Abstract
Software agent-based negotiation is a major method to automate the interactions in electronic marketplaces and Internet enabled communities. The traditional approach is to let the agents to interact directly. In this paper it has been investigated how a mediator agent can improve the chances to reach the agreement via bargaining. Although the ideal mathematical model was proposed in the seventies, this was never implemented as a working mechanism, due to the fact that the mediator needed information that was difficult to gather and the usual environment was not repetitive enough to consolidate this information for a fair mediation. The agent-based infrastructure proposed collects continuously data about the negotiating parties and the mediator agents use this data to reduce the exaggeration of the parties. The paper includes a mediation example and the major conclusion is that negotiation is improved by a mediator which has historical data about the negotiating parties.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aerts A, Szirbik N, Goossenaerts J. Flexible infrastructure for virtual enterprises. In: Mo J, Nemes L, eds. Global Engineering, Manufacturing and Enterprise Networks, selected papers from the DIISM2000 Conference, Melbourne, Australia, Dordrecht: Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2000:26–37.
Aerts A, Szirbik N, Hammer D, Goossenaerts J, Wortmann H. On the design of a mobile agent web as ICT support for virtual enterpries. In: Proc. of the IEEE 9th International Workshops on Enabling Technologies: Infrastructure for Collaborative Enterprises (WET ICE 2000), Gaithersburg MA, USA, 2000:236–241.
Bradshaw JM. Everything I know about system design I learned from my architect. In: Forbus, Feltovich, Canas, eds. Education and Smart Machines. Cambridge, MA: AAAI Press & MIT Press, 1999.
Bussmann S, Jennings NR, Wooldridge MJ. On the identification of agents in the design of production control systems. In: Ciancarini P. Wooldridge M, eds. Agent-Oriented Software Engineering. Springer Verlag, 2001:141–162.
Chaterjee K. A one-stage distributive bargaining game. Report 13-78, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1978.
Fankhauser P, Tesch T. Agents, a broker, and lies. In: Proc. of Ninth Intl. Workshop on Research Issues on Data Engineering: Information Technology of Virtual Enterprises, Sydney, Australia, 1999:56–63.
Fischer K et al. Intelligent agents in virtual enterprises. In: Proceedings of PAAM'96, London, 1996:205–223.
Harsanyi JC. Rational Behavior and Bargaining Equilibrium in Games and Social Situations. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 1977.
Hendler J. Making sense out of agents. In: IEEE Intelligent Systems and their Applications, March/April 1999:32–37.
Jennings NR et al. Implementing a business process management system using ADEPT: A real-world case study. Available at http://www.elec.qmw.ac.uk/dai/pubs, 1999.
Kersten GE, Noronha SJ, Teich J. Are all E-commerce negotiations auctions? In: Proceedings of COOP'2000: Fourth Intl. Conf. on the Design of Cooperative Systems, Sophia Antipolis, France, 2000.
Kjenstad D. Coordinated supply chain scheduling. Ph.D. Thesis (NTNU 1998:24), Department of Production and Quality Engineering, Norvegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway, 1998.
Kornelius L. Inter-organisational infrastructures for competitive advantage: Strategic alignement in virtual corporations. Ph.D. Thesis, Faculteit Techonlogie Management, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands, 1990.
Pratt J, Zeckhauser R. Expected externality payments: Incentives for efficient decentralisation. Report 26–79, Graduate School of Business Administration, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 1979.
Preiss K, Goldman SL, Nagel RN. Cooperate to Compete: Building Agile Business Relationships. London: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1996.
Raiffa H. The Art and Science of Negotiation. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1982.
Szirbik N, Wagner G. Steps toward formal verification of agent-based E-business applications. MOCA'01 (Workshop on Modelling of Objects, Components, and Agents), volume DAIMI PB-553 (ISSN0105-8517), University of Aarhus, Denmark, 2001:133–141.
Szirbik N, Wortmann H, Hegge H, Goossenaerts J. Improving manufacturing cooperation in a virtual enterprise by tracker mobile agents. In: Proceedings of EFTA'99, Barcelona: IEEE Press, 1999:1451–1458.
Van Dyke Parunak H. What can agents do in industry, and why? In:Proceedings of Cooperative Information Agents II, Berlin: Springer, LNAI vol. 1435, 1998:1–18.
Wong D, Paciorek N. Moore D. Java-based mobile agents. Communications of the ACM 1999:92–96.
Wooldridge M, Jennings NR. Pitfalls of agent-oriented development. Available at http://www.elec.qmw.ac.uk/dai/pubs/, 1999.
Wortmann H, Szirbik N. ICT issues among collaborative enterprises: From rigid to adaptive agent-based technologies. Intl. Journal of Production Planning & Control 2001;12(5):452–465.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Szirbik, N. A Negotiation Enabling Agent Based Infrastructure: Composition and Behavior. Information Systems Frontiers 4, 85–99 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015346808770
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015346808770