The New York Subway Car Dispute

Abstract

The improved metagame analysis algorithm is used to analyse a complex “real world” international trade dispute that occurred as an aftermath to the awarding of a large contract to supply subway cars for New York City. In addition to furnishing a systematic structure for analysis, the metagame approach to conflict analysis is used to predict the feasible resolutions to the subway conflict. The application clearly depicts the many inherent advantages of employing a systematic procedure to analyse a given international trade dispute.

Résumé

L'algorithme amélioré des méta-jeux est utiliser afin d'analyser une dispute complexe en commerce international au sujet d’un contrat important de fabrication de wagons de métro pour la ville de New-York. En plus de fournir une structure systématique pour cette analyse, le procédé méta-jeux est utiliser afin de prédire les’ solutions possible à ce conflit, Cet exemple démontre clairement les avantages multiples d’un procédé systématique pour analyser une négotiation international.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

N.W. Stokes

NIGEL W. STOKES is a Senior Management Consultant in the Computer Consulting Practice of Woods Gordon. He has published several articles on conflict situations. Mr Stokes holds a B sc from Queen's University, an MASC from the University of Waterloo and is currently an MBA candidate at the University of Toronto.

K.W. Hipel

KEITH W. HIPEL is aProfessor and Associate Chairman for Undergraduate Studies within the Department of Systems Design Engineering and is cross-appointed to the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Sciences at the University of Waterloo. He obtained his Bachelors and PH D degrees in Civil Engineering, while his Masters degree was in Systems Design Engineering at the University of Waterloo. In addition to being a member of the American Water Resources Association, the American Geophysical Union, and the Association of Professional Engineers of Ontario, Dr Hipel is an Associate Editor of Water Resources Bulletin and was Chairman of the Surface Runoff Committee of the Hydrology Section in the American Geophysical Union. Besides doing engineering consulting in operational research, Dr Hipel has taught special courses and seminars in foreign countries such as Brazil, China, Japan, Singapore, and the United States. His present research interests include the use and development of stochastic modelling techniques in the geophysical sciences and the incorporation of political and non-quantitative considerations into the systems design of large-scale engineering projects. In addition to co-authoring two textbooks and co-editing three books in stochastic modelling, Dr Hipel has produced research that has been published in various international engineering and operational research journals.

P.H. Roe

P.H. ROE is Associate Dean of Engineering at the University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. He received degrees in Engineering Physics, (University of Toronto, 1959), Applied Mathematics (Waterloo, 1960), and Electrical Engineering (Waterloo, 1963). He has beeii a member of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo since 1960, holding successively the ranks of Lecturer and Assistant, Associate, and full Professor. Dr Roe has been a visiting Professor at several institutions, including the Thayer School of Engineering, Dartmouth College, NH, U.S.A.. The Universite de Technologie de Compiegne, France, the Nova Scotia Institute of Technology, Halifax, NS, Canada, the Open University, Miltdn Keynes, U.K. and tihe Ecole Sup^rieure d'Ingenieurs de Marseille, France. Prof. Roe has held several administrative posts at the University of Waterloo, including Associate Dean of Engineering for graduate studies, Associate Chairman of the Department of Systems Design, both for undergraduate and for graduate studies, and his present position is Associate Dean for undergraduate studies. Professor Roe is the author or co-author of more than 100 technical papers and six books. His research interests include graph theoretic modelling of engineering systems, electrical network theory, graph theory, computer networks, etc.