D R a F T Subject to Improvement!

D R A F T – Subject to improvement!

Terance J. Wolfe, Ph.D.

Email:

Office: Bridge 307-F

Phone: 213.740.0765

FAX: 213.740.3582

Office Hours: by appt

Course Overview

Negotiation is the art and science of securing agreements between two or more parties seeking to maximize their individual and/or joint outcomes. The central issues in this course deal with understanding the behavior of individuals, groups, and/or organizational representatives in the context of ambiguous situations that pose the potential for negotiated solutions.

The purpose of the course is to understand the theory and practice of negotiation as they are applied in a variety of settings. The course is relevant to a broad spectrum of negotiation problems faced by managers and professionals. The content is appropriate for those interested in a wide variety of topics including marketing, real estate, entrepreneurship, consulting, project management, M&A, joint ventures, and cross-cultural/cross-border transactions, among others. The course emphasizes negotiations that occur in the daily life of managers.

A basic premise of the course is that managers need analytic skills to discover optimal solutions to problems, and negotiation skills to get solutions accepted and implemented. The course allows participants to develop their skills experientially and to understand negotiation through useful analytical frameworks. Emphasis is placed on simulations, role-playing, and cases.

Objectives. The purpose of this course is to develop a conceptual and a practical approach to negotiation and dispute resolution. The major objectives for participants are to:

·  Gain a broad intellectual familiarity of a set of central concepts that will enable the systematic understanding and evaluation of the process of negotiation.

·  Improve analytical abilities in understanding our own style, needs, concerns, desires, motivations, and outcome preferences, as well as those of counterpart negotiators.

·  Increase confidence in our ability to persuade and negotiate both within and across cultures.

·  Understand the negotiation process as an effective means for resolving conflict.

·  Provide experience in negotiation including how to (1) clarify one’s own outcome preferences as well as those of others, (2) understand and adapt (as needed) one’s own style, (3) evaluate the costs and benefits of alternative actions, and (4) manage the negotiation process.

Course Format

The course is designed around a series of negotiation exercises. In a given class session, you can expect any combination of lecture, class discussion, class negotiation activities (to include an actual negotiation and debrief of the experience), and/or video.

All negotiation exercises require advance preparation and active participation. You must (1) be fully prepared for these exercises prior to class, and (2) actively participate in negotiation simulations and post-simulation debriefs.

Some class time may be provided when group preparation is required. However, expect to meet face-to-face or virtually outside of class to prepare for some negotiation activities.

Keys to Exercise Success

There are four keys to getting the most out of the negotiation exercises in this course:

·  Do the readings. Grasp the key concepts of negotiation and conflict management. Apply course concepts in your preparation for, and participation in, each case. This will enhance your learning and negotiation effectiveness.

·  Prepare thoroughly. Read the cases carefully and prepare thoroughly for your role in the negotiation. Preparation will rapidly enhance your negotiation skills and competencies, and contribute to the development of these competencies in your classmates.

·  Design personal learning experiments. Think about your own style and your negotiation effectiveness. Design “experiments” to modify your style to enhance your effectiveness.

·  Reflect on your negotiating experiences. Draw upon course concepts and principles to explain what happened and how those are likely to apply (or not) in future negotiations.

Achieving the objectives comes only with disciplined preparation and application of the course concepts. Do not expect to improve your negotiation effectiveness through minimal preparation. The bulk of the work is devoted to preparing for, conducting, and debriefing negotiations.

Course Materials

Texts (required):

Lewicki, Barry & Saunders, 2007. Essential of Negotiation, 5th edition. Boston: McGraw-Hill. Exam will be based upon the 5th ed. Use earlier editions at own risk.

Fisher, R. & Ury, W. 1991. Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In. New York: Penguin Books.

Reader (required). USC Bookstore

Summary of Course Requirements

Scores and grades for this course are assigned based on completion of the following:

1.  Session preparation 30%

2.  Mid-term Exam 20%

3.  Personal Assessment 20%

4.  Group Project 30%

TOTAL 100%

D R A F T – Subject to improvement!

MOR 569 – Schedule of Sessions, Readings and Deliverables Spring 2013

D R A F T – Subject to improvement!

Prep Sheets