Abbas Foroughi

An empirical study of an interactive, session-oriented computerized negotiation support system (nss)

Negotiating is one of the four major decisional roles played by managers. In fact, resolving conflict is said to occupy 20% of a managers working hours. This growing frequency of negotiation scenarios coupled with the increasing complexity of the issues which need to be resolved in a negotiation make the possibility of computer enhancement for negotiation very appealing. Implementations of computerized Negotiation Support Systems (NSS) in the business world, international affairs, labor law, and environmental and safety disputes have demonstrated their potential for making negotiation problems more manageable and comprehensible for negotiators. Still, pioneers in NSS research have expressed their dismay at the lack of rigorous empirical research and evaluation of NSS. In particular, research is needed which will determine how and under what circumstances negotiation processes can be enhanced by NSS support.This article describes empirical research on the effects of a highly structured, interactive NSS on the outcome of face-to-face issues resolution and the attitudes of negotiators in both low- and high-conflict situations. In a laboratory experiment, bargaining dyads played the roles of manufacturers negotiating a four-issue, three-year purchase agreement for an engine subcomponent in conditions of high and low conflict of interest. The results of the study showed that NSS support did help bargainers achieve higher joint outcomes and more balanced contracts, but that the NSS support increased negotiation time. Satisfaction was greater for NSS dyads in both conflict levels, and perceived negative climate was reduced in low conflict.One primary implication of the results of this study is that NSS developers should keep in mind the importance of providing users with a system with interactive qualities which not only enhance the decision-making process but also provide them with a sense of participation in reaching the solution, as was done in this study.

Digital rights management: a delicate balance between protection and accessibility

In the wake of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems are beginning to provide copyright protection for digital content placed online by magazine and book publishers, music companies, software and game producers and business-to-business companies. Creators and providers of digital content are increasingly able to control end users’ use of, and accessibility to, their products, and stand to gain huge profits from this capability. However, as DRM technologies evolve and develop, so does end user concern about restrictions to their access to, and use of, information. The DRM industry must provide a balance between fair compensation for the creators of digital content and the rights of end users to access and use information.

A Comparison of Audio-Conferencing and Computer Conferencing in a Dispersed Negotiation Setting: Efficiency Matters!

The growing globalization of business is making face-to-face communications, decision-making, and negotiations more the exception than the rule. Internet communication in text-only, audio, and video form are all becoming feasible methods of communication between distantly located parties. However, in order for these new technologies to be used most effectively, more investigation is needed into the impact of various media on decision-making, such as that in negotiation. In particular, negotiators need to have a means of choosing the most appropriate communication medium, based on the amount of richness inherent in the medium, for the particular task at hand. This paper presents the results of an empirical study to examine the effectiveness of a computerized negotiation support system (NSS) in supporting bargaining carried out in a dispersed, but synchronous setting. In the study, pairs of college students, using the NSS, participated in a simulated industrial bargaining scenario that tested the impact of communication media employed and level of conflict on contract outcomes and negotiator attitudes. The subjects, located in separate rooms, played the roles of buyer and seller engaged in negotiations either by telephone (audio-conferencing) or Lotus Notes (computer conferencing). In both low and high conflict, the efficiency aspects of audioconferencing — a richer medium in which more communication can take place more quickly — overshadowed any negative social cues transmitted.

A framework for electronic reverse auction (eRA) research

ABSTRACT After nearly two decades, electronic reserve auction (eRA) continues to be a widely-used eProcurement tool. Buyers report that eRA helps them reap savings in cost and procurement time and expands the pool of eligible suppliers. Suppliers point out reduced operating, selling or customer acquisition costs, a more level playing field, and access to new markets. However, questions have been raised about the actual benefits of eRA for buyers and suppliers and its potentially negative impact on buyer-supplier relationships. Given the controversy over the nature of the outcomes actually achieved with eRA, more research is needed to provide insights that can guide buyers and suppliers toward effective use of eRA. To this end, this paper identifies independent variables which impact electronic reverse auction outcomes, intervening process variables related to the way eRA is implemented, and outcome variables that are important to buyers and suppliers who use eRA. The variables are mapped onto a framework, and future research directions related to these variables are discussed.

