Date of Award
1984
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy
Abstract
The purpose of the present paper was to examine the effects of different dispute resolution procedures on bargaining outcome, process, and negotiators' perceptions. The current paper reported two experiments. The dispute resolution procedures examined were conventional, issue, and package final offer arbitration. A strike control condition and male and female subjects were included in both studies. Experiment One examined bargaining outcome and process and tested the hypothesis that conventional arbitration inhibits bargaining in comparison to the strike and package arbitration alternatives. One hundred and twenty-eight females and eighty males participated in Experiment One. This experiment was a simulation study in which subjects negotiated six issues. The results of the outcome measures of Experiment One suggested that conventional arbitration inhibited bargaining in males while issue arbitration appeared to inhibit concession making in females. It was suggested that the bargainers' interpersonal orientation may have accounted for these results. The results from the process measures also suggested that conventional arbitration inhibited bargaining but this inhibitory effect did not occur until after some negotiating had taken place. Issue arbitration also appeared to inhibit concessionary behavior although its influence was weaker than conventional arbitration. Experiment Two examined negotiators' perceptions and tested the hypothesis that conventional arbitration would be perceived as less risky than either a strike or package arbitration. The type of issue in dispute (monetary vs. non-monetary) was also examined in Experiment Two. Forty-two females and thirty-three males participated in Experiment Two and completed a questionnaire assessing their perceptions of the different dispute resolution procedures. No negotiations occurred in Experiment Two. Experiment Two indicated that subjects evaluated conventional and issue arbitration more positively than package arbitration or the strike. The results of Experiment One and Two suggested that the alternative dispute resolution procedures had different effects on bargaining outcome, bargaining process, and negotiators' perceptions. The results were discussed in light of prior research findings and suggestions for future research were offered.
Recommended Citation
Saunders, David Macintosh, "The Effects Of Different Dispute Resolution Procedures On Bargaining Outcome, Process, And Negotiators' Perceptions" (1984). Digitized Theses. 1380.
https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/digitizedtheses/1380