On t-, m-, p- and e-Contracting

The use of electronic contracts is emerging as a way to improve the efficiency of contracting processes. Electronic contracts are, however, often used as a direct replacement for traditional paper contracts - which we call shallow e-contracting. Consequently, business processes in general and con-tracting processes in particular do not change much through the use of elec-tronic contracts. New business scenarios caused by e-business developments, however, do require new contracting paradigms in which the use of electronic contracts becomes an essential element to obtain a radical paradigm shift in contractual business relations - which we call deep e-contracting. In this posi-tion paper, we explore these new paradigms. We link the paradigms to ex-changed values described in e-contracts to obtain a mapping from business requirements. We next map the paradigms to contracting activities. Finally, we map the activities to information technology required for their automated sup-port. Based on the paradigms and mappings, this paper provides a concise framework for the exploration of deep e-contracting. 1 Introduction Contracts are the basis for establishing formal business relationships between autonomous organizations. Traditionally, contracts are physical paper documents. In the development of electronic means for communication and collaboration between organizations, electronic contracts have emerged as a digital alternative for physical documents. Electronic contracts are, however, often used as a direct replacement for traditional paper contracts. Consequently, business processes in general and con-tracting processes in particular do not change much as a consequence of the use of electronic contracts. As this form of e-contracting does not penetrate the way of doing business, we call his shallow e-contracting. New business settings have emerged in recent years, e.g., as a consequence of the fast development of electronic commerce. The new business settings do require new con-tracting paradigms in which the use of electronic contracts becomes an essential ele-ment to obtain a radical paradigm shift in contractual business relations. We call this deep e-contracting. Various research efforts have investigated specific aspects, e.g., the Cosmos project, the CrossFlow project, research at the Univer-sity of Queensland, at the University of St. Gallen, at IBM research and at King’s College. A concise framework of the spectrum of e-contracting paradigms