Fuzzy Negotiation Solutions of n-Person Cooperative Games by Knowledge Engineering in Bargaining

A model for negotiation is developed upon the basis of a previous model called Fuzzy Negotiation Solution by Knowledge Engineering. The new model, called Compensatory Negotiation Solution by Knowledge Engineering and FNSKE are based on the combination of knowledge of experts in negotiation, rather than on classical notions of rationality. The experts in negotiation present four propositions in a non-mathematical way and with a natural language, according to the theory of Knowledge Engineering. In the CNSKE model, knowledge is represented through logic predicates, and the calculations are made using the Compensatory Fuzzy Logic system. CFL is a system whose operators satisfy the axioms of Utility. The CFL operators, especially because of the compensation property, are more adequate than the norm and co-norm’s operators to model human decision-making, according to empirical results. The Good Deal Index in CNSKE is statistically estimated from the GDI in FNSKE. This is a quantitative index, which provides the solution concept. The fuzzy function f(C) represents the likelihood the players of a coalition C to reach an agreement into this coalition. Counterpart Convenience Indexes 1, 2 allow each player to select the best coalition for negotiation. The advantage of CNSKE over FNSKE is that the idempotency of conjunction and disjunction operators give every membership function -obtained from the predicates- the possibility to be interpreted by itself. Hence, the truth-values of the CNSKE membership functions can be semantically interpreted. In addition, CNSKE can be easily applied to solve real negotiation problems.     

The Effect of Stake Size in Experimental Bargaining and Distribution Games: A Survey

We review the literature on bargaining and distribution experiments to investigate whether changes in stake size have significant effects on behaviour in laboratory/field settings. We conclude that experiments in this field do not lead to clear/common results. The joint presence of opposing factors (e.g., increasing relative risk aversion and increasing cost of fairness) might be one reason contributing to this. Moreover, we argue that variables such as subjects’ financial conditions, cognitive abilities, risk attitudes, loss-aversion, justice orientations, and relevant personality characteristics should be controlled in laboratory experiments to understand the effect of stake size on behaviour, more clearly. Finally, quasi-experiments using data from (very) high-stake games/events and meta-analysis studies should complement (individual) controlled experiments.     

基于动态讨价还价博弈的“壳公司”定价模型

买壳上市是我国证券市场一个重要的特征,通过对以往相关研究文献的梳理、提炼,形成了一个基于动态讨价还价博弈的"壳公司"定价模型,并由此得出买壳上市实质上是一个帕累托改进过程,而双方得益权重则取决于公司自身的讨价还价能力。     

电子商务推荐系统顾客满意度模糊评价

随着网购的流行,电子商务推荐系统对于顾客网购的决策有一定的影响作用。推荐系统质量的好与坏,需要更加量化的去评价。本文从电子商务推荐系统对顾客满意度的影响因素出发,构建了一个指标评价体系;运用层次分析法客观地对指标体系之间相对重要性进行了指标权重的确定;根据已知的权重进行模糊综合评价。将电子商务推荐系统的顾客满意度情况通过层次分析法和模糊综合评价的综合评价,得出量化的结果。     

Markups,Bargaining Power and Offshoring: An Empirical Assessment1

This paper tests the pro‐competitive effect of imports on product and labour markets for Spanish manufacturing firms in the period 1990–2005. In doing so, it takes into account the type of imported products: final versus intermediate. Markups are estimated following the procedure suggested by Roeger and including an efficient bargaining model. The observed heterogeneity among firms is parametised to consider additional product standardisation and market concentration. The results support the imports as market discipline hypothesis for importers of final goods, while firms that offshore intermediate inputs show similar markups to nonimporters. Additionally, the union bargaining power is smaller for importers and the more homogeneous is the type of goods elaborated by firms.     

Initiating Negotiations: The Role of Machiavellianism, Risk Propensity, and Bargaining Power

Initiation is an often-overlooked yet essential stage of the negotiation process. This study examined the effects of two measures of personality—Machiavellianism and risk propensity—and relative bargaining power (as based on multiple situational factors) on three phases of the initiation process—engaging a counterpart, making a request, and optimizing the request. Using a multi-scenario approach, one hundred fifteen participants indicated their initiation preferences for three distinct negotiations. The results of repeated measures ANOVAs indicate that bargaining power influences an individual’s decision to initiate negotiations. In addition, those high in Machiavellianism choose to initiate negotiations even when relative bargaining power is low, whereas those high in risk propensity tend to optimize their requests. The implications of these findings for practitioners and future research are discussed.     

