Assignment “Business Negotiation Skills” SM107 (2nd Semester)

All questions are mandatory. Each question carries 10 marks. Total:

50 marks
Answers must be in your own words. Avoid copying and pasting from google. Answers
found plagiarized will be rejected and will carry zero marks. Each answer must not be
more than 250-300 words.

Q1. What does one mean by “Separate people from the problem”? Elaborate with
suitable examples.

Ans- While working we often face situations at work where conflict arises, potentially putting
relationships at risk. The key to resolve such disputes is to be hard on the problem while being
soft on the people around. Separating people from the problem requires negotiators to
understand that each party has a different perception of each issue; each party must not allow
emotions to play a role in the process and each party must learn to better communicate and
listen.
Dealing with people problems:
1. You must understand that perceptions control the other side’s response and attitude in
a negotiation. The most important negotiation skill is the ability to expatriate. You must
feel the emotional force of other’s argument and should try to understand what the
perceives. Do not blame the other party, they will become defensive and won’t listen
to you. Rather, use positive words and offer suggestions as to how you can find
solutions. A successful negotiator will empower the other side to have a stake in the
outcome so that they feel ownership in the process of finding a solution.
For example, if you are having generator breaking down problem repeatedly, don’t say: “your
company makes the shoddy equipments”, instead point out that “this is the third time this month
that it’s broken down and disrupted our business. What can we do to improve its reliability?
Should we contact another company for a second opinion?”
2. Emotions: Also, be cautious about yours and other party’s emotions, use small gestures
to affirm others.
3. Communication: we cannot have negotiation without healthy conversation.
• Listen actively and acknowledge what others are saying.
• Focus on solving the problem a partners
• Speak for yourself, without impugning other's motivations.
• Speak for a reason.
“If negotiators view themselves as adversaries in a personal face-to-face confrontation, it is
difficult to separate their relationship from the substantive problem. In context, anything one
negotiator says about the problem seems to be directed personally at the other and is received
that way. Each side tends to become defensive reactive and to ignore the other side’s legitimate
interests together.”
Quoting an example that demonstrates the value of this stance.
Egypt – Israel Peace Treaty; In 1979, Egypt- Israel peace treaty was signed by the President
of Egypt and Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Anwar e-Sadat to end the conflict that
damaged the region for decades. Promoted by President Jimmy Carter during the Camp David
Peace Accords, the people agreed to demilitarize the Sinai Peninsula and allow free passage
through the Suaz Canal and other international waterways. Egypt also to recognize Israel as a
state.
According to Sadat, the President of Egypt, the promotion of this treaty “constitutes one of the
greatest achievements of our time.” beyond the years of religious and ethnic-conflict between
the two nations it was well known that President Sadat personally did not like Prime Minister
Begin and those strong differences existed between both the leaders.
However, their political relationships were separated from their substantive problems with the
help of President Carter and later o they designed an agreement that allowed their nations to
move past enduring military conflict.

Q2. Give examples related to day-to-day life where negotiations form a part.
Ans- There are many situations in our daily life where we need to negotiate. Following are the
routine life examples where negotiations form a part: -
I. Traveling- Airports are negotiation breeding grounds. When it comes to air travel, we
usually settle for less out of habit. Airport staff members are habitual to emotionally
charged confrontations, and passengers are used to hearing administrative rejections.
Most of us are aware of this dynamic, but we don’t use that information to adjust our
strategy and build influence. Before you approach an airline representative, consider
those unspoken expectations and use them to anticipate your counterpart’s reaction and
understand their perspective. Airports are ideal settings to practice taking a cold read
and conducting an accusation audit to get out ahead of negative perceptions.
However, travelling is hectic for both passengers and the staff dealing with the issues on
a daily basis. This hypersensitive environment offers the perfect opportunities to practice
tactical empathy and self-awareness and self-regulation when negotiating with difficult people.
II. Buying Coffee- A morning coffee is something all coffee lovers need but you can't
bargain at Starbucks and barista to change the price of your coffee directly as some
things are just not up for negotiations but negotiation is about navigating emotion and
gaining influence. It might not be possible for Starbucks to lower down the price for
you but you still can negotiate as price is not the only factor that can be negotiated. For
instance, they can give you a Venti for the price of Grande or give you a free baked
good along with the coffee or give you decaf instead of regular. In conclusion, they can
simply influence the values we receive.
Choosing to negotiate in contexts that are not widely associated with negotiation needs
extra courage and willpower. In everyday scenarios the basis for any negotiation is effective
communication, tactics and also emotional intelligence. When you approach a negotiation from
the perspective of building relationships, you will find that it is much easier to build trust,
authentic connection and can influence behaviour in an organic way.
III. Dealing with family and co-workers- With phrases like, “because I said so” you will
lose out on pivotal opportunities to get what you want. Many parents face the same
situations where they are forcing something on their kids which the kids are not ready
to implement. Focus on creating a collaborative environment and uncovering what your
child values differently than you. Although an 8:30 p.m. bedtime might be you be-all-
end-all, you might learn that your seven-year-old values screen time more than staying
up late. By trading ten minutes of screen time for being in bed with teeth brushed at
8:20 p.m., you’ll create a deal that’s satisfactory to both parties and more apt to stick.
Also, don’t forget about people with whom you spend 40 hours/week. In spite of your
personal or professional goals, there are chances where you need your co-workers to their job
or may be something extra. Every interaction in which you’re attempting to influence someone
else’s behaviour is a negotiation. Recognizing these opportunities and consciously deciding to
take advantage of them is the key to continuous growth.
Every interaction in which you’re attempting to influence someone else’s behaviour is a
negotiation. Recognizing these opportunities and consciously deciding to take advantage of
them is the key to continuous growth.

