquering current barriers, obstacles and limitations to conducting successful business on the internet
Venue: ACM International Conference Proceeding Series; Vol. 156 (2006)

Welcome to the International Conference on Electronic Commerce 2006.Why is this the right time and place for an e-commerce conference?The advances in information and communication technology have removed physical barriers to advertising, information sharing, negotiation and payment, making it possible to know what is available, to find out everything you could need to know about a purchase including the price, the warranty, any special offers, and history of reliability, and to arrange delivery and payment plans. But many challenges remain: overcoming difference in language and culture, protecting privacy and security of information, establishing trust in your business partner, searching for products based on their properties, delivering information services, controlling autonomous shopping agents, delivering e-commerce to wireless and mobile customers, and a host of other B2B and B2C issues.The International Center for Electronic Commerce was set up to address these challenges and to help realize the potential of e-commerce. The researchers and other delegates attending this conference share in this endeavour; each of us shares the realization that the rest of humanity can benefit greatly if we can remove these barriers. E-commerce has and will create efficiencies in the interchange of goods and services, potentially benefiting everyone who is directly or indirectly involved.As individuals it is only through exchanging what we have in excess and using our unique skills that everyone's lives become richer and more comfortable. E-commerce potentially accelerates that exchange. The e-commerce community develops and delivers the tools and techniques for performing the exchanges and managing this global market.We researchers and practitioners of e-commerce have a vital role in making this potential a reality. To do this we need to share knowledge, through forums like the ICEC conference series.And remember, our task is a vital one. As you go to the presentations, sessions and in your conversations, remember our role. There are challenges aplenty as we apply information and communication technology to make the worldwide marketplace more available to people in their everyday lives. A challenge is both an obstacle and an opportunity. Overcome the challenge and you can exploit the opportunity.So this is the right time for the International Conference on Electronic Commerce. This is also a right place: Canada, New Brunswick and Fredericton have very active communities doing e-commerce research and development. Welcome to the Smart City of Fredericton, enjoy our beautiful surroundings, the St. John River, the University of New Brunswick Campus.This year's conference is marked by two innovations: a large number of keynote addresses and a Business Day. We have attracted some of the most brilliant minds in international e-commerce research. Seven of the invited speakers were chosen by the track chairs, who are experts in their respective fields. With eight such speakers, the conference is excellent value for the modest registration fee. The Business Day, Tuesday, is devoted to creating better communication between the researchers and practitioners of e-commerce, with an invited talk, panel discussions with more invited experts, and breakout sessions.This year's conference received 112 papers and accepted 53 long papers (47% acceptance rate) and 15 short papers.