The Lee Kong Chian School of
Business
Academic Year 2021/22
Term 2
COR-OBHR1309
NEGOTIATING IN MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS
Instructor
Title
Tel
Email
Office
: Dr Paul Lim
: Lecturer of Organisational Behaviour & Human Resources
: 6808 7968
: paullim@smu.edu.sg
: LKCSB #5104
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between parties who are interdependent, are
seeking to maximize their outcomes, and may or may not be interested in developing or preserving a
close relationship. This course is designed to be relevant to the broad spectrum of negotiation problems
faced by managers and professionals. The course focuses both on arm’s-length commercial negotiations,
and negotiations that occur within one’s own organization.
A basic premise of this course is that while any manager or professional needs analytical skills to discover
optimal solutions to problems, negotiation skills are usually needed to get these solutions accepted and
implemented. This course provides participants with conceptual and analytical tools for analyzing and
planning their negotiations. It also provides participants with simulated negotiation experiences that allow
them to develop their negotiating skills, and to understand how the conceptual and analytical tools can be
used in practice.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of this course, students will achieve the following learning outcomes:
1. Disciplinary and Multidisciplinary Knowledge, & Intellectual and Creative Skills:
 Understand and be able to put into practice the central frameworks, principles, concepts and theories
in negotiation.
II. Interpersonal Skills & Personal Mastery:
 Gain negotiation experience, skills, and confidence.
 Obtain the insights needed to learn on an ongoing basis from their own future negotiations.
PRE-REQUISITE/ CO-REQUISITE/ MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE COURSE(S)
Pre-requisite and co-requisite courses:
None
Mutually exclusive courses:
LAW403 Negotiation and Mediation for Lawyers
LAW482 Deal-making and Dispute Resolution: Negotiation in an Age of Disruption
This course can be taken to satisfy the Managing requirement of the University Core Curriculum, or as an
Elective toward the OBHR Major.
Please refer to the Course Catalogue on OASIS for the most updated list of pre-requisites / co-requisites
for this particular course.
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ASSESSMENT CRITERIA
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Class participation: 20%
Negotiation Feedback: 20%
Group project: 25%
Final Exam: 35%
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All acts of academic dishonesty (including, but not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, facilitation
of acts of academic dishonesty by others, unauthorized possession of exam questions, or tampering with
the academic work of other students) are serious offences.
All work (whether oral or written) submitted for purposes of assessment must be the student’s own
work. Penalties for violation of the policy range from zero marks for the component assessment to
expulsion, depending on the nature of the offence.
When in doubt, students should consult the course instructor. Details on the SMU Code of Academic
Integrity may be accessed at http://www.smuscd.org/resources.html.
ACCESSIBILITY
SMU strives to make learning experiences accessible for all. If you anticipate or experience physical or
academic barriers due to disability, please let me know immediately. You are also welcome to contact the
university's disability services team if you have questions or concerns about academic provisions:
included@smu.edu.sg.
Please be aware that the accessible tables in our seminar room should remain available for students who
require them.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS FOR TEACHING AND LEARNING (EPTL)
To familiarize students with online delivery, part of this course may be conducted online via Zoom.
Where there is an emergency that makes it infeasible to have classes on campus, classes will be conducted
online with no disruption to the schedule. The instructor will inform students which classes, if any, will be
conducted online.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS AND EXPECTATIONS
The course is highly interactive and the objectives of this course will be accomplished via the required
readings, lectures, class discussions, in-class negotiation experiences, and course assignments.
 Class Participation (20%)
Constructive participation is a central part of the learning process for you and your classmates. Your
constructive participation reflects your contribution to class learning. It includes attendance and active
participation in class discussions and teamwork in negotiation simulations.
 Negotiation Feedback (20%)
The simulation approach in this course provides a valuable opportunity to give and receive extensive
feedback on negotiation performance. Accordingly, within 48 hours after each negotiation simulation, you
will send an email to your negotiation counterpart or counterparts with an evaluation of their strengths in
the negotiation, and their weaknesses and your recommendations for improvement. Be sure to cc all your
feedback emails to the instructor at [email address]. You will be graded on the quality and quantity of
useful feedback sent. Full explanation provided in Appendix A.
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 Group project (25%)
Video-tape an interview of someone who is highly experienced with negotiations. Select from the
following suggested list a topic that is the focus of your interview. Ideally, all groups are to have separate
topics.
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Mediation
Cross-Cultural/International negotiations
Multi-party negotiations (more than 3 parties, groups or teams)
Coalitions
Negotiation tactics
Managing difficult negotiations
Managing relationships in negotiations
Ethics in negotiations
Analyse the interview in comparison with the theories discussed in class.
Each team will be given only 15mins to present. The breakdown of grades is as follows:
a) Video Interview: Interview design and execution (5%)
b) Analysis: Accuracy and appropriate application of theory (10%)
c) Presentation: Presentation delivery and preparedness (10%)
You may support your interview with any form of technology that you find fit to enhance the presentation
experience. For grading and accountability purposes, please submit the soft copy of videos (or youtube
links) and hard copies of supporting materials to me during the final lesson.
 Final Exam (35%)
The Final Exam will consist of 40x MCQ questions (40 marks) & 6x Short essay questions (60 marks). You
have up to 2 hours to complete it. Please study this exam well – time management is essential. Students
whose native language is not English may apply to me for the use of dictionaries. This is a closed book
exam.
