Negotiation Issues Research Articles

Negotiation as an interpersonal skill: Generalizability of negotiation outcomes and tactics across contexts at the individual and collective levels

As part of a program of research to develop and evaluate assessments of interpersonal skills, we developed a dyadic negotiation task that allows participants to select options and to communicate with each other through a chat window interface. Based on the New Recruit negotiation task, we developed an assessment of negotiation skills that included three negotiation issue types—distributive (zero-sum), integrative (trade-off), and compatible (aligned)--implemented in two tasks (Fundraiser and Robot) given to 84 participants in dyads. We found evidence for the generalizability of negotiation skill across tasks at both the individual (r = 0.62) and joint (r = 0.74) levels. Participants' chat turns were coded into 14 tactic categories (e.g., making a concession, stating a disagreement). Tactic use across tasks was consistent at both individual (average correlation was r = 0.52), and joint (r = 0.58) levels. Principal component analysis of tactics used identified four tactic types (cooperative, competitive, greetings, impasse). Greater use of cooperative tactics was associated with higher joint negotiation scores (i.e., sum of individual scores). This research contributes to an understanding of negotiation as a general individual and joint skill and suggests specific tactics associated with that skill. The research also highlights the value of an online platform for conducting such research that enables small-group interactive task performance in which participants communicate with each other using a text-based chat box.

Real-time opponent learning in automated negotiation using recursive Bayesian filtering

Automated negotiation is a toolset to model human interactions during a negotiation process with the aim of improving the efficiency and quality of decision-making using advanced information analytics. During the negotiation, the participants share their viewpoints and concerns about the negotiation issues. However, in reality, they usually do not reveal the details of their preferences to one another. Therefore, modeling and learning opponents’ behavior is a crucial component of automated negotiation. In this paper, we propose an estimation technique based on recursive Bayesian filtering to facilitate opponent-modeling and -learning in the context of multi-participant, multi-issue negotiations. In the proposed technique, opponents’ preference profiles are modeled using fuzzy functions, which are very close to the way humans evaluate alternatives. As the negotiation progresses, the agents can recursively learn the parameters of these models in real time. The only required information for this learning process includes the feedback and the arguments the participants may provide in support of their decisions. At each round, a probabilistic graphical model is also implemented that utilizes the learned preference limits of the participants to offer a new proposal with a high probability of satisfying the participants and reaching an agreement. The proposed methodology is examined in two different negotiation contexts: energy-system development and real estate service. The experiments show that the proposed opponent modeling/learning approach increases the efficiency of the negotiation up to 85% and facilitates reaching an agreement in fewer rounds of negotiation without requiring any prior understanding of the negotiation participants.

The benefits of collaboration in computer-mediated preference exchange in teams: A psychological perspective

Computers are increasingly used in teams in various contexts, for example in negotiations. Especially when using computer-support for decision-making processes, it is an important question whether active collaboration within the team – for example via audio-conference – has additional benefits beyond the supply of full task-relevant information via computer. In team negotiations, team representatives are only able to represent the whole team, if diverse preferences of the team members are aligned prior to the negotiation. In an experimental study with 150 participants, we provided team members with the complete information about each other's preferences during an either collaboratively (computer-mediated) or separately conducted computer-supported negotiation preparation and subsequently asked them for their priorities as representatives of the team. Our results showed that providing complete task-relevant information via computer is insufficient to compensate for the absence of active collaboration within the team: Representatives who could collaborate within the team during the computer-mediated negotiation preparation phase (1) moved away more from their initial individual preferences, (2) stated more similar priorities within the team, (3) assessed more accurately the importance of different negotiation issues for the team, which was mediated by the similarity of priorities within the team, and (4) were more satisfied.

