Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Arturas Kaklauskas, & Vita Urbanaviciene
New Hot Paper Commentary, May 2011
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Article: THE CONCEPTUAL MODEL OF CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE NEGOTIATION
Authors: Urbanaviciene, V;Kaklauskas, A;Zavadskas,
EK |
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Arturas Kaklauskas, & Vita Urbanaviciene talk with ScienceWatch.com and answer a few questions about this month's New Hot Paper in the field of Econimocs & Business.
Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
The integration of knowledge-based, biometrics, negotiation, and decision support systems has a very promising future in scientific research. The proposed Model and Construction and Real Estate Negotiation Decision Support System (CREN-DSS) and the issues to which it pertains are quite relevant at the present time. Our research describes the developed novel Model and CREN-DSS.
At present, the CREN-DSS allows users to perform the following five main functions: search for real estate alternatives; find alternatives and make an initial negotiation table; analyze alternatives; carry out negotiations; and determine the most rational real estate purchase variant. Other models and systems do not have such features. We believe that is why this article is highly cited.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
The original contribution of this article, compared to the research results published earlier, is as follows: developed by the authors, the Model and CREN-DSS is superior to similar systems due to the factors described above, and the use of voice-stress analysis, which permits users to perform a more rational negotiation process. The developed Model and CREN-DSS consider not only economic but also political, legal, socio-cultural, psychological, consumer behavioral, technological, quality-of-life, and other issues.
The knowledge sub-system described above is based on previously obtained knowledge and rules of problem solving, and a decision support sub-system leaves quite a lot of space for a user’s intuition, experience, and outlook. Knowledge sub-systems form a decision trajectory themselves, while decision support sub-systems perform a passive auxiliary role, though a situation might occur when decision support sub-systems suggest further actions to the decision maker.
Coauthor
Arturas Kaklauskas
Coauthor
Vita Urbanaviciene
Prof. Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas has worked in the area of Multiple Attribute Decision-Making (MADM) since 1976, Prof. Arturas Kaklauskas since 1997, and Dr. Vita Urbanaviciene since 2005. Prof. Zavadskas and Prof. Kaklauskas have developed four new multiple criteria decision-making methods (the methods were applied to the Model and CREN-DSS):
- A new method of complex determination of the weight of the criteria, taking into account their quantitative and qualitative characteristics.
- A new method of multiple criteria complex proportional evaluation of the projects.
- A method of determining the degree of utility and the market value of projects.
- A new method of multiple-criteria multivariant designs of a building life cycle.
The second and third methods above, taken together, are referred to as the COmplex PRoportional ASsessment (COPRAS) method. Various publications in journals listed in the Web of Knowledge® from Clarivate describe the COPRAS method extensively. Two aspects that make the COPRAS method superior to the available MADM methods are as follows:
- This method may be used to estimate the utility degree of alternatives, showing, as a percentage, the extent to which one alternative is better or worse than other alternatives taken for comparison.
- This method may be used to estimate the market value of alternatives.
Prof. Zavadskas, together with Prof. Kaklauskas and other coworkers, used this method to develop different web-based intelligent and biometric systems for real-world applications.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper
in layman's terms?
The model presented in the article enables complex analysis of the negotiation process (stages, strategies, and tactics), the negotiation object, the participating stakeholder groups, and the external micro and macro environment affecting them.
In order to simplify determination of negotiation priorities, to mitigate the impact of information inequalities on inexperienced negotiators, and to facilitate the decision-making, it is expedient to apply multiple criteria analysis methods. These methods facilitate automated formulation of possible negotiated alternatives, as well as integrated assessment of economic, technical, qualitative, internal (related to a particular decision maker), and other aspects of the negotiated alternatives, and help to make the decision.
Voice-stress analysis, which helps to distinguish when a negotiator tells lies, is a user-friendly tool that may contribute to efficiency and transparency of construction contracts and housing transactions, and helps to save time and money.
How did you become involved in this research, and
were there any problems along the way?
