A conceptual framework on the adoption of negotiation support systems

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Abstract

An exploratory study was conducted to identify factors affecting the intention to adopt negotiation support systems (NSS) by managers and executives. Drawing from past literature, the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Technology Acceptance Model provided basis for analyzing our results. Overall, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control emerged as strongest determinants of intention to adopt NSS. Further probing of subjective norm revealed organizational culture and industrial characteristics to play significant roles. A new conceptual framework is proposed which would be of both theoretical and practical importance.

Introduction

Negotiations have become increasingly important and inevitable in today's business. As computer and communication technologies become more advanced and easily available, using computers to aid negotiations has become viable, especially as the issues negotiated become more complex. This has led to the emergence of negotiation support systems (NSS), a specialized class of group support systems designed to help negotiators achieve optimal settlements. A number of commercial NSS packages are available for sale. However, practical usage of NSS in organizations has been minimal. This phenomenon causes the motivation for this study, which is to identify factors affecting business managers' and executives' intention to adopt NSS.

In information systems research on user behavior, intention models from social psychology have been frequently used as the potential theoretical foundation for research on the determinants of user behavior [1], [2]. Among these theories are the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) [3], [4] and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) [5], [6]. As TPB and TAM are both viable and popularly employed explanatory mechanisms for IT adoption and their explanatory powers vary depending on the technology [7], [8], the current paper makes use of them as theoretical basis for the context of NSS. Section 2 discusses the technology as well as reviews the two adoption models. Section 3 describes the analysis of data collected. Section 4 discusses the implications of the findings. In Section 5, a new conceptual framework is presented.

Section snippets

Negotiation support systems and adoption models

Bui et al. [9] described negotiations as complex, ill-structured, and evolving tasks requiring sophisticated decision support. However, weak information processing capacity and capability, cognitive biases and socio-emotional problems often hinder the achievement of optimal negotiations [10], [11], [12], [13]. As a result, much interest has been generated to provide computer support for negotiations. This leads to NSS, a special class of group support systems designed to support bargaining,

Data analysis

An exploratory study was conducted. Questionnaires, adapted from Harrison et al. [34] (for measuring items related to TPB) and Davis [38] (for measuring items related to TAM), were sent to managers and executives. The target involved a representative sample of firms located in Singapore, characterized by an open economy and typical of a developed city. The major industries touched on were manufacturing, services, and commerce. Collected data were subject to validity and reliability tests; if

Implications of findings

Exploratory analysis performed on subjective norm showed that it was significantly influenced by customers/clients, IT specialists, and other employees in the organization. An organization's dependence on its trading partners has often affected its decision making on various aspects of inter-organizational collaboration [41], [42], such as the adoptions of NSS and electronic data interchange (EDI). In particular, organizations are dependent on their customers and clients, as they are the

Conceptual framework

Based on empirical analysis, this section puts fourth a conceptual framework regarding the adoption of NSS (see Fig. 1). In this framework, subjective norm and perceived behavioral control are posited to influence the intention to adopt NSS. This linkage, however, is moderated by organizational culture and industry characteristics. In other words, the extent to which subjective norm and perceived behavioral control affect adoption intention depends on the specific conditions assumed by

Concluding remarks

Using the TPB and the TAM as a starting point, a study was performed on the adoption intention for NSS, which identified subjective norm and perceived behavioral control to be the key determinants. Further analysis suggested organizational culture and industrial characteristics to play a moderating role. A new conceptual framework encompassing the above elements was put forth, and should help provide future research directions. As companies become increasingly globalized, adoption research must

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