Cognition and decision making in construction engineering and management: A case of construction project contract negotiation

Cognition is defined as a faculty for the processing of information, applying knowledge, and changing preferences. Increasing cognition research in management science indicates the significance of leveraging cognitive science to improve decision-making; however, little research has been conducted within the construction engineering management (CEM) community. Construction project contract negotiation plays an important role in CEM, which is also the key to the initial operation of the whole project. Many factors influence construction project contract negotiation including the goal of the negotiation, trust relationships, cooperation and so on. Using a fuzzy cognitive map (FCM) method, this paper investigates the factors which affect contract negotiation. The fuzzy cognitive map for the contract negotiations is established from the perspective of the contractor. This cognitive map analyzes the construction project contract negotiation behaviors and gives new methods for seeking a breakthrough in negotiations.