Web services are autonomic software applications that provide specific services on the Web and are accessible through standards-based protocols and interfaces in order to ensure interoperability. Web services have gained immense popularity due to the potential of dynamically composing multiple Web services over the Internet into complex multi-organizational Business-to-Business and Business-to-Consumer processes. The management of such composite processes, however, poses a non-trivial problem in terms of cost and complexity due to technology growth, increasing consumer demands for service quality, and the varying Internet workload. Based on a study of the state-of-the-art and a critical assessment of the limitations of the existing solutions, we present the Comprehensive Service Management Middleware (CSMM) framework to facilitate execution of the four major tasks of client-side process management namely, service selection, negotiation of Service Level Agreement (SLA), composition and execution of the process, and monitoring and validation of SLAs. We also propose the Negotiation Broker (NB) framework for automated intelligent agent-based negotiation of Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and the Performance Monitor (PM) framework for distributed client-side monitoring and verification of SLAs. The NB expedites bilateral bargaining of SLAs in a trusted broker framework with enhanced decision algorithms to enable consumer feedback during negotiation. The PM presents a flexible and extensible trusted monitoring solution, which enables faster error detection and recovery and automatic creation of a reputation knowledge base. We explain a scenario of autonomic process management using the CSMM. We describe experiments using agent simulations on a prototype of the NB to validate our proposed policy model for business level specification of negotiation preferences, the mathematical policy mapping model, and the decision algorithms for different consumer preferences. The optimality of the negotiation results are illustrated by combined utility value of the negotiation outcomes for both parties. The experiments conducted on the proof of concept prototype of the PM show its viability, efficiency, and accuracy in distributed SLA monitoring and verification because it does not include network performance. The CSMM enables partial or complete automation of all the client-side management tasks to leverage use of Web services in business processes. / Thesis (Ph.D, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2009-04-20 02:01:50.8

This thesis investigates conditions for formal negotiation onset. The cases that are investigated are found in the overarching conflict between the Government of Colombia and the guerilla group, Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN). The thesis argues that ideology and ecological rationality set the framework for disputant negotiation strategies and that disputants decide whether to progress negotiations to an elevated stage based on their perceived relative strategic position. It is hypostasized, firstly, that the disputants go to formal negotiations when the guerilla perceives itself in a favorable entrapment position, and the government perceives that the guerilla is not in a favorable entrapment position. Secondly, it is hypothesized that disputants go to formal negotiations when there are no perceptions of opponent devious objectives. The findings show weak support for the hypotheses.

Users today are concerned about how their information is collected, stored and used by Internet sites. Privacy policy languages, such as the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3P), allow websites to publish their privacy practices and policies in machine readable form. Currently, software agents designed to protect users' privacy follow a "take it or leave it" approach when evaluating these privacy policies. This approach is inflexible and gives the server ultimate control over the privacy of web transactions. Privacy policy negotiation is one approach to leveling the playing field by allowing a client to negotiate with a server to determine how that server collects and uses the client's data. We present a privacy policy negotiation protocol, "Or Best Offer", that includes a formal model for specifying privacy preferences and reasoning about privacy policies. The protocol is guaranteed to terminate within three rounds of negotiation while producing policies that are Pareto-optimal, and thus fair to both parties. That is, it remains fair to both the client and the server.