《中国—东盟投资协议》:成就、不足与完善

《中国—东盟投资协议》在中国—东盟自由贸易区范围内创建了统一的国际投资保护法制,在保护外国投资者私益的同时试图兼顾东道国国家主权,此为其成就。但该协议也存在重大不足,如所约束的国家行为范围过于狭窄、缺乏审慎措施条款、根本安全例外条款未受到必要的制度性约束等。目前的当务之急是有针对性地完善该协议。     

Bargaining and Search: An Experimental Study

We study experimentally two versions of a model buyer and a seller bargain over the price of a good; however, the buyer can choose to leave the negotiation table to search for other alternatives. Under one version, if the buyer chooses to search for a better price, the opportunity to purchase the good at the stated price is gone. Under the second version, the seller guarantees the same price if the buyer chooses to return immediately after a search (presumably because a better price could not be found). In both cases, the buyer has a fairly good idea about what to expect from the search, but because the search is costly, he has to weigh the potential benefits of the search against its cost. It turns out (theoretically) that adding search to a simple bargaining mechanism eliminates some unsatisfactory features of bargaining theory.Our experiment reveals that the model can account for some (but not all) of the behavioral regularities. In line with recent developments in behavioral decision theory and game theory, which assume bounded rationality and preferences over the relative division of a surplus, we find that subjects follow simple rules of thumb and distributional norms in choosing strategies, which are reflected in the behavioral consistencies observed in this study.     

上游管制、行业间谈判势力与企业研发创新

本文立足于中国目前"上游行业行政管制,下游行业市场竞争"的现实背景,构建了上游管制行业的谈判势力指标。在此基础上,利用1998—2007年的企业研发数据考察了其对企业研发创新的影响。研究结果表明:上游管制行业的谈判势力在1998—2003年的显著下降促进了企业的研发创新,而在2003年国资委成立之后发生扭转并逐年强化,抑制了企业的研发创新;进一步的异质性检验表明,近年来上游管制行业的谈判势力增强对企业研发创新的负面效应,主要集中在高生产率企业、内资企业以及高技术行业。因此,为更好地实施创新型驱动战略,发挥研发创新在经济增长中的带动作用,深化上游管制行业的市场化改革,降低其在中间投入品市场中的谈判势力是关键。     

From Ultimatum Bargaining to Dictatorship—an Experimental Study of Four Games Varying in Veto Power

Inspired by Bolton and Zwick (1995) we study four different games, namely the ultimatum and dictator game as well as the two games in which a veto (non-acceptance) of the responder implies that only one of the two players does not receive the proposed payoff. In the experiment the participants had to play either as the proposer or as the responder in all four games. Only the proposer was privately informed about the actual cake size which could be either small or large. The main results were that the offers were more generous when the responder could only veto the proposer's payoff than in ultimatum bargaining which, in turn, induced more generous offers than dictatorship. The worst proposals were observed when the responder could only reject his own payoff. A similar tendency was also observed for the minimal offers required for acceptance although many acceptance strategies were non-monotonic. Allocators with large cakes did not hide behind the small cake by offering an equal share of the small cake. A pre-experimental questionnaire designed to trigger considerations of backward induction led to more generosity.     

Control,Conflict and Satisfaction in International Channels:

This is a study of the relationship between foreign car-manufacturers and their respective agents in the "emerging" market of Saudi Arabia. The study takes the theories and findings about the relationship in advanced country domestic situations to see if they apply to a cross- country situation involving manufacturers from advanced countries and agents in a developing country. The study examines the extent of the manufacturer control over the dealer, the sources of that control and how each of these affect the level of conflict between the manufacturer and the dealer, and the dealer satisfaction, all from the dealer's perspective. Based on the literature, hypotheses were formulated and constructs developed using a questionnaire to which a relatively large sample of the dealers responded. Appropriate statistical tests of reliability and validity were conducted and thereafter simple Pearson correlations were calculated to test the hypotheses. Unlike in most advanced country studies, manufacturers were found to practice little control over their agents, nor was control found to be associated with the use of coercive and non-coercive measures by the manufacturers. But other facets of the relationship were found to be generally similar to other studies. Conflict was found to relate positively to the use of coercive measures by the manufacturer. Dealer satisfaction was found to relate positively to the use of non-coercive measures and negatively to the level of conflict and the use of coercive measures. The study concludes that the stick and carrot philosophy that may work in the West, does not work in the Middle East, just as others have surmised.     

