Conflict resolution via pairwise comparison of concessions

The paper presents a pairwise-comparison method to evaluate possible deals between two parties in mutual conflict. The basic step is the evaluation of a one-to-one deal, where each party offers exactly one concession. The trade-off of benefit and cost is judged in verbal terms which are subsequently converted into numerical values on a discrete geometric scale. The information to be used by a mediator between the two parties appears to be scale-independent. The trade-off analysis is illustrated via the example of an industrial labour dispute.