Syfte: Syftet med studien är att skapa förståelse för hur män respektive kvinnor upplever förhandlingsprocessen. Forskningsfrågor som studien besvarar inkluderar hur män respektive kvinnor upplever sitt agerande i de olika stegen av förhandlingsprocessen, samt om det finns skillnader i hur män och kvinnor uppfattar och använder sig av de olika stegen. Metod: Studien använder en kvalitativ forskningsdesign där data har insamlats genom semistrukturerade intervjuer med åtta förhandlare för att utforska och belysa deltagarnas subjektiva upplevelser och perspektiv. För att analysera insamlad data har tematisk analys tillämpats, och redovisats med hjälp av återkommande teman och mönster i materialet. Resultat och slutsats: Studien visar att både män och kvinnor förbereder sig genom att fastställa egna mål och undersöka motpartens behov. Trots tidigare teorier om könsskillnader i kommunikation, visar studien att dessa skillnader framträder mindre i praktiken. En mer aggressiv kommunikationsstil används när motparten är utbytbar, medan ett mjukare tillvägagångssätt annars föredras. Vår studie visar att kvinnor är lika beredda att hantera konflikter som män, och män visar inte den förväntade konkurrensinriktade strategin. Vidare visar studien att både kvinnor och män kan vara initiativtagande, samt att motivation och prestation varierar beroende på förhandlingsämnet. Därtill bekräftar studien att maktobalans kan påverka kvinnors prestation negativt, men att medvetenhet om detta kan skapa en mer jämlik atmosfär. Slutligen upplever båda könen samarbetsvillighet vara avgörande för framgångsrika resultat, där långsiktiga relationer värderas högt av båda könen. Könsskillnader i förhandlingsutfall är mindre framträdande än tidigare teorier föreslår och påverkas mer av kontextuella och individuella faktorer. Examensarbetets bidrag: Studien bidrar med insikter om könsspecifika skillnader i upplevelsen av förhandlingsprocessen och ger rekommendationer för att förbättra förhandlingsstrategier över könsgränserna. Dessa insikter kan vara värdefulla för utbildning och träning av förhandlare samt för företag som strävar efter att förbättra jämställdheten i sina förhandlingsteam. Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Till fortsatt forskning rekommenderas att studera hur olika nivåer av erfarenhet hos förhandlare påverkar strategier och resultat samt hur erfarenhet interagerar med kön för att påverka förhandlingsprocesser. Dessutom bör framtida forskning fokusera på könsskillnader i upplevelsen av digitala förhandlingar och inkludera perspektiv från icke-binära och andra LGBTQ+ grupper för en mer komplett bild av hur kön och könsidentitet påverkar förhandlingsprocessen. / Aim: The aim of this study is to understand how men and women respectively experience the negotiation process. The research questions addressed in the study include how men and women perceive their actions in the different stages of the negotiation process, and whether there are differences in how men and women perceive and utilize the various stages. Method: The study employs a qualitative research design, with data collected through semi-structured interviews with eight negotiators to explore and highlight the participants' subjective experiences and perspectives. Thematic analysis was applied to analyze the collected data, identifying recurring themes and patterns in the material. Results and conclusions: The study shows that both men and women prepare by setting their own goals and investigating the counterpart's needs. Despite previous theories suggesting gender differences in communication, the study shows that these differences are less prominent in practice. A more aggressive communication style is used when the counterpart is perceived as replaceable, while a softer approach is preferred otherwise. Our study indicates that women are as ready to handle conflicts as men, and men do not exhibit the expected competitive strategy. Furthermore, the study shows that both women and men can take the initiative, and that motivation and performance vary depending on the negotiation topic. The study also confirms that power imbalance can negatively affect women's performance, but awareness of this can create a more equal atmosphere. Finally, both genders find that cooperation is crucial for successful outcomes, and long-term relationships are highly valued by both. Gender differences in negotiation outcomes are less prominent than previous theories suggest and are more influenced by contextual and individual factors. Contribution of the thesis: The study provides insights into gender-specific differences in the experience of the negotiation process and offers recommendations for improving negotiation strategies across gender boundaries. These insights can be valuable for the education and training of negotiators and for companies aiming to enhance gender equality in their negotiation teams. Suggestions for future research: Future research should examine how different levels of experience among negotiators affect strategies and outcomes, and how experience interacts with gender to influence negotiation processes. Additionally, future research should focus on gender differences in the experience of digital negotiations and include perspectives from non-binary and other LGBTQ+ groups to gain a more comprehensive understanding of how gender and gender identity affect the negotiation process.

