Design and implementation of InterNeg support system in the Invite software platform

Abstract

As part of the InterNeg project, Inspire, which is an e-negotiation system to conduct bilateral negotiations, has been developed and deployed. INSS (InterNeg Support System) is an e-negotiation system that allows to use different negotiation strategies and tactics, and to negotiate over open and dynamically modifiable problems. It is based on Inspire but enhanced and expanded with some new features for more practical negotiations. The focus of this paper is on the design and implementation of INSS and its key features, including: (1) the construction of a negotiation protocol which allows negotiators to formulate their own negotiation case online, to specify the process and the permissible activities of its participants; (2) the introduction of the problem specification and modification components to construct INSS in the Invite platform; (3) the specification of different types of issues and options which can be introduced by the users and interpolated (or extrapolated) by the system; and (4) the establishment of a negotiation case library. To implement the system, we apply Fusebox technology prototyping and rapid application development (RAD). The INSS negotiation protocol and all its components are implemented in Invite system with database-driven approach. The system's usability will be tested with a small group of participants in different contexts defined by problem complexity and users' characteristics. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)