A comparison of two decision analysis tools for the analysis of strategic conflicts, the Analytic Network Process （ANP） and the graph model for conflict resolution, is carried out by applying them to the China-US TV...A comparison of two decision analysis tools for the analysis of strategic conflicts, the Analytic Network Process （ANP） and the graph model for conflict resolution, is carried out by applying them to the China-US TV dumping conflict. Firstly, the graph model is introduced along with practical procedures for modeling and analyzing conflicts using the decision support software, GMCR Ⅱ. Next, ANP is explained, emphasizing structural features and procedures for synthesizing priorities. Then a framework for employing ANP to analyze strategic conflicts is designed and used to compare ANP to the graph model. The case study of the China-US TV dumping conflict provides a basis for the graph model and ANP to be compared; different features of the approaches are highlighted. The study shows that because of different theoretical backgrounds, ANP and the graph model for conflict analysis both provide useful information which can be combined to furnish a better understanding of a strategic conflict.展开更多
A formal methodology for analyzing the importance of weighing a decision maker＇s attitudes in a conflict is introduced and applied to the problem of negotiating a fair transfer of a brownfield property. A decision ma...A formal methodology for analyzing the importance of weighing a decision maker＇s attitudes in a conflict is introduced and applied to the problem of negotiating a fair transfer of a brownfield property. A decision maker＇s attitudes are expressed in his consideration of his own preferences, as well as those of his opponents. Dominating attitudes are used to suggest that in a circumstance in which a decision maker takes into account multiple perspectives due to his attitudes, he may favor one perspective more heavily. The analysis of a brownfield acquisition conflict illustrates the types of insights that this methodology reveals.展开更多
Based on the option prioritization in graph model for conflict resolution of two decision makers(DMs),new logical and matrix representations of four stability concepts for DMs′attitude are proposed.The logical repres...Based on the option prioritization in graph model for conflict resolution of two decision makers(DMs),new logical and matrix representations of four stability concepts for DMs′attitude are proposed.The logical representation of attitude is defined,and converted to the matrix form in order to develop a decision support system(DSS)efficiently.Compared with existing definitions of DMs′attitude based on states,the proposed definitions of attitude based on options are convenient and more effective to generate preferences since that of states can be significantly larger than that of options in a large conflict.In addition,it is easier to obtain the information of the prioritization of option statements than to obtain preference of states for users.The proposed representations are applied to the process conflict during aircraft manufacturing to demonstrate the efficiency of the new approach.展开更多
A multiple criteria decision analysis （MCDA） approach is designed for capturing the relative preference information of a decision maker involved in ＇a conflict. More specifically, an MCDA approach based on the outr...A multiple criteria decision analysis （MCDA） approach is designed for capturing the relative preference information of a decision maker involved in ＇a conflict. More specifically, an MCDA approach based on the outranking method, ELECTRE III, is employed for ranking states or possible scenarios in the conflict from most to least preferred, where ties are allowed, for a decision maker according to his or her value system. To demonstrate how this preference elicitation methodology can be conveniently implemented in practice within the framework of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, it is applied to a real world water supply crisis which occurred in the town of North Battleford, located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.展开更多
Formal systems engineering approaches to modeling misperceptions and attitudes are employed within the framework of the graph model for conflict resolution to systematically study the War of 1812 between the United St...Formal systems engineering approaches to modeling misperceptions and attitudes are employed within the framework of the graph model for conflict resolution to systematically study the War of 1812 between the United States of America and Great Britain in order to provide enhanced insights into the causes of the war. More specifically, relational definitions for preferences, movements and stability concepts are defined for describing the attitudes and associated behavior of decision makers involved in a conflict. To capture misperceptions of decision makers in the War of 1812, attitudes are studied within the structure of a hypergame. Combining attitudes and misperceptions within the paradigm of the graph model furnishes the flexible analytical tool which demonstrates that misunderstanding of attitudes by Great Britain and the United States may have contributed to the outbreak of this nasty war.展开更多
A systematic fuzzy approach is developed to model fuzziness and uncertainties in the preferences of decision makers involved in a conflict. This unique fuzzy preference formulation is used within the paradigm of the G...A systematic fuzzy approach is developed to model fuzziness and uncertainties in the preferences of decision makers involved in a conflict. This unique fuzzy preference formulation is used within the paradigm of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution in which a given dispute is modeled in terms of decision makers, each decision maker＇s courses of actions or options, and each decision maker＇s preferences concerning the states or outcomes which could take place. In order to be able to determine the stability of each state for each decision maker and the possible equilibria or resolutions, a range of solution concepts describing potential human behavior under conflict are defined for use with fuzzy preferences. More specifically, strong and weak definitions of stability are provided for the solution concepts called Nash, general metarational, symmetric metarational, and sequential stability. To illustrate how these solution concepts can be conveniently used in practice, they are applied to a dispute over the contamination of an aquifer by a chemical company located in Elmira, Ontario, Canada.展开更多
