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Abstract.Negotiating is one of the four major decisional roles played by managers. In fact, resolving conflict is said to occupy 20% of a manager's working hours. This growing frequency of negotiation scenarios coupled with the increasing complexity of the issues which need to be resolved in a negotiation make the possibility of computer enhancement for negotiation very appealing. Implementations of computerized Negotiation Support Systenls (NSS) in the business world, international affairs, labor law, and environmental and safety disputes have demonstrated their potential for making negotiation problems more manageable and comprehensible for negotiators. Still, pioneers in NSS research have expressed their dismay at the lack of rigorous empirical research and evaluation of NSS. In particular, research is needed which will determine how and under what circumstances negotiation processes can be enhanced by NSS support.This article describes empirical research on the effects of a highly structured, interactive NSS on the outcome of face-to-face issues resolution and the attitudes of negotiators in both low-and high-conflict situations. In a laboratory experiment, bargaining dyads played the roles of manufacturers negotiating a four-issue, three-year purchase agreement for an engine subcomponent in conditions of high and low conflict of interest. The results of the study showed that NSS support did help bargainers achieve higher joint outcomes and more balanced contracts, but that the NSS support increased negotiation time. Satisfaction was greater for NSS dyads in both conflict levels, and perceived negative climate was reduced in low conflict.One primary implication of the results of this study is that NSS developers should keep in mind the importance of providing users with a system with interactive qualities which not only enhance the decision-making process but also provide them with a sense of participation in reaching the solution, as was done in this study.

In the wake of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, Digital Rights Management (DRM) systems are beginning to provide copyright protection for digital content placed online by magazine and book publishers, music companies, software and game producers and business-to-business companies. Creators and providers of digital content are increasingly able to control end users' use of, and accessibility to, their products, and stand to gain huge profits from this capability. However, as DRM technologies evolve and develop, so does end user concern about restrictions to their access to, and use of, information. The DRM industry must provide a balance between fair compensation for the creators of digital content and the rights of end users to access and use information. 50 1 2

Since the 1970s, activity-based costing (ABC) has enabled companies to identify the true costs of processes and products and to make sound decisions related to the profitability and expense of the products they produce, as well as the effectiveness of their manufacturing and business processes. This paper explores the advantages of activity-based costing vs. traditional costing systems and presents arguments for the potential benefits to the world's millions of small to medium business (SMEs) from implementing ABC. Issues related to the implementation of ABC are discussed. A framework for ABC implementations in SMEs is presented that shows the variables (characteristics of SME and implementation challenges) that can impact the ABC implementation process, and/or ultimately, implementation outcomes.