Titel: Hur långvariga relationer påverkar förhandlingsprocessen, en kvalitativ studie inom B2B-marknaden.  Nivå: Examensarbete på grundnivå (kandidatexamen) i ämnet företagsekonomi  Författare: Sofia Backer-Meurke och Caroline Persson  Handledare: Lars-Johan Åge  Datum: 2024 – maj  Syfte: Syftet är att öka förståelsen för hur långvariga relationer påverkar förhandlingsprocesser inom B2B-marknaden, en jämförelse mellan offentlig och privat inköpsverksamhet.  Metod: Den valda metoden för studien är kvalitativ metod. Sju semistrukturerade intervjuer har genomförts med åtta inköpare i fyra olika organisationer. Det empiriska materialet har sedan analyserats med hjälp av den teoretiska referensramen.  Resultat och slutsats: Studien visar att långvariga relationer påverkar en förhandlingsprocess på olika sätt. Långvariga relationer anses även viktigt och bidragande med flera positiva aspekter. Långvariga relationer får allt större betydelse inom förhandling. Utifrån de empiriska materialet har vi funnit aspekter som vår teoretiska referensram inte belyst. Extra intressant var de skillnader som upptäcktes mellan privat och offentlig verksamhet.  Examensarbetets bidrag: Denna uppsats bidrar med ökad förståelse för hur långvariga relationer påverkar förhandlingsprocessen samt skillnaderna mellan privat och offentlig inköpsverksamhet. Dessa bidrag kan hjälpa B2B-förhandlare att förstå vilken betydelse långvariga relationer har samt vilken inverkan de har på förhandlingar.  Förslag till fortsatt forskning: Vi anser att det krävs mer forskning inom ämnet. Vårt förslag för vidare forskning är att genomföra en liknande studie inom en specifik bransch för att på så sätt kunna jämföra olika branscher och se om några skillnader upptäcks. Ytterligare ett förslag på forskning är att undersöka vilka möjliga negativa aspekter som långvariga relationer kan påverka förhandlingsprocessen med. / Title: How long-term relationships affect the negotiation process, a qualitative study within the B2B market. Level: Student Thesis, final assignment for Bachelor Degree in Business Administration Author: Sofia Backer-Meurke and Caroline Persson Supervisor: Lars-Johan Åge Date: 2024 – may Aim: The purpose is to increase the understanding of how long-term relationships affect negotiation processes within the B2B-market, a comparison between public and private purchasing organizations. Method: The chosen method for the study is qualitative method. Seven semi-structured interviews have been conducted with eight B2B-purchasers from four different organizations. The empirical material has then been analyzed using the theoretical frame of reference. Results and conclusions: The study shows that long-term relationships affect a negotiation process in different ways. Relationships are also considered important and contributing with several positive aspects. Relationships are becoming increasingly important in negotiation. Based on the empirical material, we have found aspects that our theoretical frame of reference did not pick up. Particularly interesting were the differences that were discovered between private and public organizations. Contribution of the thesis: This essay contributes with increased understanding of how long-term relationships affect the negotiation process as well as the differences between private and public purchasing organizations. These contributions can help B2B negotiators understand the importance of long-term relationships and the impact they have on negotiations. Suggestions for future research: We think that more research is required on the subject. Our proposal for further research is to carry out a similar study within a specific industry to be able to compare different industries and see if any differences can be discovered. Another proposal for future research is to investigate the possible negative effects long-term relationships can have on a negotiation process.

Submitted by Caroline Falcao (caroline.rfalcao@ufpe.br) on 2017-06-01T18:14:47Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Fernando TESE.pdf: 6232408 bytes, checksum: 2758b5fef89a3422ca1f59c9255a8e14 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:14:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Fernando TESE.pdf: 6232408 bytes, checksum: 2758b5fef89a3422ca1f59c9255a8e14 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-21 / A complexidade de um processo licitatório, o princípio da isonomia e a tentativa de obter a proposta mais vantajosa têm induzido a administração pública a adotar uma abordagem de seleção de fornecedores, onde o preço é o único aspecto considerado. Com o objetivo de apoiar este processo, esta tese propõe um modelo de seleção de fornecedores, baseado na legislação brasileira de licitação, que contempla uma etapa de negociação sobre múltiplos aspectos. O modelo estrutura o processo de compras de bens na administração pública em um fluxo de atividades: (i) captação das propostas; (ii) etapa de negociação; e (iii) homologação e adjudicação das propostas. A etapa de negociação consiste de um modelo de apoio à negociação multibilateral e multiaspecto, cuja estratégia adotada garanta ganhos mútuos máximos para as partes envolvidas. O modelo proposto é ilustrado por meio de um processo licitatório já finalizado. Através desta ilustração é possível verificar que o modelo agrega maior dinâmica a lei de licitações, pois as ofertas dos fornecedores são intervalos de valores em diferentes aspectos ao invés de uma oferta fixa e única apenas no aspecto preço. Verificou-se também que a proposta pode ser utilizada para apoiar processos de seleção de fornecedores de empresas do setor privado. / The complexity of bidding process, the equality principle and the attempt to obtain the most advantageous bid have led the government to adopt a selection supplier approach, in which the price is the only issue considered. In order to support this process, this thesis proposes a supplier selection model based on the Brazilian bidding law, which includes a negotiation stage on multiple issues. The model organizes the public bidding process in a flow of activities: (i) bids reception; (ii) negotiation stage; and (iii) approval and award of bids. The negotiation stage is developed as a model to support multi-bilateral and multi-issue negotiations, whose adopted strategy ensures joint maximum gains for the parties involved. The proposed model is illustrated through its application for a bidding process already concluded. This illustration showed that the model aggregates more dynamic to the bidding law since the suppliers bids are ranges of values in different issues instead of a single bid in the price issue only. It was verified that the proposal can be used to support suppliers selection processes in private sector companies.

