Mechanisms for Automated Negotiation in State Oriented Domains

This paper lays part of the groundwork for a domain theory of negotiation, that is, a way of classifying interactions so that it is clear, given a domain, which negotiation mechanisms and strategies are appropriate. We define State Oriented Domains, a general category of interaction. Necessary and sufficient conditions for cooperation are outlined. We use the notion of worth in an altered definition of utility, thus enabling agreements in a wider class of joint-goal reachable situations. An approach is offered for conflict resolution, and it is shown that even in a conflict situation, partial cooperative steps can be taken by interacting agents (that is, agents in fundamental conflict might still agree to cooperate up to a certain point). A Unified Negotiation Protocol (UNP) is developed that can be used in all types of encounters. It is shown that in certain borderline cooperative situations, a partial cooperative agreement (i.e., one that does not achieve all agents' goals) might be preferred by all agents, even though there exists a rational agreement that would achieve all their goals. Finally, we analyze cases where agents have incomplete information on the goals and worth of other agents. First we consider the case where agents' goals are private information, and we analyze what goal declaration strategies the agents might adopt to increase their utility. Then, we consider the situation where the agents' goals (and therefore stand-alone costs) are common knowledge, but the worth they attach to their goals is private information. We introduce two mechanisms, one 'strict', the other 'tolerant', and analyze their affects on the stability and efficiency of negotiation outcomes.Comment: See http://www.jair.org/ for any accompanying file

Securing urban land for housing among low‐income earners in Sub‐Saharan Africa: Case study of workers’ co‐operative society, Enugu, Nigeria

Co‐operative societies across the world have age‐old tradition of assisting members gain easy access to vital resources and services through collective efforts. This paper explores the strategies adopted by public sector workers’ co‐operative society in securing urban land for housing development. This study is motivated by dearth of empirical studies on strategies used by low‐ and middle –income earners in overcoming myriad challenges militating against access to urban land and housing in Nigerian cities. We used a qualitative research method to carry out an empirical investigation through one‐on‐one interviews with purposively selected members of Land Acquisition Committee (LAC) of the NEPA District Co‐operative Thrift and Saving Loan Association Enugu, Nigeria. Findings show that a mixture of customary,informal and formal practices involved in securing land from indigenous landowners was principally aimed at ensuring customary and statutory legitimacy as well as secured tenure. The paper concludes that co‐operative approach has great potentials in addressing problems of multiple payments for land, “indigenous land owners’ factor” and high cost of urban land in Nigeria, and therefore, should be encouraged and promoted among disadvantaged urban residents in developing countries

Multi Site Coordination using a Multi-Agent System

A new approach of coordination of decisions in a multi site system is proposed. It is based this approach on a multi-agent concept and on the principle of distributed network of enterprises. For this purpose, each enterprise is defined as autonomous and performs simultaneously at the local and global levels. The basic component of our approach is a so-called Virtual Enterprise Node (VEN), where the enterprise network is represented as a set of tiers (like in a product breakdown structure). Within the network, each partner constitutes a VEN, which is in contact with several customers and suppliers. Exchanges between the VENs ensure the autonomy of decision, and guarantiee the consistency of information and material flows. Only two complementary VEN agents are necessary: one for external interactions, the Negotiator Agent (NA) and one for the planning of internal decisions, the Planner Agent (PA). If supply problems occur in the network, two other agents are defined: the Tier Negotiator Agent (TNA) working at the tier level only and the Supply Chain Mediator Agent (SCMA) working at the level of the enterprise network. These two agents are only active when the perturbation occurs. Otherwise, the VENs process the flow of information alone. With this new approach, managing enterprise network becomes much more transparent and looks like managing a simple enterprise in the network. The use of a Multi-Agent System (MAS) allows physical distribution of the decisional system, and procures a heterarchical organization structure with a decentralized control that guaranties the autonomy of each entity and the flexibility of the network

Relational quality: A dynamic framework for assessing the role of trust in strategic alliances

The organizational literature has always posited that «trust» plays a key role in economic exchanges, particularly when one or another party is subject to the risk of opportunistic behaviour, incomplete monitoring, or when moral hazard problems arise. These conditions are almost always present in the case of alliances and joint ventures between independent parties. This paper explores the concept of «relational quality» in one such inter-organizational form ­dyadic alliances­ where past experience and the shadow of the future play an important role. Relational quality is important, as it affects the extent to which partners substitute reliance on trust for more formal control mechanisms. Building on theory, case studies and survey data, we develop a framework for thinking about trust in dynamic and practical terms. We define three elements affecting relational quality in alliances: the initial conditions surrounding the exchange, the cumulative experiences of the parties with each other's behaviours as they interact, and the impact that external events have on perceptions of behaviour and attitudes of the parties about each other's trustworthiness. We use data on a sample of alliances with one Spanish partner to explore the relative impact of these elements and develop a more precise set of propositions from this framework. The paper should guide further work towards quantifying the role of trust as a control mechanism in the performance of strategic alliances.Alliances; economic exchanges; joint ventures;

Bilateral oligopoly : countervailing market power

Malta’s economy, minute by any standard, makes for imperfectly competitive market structures. The degree of this competition is quite interesting since many firms, in the wholesale, retail, as well as in other sectors, tend to form part of oligopolistic structures, such as banking, mobile phone service provision, internet service providers, bottled-water manufacturers, insurance, food importers, supermarkets, and new and used car importers. Oligopsony, or the concentration of market power in the hands of a few buyers, may be considered as the other side of the coin. Many studies of oligopsony have focused on retailers who manage to extract prices and conditions from providers or manufacturers that are beneficial to them, but not necessarily to consumers. This paper discusses the degree of oligopoly power and how the firm tends to wield this power. It also discusses the conceptual basis of bilateral oligopoly (oligopoly and oligopsony) and some of its economic and welfare effects.peer-reviewe

The Operation of the Trade Agreements Program in Overcoming Barriers to Hemisphere Trade

With new technologies, temperature has become a major issue to be considered at system level design. Without taking temperature aspects into consideration, no approach to energy or/and performance optimization will be sufficiently accurate and efficient. In this paper we propose an on-line temperature aware dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) technique which is able to exploit both static and dynamic slack. The approach implies an offline temperature aware optimization step and on-line voltage/frequency settings based on temperature sensor readings. Most importantly, the presented approach is aware of the frequency/temperature dependency, by which important additional energy savings are obtained