Research

Conference explores eBay culture

Making sense of the cultural, social and economic implications of the internet auction site eBay was the aim of the first independent eBay conference in the UK, held at the University in August.

The conference brought together academics and practitioners from both business and the voluntary sector, with submissions and delegates from across Europe and the United States.

The idea for the conference originated from an ongoing Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) project at Chimera, the University's institute for socio-technical research and innovation. The two-year project is due to end in January 2006.

Dr Rebecca Ellis and Anna Haywood, the sole investigators for the project, needed a conference to disseminate their results to, but found this problematic. Dr Ellis explained: 'eBay studies, by their very nature, tend to be interdisciplinary, and papers on eBay become lost within generalised Internet conferences'.

They organised the 'Cultures of eBay' conference to bring together a varied mix of eBay-related interests. Although they were initially uncertain of the interest and market for the conference, it proved to be well attended and received excellent feedback.

Following an introductory address by Dr Ellis and Ms Haywood, the plenary session continued with Will Davies from the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), whose paper addressed the 'Implications of eBay for the policy community.'

Other sessions included: eBay and employment effects; Collecting in an e-society; eBay and identity; Deconstructing eBay: usability; eBay, competition and the 'perfect market'; eBay and social capital; and eBay, consumption and consumer lifestyles.

Although intended as a one-off, delegates were enthusiastic for a follow up 'Cultures of eBay' conference next year, and possible future collaborations between delegates.
CD-Roms of abstracts and some associated working papers from the conference are available. Please contact Dr Martin Hicks for more details, e-mail hicksm@essex.ac.uk. The organisers are currently in discussion with the presenters to agree the best place for publishing the conference's papers.

New software simulates guerrilla warfare

A researcher in the Department of Computer Science has developed new software which will enable us to learn more about guerrilla warfare.

Professor Jim Doran has built the IRUBA software by applying newly developed techniques of agent-based social simulation on a computer to the scientific study of guerrilla wars. IRUBA, and those investigations using it, could contribute new and significant scientific insights to the existing theory of guerrilla warfare which in turn would have relevance to a number of guerrilla wars ongoing worldwide.

Professor Doran explained: 'IRUBA constitutes a parameterised model of a typical guerrilla war, and can be used to experiment with such wars to add to our existing knowledge about how they work. Although it is not the aim of this project, IRUBA has the potential to help guide either insurgent or counter-insurgent strategies in a real guerrilla war, or to help bring an existing war to a halt.'

The IRUBA model is based on the Irish War of Independence, 1919-1921, and the Cuban revolution, 1956-1959. It has been used to find out more about how a guerrilla war might progress and results have already:

• Questioned the reliability of Che Guevara's concept of 'foco.'

• Questioned the effectiveness of 'flying columns' as employed by the IRA in the Irish War.

• Explored the conditions under which an 'all-out' regime counter-attack may defeat an already established insurgency
IRUBA and Professor Doran's initial findings were unveiled at the annual conference of the European Social Simulation Association in Koblenz in September.

Philosophy reunites old friends

The Department of Philosophy celebrated its 30th anniversary this summer with a conference which reunited a number of past members of staff.

All six of the distinguished speakers had at some time taught at Essex and they were greeted by an audience of around 100 staff and students, past and present, from various departments. A number of external visitors also attended.

Stephen Mulhall and Dr Fiona Hughes of the Department of Philosophy

Three of the speakers now work in the USA. Jay Bernstein and Simon Critchley are at the New School for Social Research in New York, while Robert Bernasconi teaches at the University of Memphis. Two of the other speakers are now at Oxford, Nick Bunnin at the Institute for Chinese Studies and Stephen Mulhall at New College. The sixth speaker, Onora O'Neill, is now the Principal of Newnham College, Cambridge.

The conference consisted of symposia devoted to three grim but regrettably relevant issues: terror, torture and genocide.

Also in the printed October edition of Wyvern:

• Volunteers wanted for human rights journal
• Reproduction under the spotlight
• 'Gordon Brown cannot save Labour'
• Why low self-esteem can damage health
• Developments in disease mechanisms
• Clacton at War project for schools