Abstract

Many of the existing e-negotiation support systems are build around one negotiation protocol. This effectively restricts their use to those problems and interactions that had been assumed a priori by the systems ’ designers. Field and experimental studies show that the way the negotiation process is structured depends on the negotiators ’ characteristics, the problem and the context in which an agreement is sought. It also has been recognized in literature that the way a problem is represented and the solution process implemented both strongly influence the results at which individual decisionmakers and negotiators arrive. This article presents elements of a theory for the design of negotiation protocols. The proposed protocol formalism allows for the construction of models from which users can select a protocol instance that suits them and/or is appropriate for the problem at-hand. Furthermore, this formalism allows for the construction of protocols that can be modified during the user-system interactions. The paper also presents two key requirements for negotiation protocols embedded in support systems, namely their satisfiability and completeness.

Citations