*When: May 3, Tue, 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM
*Where: MH 230
Title: Is there more to email negotiation than email? Exploring facets of email affinity
Abstract:
Ever
increasing globe-spanning business activity paired with the wide
availability of the internet, even in remote places, has at once
provoked and provided suitable communication means (e.g., email) for
complex business communication and tasks such as negotiation. Current
research cautions against the use of email for negotiation as compared
to other media because of the numerous challenges e-negotiators face,
but the findings are far from unanimous. This study investigates if
negotiators’ attitude toward and facility with email as a communication
medium, i.e. their email affinity, influences the negotiation process
and results. Three facets of email affinity are theoretically
considered and empirically derived: email preference, email comfort and
email clarity. In an experimental intercontinental email negotiation
exercise where subjects were paired according to their email affinity
score, email comfort emerged as a significant predictor of individual
profit, joint gain, and different dimensions of subjective value.
Theoretical implications and further research are discussed.
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