Dr. Urbanaviciene performed comprehensive analysis of scientific publications and found that the most frequent cases are when a researcher takes up one narrow scientific field dealing with negotiations (e.g. game theory, auctions, psychology, consumer behavior, etc.) and an integrated model covering the entire process of construction and real estate negotiations has not been developed yet.
"The original contribution of this article, compared to the research results published earlier, is as follows: developed by the authors, the Model and CREN-DSS is superior to similar systems due to the factors described above, and the use of voice-stress analysis, which permits users to perform a more rational negotiation process."
The analysis of the negotiation processes in construction and real estate and the analysis of the relevant support for decision-making in negotiations must be thorough; it must consider not only economic but also political, legal, socio-cultural, psychological, consumer behavior, technological, quality-of-life and other issues.
Face-to-face negotiations provide a lot of important information through observation of the behavior, gestures, facial expressions, voice, and other features of the opponents; this helps to better understand or to guess the intentions of the other negotiators, or to interpret their words. E-negotiations bypass the direct interpersonal contact; therefore, the voice-stress analysis technology can be useful in such cases. (During research a total of 147 voice records of people selling apartments were made and analyzed.) As a result, an original model for multiple criteria analysis of construction and real estate negotiations and CREN-DSS were developed.
Prof. Zavadskas started researching the MADM methods using the utility function in 1979. In 1987, he completed his post-doctoral thesis "Multiple Attribute Decision-making in Construction Technological Processes." In 1989, he was appointed to a professorship at the Vilnius Gediminas Technical University (VGTU). He is the author of over 50 books published in Lithuanian, Russian, German, and English. He has published more than 380 scientific papers. In 24 years, he has acted as an academic adviser for 32 doctoral students, and nine of them have defended or passed their post-doctoral procedures, including Arturas Kaklauskas. In June 2009, ScienceWatch.com selected an article written by Zavadskas et al., as a Fast Breaking Paper in the field of Mathematics.
Prof. Kaklauskas is a Chairman of the Department of Construction Economics and Real Estate Management and also a Vice-Director of the Institute of Internet and Intelligent Technologies at the VGTU. He participated in more than 30 European, Asian, and US international projects. In 1999, Kaklauskas completed his post-doctoral thesis "Multiple Criteria Decision Support of Building Life Cycle." He has published eight books, more than 200 research papers, and 10 Ph.D. students defended their thesis under his guidance.
Dr. Urbanaviciene is an assistant in the Department of Construction Economics and Real Estate Management. In 2009, she defended her Ph.D. thesis "The Housing Quality and Price Equilibrium: the Negotiation Model and the System." She is the author of seven scientific papers.
Where do you see your research leading in the
future?
We look forward to further development and improvement of the Model and CREN-DSS by using intelligent systems and biometric technologies, and to applying the Model and CREN-DSS in different fields of real-world applications.
Do you foresee any social or political
implications for your research?
To design and achieve effective negotiations, a complex analysis of its stages, strategies, and tactics, as well as an evaluation of the interested parties, along with their aims and potentialities, is needed. The effect of macro environmental factors should also be taken into account.
Besides economic, political, and legal/regulatory decisions, other aspects,
e.g., social, cultural, ethical, psychological, educational, environmental,
provisional, technological, organizational, and managerial, can be analyzed
using the Model and CREN-DSS.
Edmundas Kazimieras Zavadskas, Professor, Dr.SC.,
Ph.D.
Principal Vice Rector
Chairmen of the Department of Construction Technology and
Management
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania
Web
Arturas Kaklauskas, Professor, Dr.SC., Ph.D.
Chairmen of the Department of Construction Economics and Property
Management
Vice-director of the Institute of Internet and Intelligent
Technologies
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania
Web
Vita Urbanaviciene, Ph.D.
Department of Construction Economics and Property
Management
Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Vilnius, Lithuania
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
- (Commentary for March. 2011 [late entry]).
KEYWORDS: REAL ESTATE; CONSTRUCTION; NEGOTIATION; BEHAVIOURAL DECISION RESEARCH; MACRO ENVIRONMENT; INTEGRATIVE NEGOTIATION; EXPERIENCE; MEDIATION; JUDGMENT; DECISION; VILNIUS; SUPPORT; DESIGN.