Electronic Meetings and Intense Group Conflict: Effects of a Policy-Modeling Performance Support System and an Audio Communication Support System on Satisfaction and Agreement

Ad-hoc decision teams were used to examine the effects of an electronic meeting system (EMS) on group satisfaction and agreement. The decision task provoked intense conflict of values. The EMS had two core features - a policy-modeling group performance support system (incorporating structured decision methods and computer-supported cognitive feedback using Multi-Attribute Utility Analysis and Social Judgment Analysis), and an audio-based group communication support system (allowed dispersed members to communicate by voice). Policy groups reached higher agreement than conventional decision-making groups, apparently due primarily to the structure for cognitive-conflict tasks that was imposed on group discussion rather than computer-supported cognitive feedback displays. Audio groups were more satisfied with the conflict process than face-to-face groups. Decision agreement was equivalent across the two media. These audio effects for a highly equivocal task represent a further challenge to media richness theory.     

Some Dissatisfaction with Satisfaction: Universities, Values, and Quality

This article moves beyond the narrow discussion of the applicability of Total Quality Management to the university which has amounted to a debate over whether business has something to teach the university about customers and satisfaction. The article goes at the matter from a different direction as it investigates what business can learn from the university about quality.     

增值税减税、企业议价能力与创新投入

本文以2016-2019年A股上市公司面板数据为样本,运用倾向得分匹配方法模拟自然实验,构建双重差分模型检验了2018年增值税税率下调对企业研发投入的影响.实证结果表明,增值税税率下调显著促进了企业的研发投入.作为一种商品税,增值税具有易于转嫁的特点,因而议价能力不同的企业享受的减税红利并不一致——相对于议价能力弱的企业而言,议价能力强的企业在增值税税率下调之后能获得更多的减税红利,从而促进其创新投入.进一步分样本研究发现,相对于中西部地区企业而言,东部地区企业能享受到更多的减税红利;非国有企业比国有企业享受到更多的减税红利.因此,在制定普惠性商品税减税政策时应充分考虑税负转嫁机制,以发挥减税政策对创新驱动的激励作用.     

灰色模糊聚类在旅游景区顾客满意度测评中的应用

市场的竞争力来自于顾客的满意度。运用灰色关联分析和模糊聚类,以桂林九个4A级景区为例对旅游景区顾客满意度进行测评和分析。实例研究表明,该方法效率高、所需数据少、揭示问题清晰。     

Ethical and Unethical Bargaining Tactics: An Empirical Study

Competitive negotiators frequently use tactics which others view as "unethical", in that these tactics either violate standards of truth telling or violate the perceived rules of negotiation. This paper sought to determine how business students viewed a number of marginally ethical negotiating tactics, and to determine the underlying factor structure of these tactics. The factor analysis of these tactics revealed five clear factors which were highly similar across the two samples, and which parallel (to a moderate degree) categories of tactics proposed by earlier theory. Data from one sample also permitted comparisons of the appropriateness of certain tactics across gender, nationality, ethnic origin and perception of one's negotiating style.     

The Advisor-SMF Client Relationship: Impact,Satisfaction and Commitment

This paper investigates the relationship between the type of business advisors used by SMEs and the level of impact and satisfaction a SME receives. The role of other influences, such as the intensity and cost of the service, and the level of commitment to an advisor by the client are also investigated. A structural equation path model is estimated from survey information for SMEs in Britain. The analysis shows that customer impact, satisfaction and re-use intentions are related to the character of the firm (particularly its size), the intensity and cost of services, but is only marginally influenced by the geographical distance between advisor and client. Affective commitment, measured by the level of the ‘trust’ of the advisor by the client, is shown not to be significant, except for public sector and business association suppliers. The importance of trust to these suppliers, despite the low satisfaction levels they achieve, is argued to be incompatible with attempts to charge fees, as has been sought for the government network of Business Link. Both business associations and public sector support bodies therefore have severe limitations in combining their broader roles with a commercially- based fee-based income strategy.     

事务所行业专长、客户谈判能力与审计费用

文章以我国上市公司为对例,实证研究了事务所行业专长和客户谈判能力对审计费用的影响,研究结果表明:在总体上,我国审计收费与事务所行业专业化水平显著正相关,与客户谈判能力显著负相关,行业专业化水平愈高的事务所,审计收费溢价愈多;谈判能力愈强的企业,折价愈多;相对而言,有行业专长的事务所和国际"四大"的专业化收费溢价更多;但在客户谈判能力较高时,事务所的专业化溢价水平较低;客户谈判能力的折价效应仅在"非四大"审计时存在,"四大"审计时不存在;在无行业专长的"非四大"审计时存在,有行业专长的"非四大"审计时不存在;在企业的谈判能力强时存在,企业的谈判能力弱时不存在。