Electronic Negotiation Support Research Articles

Persuasion in Business Negotiations: Strategic Orientations and Rhetorical Argumentation

When strategically planning negotiating speech it is desired to avoid coincidences and to choose the most appropriate means to achieve its objective. Implementation of the strategic orientations is associated with each aspect of the language. Negotiating, in other words, it is a public speaking in the negotiations, is a strategic process, which includes an understanding of the circumstances, the deliberate behavior and a plan how to achieve your goals. During the time of negotiating the negotiators together are creating a commonly significant thing, their thoughts, opinions, attitudes and values are tested, adapted, developed through interaction. Negotiators approaches of different cultures can vary significantly. For one negotiator some things and facts may be more important or more significant than for others, and his attitude towards them will determine how he will interpret and understand the statements which he have heard. The paper deals with the problems of rhetorical effect to other side of the negotiations. It is argued that a persuasive speech is very important competence of negotiator, as nothing can change negotiator's alive speech. Only directly negotiating, giving evidence, arguments, counter-arguments, controversy negotiators can move quickly to the overall objective of the agreement. Even with a well-developed modern means of communication, the Internet, electronic negotiation support systems, negotiators are moving to another part of the world for direct negotiations. Negotiator in alive bargaining process demonstrates himself, his appearance, mind, manners, emotions, ethics, etiquette knowledge, characteristics of voice, gestures, movements, facial expressions, reactions and their other communication options. The use of rhetorical tools in bargaining process, the success of staying in contact with the other half of the negotiations is an important factor for effective negotiations. If classical rhetoric focused attention on how to convince the other part, in modern rhetoric, focus is focused more to dialogue, to interaction between speakers, and harmonization of relations.

Far from Eye, Far from Heart: Analysis of Graphical Decision Aids in Electronic Negotiation Support

Information is probably the most relevant element upon which decision makers base their judgments. Empirical evidence has demonstrated that the way information is presented inevitably influences human cognition and, consequently, the (electronically supported) decision making process. Presently, we lack an analytical approach of studying graphical decision aids implemented in electronic negotiation support systems (NSS). Therefore, the aim of this paper is to identify relevant factors for graphical decision aids in NSS, which provides negotiators with an analytical support approach. Secondly, based on a developed framework, we intend to categorize and analyze existing and newly developed graphical decision aids. Last, we develop research propositions showing avenues for future investigations in the field of graphical decision aids.

TOPSIS Based Approach to Scoring Negotiating Offers in Negotiation Support Systems

In this paper we analyze the possibility of applying the technique for order preferences by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to building the scoring system for negotiating offers. TOPSIS is a multiple criteria decision making method that is based on measuring distances between alternatives under consideration and two bipolar reference alternatives, a positive and negative ideal. Thus the criteria used for the evaluation of alternatives should be described using strong scales. However, in the negotiation, the issues are very often described qualitatively, which results in ordinal or even nominal variables that must be taken into consideration in offers’ evaluation process. What is more, TOPSIS may be applied to solving the discrete decision problems while the negotiation space may be defined by the means of continuous variables too. In this paper we try to modify the TOPSIS algorithm to make it applicable to negotiation support and, moreover, discuss the following methodological issues: using TOPSIS for a negotiation problem with continuous negotiation space; selecting the distance measure for adequate representation of negotiator’s preferences and measuring distances for qualitative issues. Finally, we propose a simple additional mechanism that allows for building the TOPSIS-based scoring system for negotiating offers and does not involve negotiators in time consuming and tiresome preference elicitation process. This mechanism requires from negotiators to construct examples of offers that represent some categories of quality and then by using a goal programming approach it infers all the parameters required by the TOPSIS algorithm. We also show a simple prototype software tool that applies the TOPSIS modified algorithm and may be used in electronic negotiation support.