Q3. Give a few examples related to workplace negotiations.

Ans- There are various negotiations at workplace which we need to make even on a regular
basis sometimes-
❖ Salary negotiations- One of the most common negotiation scenarios many Bargaineers
will face during one’s career is that of negotiating for a higher salary or better
compensation. These articles focus on the effective negotiation tactics employed by
negotiators who advocate on behalf of themselves or others to secure higher salaries or
more competitive employment benefits.
❖ Business negotiations- Effective business negotiation is a core leadership and
management skill. This is the ability to negotiate effectively in a wide range of business
contexts, including dealmaking, employment discussions, corporate team building,
management talks, contracts, handling disputes, employee compensation, business
acquisitions, vendor pricing and sales, real estate leases, and the fulfilment of contract
obligations. Business negotiation is critical to be creative in any negotiation in a
business setting. Business negotiation strategies include breaking the problem into
smaller parts, considering unusual deal terms, and having your side brainstorm new
ideas.
❖ Conflict resolution- Conflict resolution is the process of resolving a dispute or a
conflict by meeting at least some of each side’s needs and addressing their interests.
Conflict resolution sometimes requires both a power-based and an interest-based
approach, such as the simultaneous pursuit of litigation (the use of legal power) and
negotiation (attempts to reconcile each party’s interests).
 ❖ Deal making- In corporate dealmaking, much of the action happens away from the
negotiating table. Successful dealmakers understand that deal set-up and design greatly
influence negotiation outcomes and successfully closing a deal. Other critical factors in
successfully making deals include strategic behaviour – the unwillingness of one or
both sides to make a best offer – psychological factors, lack of a deadline, poorly-
prepared formal documents and refusal to allow the other side to make a graceful exit,
even when they’ve agreed to your demands.

Strategies for successful dealmaking include tactics such as creating more value by exploring
hidden interests and adding issues that appeal to your bargaining opponent. Another tactic is
recruiting a third-party mediator when the dealmaking process is at an impasse. Sometimes,
Harvard experts find, it pays to be the first person to make an offer, while at other times, it pays
to wait.

Q4. Elaborate your own SWOT, related to your professional life.

Ans-

Personal development is an essential step for making yourself more appealing to employers
and customers. It also helps boost your self-image. People apply many different tactics to stand
apart in this sea of candidates. They want to secure the top position, but it not as easy as it
sounds. Individuals often conduct the SWOT analysis.
A SWOT matrix is a framework for analysing your strengths and weaknesses as well as the
opportunities and threats that you face. This helps you focus on your strengths, minimize your
weaknesses, and take the greatest possible advantage of opportunities available to you.
❖ STRENGTHS-
 A. I am innovative.
B. I am a hardworking and compassionate person.
C. I don’t get discouraged when something goes wrong but look for solutions.
D. I speak multiple languages.
E. Organised individual
F. Optimistic.
G. I possess the ability of problem solving.
H. Effective time management.

