The Negotiation Process

The Negotiation Process Conflicts are a constant reality in our society and the effective resolution of the same may spell the difference between a successful and failed society. It is therefore imperative that the people involved in the conflict resolve the contentious issues constructively.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Negotiation Process specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Key to the constructive resolution of conflicts is the use of negotiation tactics and strategies. This is because a deeper understanding of negotiation results in people being properly equipped to diffuse conflicts for the good of all parties involved. Knowledge of the negotiation process is therefore vital for effective conflict resolution. In this paper, I shall set out to give a detailed description of the steps involved in the negotiation process Negotiation is defined as communication for the purpose of persuasion (Shamir, 2003; Goldberg, Sander Rogers, 1992 ). The negotiation process is therefore a process by which parties to a dispute discuss possible outcomes to their conflict with each other. The parties make proposals, demands and argue out until an acceptable solution is arrived at or a deadlock declared. For the negotiation process, the parties involved might choose to adopt one of the two major negotiating approaches: competition or collaboration. Competition is based on opposing interests and ends up in a win-lose scenario while collaborative is based on common interests therefore yielding to a win-win outcome. The first step in the negotiation process is to describe what it is that you want to negotiate. This is based on the concept that negotiation involves a conflict about particular resources. The participants will therefore identify if there is a situation that needs to be negotiated.Advertising Looking for report on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF L earn More Lack of an identifiable area of conflict invariably renders negotiations unnecessary. Having acknowledged the conflict, the negotiations can be deemed as being ready to begin. The process ideally begins by both parties presenting their issues which are mostly in the form of demands and goals to be met. The particular demands and goals for the parties involved may be well defined or vague and confusing. A goal is defined as a known or presumed commercial or personal interest of all or some of the parties to the negotiation and it is these goals that set the grounds for the negotiation process. From this an outline of expectations from the parties involved can be made and the agenda for the negotiation process outlined. Having established the basis for the negotiation, one can now delve deeper into the task. While the preliminary stage acted as ground for negotiation, the information on the issues at hand was only sparingly addressed. The second step involves a deepe r probing to enable both parties to understand each other better. As such, this step is characterized by the informational exchange between the parties involved in a bid to establish the real needs and goals. Each side aims at understanding the opponent, their limits and how far they are willing to compromise so as to reach a consensus. Use of open-ended questions and allowing the other party to correct your understanding of the issue are some of the best means of ensuring that a good understanding of the issues at hand is attained. Restatement of information leads to clarity and confirmation thus assuring that communication is effective. A key element in this step is to get as much information as is possible to enable the parties to come up with as many options as are possible. It is in this stage that a person can also gain a better appreciation of the other party’s point of view.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on The Negotiation Process specificall y for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This will be hugely beneficial since once you are able to look at the conflict from the other person’s point of view, you can propose solutions that they would find appealing and therefore resolve the issue. Once it has been clearly established what each party wants, the next step involves trying to influence the other party to reach a concession that is beneficial to you. The principle reason for negotiating is to try and produce better results than you can obtain without negotiation (Shamir, 2003; Fisher et al., 1991). It should be noted that persuasion may be achieved in the competitive approach by resorting to threats or in the collaborative approach by the appealing to the principles or common interests of the other party. Regardless of whichever approach is adopted, the aim of persuasion is to make the opposition sympathetic to your perspective on the issue or coerce them to respond more favorably to you de mands. This step therefore involves making appeals to the opponent in a bid to come up with a favorable result. Concession trading which is the aim of good negotiation is the next stage in negotiating. Shamir (2003) defines consensus building as a decision and agreement reached by all the identified parties. In this process, each party is required to reduce their demands or aspirations so as to accommodate the other party. Through this process, unanimous agreement over the disputed issue(s) is reached. At the onset of the negotiating process, the parties involved are at loggerheads or in disagreement at the least. However, after working down the stages of the negotiation process, the parties involved are able to reach an agreement by compromising on the original goals and objectives. As such, each side makes some gains and possibly some loses. In the consensus building stage of negotiating, time plays a critical role. It is important that each party is given as much time as is neces sary to reach their decisions.Advertising Looking for report on communication strategies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As such, deadlines are ideally not supposed to be imposed though this may not be practicable in most real life scenarios where time of essence. The reason for this is that applying of pressure may lead to a decision being taken that some may regret therefore leading to future conflicts. The agreements arrived at should be finalized and subsequently formalized since in as much as an agreement has been reached, that by itself does not guarantee that the implementation will proceed undeterred. Creation of methods of implementation and monitoring should be achieved. Shamir (2003) suggests that for significant issues, an agenda and timetable should be decided upon and the various issues which have been agreed outlined. A clear and detailed description of the steps to be taken to make sure that the formal agreement is implemented should also be made. As was stated at the onset of this paper, negotiation is one of the most productive means by which disputes can be successfully resolved. An understanding of the negotiating process greatly empowers a person in his/her negotiating undertakings. This paper set out to give a detailed outline of the key steps in the negotiation process. While the process described herein is basic and might have to be modified to be applicable to the specific disputes at hand, it provides a good framework for negotiation tasks. An understanding and proper implementation of these process will lead to greater success during negotiations. References Shamir, Y. (2003). Alternative Dispute Resolution Approaches and their Application. PCCP Publications.

