Publication - Efficient Ordering and Parameterization of Multi-Linked Negotiation

Authors: Zhang, Xiaoqin; Lesser, Victor; and Abdallah, Sherief
Title: Efficient Ordering and Parameterization of Multi-Linked Negotiation
Abstract: Multi-linked negotiation describes a situation where one agent needs to negotiate with multiple agents about different issues (tasks, conflicts, or resource requirements), and the negotiation over one issue influences the negotiations over other issues. The multi-linked issues will become more and more important for the next generation of complicated Multi-Agent systems. However, most current negotiation research looks only at single issue negotiation and thus does not present techniques to reason and manage multi-linked issues. In this paper, we present a formalized model of the multi-linked negotiation problem. Based on this model, two search algorithms are described for finding the best ordering of negotiation issues and their parameters. Using this algorithm, an agent can evaluate and compare different negotiation approaches and choose the best one. Experimental work is presented which shows that this management technique we developed for multi-linked negotiation leads to improved performance.
Keywords: Automated Contracting, Multi-Agent Systems, Negotiation, Task Distribution
Publication: Proceedings 2nd International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems. (Extended abstract), Vol: AAMAS03, pp. 1170 - 1171
Location: Melbourne, AUS
Publisher: ACM Press
Date: July 2003
Sources: HTML: http://www.cis.umassd.edu/~x2zhang/home/pub/02-42.ps
PDF: /Documents/02-42.pdf
Notes: Full version available as University of Massachusetts Computer Science Technical Report #02-42.
Reference: Zhang, Xiaoqin; Lesser, Victor; and Abdallah, Sherief. Efficient Ordering and Parameterization of Multi-Linked Negotiation. Proceedings 2nd International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems. (Extended abstract), Volume AAMAS03, ACM Press, pp. 1170-1171. July 2003. Full version available as University of Massachusetts Computer Science Technical Report #02-42.
bibtex: 
@article{02-42,
  author    = "Xiaoqin Zhang and Victor Lesser and Sherief
               Abdallah",
  title     = "{Efficient Ordering and Parameterization of
               Multi-Linked Negotiation}",
  journal   = "Proceedings 2nd International Joint Conference on
               Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems.
               (Extended abstract)",
  volume    = "AAMAS03",
  publisher = "ACM Press",
  pages     = "1170-1171",
  month     = "July",
  year      = "2003",
  address   = "Melbourne, AUS",
  url       = "http://mas.cs.umass.edu/paper/233",
}