Deception In Deception

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Negotiations are an essential aspect of business life and success. Defined as a bargaining decision-making process in which two or more parties or groups are seeking an agreement to resolve a conflict, allocate scarce resources, or settle a matter of mutual concern (businessdictionary.com). Because of the perceived rules of negotiation, some may suggest that there is no deception in negotiation because there is an awareness that they can expect lies and neither party is speaking truthfully about their position. Many believe successful negotiations can be enhanced by deceptive tactics, such as strategic misrepresentation, exaggeration, and withholding of information. But are using these various deceptive tactics ethically justified?
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But when does concealment constitute as deception? Withholding information intentionally in order to mislead the other party is unethical because they might have chosen differently if they knew all the information (Provis, 2000). Along with withholding information, being vague with information can have a negative impact on the possible alliance and could increase conflict with misunderstanding. Often one’s vagueness fosters growth that are good for their self-interests, but could be harmful when used to promote products or achieve a goal. On the other hand, using vague language can enhance flexibility during negotiations. For example, a delivery time may be expressed as “five to seven days” or “a few weeks”. While this information is not very effective, it gives the party some flexibility and can protect the speaker from criticism if the information has some deviations (SHI Limei, …show more content…

If used properly, vagueness can make a word appear polite, helping both parties achieve respect, in which helps to achieve ideal communication (Zhao & Nie, 2015). Withholding information or using vague language can be both misleading and unethical if used incorrectly and tends to increase the level of conflict between negotiating agents. Ethical negotiators should always be open and forth coming with the other party, giving them all the information available as to allow them to make a responsible decision.
It seems that in negotiating, there is a general presumption of deception. However, as Provis (2000) says, if it is believed that the practice of deception is being used we could risk harming innocents. Also, people’s experience with negotiation vary widely and there is an asymmetry of knowledge. It seems unfair that parties with weaker ethical commitment prosper at the expense of those with a stronger commitment. There seems to be a rather large grey area in which negotiation tactics can be viewed as marginally unethical and justifiable under specific circumstances (Lewicki & Robinson,

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