NegoManage: A System for Supporting Bilateral Negotiations

In this paper we present the NegoManage system, which aims at supporting the bilateral negotiation during all negotiation phases. The support includes the problem structure identification, the analysis of individual preferences of both parties, the messaging and offers exchange and the post-negotiation improvements of the agreement. The preference analysis is supported with a novel mechanism involving the specification of the classes of alternatives’ quality that represent particular levels of potential satisfaction from accepting this alternative as the negotiation solution. The consistency of preferences is also checked. The actual negotiation phase is performed in a typical way, namely the negotiators exchange multiple offers and messages. The novelty introduced in this phase is the mechanism for profiling the negotiators based on the classification of exchanged messages. The post-negotiation optimization phase employs the concept of a bargaining solution for improving the solution obtained in the previous negotiation phase. We present the way the mechanisms proposed work using simple numerical examples.     

Humour in Negotiations: A Pragmatic Analysis of Humour in Simulated Negotiations

This research attempts to shed light on the possible ways which humour could be used to improve the negotiation process in conflictual settings. Negotiators were observed for their use of humour in simulated negotiation scenarios, and a relationship has been observed between humour and laughter, and the structure of the negotiations. The structural and functional implications of humour observed and discussed in this research illustrate the potential for humour in negotiation processes at large.     

Warming up for Negotiations

Business negotiation is obviously some mixture of art,science,culture,psychology,etc.But there are regional differences -especially in a country as large as China.Before you negotiate away from home,practice in your new location to learn the local differences.Here are some quick tips you can test drive to hone your business negotiations.     

A Multi-Agent ODSS Architecture for Supporting Distributed Decision-Making

In this paper, we present an architecture of an ODSS that focuses on organizational learning to enhance the organization's memory and distribution of the organization's intelligence throughout the organization to the various units that need it in their decision-making process. Learning in this ODSS is done by multiple intelligent agents that are designed to gather, accumulate and classify information in order to assist the decision-maker.     

International Business Negotiations A Turn-Key Project

The article describes and analyses the negotiation process between a Swedish supplier and an African customer. Although the literature on international business negotiations is very poor, it is reviewed; a model for international business negotiations is developed and then utilised to describe and analyse a case-study. The factors influencing the negotiation process are identified and conclusions are drawn; the process took a very long time, more than two years, and a number of unexpected issues caused interference in the process. The differences in cultural background and the atmosphere between the parties strongly affected their chances of reaching a mutually satisfactory agreement.     

多哈谈判的一线生机

在上期文章中记者谈到,世贸组织多哈回合谈判目前的主要症结在于美国和新兴经济体之间的立场差距过于悬殊。美国认为现有协议的市场准入水平不够,要求中国、印度和巴西做出更多的开放市场承诺;而后者认为现有协议是经过10年讨价还价形成的微妙平衡,不宜再做大改动,而且自己的任何让步必须有所回报。结论是,多哈谈判难以走出困境。     

A Comparative Analysis of Multilateral Environmental Negotiations

Global environmental problems pose important diplomatic and legal challenges to the international community. The nature of these problems requires an unprecedented degree of international cooperation that is achieved through multilateral negotiation, which is often shaped by scientific uncertainty, the complexity of the issues, and the wide range of actors and interests. One way of analyzing and explaining this complicated process is through the use of comparative analysis. By breaking down the negotiating process into a series of phases and turning points, it becomes easier to analyze the roles of different actors, the management of issues, the formation of groups and coalitions, and the art of consensus building. This article uses comparative analysis to characterize, develop, and specify a model of the multilateral environmental negotiation process. The model is elaborated upon inductively through a comparative analysis of eleven cases of multilateral environmental negotiations. Statistical techniques are used to determine whether there is any relationship among attributes of the process (within the phases or at the turning points) and between these characteristics and outcomes.     

Evaluations of Tactics for Automated Negotiations

Automated negotiation under the infrastructure of e-commerce is becoming an important issue. However, although the communication protocols and frameworks of automated negotiation have been extensively investigated, the corresponding tactics and strategies are still underdeveloped and need to be evaluated further. Based on the negotiation model proposed by Faratin et al., this paper examines the performance of automated negotiation tactics and intends to provide concise suggestions for the users of automated negotiation. First, theoretical analysis is used to evaluate the behavior-dependent tactics. Constructive conclusions are obtained when single-issue negotiations are considered. Next, a new framework for applying single-issue tactics to multi-issue negotiation is proposed. Based on this framework, theoretical analysis is then extended to multi-issue cases. Finally, different from the previous work, exhaustive simulations based on two-issue negotiations are performed to evaluate the effectiveness of behavior-dependent and time-dependent tactics. The experimental results provide several important insights into negotiation tactics.     

