Aspects of Negotiation

Negotiation is defined as “a social interaction between two (or more) parties who provide arguments in an attempt to influence each other to accept their view regarding the value of the negotiated object” (Maaravi, Ganzach, & Pazy, 2011). This means that two parties are trying to reach an end state goal and both require something from other in order to meet that goal. A company or person identifies an issue for either a want or a need to resolve that issue but they cannot remedy the problem on their own. This creates an environment to start a negotiation with another party that can either resolve the entire issue or be a portion of a series of negotiations in a multi-step process. There are many different types of negotiations for various reasons but the commonality in all negotiations is that both parties have some possible gain to bring to the table. This essay will discuss how people negotiate for nearly everything but especially for jobs, salary, large purchases, and sex. Also, how the differences in race, culture, and gender of each party can influence the negotiation process will be examined. (Thompson, 2010)

First, a business or person must do some self-assessment and find out what are their actual needs and wants. This process can be tedious and long but definitely necessary to start negotiating with others. Usually, during a self-assessment parties may come to a realization that their goal is not the actual goal they thought they were after. For example, a business says it wants to produce more widgets but that’s not really their goal. The real goal is more profits. To make more profits there can be alternative techniques than just making more widgets. The business could cut cost or simply market their widgets be...

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...iator and get the best possible outcome emotions must be controlled while at the table. This will lead to a more productive process and be recognized as a strength to the opposition. (Sinaceur, et al., 2011)

Equally, gender has played a role in the negotiations because of the stereotypes that exist within many societies. Due to societal role of women to be concerned for others and selfless this has led many people to see women as weak negotiators. Men are seen as the converse to women as being competitive, assertive, and aggressive. Because of these roles women are at a disadvantage at the table. However, this stereotype can be used as a strength if used strategically when negotiating. As women are seen as more communal in nature their first offers are generally more reasonable and more accepted then men with more extreme offers and a larger ZOPA. (Miles, 2010)