Characteristics of Kharkiv theatre development in1840–1860’s (on the materials of State Archive of the Kharkiv Region)

Characteristics of Kharkiv theatre development in1840–1860’s (on the materials of State Archive of the Kharkiv Region)

Identity in Interaction: Language Practices and Attitudes of the Newest Ukrainian Diaspora in Canada

The present study focuses on processes and transformations in language practices and attitudes in the newest wave of the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, notably following the 2014 Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine. Specifically, multilingual language practices in social media and in off-line environments (Ukrainian, Russian, English), participants’ beliefs about language(s), and participants’ views about the language question are analyzed. The analysis also relates the speakers’ practices and beliefs to issues of identity construction and negotiation that are observable in the context of this diasporic community.The socio-cultural approach to studying identity in interaction developed by Bucholtz and Hall is used as the premise for the main theoretical foundation of the study. In this framework, identity is defined as “the social positioning of self and other” and is best studied at an interactional level because it is in interaction that language resources gain social meaning.Basing the analysis on the “discourse-centered online ethnography” approach (Dailey-O’Cain), the data were collected from two sources: one social media communication network and in-person interviews with this network’s members. Therefore, the analysis combines a study of multilingual interaction in social media communication with an investigation of how participants report on their language practices overall, including their views about the language question. The domains of language and discourse about language constitute the organizational core of the analysis, as both contribute to the discussion of language attitudes and speakers’ shaping and reshaping of their identities. The domain of language incorporates a study of code-switching, including language choice and language practices of the participants, observed or reported. A discourse about language focuses on the importance of the language question to the participants, their positioning toward language(s), and/or language practices, as well as participants’ associations with and disassociations from particular languages, concepts, or entities. The discussion relates the functions of different languages in the studied community to larger questions of the diaspora studied. The prominence of “real” and “ideal” code-switching phenomena are highlighted. The code-switching, along with language choice and language practices, as well as discourse about language, are all shown to be resources employed by the speakers to position themselves in specific associations or disassociations. Overall, the study investigates the newest Ukrainian diasporic community, demonstrating how language practices in human interaction display and construct identity(ies) and signal participants’ negotiations of their own identities and those of others.

A New Regional Approach toward the Israeli–Palestinian Peace Process

There are two principal reasons behind the lack of success in reaching a final peace agreement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, namely, the malfunctioning negotiations’ framework from one side and the complexity of the negotiated issues from the other. This article is mainly addressing the bilateral framework’s flaws when it comes to the Oslo accords and the way the two negotiating parties have perceived them. It is an attempt to overhaul the existing Oslo peace process and not to create a new one. Oslo process has become entrenched over more than twenty years of different practices and legal realities. The article is also introducing a negotiating framework that combines the benefits of a multilateral regional track to the Oslo process aiming to redress the latent structural flaws. It is intended not to tackle the final status issues, as there is a plethora of literature doing so. The extensive focus on those complicated issues without redressing the process’ structural flaws has led partially to the current stalemate. The role of any mediator or external partner is not to solve those issues on behalf of the principal parties, but to work on the negotiating framework and the process itself.

Assessing Global CO2 Emission Inequality From Consumption Perspective: An Index Decomposition Analysis

CO2 emission inequality among countries is a key issue in international climate negotiations. In view of the growing popularity of the consumption-based emission accounting system in climate policy studies, analyzing the emission inequality from the consumption perspective can help policymakers design emission abatement scenarios that are fairer to all parties. Using a new approach based on the Theil index and the index decomposition analysis (IDA) technique, this paper examines global per capita consumption-based emission inequality in 1995–2009. The sources and determinants of both the status and evolution of the emission inequality are quantified. The empirical results show that the global emission inequality was sourced mainly from the emerging economies, particularly China and India. The global inequality decreased at an accelerating rate during the period studied. The narrowing disparity among countries in per capita consumption level drove, while the expanding disparity in consumption-based emission intensity largely hindered, the inequality reduction. Comparing the consumption-based emission inequality with that under the production-based principle reveals that the latter partly masked the inequality in the distribution of global CO2 emissions through production outsourcing. More detailed results and discussions are presented.