An option prioritization technique is developed to efficiently elicit the preferences, both unknown and crisp, of decision makers （DMs） in strategic conflicts. In the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, each DM has...An option prioritization technique is developed to efficiently elicit the preferences, both unknown and crisp, of decision makers （DMs） in strategic conflicts. In the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, each DM has one or more options, each of which may be selected or not. A state, or possible scenario, is formed when all DMs make an option selection. The software GMCR II contains an option prioritization procedure that makes it easy for a modeUer to enter a DM＇s crisp preference ordering over the states using prioritized statements describing the DM＇s preferred option combinations. This procedure is extended by adding two new logical connectives that describe uncertainty of preference. For each DM, a range of possible scores for each feasible state can then be calculated, facilitating the determination of a preference ordering containing uncertainty by comparing and ranking scores. To demonstrate how this new methodology can be used to represent tmknown preferences in a real-world decision problem, it is applied to a Canadian dispute over proposed water exports.展开更多
The utilization of decision support systems which are flexible enough to handle information about cooperative behavior and stakeholder attitudes are useful for analyzing complex social conflicts. One such conflict whi...The utilization of decision support systems which are flexible enough to handle information about cooperative behavior and stakeholder attitudes are useful for analyzing complex social conflicts. One such conflict which arose from the redevelopment of a private brownfield property in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada is examined using such a decision support tool. Specifically, a formal model referred to as COAT which allows for the examination of conflicts with both coalition and attitude properties is rigorously defined and then implemented within the framework of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution in order that insights may be gained on how the decision makers can reach win-win resolutions.展开更多
New solution concepts for n-decision maker conflicts based on generalized metarationalities for modelling possible human behaviour under conflict are proposed.A classification of these solution concepts,also called st...New solution concepts for n-decision maker conflicts based on generalized metarationalities for modelling possible human behaviour under conflict are proposed.A classification of these solution concepts,also called stability definitions,is presented both to simplify understanding and to illustrate important differences among different stability regimes.The relationships among solution concepts are explored and new,more specific results are obtained in the comparison among existing stability concepts and the newly proposed ones.An informative example is used to demonstrate the applicability and insights of these solution concepts.展开更多
Insightful theorems are established on interrelationships among coalition and noncooperative stability concepts defined within the paradigm of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution. More specifically, the newly defi...Insightful theorems are established on interrelationships among coalition and noncooperative stability concepts defined within the paradigm of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution. More specifically, the newly defined coalition stability def＇mitions that are considered are coalition Nash stability （CNash）, coalition general metarationality （CGMR）, coalition symmetric metarationality （CSMR） and coalition sequential stability （CSEQ）, along with their earlier-defined noncooperative versions. A range of interesting new theorems are derived to establish connections among these coalition stability concepts as well as between noncooperative and coalition stability definitions. Applications with respect to the games of Prisoner＇s Dilemma and Chicken, as well as a groundwater contamination dispute, demonstrate how the various stability definitions can be applied in practice and confirm the validity of some of the theorems as well as point out, by example, certain types of relationships which cannot hold.展开更多
文摘A comparison of two decision analysis tools for the analysis of strategic conflicts, the Analytic Network Process （ANP） and the graph model for conflict resolution, is carried out by applying them to the China-US TV dumping conflict. Firstly, the graph model is introduced along with practical procedures for modeling and analyzing conflicts using the decision support software, GMCR Ⅱ. Next, ANP is explained, emphasizing structural features and procedures for synthesizing priorities. Then a framework for employing ANP to analyze strategic conflicts is designed and used to compare ANP to the graph model. The case study of the China-US TV dumping conflict provides a basis for the graph model and ANP to be compared; different features of the approaches are highlighted. The study shows that because of different theoretical backgrounds, ANP and the graph model for conflict analysis both provide useful information which can be combined to furnish a better understanding of a strategic conflict.
基金the Centre for International Governance Innovation(CIGI) for financially supporting Dr.Sean Bernath Walker during his PhD studies in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo(UW) under the project entitled Multiple Participant-Multiple Objective Decision Making in International Governance,headed by K.W.Hipelfunded by the UW Faculty of EngineeringThe Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council(NSERC) of Canada
文摘A formal methodology for analyzing the importance of weighing a decision maker＇s attitudes in a conflict is introduced and applied to the problem of negotiating a fair transfer of a brownfield property. A decision maker＇s attitudes are expressed in his consideration of his own preferences, as well as those of his opponents. Dominating attitudes are used to suggest that in a circumstance in which a decision maker takes into account multiple perspectives due to his attitudes, he may favor one perspective more heavily. The analysis of a brownfield acquisition conflict illustrates the types of insights that this methodology reveals.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.71071076,71471087,and 61673209)
文摘Based on the option prioritization in graph model for conflict resolution of two decision makers(DMs),new logical and matrix representations of four stability concepts for DMs′attitude are proposed.The logical representation of attitude is defined,and converted to the matrix form in order to develop a decision support system(DSS)efficiently.Compared with existing definitions of DMs′attitude based on states,the proposed definitions of attitude based on options are convenient and more effective to generate preferences since that of states can be significantly larger than that of options in a large conflict.In addition,it is easier to obtain the information of the prioritization of option statements than to obtain preference of states for users.The proposed representations are applied to the process conflict during aircraft manufacturing to demonstrate the efficiency of the new approach.
