Theses and Dissertations from UMD

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New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

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Subject: search.filters.subject.Negotiation

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Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
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    Racial Differences in the Propensity to Negotiate
    (2015) Crosby, Brandon John Richburg; Gelfand, Michele J; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This research set out to examine the potential impact of race on the willingness to negotiate in the workplace. Drawing on previous research on gender influences on the willingness to negotiate and research on race and workplace discrimination, it was predicted that Black employees would be less willing to negotiate as compared to Whites, yet that this relationship would be moderated by a positive climate for diversity. Findings from interview data and a survey with employed participants showed that Black participants were less likely to negotiate on various topics such as promotions, bonuses and stock options. The ambiguity of these topics as well as climate for diversity were investigated further in a lab experiment designed to manipulate organizational factors that could impact one’s willingness to negotiate. The manipulation for the ambiguous condition, climate for diversity nor the race of the participant impacted negotiation rates. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
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    A Biosocial Approach to Negotiation
    (2011) Severance, Laura; Gelfand, Michele J.; Psychology; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The current study advances a biosocial model of negotiation, in which the effects of estradiol and opponent gender on competitive behavior are examined. Sixty-four female participants engaged in a computer-mediated negotiation simulation and completed measures assessing psychological distance, negotiation goals, opponent perceptions, and self-presentation concerns. Results demonstrated that psychological distance, estradiol, and opponent gender interact to predict competitive and conciliatory negotiation behavior. This study carries substantial implications for conflict management theory and practice as it illustrates the joint influence of biological and social situational factors on negotiation behavior.
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    Oppositions: A United Nations Consensus Building
    (2011) Amaral Campos, Jimena; Ambrose, Michael A.; Architecture; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Opposition works as the framework for this thesis investigation of ideas of conflict and negotiation viewed through the lens of collage. Although the mission of the UN Consensus building is to arrive to a resolution of conflict, the exploration focuses more on the idea that when in conflict people are often in opposition but they are willing to sit and negotiate because they share one collective identity, the "UN identity". As a result, the research focuses on conflict negotiation and the architecturalization of negotiated opposing conditions. Collage, as a visual and conceptual artifact of oppositional conditions, works as the foundation for this exploration where techniques of juxtaposition, layering and simultaneity, are used to challenge ideas of connection and separation; architectural concepts found nested in the culture, site and program of the building. Oppositions between cultures, political identities, program pieces, circulation patterns and perspectives are collaged together to reflect the United Nations mission, agenda and values.
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    THE IMPACT OF CULTURAL DIFFERENCES ON BUYER-SUPPLIER RELATIONSHIPS.
    (2010) Ribbink, Dina; Grimm, Curtis M; Business and Management: Logistics, Business & Public Policy; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    In today's economy, an ever-increasing number of companies are dealing with partners from across the world giving rise to the need to understand the impact of cultural differences on business interactions. This dissertation uses two different approaches to investigate the impact of culture in buyer supplier relationships. The first study researches the effect of cultural differences in contractual buyer-supplier agreements using transaction cost as a theoretic lens. A large number of relationships translate into contracts between partners, but very few studies have investigated the effect of cultural differences on these written agreements: This research looks at the level of contract completeness and the option to renegotiate the contract as outcome variables. The study investigates the impact of cultural difference in buyer-supplier relationships using Hofstede's cultural dimensions. The main finding is that contract completeness increases as the cultural gap between the buyer and supplier widens. The results for individual culture dimensions on contract completeness are mixed. Cultural distance impacts the option of renegotiation but the individual dimensions fail to have an effect. Finally, asset specificity has the expected positive effect on the level of contract completeness and the option to renegotiate, while more frequent transactions result in lower levels of contract completeness and fewer options to renegotiate. Overall, these findings emphasize that cultural background is a factor in