THE EUROPEAN UNION’S ATTITUDE TOWARDS RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN RUSSIA (1992-2000)

The article is devoted to the problem of observance of human rights in the Russian Federation in the period from 1992 to 2000 and the attitude of the European Union towards it. Attention is paid to the transformation of Russian legislation and the observance of international agreements by the Russian leadership, which aspired to join the European Union. The issue of decisions taken by Russia is especially considered: the abolition of the death penalty, respect for the rights of minorities and the development of democratic institutions. The question is raised about the conflict in the Caucasus region, according to which neither the Russian Federation nor the European Union found a compromise solution. The author considers the painful issue of bilateral negotiations between Russia and the European Union, during which one of the priority conditions for Russia's entry into the European community of nations was the observance of human rights in the Caucasus during the internal Russian conflict. The Caucasian question aggravated the Russian- European contradictions, which led to the prolongation of negotiations on Russia's accession to the EU. It is shown that the observance of human rights for the Russian side has become a complex issue for a number of reasons, and the European side has considered it as a manifestation of interference in the domestic policy of the Russian state.

Challenges, issues in China-EU investment agreement and the implication on China’s domestic reform

ABSTRACTThe European Union (EU) and China, as influential economic powers, are engaging in the negotiations of a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI), which if successful will likely be a high-level standardised investment treaty in a new era. Although the CAI provides China and the EU an opportunity to solve their respective concerns, it presents challenges for both sides. This paper attempts to elaborate the key issues involved in the negotiations, especially from the Chinese perspective. Specifically, this paper addresses two main questions: what are the key issues in China-EU CAI negotiations and how can China address these challenges? What is the implication of the CAI on China’s further domestic reforms? After the analysis of relevant factors, it concludes that although tough issues need to be addressed in the CAI negotiation, a mutual understanding of their respective values and interests and an improved regulatory regime in China are necessary in promoting China-EU investment cooperation. The issue of reciprocity shall not be addressed by unilateral discriminatory measures, but relying on a bilateral approach with mutual understanding, complemented by progress in China’s reforms.

ECONOMIC FACTORS AS ONE OF INTERCULTURAL FEATURES NEGOTIATING IN INTERNATIONAL MANAGEMENT

Cultural varieties between negotiators are constant in international business negotiation processes. In our modern world, there is a rapid development of international connections in all kind of spheres of human activity. The major aim of this study is to analyse and develop knowledge on the characteristics of intercultural negotiation that will give opportunities to the national representatives to be determined to their particular types of cultures, as well as to endow the characteristics of different countries in some business spheres.On a regular basis, in order to manage the expectations of the other party to the negotiations, it is important to discover the values of the associated partner at the supply stage and to try to manage all the information in the negotiation process, understanding the values and context of the other party involved in the negotiation process in the right place in order to make somewhat useful expectations from the other side, which would help to escape new conflicts in various business bargaining processes.In general, is notable from everyone that culture impacts the time, the style, and the course of the negotiation process. If prevented, cross-cultural connections may weaken an organization’s position in the market, protect it from fulfilling its purposes and eventually lead to reverse of negotiation. The research paper is focused in the scientific discussion part on the impact of intercultural negotiations on the international business environment, it can ensure inspiration and guidance for entrepreneurs, as well as helping them to understand the complexity of economic factors as one of the intercultural negotiating features which is of more interest for the students who are working on cultural diversity and its impact on business. This research thoroughly connects the characteristics of various national cultures with different areas of international business and tries to show the relationship and complexity of international negotiation issues in different contexts. The article should be useful resource for experts, students and researchers who are conducting more research in this sphere.