The Lady with the Pet Dog Study Guide

The Lady with the Pet Dog Study Guide Anton Chekhov’s short story The Lady with the Pet Dog begins in the resort town of Yalta, where a new visitor- a fair-haired young woman of medium height who owns a white Pomeranian- has caught the attention of the vacationers. In particular, this young woman piques the interest of Dmitri Dmitrich Gurov, a well-educated married man who has regularly been unfaithful to his wife. Chekhov wrote The Lady with the Pet Dog in 1899, and theres much about the story to suggest its semi-biographical.  At the time he wrote it, Chekhov was a regular resident of Yalta and was dealing with protracted periods of separation from his own lover, the actress Olga Knipper. As Chekhov wrote to her in October of 1899, I have grown accustomed to you. And I feel so alone without you that I cannot accept the idea that I shall not see you again until spring. Plot Summary of The Lady with the Pet Dog Gurov introduces himself to the woman with the pet dog one evening, while both of them are dining in a public garden. He learns that her she is married to an official in the Russian provinces and that her name is Anna Sergeyevna. The two become friends, and one evening Gurov and Anna walk out to the docks, where they find a festive crowd. The crowd eventually disperses, and Gurov suddenly embraces and kisses Anna. At Gurov’s suggestion, the two of them retire to Anna’s rooms. But the two lovers have very different reactions to their newly-consummated affair: Anna bursts into tears, and Gurov decides that he is bored with her. Nonetheless, Gurov continues the affair until Anna leaves Yalta. Gurov returns to his home in and his job at a city bank. Though he attempts to immerse himself in the life of the city, he is unable to shake off his memories of Anna. He sets out to visit her in her provincial hometown. He encounters Anna and her husband at a local theater, and Gurov approaches her during an intermission. She is disconcerted by Gurov’s surprise appearance and his unabashed displays of passion. She tells him to leave but promises to come see him in Moscow. The two continue their affair for several years, meeting at a hotel in Moscow. However, they’re both troubled by their secretive lives, and by the end of the story, their plight remains unresolved (but they are still together). Background and Context of The Lady with the Pet Dog Like a few of Chekhov’s other masterpieces â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog† may have been an effort to imagine how a personality like his would have fared under different, perhaps unfavorable circumstances. It is worth noting that Gurov is a man of art and culture. Chekhov himself began his professional life divided between his work as a traveling doctor and his pursuits in literature. He had more or less forsaken medicine for writing by 1899; Gurov may be his attempt to envision himself in the kind of staid lifestyle he had left behind. Themes in The Lady with the Pet Dog Like many of Chekhov’s stories, â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog†   centers on a protagonist whose personality remains static and staid, even when the conditions around him are sharply altered. The plot bears similarity to several of Chekhov’s plays, including â€Å"Uncle Vanya† and â€Å"Three Sisters,† which focus on characters who are incapable of forsaking their unwanted lifestyles, or of overcoming their personal failings. Despite its romantic subject matter and its focus on a small, private relationship, â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog† also levels harsh criticisms at society in general. And it is Gurov who delivers the bulk of these criticisms. Already jaded in romance and repelled by his own wife, Gurov eventually develops bitter feelings for Moscow society.   Life in Anna Sergeyevna’s tiny hometown, however, is not much better.  Society offers only easy and fleeting pleasures in The Lady with the Pet Dog.   In contrast, the romance between Gurov and Anna is more difficult, yet more durable. A cynic at heart, Gurov lives a life based on deception and duplicity. He is aware of his less appealing and less overt traits and is convinced that he has given Anna Sergeyevna a falsely positive impression of his personality. But as â€Å"The Lady with the Pet Dog† progresses, the dynamic of Gurov’s double-life undergoes a change. By the end of the story, it is the life he shows to other people that feels base and burdensome- and his secret life that seems noble and beautiful. Questions about The Lady with the Pet Dog for Study and Discussion Is it fair to draw comparisons between Chekhov and Gurov? Do you think that Chekhov consciously wanted to identify with the main character in this story? Or do the similarities between them ever seem unintentional, accidental, or simply unimportant?Return to the discussion of conversion experiences, and determine the extent of Gurov’s change or conversion. Is Gurov a very different person by the time Chekhov’s story draws to a close, or are there major elements of his personality that remain intact?How are we meant to react to the less pleasant aspects of The Lady with the Pet Dog, such as the dingy provincial scenes and the discussions of Gurov’s double life? What does Chekhov intend for us to feel while reading these passages? References: The Lady with the Pet Dog printed in The Portable Chekhov, edited by Avrahm Yarmolinsky. (Penguin Books, 1977).