National University of Singapore
NUS Business School
Department of Management and Organisation
MNO3322: Negotiation and Bargaining
Session:
Instructor:
Email:
Office:
Semester 1, AY2013/14
Assistant Professor Krishna Savani
ksavani@nus.edu.sg
Mochtar Riady Building, BIZ1 07-40
Course Objectives
We negotiate every day—with potential employers, coworkers, roommates, landlords,
parents, bosses, spouses, and service providers—determining what price we will pay, the
amount of our salary and compensation, what movie to watch, and who will clean the
kitchen…all of these are negotiations. Although negotiations are a ubiquitous part of our
everyday lives, many of us know little about the strategy and psychology of effective
negotiations. Why do we sometimes get our way, while other times we walk away feeling
frustrated by our inability to achieve the agreement we desire?
Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more
interdependent parties who are seeking to maximize their outcomes. It is a way of getting
what you want from others through back-and-forth communication. This course provides
the opportunity to develop your negotiation skills in a series of simulations and debriefings
that engage a variety of bargaining processes in the contexts of deal making and dispute
resolution. Each simulation has been chosen to highlight the central concepts that underlie
negotiation strategy. The course is designed to address a broad spectrum of negotiation
problems that are faced by managers and professionals.
A basic premise of this course is that while a manager needs analytical skills to develop
optimal solutions to problems, a broad array of negotiation skills is needed for these
solutions to be accepted and implemented. Successful completion of this course will
enable you to recognize, understand, and analyze essential concepts in negotiations.
Teaching mode
This course will involve primarily interactive teaching methodologies.
Students will conduct negotiation exercises in each class that will demonstrate effective
negotiation strategies. Class discussion will center on learning from students’ in-class
negotiation experiences as well as learning knowledge about effective negotiations
derived from research.
Assessments (100% CA):
Class participation: 20%
Mid-term essay paper: 40% (5 pages, double-spaced, due at beginning of class in Week 8)
Final essay paper: 40% (5 pages, double-spaced, due at beginning of class in Week 13)
(No weekly assignments, exams, or group projects)
Readings:
Required textbooks:
Fisher, Ury, and Patton: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.
Lewicki, Barry, and Saunders, Essentials of Negotiation – 5th Edition
Required additional readings: as specified in syllabus.
Note: Please do the reading for each week after the respective lecture.
Week 1: Introduction to Negotiations
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 1
Getting to Yes, Ch 6
Exercises
Used cars
Week 2: Distributive Bargaining
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 2
Getting to Yes, Ch 8
“Should You make the first offer” – Galinsky
Exercises
Synertech-Dosagen, Texoil
Week 3: Integrative Bargaining I
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 3
Getting to Yes, Ch 1 – 4
Exercises
United Consulting
Week 4: Integrative Bargaining II
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 4
Getting to Yes, Ch 3 – 4
“Your bargaining style” – Shell Ch 1
Exercises
Moms.com
Week 5: Culture and Gender
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 11
“Nice girls don’t ask” – Linda Babcock
“When culture counts and when it doesn’t” – Morris
Exercises
Mexico Venture
Week 6: Persuasion and Influence
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 6 & 7
“The science of persuasion” – Cialdini
Exercises
Kidney
Week 7: Resolving Disputes and Building Trust
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 5 & 9
“How to choose effectively” & “How to promote cooperation” –
Axelrod
“How to negotiation when you are (literally) far apart” – Swaab
Exercises
Viking Investment
Week 8: Mediation
Readings
Getting to Yes, Ch 7
“Managing conflict” – Watkins Ch 7
Exercises
Telepro
Week 9: Agents and Ethics
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 8
“Bargaining with the devil” – Shell Ch 11
“Confronting lies and deception” – Malhotra & Bazerman
Exercises
Hampstead Houses
Week 10: Building Coalitions
Readings
“Multiple parties, coalitions, and teams” - Thompson
“Building coalitions” – Watkins Ch 6
Exercise
Tomkins-Bowden
Week 11: Multi-party Negotiations
Readings
Essentials of Negotiation, Ch 10
“Get all the parties right” – Lax & Sebenius
Exercise
Harborco
Week 12: Negotiating in different Strategic Environments
Exercise
Cobalt Systems
Week 13: Summary and Conclusion