The Montreal Taxonomy for Electronic Negotiations

Research in the domain of electronic negotiations is a rather new and very interdisciplinary field, which gains more and more attention due to the industry hype and momentum regarding electronic commerce and electronic markets. Negotiations in a narrow sense (not taking into account simple forms such as hit and take) have been identified as an advantageous coordination mechanism for the interaction of buyers and sellers in electronic markets that transcend the selling of commodities or uniform goods. Hence, support for negotiations may become a critical success factor for electronic markets, especially regarding the recent failures of many industrial ventures. This paper presents the Montreal Taxonomy, which allows not only for the exact characterisation and comparison of a broad variety of electronic negotiation designs and systems, ranging from auctions to bilateral bargaining tables, but could also lead towards a more structured approach for the design of electronic negotiations.     

Formula Approaches for Market Access Negotiations

Most of the large tariff reductions achieved in multilateral trade negotiations have involved tariff–cutting formulas such as the ‘Swiss’ formula. However, wide variations in initial tariff rates between active participants call for new approaches under the Doha Development Agenda. This paper surveys a range of formula options and examines both targeted and flexible applications of the Swiss formula that target tariff escalation and peaks, and would allow policy makers to directly target how far they will move towards free trade, while providing some flexibility for trading off reductions in peak tariffs against reductions in lower–tariff sectors.     

A Gender Analysis of Bank Loan Negotiations in Uganda

This paper highlights the differences between men and women in bank loan negotiations. It presents findings of an ex post facto design study that involved administering questionnaires to 289 respondents who had ever applied for a loan from a Ugandan commercial bank from 1999 through 2005. Results showed that male and female respondents differed in their negotiation behavior and outcomes. Female respondents scored higher than male respondents on self-enhancement and yielding. Male respondents scored higher than female respondents on inaction. Results further showed that female respondents receive lower payoff than male respondents from bank loan negotiations, and that both male and female respondents encounter problems in mixed gender negotiations.     

Why Agents for Automated Negotiations Should Be Adaptive

We show that adaptive agents on the Internet can learn to exploit bidding agents who use a (limited) number of fixed strategies. These learning agents can be generated by adapting a special kind of finite automata with evolutionary algorithms (EAs). Our approach is especially powerful if the adaptive agent participates in frequently occurring micro-transactions, where there is sufficient opportunity for the agent to learn online from past negotiations. More in general, results presented in this paper provide a solid basis for the further development of adaptive agents for Internet applications.     

风险、保险与投资在跨期模型中的关系研究

为了解释保险在经济个体最优决策中的作用,并探讨影响保费的因素,文章通过在跨期模型中引入风险、保险和投资等变量,给出了保费、保险金额、预期投资收益率、风险分布及相关系数等关键因子的理论关系,论证了保险将影响最优的投资水平,个体可以通过保险增加价值,以及影响保费的三个因素。通过对中国保险数据的实证检验,验证了模型中影响保费的因素,并阐明了中国需要加大对经济个体的风险保障水平。     

E-Consulting in Virtual Negotiations

In the e-world where many of us live and work, virtual work arrangements will become increasingly commonplace. This paper reports on an exploratory study into the way in which consultants can ply their trade virtually with clients whom they never meet. US-located e-consultants provided advice to Hong Kong-located web site developers on the interface and content aspects of a website that was being developed for an international audience. Extensive analyses of the communication between the consultants and developers is undertaken, in parallel with an analysis of survey data obtained from the two sets of stakeholders. Lessons are drawn for future research and practice.     

International Sales Negotiations:

Successful business negotiation in global markets requires effective cross-cultural communication between buyer and seller. Building on a growing body of literature, this paper develops a four-step, funnel-like model of international sales negotiation. This bi-directional framework traces the communications flow from broad non-selling issues to specific aspects of the international sales transaction. The four stages—non-task related activities, information exchange, persuasion, and adjustment—are then discussed individually. Finally, directions for future research in the area of international sale negotiation are presented.     

Concessions Dynamics in Electronic Negotiations: A Cross-Lagged Regression Analysis

We analyze concession patterns in electronic negotiations using a modified version of the Actor–Partner Interdependence Model (APIM). Our extension of the APIM takes into account that concessions in negotiations can only be evaluated in terms of utilities of the receiving side. We show that actor and partner effects in that model can directly be related to central concepts of negotiation theory such as cooperative versus distributive bargaining tactics and reciprocity. Based on this connection, we formulate hypotheses on the differences of actor and partner effects between successful and failed negotiations. We test these hypotheses on two existing data sets. Results show consistent and strong actor effects, while partner effects are only present in specific settings.