The Limits of Information Revelation in Multilateral Negotiations: A Theory of Treatymaking

States negotiate over the specific terms of multilateral treaties because those terms determine states' willingness to ratify the treaty. A state might decline to ratify a treaty it otherwise supports because specific terms are too far from those it prefers. Negotiators would like to uncover the minimal terms needed to secure the ratification of key states, but under what circumstances will those states candidly reveal those terms? Using a spatial model of the issues in a treaty negotiation, we use mechanism design to determine what information states will reveal. States are willing to reveal their preferred resolution of tradeoffs between the different issues but not the minimal terms they require for ratification. Further, negotiations cannot always separate types that need concessions to ratify from other types that would like concessions but would ratify the treaty even if they do not receive them.

The Never-ending Story of Law and Electoral System in Lesotho

While electoral discontent has been the enduring feature of constitutional democracy in Lesotho since independence, disagreement over electoral system is a fairly recent phenomenon. When the country attained independence in 1966 from Britain, electoral system was not necessarily one of the topical issues of pre-independence constitutional negotiations. The major issues were the powers of the monarch, the office of prime minister, the command of the army and many more. It was taken for granted that the country would use the British-based plurality electoral system. This is the system which the country used until early 2000s when the electoral laws were reformed to anchor a new mixed electoral system. When the new electoral laws were ultimately passed in 2001, the country transitioned from a plurality electoral system to a two-ballot mixed member proportional system. By this time, electoral system had acquired prominence in politico-legal discourse in Lesotho. In the run-up to 2007 elections, bigger political parties orchestrated the manipulation of electoral laws which culminated in clearly distorted electoral outcomes. The manipulations motivated further reforms in the run-up to 2012 election which resulted in the single-ballot mixed member proportional system. The purpose of this paper is to critically evaluate how electoral laws have anchored electoral system reforms throughout the various historical epochs in Lesotho since independence. The paper contends that while the country has been courageous, unlike most of its peers, to introduce far-reaching electoral system changes, the reform of electoral laws has not been so helpful in attaining the higher objectives of political inclusivity, constitutionalism and stability in Lesotho.

How Can China Influence the Transatlantic Governance of Cultural Products in the Digital Age?

Abstract Cultural products were a problematic issue in the negotiations of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The maintenance of the cultural exception – the exclusion of audiovisual products from some trade rules – was at stake at the beginning of the negotiations. The Europeans argued for the exception, while the United States were more interested in the liberalization of web-based cultural products than in the liberalization of traditional ones. Since the TTIP aimed to remove obstacles not only between European and American markets but also to set out global regulatory rules, China took a keen interest in the negotiations. This article shows how China is acting in the international legal sphere in order to improve its power in the field of cultural products and the effects of this on transatlantic negotiations. It also suggests some actions the European Union can take in order to defend its position in future negotiations.

Transforming Society from Theory to Practice: Celebrating the Achievements of Rubin Award Recipients from the International Association for Conflict Management

AbstractThis special issue of Negotiation and Conflict Management Research celebrates the scholarship and intellectual contributions of four recipients of the Jeffrey Z. Rubin Theory‐to‐Practice Award from the International Association for Conflict Management (IACM). The IACM Rubin Award recognizes individuals whose professional contributions over the span of a career emphasize their ability to move effectively and skillfully between theory and practice in their professional activities. Each article in this special issue highlights the scholarly impact of a recipient, offers insights for building an academic career, and identifies directions for future research in conflict management.

ТЕОРЕТИЧНІ ОСНОВИ ДОСЛІДЖЕННЯ ФОРМУВАННЯ КОМУНІКАТИВНОЇ КОМПЕТЕНТНОСТІ ПЕРЕКЛАДАЧІВ

The article deals with the theoretical defi nitions of communicative competence, its structure and ways of its development for further interpreters’ communication with native speakers. Creation of a favorable climate for implementing acts of communication and achieving foreign language communicative competence at such a level, that the skills and knowledge acquired during the training are adequately implemented in a natural language environment with native speakers, is the key aim of any act of cross-cultural communication. Communication as an activity is a system of elementary acts. Each act is defi ned by the subject that is the initiator of communication, the rules which the communication follows; the goals that participants should achieve in the process of communication; and the situation in which participants interact. In order to make a successful act of communication the interpreter must involve a specifi c number of competences needed for successful issues of negotiations. The steps, presented in the paper, must be used for students’ training in order to create on-the-spot communicative acts in the real verbal environment.

