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About the Game
The LEMON CAR GAME is designed to explore trust in negotiation through a simple situation (Hofstede et al. 2008). The crux is that although the economic value of the article, a second-hand car, is known within reasonable limits, there may be a hidden quality defect. The buyer and seller have to not only negotiate the price but also whether the buyer trusts the seller, whether a third party check for defects is required, whether this happens up front or after the sale, and who pays for it. You can play the LEMON CAR GAME online!
Trust in Negotiation
The LEMON CAR GAME is being applied in a study exploring the relationships between cultural differences and differences in trust and deceit in negotiations. Understanding issues of trust and transparency in business relationships is important (Hofstede et al. 2006). Negotiating is an activity in which these issues are particularly salient. In today’s globalizing world, many negotiations are cross-cultural. This may cause misunderstandings if people misinterpret one another's style. A classic example is the Northern European who goes to the Mediterranean and finds himself confronted with negotiable prices rather than fixed ones.
The LEMON CAR GAME research study is led by:
- Gert Jan Hofstede (Wageningen University)
- Catholijn M. Jonker (Delft University of Technology)
- Tim Verwaart (Wageningen University)
- Neil Yorke-Smith (Delft University of Technology, and American University of Beirut)
Anyone can contribute to this research by playing the web-based version of the game. The study has received human-subjects approval from Delft University of Technology and the American University of Beirut.
Playing the Game Online
Play the LEMON CAR GAME! It takes less than 10 minutes and it helps our research.
If you volunteer to participate in the web-based game, you will be asked to do the following things:
- You will be asked to engage in a game of second hand car selling with another player over the internet.
- You will choose either the role of the seller or the buyer.
- You will be informed about moves of the other player and asked to respond.
- You will be asked to specify the reasons for your move.
- You will also be asked to answer demographic questions.
No personally-identifiable data will be collected, unless you choose to voluntarily state your e-mail address in order to receive the outcomes of the study. No data will be shared or appear in any publication, except in anonymous aggregate form. Any questions about the study may be directed to the research team by email.
Call for Research Collaborators
Like to share in our research -- interested in helping us obtain data from different countries? Or questions about the LEMON CAR GAME or the study results? Please contact us by e-mail.
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