Emotion and Interactive Technology-Mediated Group Decision and Negotiation

Contrary to the Platonic tradition, contemporary neurology (e.g., Damasio 1994; Iacoboni 2005) proposes that emotional processes can guide or bias behavior, particularly decision-making. Indeed, emotions have an intense social presence in human life and play an important role in negotiation. Often we try to neglect them in order to ‘get things done,’ but we are also in situations, in which we cannot get things done if we do not consider the emotional side of a negotiation. Modern group decision and negotiation is often conducted through interactive technology, in which emotion, interaction and negotiation meet new possibilities and limitations. If emotions are hard to deal with in face-to-face situations how do they function in new media? This special issue of the Journal of Group Decision and Negotiation explores the relation between emotion, group decision, negotiation, and interactive technology. The articles elaborate on themes, such as communication via textual electronic media, electronic negotiation support, virtual agents’ cognitive-system design, modeling effects of emotion in strategic conflict, intercultural electronic communication, and communication checklist for monitoring of discussions. Some of the questions explored by the journal are: Is it possible to negotiate and take decisions without emotion? How do emotions affect conflict as a decision making process? How do theories of emotion relate to empirical observations of negotiation? How is cognitive load related to emotions in collaboration design? How does

Strategies and language trends in learning success and failure of negotiation

In negotiation by electronic means, language is an important deal-making tool which helps realize negotiation strategies. Negotiators may use language to request information, exchange offers, persuade, threaten, as well as reach a compromise or find prospective partners. All this is recorded in texts exchanged by negotiators. We explore the language signals of strategies—argumentation, persuasion, negation, proposition. Leech and Svartvik’s approach to language in communication gives our study the necessary systematic background. It combines pragmatics, the communicative grammar and the meaning of English verbs. Language signals become features in the task of classifying those texts. We employ Statistical Natural Language Processing and Machine Learning techniques to find general trends that negotiation texts exhibit. Our hypothesis is that language signals help predict negotiation outcomes. We run experiments on the Inspire data. The electronic negotiation support system Inspire was gathering data for several years. The data include text messages which negotiators may exchange while trading offers. We conduct a series of Machine Learning experiments to predict the negotiation outcome from the texts associated with first halves of negotiations. We compare the results with the classification of complete negotiations. We conclude the paper with an analysis of the results and a list of suggestions for future work.

Preference structures and negotiator behavior in electronic negotiations

Electronic Negotiation Support Systems allow users to construct a formal model of their preferences, which is then used during the negotiation process. In this paper, we analyze whether preferences embedded in such models are actually reflected in the behavior of negotiators and negotiation outcomes. Empirical results indicate that elements of negotiator behavior, like initial offers or the extent of concessions made during the negotiation, closely correspond to individual preferences. The same holds for the structure of the compromise. In contrast, the impact of negotiator preferences on reaching an agreement or the efficiency of the compromise is rather weak.

Gender Salience in Electronic Negotiations

There is ample empirical evidence for the impact of gender in face‐to‐face negotiations. In electronic negotiations, the use of electronic negotiation support systems (eNS) implies important differences to face‐to‐face communication settings: (1) eNSs permit among other functions, revising, storing, processing, and transmitting information and (2) Computer‐mediated communication reduces the transmission of interpersonal and social context cues. In this study, we use a controlled laboratory experiment to analyse how the negotiators' gender, the gender‐composition of negotiation dyads as well as the negotiators' prior relationship affect negotiation behaviour in electronic negotiations. Our results clearly indicate stereotypical behaviour of men and women in electronic negotiations: Overall, women give more information about their personal interests and needs and tend to be more yielding while men, on the contrary, tend to be more persuasive and competitive. When negotiating with a friend, men show signific...

Concession Curve Analysis for Inspire Negotiations

In the course of a negotiation it is often the case that the participants exchange packages of offers, which have, at least in the mind of the negotiators, a certain utility for them. We want to test whether the behaviour of the negotiators is reflected in the topology of the concession curve that plots each offer's utility value in the course of a negotiation. In order to do this, we use data collected with the Inspire electronic negotiation support system, which records utility preference values for all issues under discussion, for each negotiator. We abstract the concession curves using a set of features, such as number of minima and maxima, slope of curve at the beginning and end, and then we use machine learning techniques to test whether we can predict negotiation outcome based on these concessions curve descriptions. We find that there are certain features of this curve, such as the number of minima and maxima, frequency of offers exchanged, that predict with high precision and recall the outcome of negotiations conducted with Inspire.

