Ethical discussion questions

1. Joe McDonald is the HR manager of ACME chemicals. His boss,
Bill Jacobs, is concerned that the interactions between the various
departments of the company are inconsistent and that there is too
much competition between departments rather than cooperation.
Bill has asked you about ways to improve the negotiations between
business units. In your explanation to Bill, you need to explain the
following: What are the three primary reasons that negotiations
occur? What is the difference between bargaining and negotiation?
Why must successful negotiations involve both tangible and
intangible components? Do you think that ACME needs to pursue an
integrative or a distributive approach to their future
interdepartmental negotiations? (Points : 20)
2. Define the term “conflict” and describe how it impacts the
negotiation process. Your explanation should include the 4 levels of
conflict and the dysfunctions that conflict can create. In your
response, you need to also provide your opinion as to whether
conflict is always a negative component in negotiations. If not, why?
(Points : 15)
3. Jack Johnson owns a 1998 Ford Mustang that he is looking to
sell. He advertises in the Auto Trader. Mary Smith responds to his
ad and expresses interest in purchasing the vehicle. Jack is asking
$3500 for the car. Mary is looking to pay no more than $2500 for
the vehicle. Would you describe this negotiation as a distributive or
an integrative negotiation? Why? Jack has set $3500 as the price of
his car but is willing to take $3000 for the vehicle. Anything under
$3000 will not be accepted. Mary wants to pay $2500 for the car, but
is willing to go up to $3000. Anything over $3000 will cause the
deal to fail. Define and contrast the Walkaway Points, Target Points
and Asking Price/Initial Offer of the parties. What are some of the
strategies that could be used by each party to achieve the outcome
they desire? (Points : 30)
4. What makes an integrative negotiation different from a
distributive negotiation? Define the key steps in the integrative
negotiation process. How does establishment of a BATNA aid the
parties in realizing their integrative outcome? (Define the term
BATNA in your response). If a win-win outcome is beneficial to both
parties, then why is it so difficult to achieve? (Points : 30)
5. Often there are other parties to a negotiation that can add great
complexity to the process. Define the following terms: Negotiating
Dyad; Agent; Constituency; Bystander; Audience. What are some of
the reasons that an individual might engage the services of an
agent to represent him/her in a negotiation? (Discuss at least
three) What are the three distinct relationships that an Agent has
to maintain in the negotiation process? (Points : 30)

6. Marie Smith is the head of Marketing for Jones Construction.
Harry Brown is the on-site project manager for all major
construction projects. Marie is interested in expanding the budget
for general marketing activities. Harry wants these resources
reserved for existing projects. Marie comes to you for advice on the
key steps she should use in preparing for her negotiation with
Harry. Discuss the 7 steps to an ideal negotiation process. (Points :
15)
7. As Marie and Harry enter into their negotiations, their
perceptions of each other will be an important component to the
negotiation process. Define perception and the role it plays in the
negotiation process. What are the four major perceptual errors that
tend to occur? What does the term “framing” mean and how does it
relate to the issue of perceptions? How can we counter these
perceptual errors? (Points : 30)
8. We have discussed the importance of communication in the
negotiation process. We reviewed the concept of communication as
a sender encoding a message to a receiver who decodes the
message and then responds back to the sender – thus creating the
feedback process important to every negotiation. What are the
major sources of distortion that can interfere with communication?
(Name and define at least 3) What are the three key questions we
need to ask regarding communication in negotiations? What role
does listening play in the communications process (Describe the 3
types of listening). What are some of the ways that a negotiator can
improve his/her communication skills? (Points : 30)
9. When we look at the complexities of the negotiation process,
there are many situations where a negotiator might consider the
use of questionable tactics to accomplish his/her goals. This brings
up the important question of ethics in negotiation. Define the 4
types of ethical reasoning. Why do people use deceptive/ambiguous
tactics in negotiation? What are some of the factors that shape a
predisposition to the use of unethical tactics? How can we
effectively respond to the use of unethical practices? (Points : 20)
10. Barney and Marilyn have been married for six months. They
engage in negotiations consistently as a way to improve their
understanding of each other and to build a loving relationship. How
does this “relationship” negotiation differ from the negotiation
practices that we have discussed involving business relationships?
Research has uncovered 4 fundamental types of relationship forms.
Define and contrast them. Which of the four types represent the
relationship between Barney and Marilyn? What are the three key
elements necessary for managing negotiations within relationships?
Which do you think is the most important? Why? (Points : 30)