Page 564 - Encyclopedia of Business and Finance

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Networking

different degrees of role orderliness and conformity; and many miles, across several cities, and even around the
communication patterns, that differ widely worldwide. world. WANs are multifaceted and complex networks.
These cultural factors affect the pace of negotiations; They require many devices that connect different comput-
negotiating strategies; degree of emphasis on personal ers using diverse communication services. WAN commu-
relationships; emotional aspects; decision making; and nication speed, reliability, and connectivity are more
contractual and administrative elements (Acuff, 1997). challenging to manage than those of a LAN.
The goal of the negotiator should be to “look legitimately
to the other side by their standards” (Fisher, 1997).
HISTORICAL ACHIEVEMENTS IN
COMMUNICATION AND
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TRANSPORTATION
Collective bargaining frequently requires a third party to Networks were developed as a communication method
help the parties reach an acceptable solution. In these sit-
between computers at remote sites. They trace their roots
uations, such strategies as mediation, arbitration, and con-
back to nineteenth-century communication and trans-
flict resolution are used. portation historical achievements. In America, people
have always strived for faster travel and communication
SUMMARY systems, particularly between the East and West Coasts.
Negotiation is the process of two individuals or groups These systems included technology and experiments of
reaching joint agreement about differing needs or ideas. varying complexity. For example, the Pony Express oper-
Two styles of negotiating, competitive and cooperative, ated between 1860 and 1861. It provided seven-day mail
are commonly recognized, with most negotiators moving service between St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento,
back and forth between the two styles based on the situa- California.
tion. A number of strategies were discussed that negotia- In 1861 the Western Union Telegraph Company
tors might use in negotiation stages. The effectiveness of
replaced the Pony Express and provided a faster, more reli-
various strategies can vary based on cultural differences.
able communication service. Furthermore, the transconti-
SEE ALSO Collective Bargaining; Labor Unions nental railroad was completed at Promontory, Utah, in
1869. These events improved the telegraph industry. The
telephone was invented in 1876, and the first transconti-
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Acuff, Frank L. (1997). How to Negotiate Anything with Anyone nental telephone line was joined at Wendover, Utah, in
Anywhere Around the World. New York: AMACOM. 1915. This national telephone network provided a foun-
Fisher, Roger, and Ury, William, with Bruce Patton, ed. (1997). dation for the wide area computer networks that evolved
Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (2nd later in the twentieth century.
ed.). London: Arrow Business Books.
Oliver, Jim R. (1996). A Machine Learning Approach to Auto- NETWORK CHARACTERISTICS
mated Negotiation and Prospects for Electronic Commerce.
Retrieved October 28, 2005, from Ownership. LANs consist of computers, scanners, print-
http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/cache/papers/cs/984/http:zSzz ers, and cables, which are privately owned. WANs connect
Szopim.wharton.upenn.eduzSz˜oliver27zSzpaperszSzjmis. computers, scanners, printers, and other devices that
pdf/oliver97machine.pdf. sometimes may be leased or rented from public and pri-
vate telephone companies or data communication compa-
Donna L. McAlister-Kizzier nies. These networks place high demands on security and
reliability.
In addition, the communication line or medium that
a company uses for its network is either cable or a wireless
NETWORKING technology. When a business creates a WAN, it might not
Computer networks consist of multiple computers and manage all the lines. Sometimes a business leases lines
other electrical devices linked together. Networks are clas- from a communication company. These companies are
sified as local area networks (LANs) or wide area networks data and voice carriers such as MCI, Sprint, Verizon,
(WANs). The difference between LANs and WANs is Williams Communications, and AT&T. In these cases,
usually determined by the length of the network. Gener- the WAN is not entirely owned by the initial business.
ally, a LAN’s distance includes only several hundred yards. The business owns the line up to the point where the
LANs reside mostly in offices, work areas, classrooms, one handoff with the data carrier occurs. Then, the carrier
building, or within several buildings. WANs exist over company handles the transfer of data and hands it back to

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