CONSULTATIONS
Office Hours:
By appointment only. Consultations may be available via face to face or Zoom.
CLASS TIMINGS
This course is taught in one 3-hour session one day a week.
CHANGES
The course outline, required readings, and/or class schedule may be modified at the instructor’s
discretion. Changes will be announced in class or electronically.
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TEXT AND READINGS
Compulsory Course Pack (Negotiation Simulations):
More information will be provided in class on the negotiation simulations that are required for this
course. Payment will be made through the library course pack system. You will only receive the
simulations on the day of the actual simulation. Each simulation case is not to be reproduced. Doing so
will put you in breach of copyright laws.
Required Reading List:
Week 1 – Nature of Negotiations
How to Negotiate Deals, Resolve Disputes, and Make Decisions Across Cultural Boundaries. J. M. Brett,
“Negotiating Globally,” 2nd ed., pp. 1-11. John Wiley & Sons, 2007.
Shonk, K. (2021). Five Conflict Resolution Strategies. PON - Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law
School. Retrieved 29 September 2021, from https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/conflictresolution/conflict-resolution-strategies/.
Week 2 – Distributive Bargaining
Bolkan, S., & Goodboy, A. K. (2021). Negotiating in Distributive Bargaining Scenarios: The Effect of
Sharing One’s Alternative. Communication Studies, 72(4), 720–733.
Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School. (2018). How to find the zone of possible agreement with
friends. PON. Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skillsdaily/negotiating-between-friends/.
Week 3 – Integrative Negotiations
Hames, D. S. (2011). Negotiation: Closing Deals, Settling Disputes, and Making Team Decisions: Closing
Deals, Settling Disputes, and Making Team Decisions. Sage. pp. 83-100
Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School. (2020). Negotiation skills: Value creation resources. PON.
Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skillsdaily/negotiation-skills-value-creation-resources/.
Week 4 – Negotiation Impasse, Difficult Negotiations
Arnesen, D. W., & Foster, T. N. (2018). Guanxi, reciprocity, and reflection-applying cultural keys to
resolve difficult negotiations. Journal of Business and Educational Leadership, 8(1), 39-47.
Program on Negotiation, Harvard Law School. (2021). Stonewalling in negotiations: Risks and pitfalls. PON.
Retrieved September 24, 2021, from https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/negotiation-skills-daily/the-risksand-pitfalls-of-stonewalling-in-negotiations/.
Week 5 – Negotiation Strategy & Ethics
Young, M. (2008). Sharks, saints, and samurai: the power of ethics in negotiations. Negotiation Journal,
24(2), 145-155.
Lax, D. A., & Sebenius, J. K. (1986). Three ethical issues in negotiation. Negotiation Journal, 2(4), 363-370.
Week 6 – Perception, Cognition, Emotion, Communication
Lowney, V. (2017). Negotiation skills: Understanding the ladder of inference. MWI. Retrieved September 24,
2021, from https://www.mwi.org/negotiation-skills-ladder-of-inference/.
Gavin, M. (2019). The Impact of Emotions in Negotiation | HBS Online. Business Insights - Blog. Retrieved
29 September 2021, from https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotion-in-business-negotiation.
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Week 7 – Negotiation Power & Influence
The four horsemen of power at the bargaining table. A. D. Galinsky, M. Schaerer, & J. C. Magee. Journal of
Business and Industrial Marketing, 2017, vol. 32, pp. 606-611.
https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://scholar.google.com/&httpsredir=1&article
=6160&context=lkcsb_research
Week 8
Recess Week
Week 9 - Coalitions
How to manage your negotiating team. J. M. Brett, R. Friedman, & K. Behfar. Harvard Business Review,
September 2009, pp. 105-109.
https://hbr.org/2009/09/how-to-manage-your-negotiating-team
Week 10 – Multi-Party Negotiations
Susskind, L. (2004). Making the Most of Multiparty Negotiations. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from
https://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/making-the-most-of-multiparty-negotiations
Week 11 – Gender, Personalities & Abilities
Babcock, L; Laschever, S. Women Don't Ask. 2003. Princeton University Press. pp.112-129.
Shonk, K. (2021). Women and Negotiation: Narrowing the Gender Gap in Negotiation. Retrieved
September 29, 2021, from https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/business-negotiations/women-andnegotiation-narrowing-the-gender-gap/
Week 12 – International, Cross Cultural Negotiations
Negotiating: The top ten ways that culture can affect your negotiation. J. Salacuse. Ivey Business Journal, 2004, vol.
69, pp. 1-6.
Green, A. (2021). How to Negotiate in Cross-Cultural Situations. Retrieved September 29, 2021, from
https://www.pon.harvard.edu/daily/leadership-skills-daily/how-to-negotiate-in-cross-cultural-situations/
Further Readings:
Cialdini, R. (1993). Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. New York: William Morrow and Company.
Fisher, R., & Ury, W. (1991). Getting to Say Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (Second ed.). New
York: Penguin Books.
Lewicki, R., Saunders, D., & Barry, B. (2015). Negotiation (Seventh ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Lum, G. (2011). The Negotiation Fieldbook (Second ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.
Thompson, L. (2013). The Truth about Negotiations. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education.
Thompson, L. (2015). The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator (Sixth ed.). Essex: Pearson Education.
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