E-Mediation: Evaluating the Impacts of an Electronic Mediator on Negotiating Behavior

In this article, we report the results of three experiments designed to evaluate the impacts of an electronic negotiation support system (NSS) on negotiating behavior. The NSS is defined in terms of functions performed by mediators. Negotiating behavior is construed in terms of negotiators' flexibility. Each of these concepts - flexibility and mediation functions - is discussed in turn followed by a description of the NSS and experimental-simulation procedures.

E-Mediation: Evaluating the Impacts of an Electronic Mediator on Negotiating Behavior

In this article, we report the results of three experiments designed to evaluate the impacts of an electronic negotiation support system (NSS) on negotiating behavior. The NSS is defined in terms of functions performed by mediators. Negotiating behavior is construed in terms of negotiators' flexibility. Each of these concepts - flexibility and mediation functions - is discussed in turn followed by a description of the NSS and experimental-simulation procedures.

퍼지 멤버십 함수와 AHP 추론기법을 이용한 전자상거래 협상지원

본 연구에서는 동적인 전자상거래 협상을 지원하기 위한 퍼지 AHP 기반의 협상지원 메커니즘 (Fuzzy AHP-based Negotiation support: FAHP-NEGO)을 제안한다. 협상은 단독으로 의사결정을 할 수 없는 둘 이상의 구성원간에 합의점을 도출하는 과정을 의미한다. 따라서, 여기에는 구성원 사이의 합의점을 도출하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 본 연구에서는, 이를 지원하기 위한 전자상거래 협상지원 메커니즘의 이론적인 배경으로서, 퍼지멤버십 함수와 AHP 기법을 사용하였다. 본 연구에서 제안한 협상지원 메커니즘은 정성적인 변수와 정량적인 변수를 모두 포함하고 있으며, 다중 협상과정을 통하여 전자상거래 협상을 지원한다. 건강보조식품 구매과정에 전사상거래 협상지원 메커니즘을 적용한 결과, 본 연구에서 제안한 전자상거래 협상지원 메커니즘이 정성적인 변수와 정량적인 변수를 반영한 전자상거래 협상을 지원할 수 있음을 보여주었다 본 연구의 후반부에는 향후 연구과제로서 전자상거래 협상지원 모형과 시스템 구축에 대해서 언급하였다. This paper propose the Fuzzy AHP(Analytic Hierarchical Process)-based negotiation support (FAHP-NEGO) mechanism to support the dynamic negotiation process in Electronic Commerce(EC). Negotiation is a form of decision-making with two or more actively involved agents who can not make decisions independently, and therefore must make concessions to achieve a compromise. Having concerned that point, the theoretical framework of FAHP-NEGO mechanism is presented by means of fuzzy membership functions and AHP. This mechanism encompasses both qualitative and quantitative conditions, and the use of multiple negotiation procedures for solving the electronic negotiation problem, adjusting the fuzzy membership function, and restructuring the problem representation. A hypothetical example of a healthcare products purchase is given to illustrate the quality of the proposed mechanism. The results showed that the Fuzzy AHP-based negotiation support mechanism could reflect both qualitative and quantitative conditions in EC. The implications of the study for future directions of research on electronic negotiation support modeling and systems are presented.

DOC.COM: a framework for effective negotiation support in electronic marketplaces

Today, research in electronic negotiations focuses on negotiation protocols that support the negotiation of only a few properties. These protocols are mainly designed for automated negotiations between software agents. However, for peer-to-peer negotiations in business-to-business electronic marketplaces, such protocols are less appropriate. For example, negotiations about multiple attributes, complex attribute combinations, or frame contracts require more sophisticated support of the involved interactions and communication acts. In this paper we present a novel approach to the effective support of electronic negotiations among human negotiators. Our approach is based on the following observation. The outcome of a successful negotiation process is a business contract. The contract evolves during the negotiation, coordinated through the exchange of structured messages such as offers, requests, quotations, counteroffers, and acceptances. Therefore, each negotiation between business partners involves the exchanges of documents and messages. Furthermore, documents and messages are interrelated in that a message leads to a new contract version which itself is the medium for a new negotiation step and thus initiates a new message. In contrast to the current practice of separate management of messages and documents, we create a powerful framework for effective negotiation support in electronic marketplaces by combining communication and document management. Our approach enables monitoring of contractual obligations and traceability of both documents and messages and their interrelations.