Alma Mintu-Wimsatt

Testing a Negotiation Model on Canadian Anglophone and Mexican Exporters

In this study, the authors test a previously developed model of negotiations. The structural equations model focuses on the antecedents of problem-solving behaviors and negotiators’ satisfaction. The replication uses two new groups of businesspeople—Canadian Anglophone and Mexican industrial exporters. Similarities and differences in model fit were discovered across the two groups of exporters. Results validated the importance of reciprocity as a social construct in cross-cultural negotiations. The problemsolving behaviors of Canadian and Mexicans were found to be a function of their perceptions of the counterparts’ strategy. Mexicans’ problem-solving behaviors subsequently influenced their expressed satisfaction with outcomes. The impact of bargainer and organizational characteristics varied across the two groups.

Exploring factors that affect negotiators’ problem‐solving orientation

The willingness of negotiating parties to cooperate, communicate, and compromise ‐ prerequisites of the problem‐solving orientation ‐ often lead to successful outcomes. Consequently, problem‐solving oriented strategies are often employed by negotiators in order to achieve mutually acceptable outcomes. The results of a survey conducted among 98 exporters indicate that negotiators’ perceptions of their counterparts’ strategies seem to have the strongest influence on the extent of problem‐solving behaviors observed among negotiators. Prenegotiation experience, inherent conciliatory predisposition, and perceptions of the organization’s flexibility were also found to influence negotiators’ problem‐solving orientation.

Traditional vs. Technology-Mediated Learning: A Comparison of Students’ Course Evaluations

Technology-mediated distance learning has increasingly become a part of the business curricula, particularly in the delivery of MBA Programs. However, despite its popularity, sporadic efforts have been made to demonstrate its effectiveness by looking at actual students’ course evaluations as indicators of teaching and learning effectiveness. This paper compares the differences between two MBA classes’ evaluation of a Marketing Management course taught by the same instructor but delivered using two teaching methods: interactive video instruction and traditional face-to-face instruction. It also compares course evaluations of students in sending and receiving sites in the ITV environment. The results indicate that MBA students involved in the face-to-face classroom setting consistently rated the course higher than those in distance learning. In the ITV environment, no significant differences were noted from the student evaluations of those in the sending and receiving sites.

Crossing the border: Testing a negotiation model among Canadian exporters

The interdependence of economies has led many researchers to examine whether US business practices are universal. Various models and scenarios have been investigated in an attempt to further understand foreign business counterparts. This paper utilizes a previously developed US‐based model on the problem‐solving approach in negotiation and tests its applicability among Canadian industrial exporters. The authors found that the sample’s problem‐solving orientation was highly influenced by two sets of factors: individual as well as organizational factors. Consequently, it seems that within the context of the problem‐solving orientation, Canadian exporters share similar patterns of behavior to those of their US counterparts.

The Problem Solving Approach Of International Salespeople: The Experience Effect

Sales research has established the importance of experience in buyer–seller interactions. While this is intuitively appealing, the experience variable has had minimal attention at the international level. This study explores the relationship between experience and the problem solving strategy of international salespeople. Specifically, experience is defined based on three popular measures used in the extant literature: tenure with the organization, general sales experience, and international sales experience. Results indicate that a U-shaped relationship exists between tenure in the organization and problem solving. A plateau effect was identified between sales experience and problem solving early. These results run counter to findings in domestic studies assessing experience and negotiation encounters.

Negotiation differences between two diverse cultures

Describes an investigation into the individual, organization, and demographic‐related ante‐cedents to industrial negotiation encounters in two culturally diverse countries. Focuses in particular on antecedent factors that influence sellers’ co‐operative orientation. Two con‐current surveys were conducted among Philippine and American industrial exporters. Our results suggest that the antecedents leading to co‐operative negotiation behaviours differ between Filipino and American sales representatives.

Risk, trust and the problem solving approach: A cross cultural negotiation study

This study investigates three antecedents to the problem solving strategy in negotiations - risk, trust and perceptions of counterpart’s strategy. Using two culturally diverse sample groups - Americans and Filipino industrial exporters - we found that these groups only had one variable common. Both groups’ problem solving orientation was greatly influenced by their impressions of their counterparts. Traits relating to risk and trust influenced only the American sample.

PERSONALITY AND NEGOTIATION REVISITED

Previous studies on the relationship of individual personality differences to the negotiation process have yielded mixed findings. This inconsistency has made researchers skeptical of such relationships. In this study, personality variables conceptually related to negotiation and bargaining were investigated in an actual business setting using a questionnaire which 53 of 335 exporters returned. The relationship of four individual personality variables with the problem-solving approach in negotiation was evaluated using regression analysis. Results provide inconclusive support for the relationship between the personality variables of conciliatory predisposition, trusting nature, risk propensity, and equity sensitivity with problem-solving approach.

The Impact of Demographic Variables on Negotiators’ Problem-Solving Approach: A Two Country Study

The influence of demographic variables on the problem-solving approach in negotiation has been widely supported in the academic literature, but a majority of these studies have been limited to a single-cultural and/or Western-based context. To expand our understanding of this interrelationship at a cross-cultural level, this study examines gender, age, sales negotiation experience, tenure in the organization, and education level and their impact on the problem-solving behaviors of negotiators from two countries – the United States and Philippines. Our findings showed that none of the demographic variables influenced the problem-solving behaviors of Filipino negotiators. Gender, age and education did not affect American negotiators’ problem-solving behaviors. However, a u-shaped effect was found on sales negotiation experience and tenure in the organization for the American sample.

Intra- and Inter-Cultural Negotiations: A Chinese Buyer’s Perspective

AbstractThis study compares behaviors of Chinese negotiators in both intra-cultural and inter-cultural settings. In particular, the authors examined the relationship between selected individual as well as organizational variables and the problem solving approach (PSA) in negotiations. In addition, the subsequent influence of PSA on negotiation outcomes was also investigated. The results show that different sets of variables impact PSA at the intra- and inter-cultural levels. No significant differences were observed with the intra- and inter-cultural PSA behaviors.