contractual buyer supplier relationships and need to be taken into account in global supply chain management. The second essay investigates the impact of cultural differences in the context of dyadic buyer-supplier negotiations. It looks at the moderating effect of culture. The study uses an experimental design to investigate these issues. In the simulation negotiation, participants, classified by their country of origin, are asked to take on the role of either a buyer or a seller. They negotiate prices and quality levels for three products. This study finds that cultural differences within the negotiation dyad reduce joint profits when compared to dyads of participants with similar cultural backgrounds. Cultural differences weaken the effect of trust and opportunism on joint profits. Overall, this study concludes that cultural differences as encountered in day-to-day business interactions in global supply chains impose greater challenges.
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    Computer Mediated Communication and Negotiation: Effects of Media and Power on Relationship Development
    (2007-08-07) Cronin, Daniel Andrew; Cai, Deborah; Communication; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    The dissertation examined the cues filtered out and Social Information Processing (SIP) approaches to relationship development in an intra-organizational dyadic negotiation by comparing the use of face-to-face (FTF) and e-mail channels. The study further examined the effect of power difference on dimensions of relationship development such as dominance, trust, affect, depth, formality, and task/social orientation. Individuals in organizations use technology based tools such as e-mail to perform a variety of communication tasks. The dissertation provides a test and expansion of SIP with regard to the effects of time on relationship development by testing the theory within a highly social process like organizational negotiation where there is mixed channel use. This dissertation also provides a test of e-mail's unique characteristics and their effects on the development of relationships in an intra-organizational environment. The hypotheses were tested using a dyadic data analysis technique know as the Actor-Partner Independence Model (APIM). One hundred and forty-eight students (74 dyads) participated in the study and negotiated three times. For the first negotiation, all participants used FTF to establish a baseline relationship measure and for the next two negotiations half of the participants used e-mail and the other half FTF. For the last two negotiations, a power difference also was introduced so that in half of the dyads in each group the seller had greater power than the buyer. The study produced results in three main areas related to negotiation and computer mediated communication: (1) interpersonal relationships develop over lean media like e-mail; (2) the characteristics of e-mail affect relationship development when compared to FTF; and (3) the preference to use e-mail for future negotiations is affected by prior e-mail negotiation experience with one's partner, computer mediated communication comfort, and the level of dominance one's partner exhibits in e-mail negotiations. With regard to interpersonal relationships and negotiation, the study suggests that individuals learn to manage their interpersonal relationships via e-mail because it can be a useful tool for managing one's persona. Bargaining power and bargaining role were only of limited influence on the development of interpersonal relationships when e-mail was used to negotiate.
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    Ten Years of Dealing with Kim Jong Il: Can Negotiations Ensure Conflict Resolution?
    (2006-08-07) Grzelczyk, Virginie; Schreurs, Miranda; Government and Politics; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study investigates the tumultuous negotiation relationship between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States, from Kim Jong Il's accession to power in 1994 to the historic but short-lived September 19, 2005 agreement. The purpose of this work is to gain understanding regarding North Korea's negotiation strategies, in order to bring contributions to the literature on negotiation, rogue states, and Northeast Asia. The literature lacks a clear understanding of how North Korea has been operating since 1994, at which time Kim Il Sung passed away and power was assumed by his son, Kim Jong Il. Gaining a clear understanding of what has happened under the Kim Jong Il Administration leads to the construction of a comprehensive analysis of all the different bilateral and multilateral negotiation episodes that have occurred between the United States and North Korea from 1994 to 2005. Those episodes range from such diverse issues as two weeks of bilateral talks to free an American pilot who crashed by accident on North Korea territory in December 1994 to years of nuclear talks). This research is qualitative in nature and based on archival and media resources, as well as interviews conducted with those who served under several different administrations in the United States and in Korea, Japan, and China, as well as scholars, politicians and negotiators. The study concludes that there is a distinctive North Korean negotiation strategy, but that this strategy is increasing in complexity and is highly dependent on the United States' position in the world. North Korea is also revealed as a strategic, non-random player that will only rarely compromise on its red line.