This thesis aims to study if organizational culture affects the negotiation strategy in negotiation processes between municipalities in Sweden. Our cases are four municipalities involved in the municipal cooperation “Tillväxt Bohuslän”; a project which aims to foster cooperation. The question this thesis seeks to answer is: “Does the cultural attribute of organizational culture (ability for joint action) of the municipalities in ‘Tillväxt Bohuslän’ affect negotiation strategy in a negotiation process?” The municipalities’ ability for joint action has been classified as either strong or weak by a previous study. This thesis uses these already established classifications with the intention to test if they affect which negotiation strategy municipalities use. The negotiation strategy can either be of a competitive or a collaborative nature. The method to collect data about the municipalities’ negotiation strategies is semi-structured interviews with politicians who are actively involved in the negotiation in the municipal cooperation “Tillväxt Bohuslän”. Results from the analysis in this thesis show a zero result; the municipalities’ ability for joint action does not affect which negotiation strategy they use. However, interesting empirical findings are explored.

published_or_final_version / Business / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

[pt] A capacidade de negociar efetivamente é considerada uma competência crítica na administração moderna (Ertel, 2000). A negociação é parte constante do dia a dia de qualquer ser humano e sua importância é ainda maior para o administrador, pois este utiliza a negociação nos mais variados aspectos e das mais variadas formas em seu dia a dia profissional. Aos estudantes e praticantes da administração brasileiros que desejem se aprofundar nas teorias e práticas de negociação, desenvolvidas dentro ou fora do país, restam poucos caminhos: a busca do auto conhecimento através de artigos e livros, cursos particulares dentro e fora do Brasil ou cursos em Universidades estrangeiras. Sendo assim, o objetivo principal deste trabalho é descobrir como negociadores estratégicos brasileiros praticam a negociação, englobando seus pontos positivos e negativos, além de tentar descobrir como estes negociadores encaram a negociação no Brasil e como essa prática se relaciona com a teoria de negociação. Este estudo buscará responder a algumas das seguintes perguntas, vistas sob o ponto de vista de grandes negociadores brasileiros: que relação tem a prática da negociação no Brasil com as teorias de negociação mais conhecidas? Será que as mesmas técnicas e táticas desenvolvidas e utilizadas nos Estados Unidos são utilizadas no Brasil? Esta pesquisa partiu da idéia de que seria interessante, numa tentativa de aumentar a efetividade do negociador brasileiro e baseado na falta de estudos desenvolvidos localmente, entender como alguns grandes negociadores nacionais praticam a negociação, o que gostam de usar e encontrar do outro lado da mesa, assim como o que não gostam. / [en] The ability to negotiate effectively is one the most crucial ones in today`s business environment (Ertel, 2000). During his day to day a professional businessman or businesswoman will probably use negotiation on almost all aspects of any business. To the Brazilian professionals or students interested in deepening their knowledge of negotiation techniques there are only few paths available: self study, private courses both in and out of Brazil or negotiation courses in foreign Universities. That is one of the reasons why the main objective of this study is to shed some light on Brazilian strategic negotiators and their style, and also to try to find out what these negotiators think are the best and worst aspects of negotiating with Brazilians and foreigners. This work will try to answer the following questions, seen from the eyes of great Brazilian negotiators: what does the theory of negotiation used in Brazil have to do with the well-known international negotiation theories? Are the same techniques developed, mainly, in the United States used in Brazilian negotiations? One of the main ideas for this work is that, due to the lack of locally developed theories, it will be interesting to see how great Brazilian negotiators practice negotiation, what does their style have to do with well known theories and what do they like and dislike on a negotiation.

Kong Pui Ling, Charlotte. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 82-85). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Abstract --- p.ii / Chapter Chapter 1: --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter Chapter 2: --- Literature Review --- p.7 / Chapter Chapter 3: --- Methodology --- p.21 / Chapter Chapter 4: --- Manifestations of Childhood in Cartoons --- p.27 / Chapter Chapter 5: --- Negotiating Childhood --- p.48 / References --- p.82 / Chapter Appendix I: --- Interviewees' Families Profile --- p.85 / Chapter Appendix II: --- Interview Questions --- p.88 / Chapter Appendix III: --- "List of cartoons have been broadcast on TVB Jade, ATV Home, TVB Pearl and ATV Home from August, 1998 to January 1999 " --- p.89