Cheung, S O; Yiu, K T W and Suen, H (2004) Construction negotiation online. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 130(6), pp. 844-852. ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Disputes are common in construction projects and negotiating disputes are part of the daily routine of project managers and contract administrators. The recent wave of information technology (IT) has a tremendous impact on the way businesses function. The construction industry is also undergoing major structural changes due to the effects of IT. This paper discusses the application of IT in construction dispute negotiation. Making use of the current IT technology, a computerized construction dispute negotiation program namely CoNegO (construction negotiation online) is proposed. CoNegO utilizes the SmartSettle software technology. With the built-in facilities of SmartSettle, it is possible to conduct negotiations online, hence removing geographical barriers between negotiators. SmartSettle was developed based on the concept of "Even Swaps" in which negotiators are required to evaluate possible options available on the basis of their relative importance. As construction disputes are characterized by multiple factors and dimensions, the problem fits nicely with the "trade-off" methodology that underpins Even Swaps. The use of CoNegO is illustrated by a simulated negotiation.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction management; dispute resolution; information technology; internet; negotiations |
| Index terms: | resolution, dimension, internet, construction industry, option, construction dispute, negotiation, dispute, project manager, information technology, construction project, program, methodology, negotiating, relative importance, contract administrator, routine |
| Subjects: | risk assessment, profession, dispute resolution, computing systems, practitioner, health monitoring assessment and metrics, software systems, research methods, production management, conflict resolution, decision analysis, sociology, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Research Practice, Project Management, Health and Safety, Risk Management, Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Digital Applications, Legal Issues, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here