Exploring the Roles of Intermediaries in Collective Memory-Supported Electronic Negotiation: A Theoretical Framework

Abstract

Following the emergence of the Internet, electronic negotiation has become an alternative to face-to-face negotiation. The current forms of negotiation support systems (NSS) used to support many electronic negotiations offer very little support for historical negotiation data. In order to address this issue, the idea of a collective memory support in negotiations has been proposed in recent years. This article highlights the use of an online intermediary as an effective location from which collective memory support can be offered. The article proposes that an intermediary based collective memory support will increase confidence in negotiation, reduce overall negotiation time, and strengthen trust between negotiators. © 2006, IGI Global. All rights reserved.