文摘A multiple criteria decision analysis （MCDA） approach is designed for capturing the relative preference information of a decision maker involved in ＇a conflict. More specifically, an MCDA approach based on the outranking method, ELECTRE III, is employed for ranking states or possible scenarios in the conflict from most to least preferred, where ties are allowed, for a decision maker according to his or her value system. To demonstrate how this preference elicitation methodology can be conveniently implemented in practice within the framework of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, it is applied to a real world water supply crisis which occurred in the town of North Battleford, located in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan.
文摘Formal systems engineering approaches to modeling misperceptions and attitudes are employed within the framework of the graph model for conflict resolution to systematically study the War of 1812 between the United States of America and Great Britain in order to provide enhanced insights into the causes of the war. More specifically, relational definitions for preferences, movements and stability concepts are defined for describing the attitudes and associated behavior of decision makers involved in a conflict. To capture misperceptions of decision makers in the War of 1812, attitudes are studied within the structure of a hypergame. Combining attitudes and misperceptions within the paradigm of the graph model furnishes the flexible analytical tool which demonstrates that misunderstanding of attitudes by Great Britain and the United States may have contributed to the outbreak of this nasty war.
基金funded by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council(NSERC)of Canada as well as a grant from the Government of Saudi Arabia.
文摘A systematic fuzzy approach is developed to model fuzziness and uncertainties in the preferences of decision makers involved in a conflict. This unique fuzzy preference formulation is used within the paradigm of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution in which a given dispute is modeled in terms of decision makers, each decision maker＇s courses of actions or options, and each decision maker＇s preferences concerning the states or outcomes which could take place. In order to be able to determine the stability of each state for each decision maker and the possible equilibria or resolutions, a range of solution concepts describing potential human behavior under conflict are defined for use with fuzzy preferences. More specifically, strong and weak definitions of stability are provided for the solution concepts called Nash, general metarational, symmetric metarational, and sequential stability. To illustrate how these solution concepts can be conveniently used in practice, they are applied to a dispute over the contamination of an aquifer by a chemical company located in Elmira, Ontario, Canada.
基金Acknowledgments This work was supported by the Scientific Innovation Project of Graduate Students in Jiangsu Province in China （Grant No. CXZZ12-0263）, the National Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 71471087）, as well as by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. The authors wish to express their sincere appreciation to the anonymous referees, the Associate Editor, and the editor-in-chief for furnishing comments and constructive suggestions that significantly improved the quality of their article. The authors would also like to thank Mr. Conrad Hipel for editing the paper.
文摘An option prioritization technique is developed to efficiently elicit the preferences, both unknown and crisp, of decision makers （DMs） in strategic conflicts. In the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution, each DM has one or more options, each of which may be selected or not. A state, or possible scenario, is formed when all DMs make an option selection. The software GMCR II contains an option prioritization procedure that makes it easy for a modeUer to enter a DM＇s crisp preference ordering over the states using prioritized statements describing the DM＇s preferred option combinations. This procedure is extended by adding two new logical connectives that describe uncertainty of preference. For each DM, a range of possible scores for each feasible state can then be calculated, facilitating the determination of a preference ordering containing uncertainty by comparing and ranking scores. To demonstrate how this new methodology can be used to represent tmknown preferences in a real-world decision problem, it is applied to a Canadian dispute over proposed water exports.
文摘The utilization of decision support systems which are flexible enough to handle information about cooperative behavior and stakeholder attitudes are useful for analyzing complex social conflicts. One such conflict which arose from the redevelopment of a private brownfield property in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada is examined using such a decision support tool. Specifically, a formal model referred to as COAT which allows for the examination of conflicts with both coalition and attitude properties is rigorously defined and then implemented within the framework of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution in order that insights may be gained on how the decision makers can reach win-win resolutions.
基金financial support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada through an Alexander Graham Bell Scholarship.
文摘New solution concepts for n-decision maker conflicts based on generalized metarationalities for modelling possible human behaviour under conflict are proposed.A classification of these solution concepts,also called stability definitions,is presented both to simplify understanding and to illustrate important differences among different stability regimes.The relationships among solution concepts are explored and new,more specific results are obtained in the comparison among existing stability concepts and the newly proposed ones.An informative example is used to demonstrate the applicability and insights of these solution concepts.
文摘Insightful theorems are established on interrelationships among coalition and noncooperative stability concepts defined within the paradigm of the Graph Model for Conflict Resolution. More specifically, the newly defined coalition stability def＇mitions that are considered are coalition Nash stability （CNash）, coalition general metarationality （CGMR）, coalition symmetric metarationality （CSMR） and coalition sequential stability （CSEQ）, along with their earlier-defined noncooperative versions. A range of interesting new theorems are derived to establish connections among these coalition stability concepts as well as between noncooperative and coalition stability definitions. Applications with respect to the games of Prisoner＇s Dilemma and Chicken, as well as a groundwater contamination dispute, demonstrate how the various stability definitions can be applied in practice and confirm the validity of some of the theorems as well as point out, by example, certain types of relationships which cannot hold.
