ODR Websites: Interaction and Exchange across National Boundaries

This study aims at highlighting the main intercultural issues involved in Online Dispute Resolution procedures in which the parties try to resolve their disputes online through mediation or arbitration. The rapidly increasing number of businesses and customers transacting over the Internet makes ODR a fundamental tool for worldwide interactions as it “builds trust in transactions, keeps customers satisfied, preserves relationships, and shields companies from liability” (Rule 2002: 89). Conflicts and disputes which arise in the international business arena necessarily involve issues of culture and identity. The investigation of Online Dispute Resolution websites from different countries implies dealing with different legal systems, different communication and marketing purposes, and, last but not least, obvious cultural variables. As a matter of fact, cultural issues play an important role in the design of technology (web design) to be used for resolving disputes.