A Web 3.0 ontology based on similarity: a step toward facilitating learning in the Big Data age

Web 3.0 technology will revolutionize the learning process, enabling data linking to connect learning resources and create ontologies for different areas of knowledge that enable ‘smart searches.’ Smart or semantic searches perceive relationships among various pieces of information and present them to the learner. Connectivism has been proposed as a theory to guide learning in this new Web 3.0 environment. This paper discusses the relevance of connectivism and then develops an ontology for learning resources. The authors propose a hybrid similarity measure to evaluate the similarity among different learning resources. The paper presents a case study that was conducted to evaluate the proposed similarity measure on education data sets and demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed methods.

Reducing the Conflict between Accounting and It Brought About by ERP, Compliance and Ethical Issues

The emergence of enterprise resource planning (ERP) software applications as well as more recent compliance issues have forced many previously separate and independent information technology (IT) and accounting tasks and responsibilities to become tightly coordinated. In addition, the growing emphasis on ethics and the laws created to enhance corporate responsibility, accountability, and compliance in the United States (such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and the control objectives for information and related technology) are putting a strain on the relationship between accounting and IT. This paper identifies areas that have caused problems and suggest ways to reduce or lessen the resultant tension

College eBusiness Programs

Abstract With eBusiness becoming the norm for many business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions, companies are eager to hire trained eBusiness specialists and/or to locate in areas which can provide a pool of skilled eBusiness professionals. Schools of Business all over the country are beefing up their eBusiness offerings to fulfill student and industry demands. This paper describes the burgeoning need for eBusiness professionals and provides an overview of eBusiness programs offered by colleges and universities. The paper also compares the way three different institutions of higher learning in a midwestern community are answering the call for eBusiness programs and describes in more detail the program that is currently the most complete.

Performance Metrics: Key to Success in Global Supply Chain Management

ABSTRACT The globalization of business has created new challenges for supply chain management. Many multinational companies have formed partnerships with, and depend on, the cooperation of firms halfway around the world. Managing, controlling, and measuring the performance of global supply chains is growing in complexity, but also in its importance, in order for companies to make a success of their cross-border partnerships. This paper discusses the particular challenges of global supply chain management, the complexity of decisions regarding the location of new facilities, and new information system technologies which facilitate global supply chain management. The paper also presents real-world examples of the successful use of performance metrics to monitor global supply chains and discusses ongoing challenges of global supply chains.

Activity-Based Costing: Helping Small and Medium-Sized Firms Achieve a Competitive Edge in the Global Marketplace

Since the 1970s, activity-based costing (ABC) has enabled companies to identify the true costs of processes and products and to make sound decisions related to the profitability and expense of the products they produce, as well as the effectiveness of their manufacturing and business processes. This paper explores the advantages of activity-based costing vs. traditional costing systems and presents arguments for the potential benefits to the world’s millions of small to medium business (SMEs) from implementing ABC. Issues related to the implementation of ABC are discussed. A framework for ABC implementations in SMEs is presented that shows the variables (characteristics of SME and implementation challenges) that can impact the ABC implementation process, and/or ultimately, implementation outcomes.

Issues and Opportunities in Digital Rights Management

In the wake of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, of 1998, Digital Rights Management systems are beginning to provide copyright protection for digital content which magazine and book publishers, music companies, software and game producers, and business-to-business participants place online. Creators and providers of digital content are now increasingly able to control end users’ use of, and accessibility to, their products and stand to gain huge profits from this capability. However, as DRM technologies evolve and develop, so does end user concern about restrictions to their access to, and use of, information. The DRM industry will have to provide a balance between fair compensation for the creators of digital content and the rights of end-users to access and use the information they need.