Strategic Negotiations ("Strategy 2.04")

Winter Term: 040085 Master Level (Advanced)

Summer Term: 040116 Master Level (Advanced)

Overview:

Negotiation is the process by which two or more parties with interdependent interests secure agreements. This course is designed to cover a large range of negotiation situations and issues faced by managers and other decisions makers in the private and public sector. The class will consist of a mixture of case study discussions, negotiation exercises and lectures. We will learn about basic negotiation concepts and strategies, and discuss them in a variety of contexts such as corporate acquisitions, price wars, labor disputes, licensing rights, and international relations.

Class objectives:

  • Introduce students to the analytical concepts necessary to understand the dynamics and strategic aspects of negotiations
  • Improve ability to analyze negotiations in a variety of contexts
  • Learn to balance the implicit tradeoffs of competition and cooperation inherent in most negotiations
  • Introduce students to a variety of tactics and strategies employed in negotiations
  • Improve the ability of students to conduct successful negotiations

Pre-requisites:

admission to the Master's program plus; to complete this class successfully, a Bachelor’s Degree in Business (or equivalent) is highly recommended

2016 curriculum: successful completion of the Minor

Format and teaching methods: Lectures, cases, class discussions

Language: The course is held in English

Assessment:

Your final grade will be determined based on three components:  

Class participation (max 20 points)

Group project (max 40 points)

Individual final paper (max 40 points)

You need to achieve a total of at least 50 points in order to pass the class.

Please note that you will start working on the group project during our fourth session so it is essential that you attend this session. You will have 24h to complete the project (including class time).

The topic for the individual final paper will be given to you at the end of our last session and you will have 14 days to complete it. 

Attendance:

Attendance is mandatory. You can miss one out of five sessions without losing points, you will lose all participation marks if you miss two sessions and you will automatically fail the class if you miss more than two sessions. 
Please note, for all students who want to attend the course it is absolutely essential that you attend the first session as failure to do so will result in your exclusion from the course. (If you fall ill, please contact the lecturer as soon as possible and provide a medical certificate.)
This is to ensure that students on the waiting list have the opportunity to move up!  

Literature:

Optional Textbook: Malhotra and Bazerman (2008). Negotiation Genius (Bantam)