Widget Factory Negotiation Case

Introduction Mark, the chief negotiator for a union in his widget factory is expected to engage Jane, the CEO of the company in a negotiation process. The negotiation aims at creating an agreement concerning wage and vacation increase for the employees. To reach an agreement, the two negotiators must factor each other’s interests and adjust them to fit the current conditions in the factory. In this study, emphasis shall be directed at the positions, interests, BATNAs and objective analysis of key negotiation and conflict concepts in the case.

Positions

According to Lewicki et al (2003), position refers to the demands made by each party involved in a negotiation. The demands made by both parties commence the negotiation process by introducing

Both parties at a negotiation must have some predetermined targets, which must be achieved for an agreement to be sealed. Mark is a representative of the company’s labor force whose main interest is to ensure that the employees receive a wage and vacation salary increment during at the beginning of the next contract. On her side, Jane main purses the interests of the company. Her main goal is to keep the company operational and maintain the entire employee

In case the talks collapse, Mark plans of inciting the workers to strike until the company meets their demands. Collapse of the proposed negotiations also means that the company will shut down due to lack of a labor force. However, the employees are aware that their high qualifications will lead them into better jobs eventually. Jane plans of engaging a mediator in order to facilitate a smooth flow of the negotiation process. In addition, she wishes to engage the plans of an arbitrator in case the negotiations collapse in the middle.

Negotiation and conflict theory concepts illustrated in the case Indeed, this scenario has demonstrated common concepts that have been associated with the conflict and negotiation process. Such concepts are observable in all negotiation process, and Maisse (2012) observes that failure to have them in conflict resolution reflects the incapability of the dispute to be resolved. In this section, major negotiation skills in the case at hand shall be examined.

Target