Trust

1) What is meant by the following statements?

Trust is not associative (non-symmetric):

I think this means that you can't associate trust with a person or company without actually knowing them. You shouldn't just base it on what other have said. You need to workout yourself whether someone is trust worthy or not.

Trust is not transitive:

I think this means that you can hand your trust over to someone else which means that you might trust someone, but you can't make another person trust them until they've realised for themselves that they can trust them.

Trust is always between exactly 2 parties:

I think this means that you can't have one way trust where you trust a person but they don't trust you back. In a relationship, trust must go both ways for it to be successful.

Trust will involve either direct trust or recommender trust:

Direct trust is where you trust a person because they haven't let you down. Recommender Trust is where you trust a person because someone else has told you that they are trust worthy.

2a) Have a look at the following websites. What are some of the elements that have been incorporated to increase your trust in the sites? If there are also some aspects which decrease your level of trust describe them as

well.

http://www.eBay.com.au

You have to have a log in and an account to purchase things.

http://www.anz.com.au

You need to have an account plus a password to access things. It looks very organised which makes you think it's a trust worthy site.

http://www.ozrural.com

It seems to be up to date which shows the website it being properly looked after which gives you the impression that its trustworthy.

http://www.paypal.com.au

You need a log in which means that if you don't tell anyone else your login, then no-one else should known it unless the actual company uses your details. However this doesn't seem likely because of how popular the site is.

2b) Find a web site yourself that you think looks untrustworthy.

I think this site looks untrustworthy. http://www.kanoodle.com

Online Auctions

Q1: eBay is one of the only major Internet "pure plays" to consistently make a profit from its inception. What is eBay's business model? Why has it been so successful?

eBay's primary business model is a brokerage model. It has been so succesful because:

• eBay allows consumers to purchase things that aren't in normal stores
• consumers can buy items without leaving their house
• consumers can purchase goods that are almost new for a lower cost
• Items can be purchased easily interstate
• eBay is a very trusted site
  

Q2: Other major web sites, like Amazon.com and Yahoo!, have entered the auction marketplace with far less success than eBay. How has eBay been able to maintain its dominant position?

eBay has kept its dominant position by continuing to provide an efficient service and a trusted service. eBay provides a way of coomunicating with potential buyers and sellers throughout the world and I think this makes people think that they can trust each other.

Q3: What method does eBay use to reduce the potential for fraud among traders on its site? What kinds of fraud, if any, are eBay users most susceptible?

eBay use a range of methods to stop potential fraud among the traders on their site. These include:

• only using safe payment methods such as PayPal. With PayPal your account information is hidden from sellers.
• Never trade outside the eBay site. Items purchased outside the site may not be eligible for PayPal Buyer Protection.
• Never use Western Union, MoneyGram or other instant wire transfer services which are prohibited on eBay.
• Remember: If an offer sounds too good to be true – it probably is. Don’t believe a seller who says that eBay is holding goods at its warehouse. eBay is a marketplace that brings together sellers and buyers. They never take possession of items from sellers or hold money from buyers.
  
  
  Q4: eBay makes every effort to conceptualize its users as a community (as opposed to, say "customers" or "clients"). What is the purpose of this conceptual twist and does eBay gain something by doing it?

The purpose of this twist is so that everyone feels equal and doesn't feel they have more pressure on themselves because they're either buying or selling. By doing this eBay gains respect and trust from the people in its "community" and they will continue to utilise the services that eBay has to offer.

Q5: eBay has long been a marketplace for used goods and collectibles. Today, it is increasingly a place where major businesses come to auction their wares. Why would a brand name vendor set-up shop on eBay?

They would set up shop on eBay because so many people use and browise eBay that they would get sales from this. Where as, consumers are less likely to go to a certain companies website and specifically look for a product but if it shows up on eBay then a consumer might buy it because they can. Also it gives brand names good exposure without having to fork out a lot of money.

Digital Automata

Question 1

Write a pararaph describing the Turing test and another paragraph describing an argument against the Turing test known as the Chinese Room?

The Turing test was contrived by Alan Turing as a test of a machines capability to demonstrate intelligence. It was based on a party game known as the “Imitation Game”, where a male and female are separated from the other guests who try to tell them apart through a series of typewritten questions and answers. The male and female try to convince the guests that they are the other person. In the Turing test a human judge engages in a text-only conversation with a machine and a human each of which aims to appear human. All participants are in separate locations. If the judge is unable to tell the two participants apart the machine is considered to have passed the test and demonstrated intelligence. Since it was conceived in the 1950’s the Turing test has become a key concept in artificial intelligence philosophy.

The Chinese Room argument, proposed by John Searle in 1980, challenges the Turing test by endeavoring to demonstrate that a machine such as a computer does not think, and can therefore never be described as having a “mind” no matter how intelligent it appears. The Chinese Room thought experiment begins with the supposition that a computer that behaves as if it understands Chinese exists. Searle hypothesizes that the computer is programmed so successfully that a human Chinese speaker is convinced that the machine is another human Chinese speaker. The computer easily passes the Turing test, and advocates of artificial intelligence would surmise that the computer understands Chinese. Searle then proposes that he is in a closed room with a book that contains an English version of the computer program because he does not speak Chinese. He receives Chinese characters and processes them manually following the program instructions. He, in essence, is performing the same task as the computer, yet it is obvious that he does not understand Chinese. Searle asserts that both he and the computer are simply following a step-by-step process which only simulates artificial intelligence. There is no intentionality in the process and therefore no actual thought or understanding is involved.

Question 2
Can virtual agents succeed in delivering high-quality customer service over the Web?

I believe that as technology advances, virtual agents can succeed in delivering high-quality customer service over the Web. There are a number of advantages in having a virtual agent deliver customer service over the Web including 24/7 service, no waiting in phone queues and the satisfaction of solving a problem yourself without having to rely on another person. One major issue that would need to be overcome is the programs ability to interpret everyday language and deliver a relevant answer. Customers would become very impatient and frustrated if like the “cybertwins” the virtual agent delivers a totally irrelevant answer to a question. With technological development increasing exponentially, it is only a matter of time before businesses can deliver a high-quality, automated, customer service function over the Web.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_test
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Room