Article Analysis Paper

In a global trading world environment cross-cultural and international negotiations are common procedures. Cross-cultural and international negotiations are more difficult because they involve governmental, cultural and societal differences. Negotiations conducted through the Internet are an emerging global trend in today’s business environment. In this paper the subject to explore is the impact technology has on cross-cultural and international negotiations (Kersten, Koeszegi & Vetschera, 2003).
This article is about a study conducted to determine if cultural influence is identified during the negotiations that take place using the Internet. This new technological trend allows people and corporations from diverse cultures to negotiate with no knowledge of the other party’s culture or nationality. The data was collected over the course of five years using an experimental Internet-based system called Inspire. The participants are allowed to use the Inspire system from their corporate office, to avoid the possibility of bias (Kersten, Koeszegi & Vetschera, 2003).
The negotiations are carried out for several weeks and the participants can either extend or terminate the negotiations. All communication is done through the Inspire system, thus allowing the exchange of unstructured and structured information. The Inspire system offers support techniques for the participants to assess offers as well as counter-offers. The Inspire system also allows the participants to examine the negotiation history in various formats (Kersten, Koeszegi & Vetschera, 2003).
Because these negotiations are done anonymously it reduces the influence of biases and stereotype, which can be called upon when negotiating with a party from a known culture. During the negotiation process all participants negotiate the same issue, using the same technology for