Disentangling complexity: how negotiators identify and handle issue-based complexity in business-to-business negotiation

Research regarding the complex content and issues in business-to-business (B2B) negotiation is sparse. Although negotiation issues are ubiquitous in experimental negotiation studies, descriptions of what constitutes a complex issue are set in an abstract context. Therefore, this study investigates the characteristics of real-world negotiation issues and their associated complexity drivers. Data from 29 in-depth interviews of managers in the B2B field provide the research material, analyzed according to the Gioia methodology. Eleven issue-based complexity facets emerge that fall into the object-, context- and subject-level of complexity. Eight strategies for handling complex negotiation issues also result from the analysis. The findings provide a detailed description of issue-based complexity, which can be used to create more realistic negotiation experiments, as well as help negotiators disentangle and manage complex content in their own B2B negotiations. By answering the call from research for a more detailed description of complex negotiations, and by linking handling strategies with specific situations, this study provides further insights for negotiation theory.

There for the moment: extra-legislative windows of opportunity for women’s social movements in politics, a comparison of Canada and Northern Ireland

ABSTRACTThis article considers the role and influence of women’s groups and larger national women’s social movements during two different constitutional moments: the lead-up to the finalisation of the 1982 patriation of the Canadian Constitution and the lead-up to the 1998 Good Friday agreement in Northern Ireland. We argue that while women were successful in ensuring women’s participation and consideration of women’s issues in these constitutional negotiations, those accomplishments did not lead to a significant increase of women’s representation in formal politics. In both the Canadian government-sponsored National Action Committee on the Status of Women and the political party, the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, women’s descriptive representation in formal politics did not improve dramatically as a result of women’s participation in either constitutional process which suggests the need for guarantees of greater representation, such as what women’s electoral quotas would constitute.

Future Issues of International Negotiation

Future Issues of International Negotiation

Rethinking Justice in International Environmental Negotiations: Toward a More Comprehensive Framework

AbstractJustice is of central importance in international environmental negotiations. Key characteristics of this type of negotiation augment the complexities of justice issues and warrant a customized approach. Based on a discussion of these characteristics, the article derives four components that are central to a more comprehensive theoretical framework for analyzing justice in environmental negotiations: 1) going beyond narrow self-interest, 2) extending the notion of reciprocity, 3) linking backward- and forward-orientation, and 4) connecting process and outcome. The usefulness of the framework is illustrated by applying it to two important Conferences of the Parties (COP) under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change – COP15 in Copenhagen and COP21 in Paris – which are compared. The framework is suited for a systematic analysis of the complex role played by justice issues in international environmental negotiation, as a key avenue for addressing global threats emerging from anthropogenic environmental change.

El comercio internacional como instrumento para alcanzar los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio

Este artículo trata las novedades que plantean los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM) para cambar las reglas de juego del comercio internacional. Destaca en primer lugar el papel otorgado al comercio como impulsor del desarrollo económico y pieza clave para eliminar la pobreza. Seguidamente, se sistematizan los aspectos pendientes en las negociaciones internacionales para lograr el avance pretendido hacia un marco comercial que favorezca el desarrollo; entre ellos se encuentran cuestiones relativas a acceso a los mercados, comercio de servicios, propiedad intelectual, fórmulas de preferencias comerciales así como nuevas barreras al comercio. Finalmente se analizan los principales avances y puntos de controversia en las últimas negociaciones en el seno de la Organización Mundial del Comercio.Publicación en línea: 11 diciembre 2017