❖ WEAKNESSES/ AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT-

A. I have a strong, compulsive need to do things quickly and remove them from my "to
do" list, and sometimes the quality of my work suffers as a result.
B. This same need to get things done also causes me stress when I have too many tasks.
C. I get nervous when presenting ideas to someone, and this fear of public speaking often
takes the passion out of my presentations
D. I usually don’t keep a track of income and expenses.
E. Better at brainstorming than execution.

❖ OPPORTUNITIES-

A. There are many national level training programmes in Glenmark Pharmaceuticals ltd
which can help me enhancing the skills I possess or building new ones.
B. There are many chances of earning incentives If I hit the desired target.
C. Opportunity of modelling by G-town.

❖ THREATS-

A. Whenever I am with friends, I’m tempted to spend more money.

B. I lose motivation at work whenever I have to work on projects.
C. Attending classes from home is too distracting.
D. My impatience often leads to difficulties with people.

Q5. Describe in detail with types of negotiations, tactics used in your negotiations
experience during working or dealing with some life situations.
Ans- A negotiation is a strategic discussion that resolves an issue in a way that both parties
find acceptable. In a negotiation, each party tries to persuade the other to agree with his or her
point of view. By negotiating, all involved parties try to avoid arguing but agree to reach
some form of compromise.
Following are the types of negotiations-
❖ Distributive negotiation- “A negotiation method in which two parties strive to divide
a fixed pool of resources, each trying to maximize its share of the distribution.”
For example, buying a car - Buying a car is a classic example of distributive negotiation. A
car sale involves two disparate parties: a buyer and a seller. In this case, each person has
different interests: while the seller wants to make as much money as possible, the buyer seeks
to pay the least amount of money possible.
Since there is unlikely to be continued business between these two individuals after the sale,
the relationship aspect of the negotiation is not important. Both parties go back and forth in
an adversarial manner until a deal is agreed upon. At the end of the negotiation, either the
salesperson or the customer may receive the better end of the negotiation.
While distributive bargaining can be useful when trying to receive the best deal possible, this
method tends to benefit strong or aggressive negotiators the most. It also tends to create
competition between the negotiating parties.
❖ Integrative negotiation- is a negotiation strategy in which the involved parties work
together to find a solution that satisfies the needs and concerns of each.
For example, one apple and two kids- The classic example involves two kids and an apple.
If there's only one apple in the refrigerator and both kids demand it simultaneously, a
distributive bargain might well involve each of them getting half of it. In an integrative
approach, each might ask the other why he or she wanted the apple, discovering in the
process that one wanted to eat the inside while the other wanted the peel to bake a cake. The
integrative bargain would be better for both.
❖ Team negotiation- A team negotiation is one in which at least one of the parties is
made up of more than one person. More typically, in a team negotiation, there are at
least two teams involved.
For example, contract negotiations between company management and a union, or two
organizations negotiating a possible merger. Negotiators typically team up when they believe
their different talents, skills, and knowledge will make them stronger. Indeed, research shows
that when there’s at least one team at the bargaining table, negotiators are likely to create
more overall value. When setting up your negotiation team, it is wise to negotiate what role
each person will play, plan your negotiating strategy in advance, and take frequent breaks
during the negotiation to discuss how things are going and work out any disagreements that
emerge in private.
❖ Multiparty negotiations- is a type of negotiation where more than two parties
negotiate towards an agreement.
For example, when three friends are deciding where to go for dinner, they can be said to be
engaged in a multiparty negotiation. And when the nations of the world meet to try to reach
an agreement on climate change, they also are engaging in a multiparty negotiation. Clearly,
multiparty negotiations often also encompass team negotiations, if various teams are at the
bargaining table. Business professionals are often daunted by the complexity of multiparty
negotiation, but in fact, that complexity can bring immense benefits. The more issues, parties,
and concerns there are on the table, the more opportunities there are to create value by
making trade-offs across issues. But because multiparty negotiations sometimes splinter into
divisive factions, they need to be managed carefully.
❖ One shot vs repeated negotiations- some negotiations are single time only that
doesn't involve any intentions of negotiating in the future called as One shot
negotiations.
For example, public auctions- the buyers get to place the bid only once. There's no room for
future negotiations as the product is auctioned off.
On the contrary, where people engage in negotiations more than once are called as Repeated
negotiations.
For example, brainstorming sessions- this type of sessions happens at workplace where
people keep on suggesting something new every time until they reach a census.