Computer-mediated Negotiations: Review and Research Opportunities

Authors: Katrin Starke, Arvind Rangaswamy

The rapid growth in computer and communication technologies has vastly expanded the potential scope and impact of computer systems designed to improve negotiation process and outcomes. Negotiation Support Systems (NSS) are evolving in a number of innovative directions. In this review article, we explore several related questions: (1) What is an NSS? (2) How have NSS evolved in the past? (3) What do we know about the impact of NSS on negotiation process and outcomes? (4) How will the growth of e-commerce influence the development and deployment of NSS? (5) What are the major limitations of our current research efforts in studying NSS? (6) In what new directions should research evolve to help improve NSS design, evaluate their impact, and realize their potential for widespread application?