Elsevier

Decision Support Systems

Volume 14, Issue 4, August 1995, Pages 369-391
Decision Support Systems

GENIE: A decision support system for crisis negotiations

https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-9236(94)00027-PGet rights and content

Abstract

Decision support systems can play a role in improving the ability of decision makers to act as utility maximizers in crisis situations. This paper demonstrates the ability of one such decision support system, GENIE, to help decision makers maximize their objectives in a crisis negotiation. GENIE is described in detail, followed by the presentation of preliminary experimental results evaluating its effectiveness in crisis management and abatement. The experimental results show that GENIE users, as compared to non-users, are more likely to identify utility maximization as their primary objective and to achieve high utility scores. Experiments in which GENIE users participate are also more likely to end in agreement among the parties, rather than in an outcome in which one of the parties opts out of the negotiation.

Section snippets

Jonathan Wilkenfeld is Professor and Chair of the Department ofGovernment and Politics at the University of Maryland at College Park. Hereceived his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University in 1969. He is aspecialist in foreign policy decision making and the analysis of internationalcrisis. In recent years, his work has focused on the development of simulationsof international negotiation for both teaching and research purposes. He andSarit Kraus are currently principal investigators

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    Jonathan Wilkenfeld is Professor and Chair of the Department ofGovernment and Politics at the University of Maryland at College Park. Hereceived his Ph.D. in political science from Indiana University in 1969. He is aspecialist in foreign policy decision making and the analysis of internationalcrisis. In recent years, his work has focused on the development of simulationsof international negotiation for both teaching and research purposes. He andSarit Kraus are currently principal investigators on a National ScienceFoundation grant for the development of automated negotiators in multi-agentenvironments.

    Sarit Kraus is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Mathematicsand Computer Science, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel and AdjunctAssistant Professor at the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, Universityof Maryland, College Park. Her research interests include the Development ofIntelligent Systems, Distributed AI, Automated Negotiation, Planning, UserInterfaces and Decision Support Tools. Kraus received her Ph.D. in ComputerScience from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1989. Her dissertation wastitled: 'Planning and Communication in a Multi Agent Environment'. Aftercompleting her doctorate, she spent two years at the University of Maryland atCollege Park before joining Bar-Ilan University.

    Kim Holley received her B.S. in Mathematics, Computer Science andPhilosophy from Ashland University and her M.A. in International Peace Studiesfrom the University of Notre Dame. She is now a doctoral student in Governmentand Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park where her researchfocuses on conflict resolution and negotiation with a special interest in therole which technology can play in the resolution of international and communalconflict.

    Michael Harris received his B.S. degree in Mathematics and ComputerScience from the University of Maryland at College Park, and an M.A. in appliedMathematics from UMCP in 1991. Currently, he is working in the field of computersimulation and modelling.

    This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under grant IRI-9123460.

    1

    Also affiliated with the Institute for Advanced Computer Studies, University of Maryland. College Park.

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