commitment

An agreement, demand, offer, or promise by one or more parties, and any formalization of that agreement. Commitment is commonly signaled by words such as, ÒI will offer,Ó I demand,Ó ÒWe agree,Ó or ÒI promise not toÉÓ Commitments can occur at any point in a negotiation and encompass anything from a minor procedural point (for example, a shared understanding of an agenda) to final and complete agreement, and anything in between (agreement to meet again; agreement on some terms, but not all). (Michael L. Moffitt and Robert C. Bordone, eds., Handbook of Dispute Resolution [Program on Negotiation/Jossey-Bass, 2005], 284)

The following items are tagged commitment.

The drawbacks of goals

Posted by & filed under Daily, Negotiation Skills.

Adapted from “Aim High, Improve Negotiation Results,” by Maurice E. Schweitzer (professor, University of Pennsylvania), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Goal setting affects performance. In a review of goal-setting research, scholars Deborah Zetik and Alice Stuhlmacher of DePaul University found that when negotiators set specific, challenging goals, they consistently outperform those who set lower or

Criminal plea bargain

Posted by & filed under Daily, Negotiation Skills.

The Clearinghouse at PON offers hundreds of role simulations, from two-party, single-issue negotiations to complex multi-party exercises. State v. Huntley is a two-party criminal plea bargain negotiation between a prosecutor and a public defender for a man charged with aggravated rape.

SCENARIO: Two police officers on routine patrol were stopped at 2:30 a.m. by

Expanding the farm

Posted by & filed under Daily, Negotiation Skills.

The PON Clearinghouse offers hundreds of role simulations, from two-party, single-issue negotiations to complex multi-party exercises.  Mountain View Farm is a two-party, multi-issue integrative negotiation between a farmer and a neighbor over the sale or lease of part of the neighbor’s land.

SCENARIO: A Vermont farmer somewhat interested in the possibility of expanding activities

Mediation Curriculum: Trends and Variations

Posted by & filed under Daily, Mediation, Pedagogy at the Program on Negotiation (Pedagogy @ PON).

NP@PON collected many types of curriculum materials from teachers and trainers who attended the 2009 Mediation Pedagogy Conference.  We received general materials about classes on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) as well as highly specific and idiosyncratic units like Conflict Resolution through Literature: Romeo and Juliet and a negotiating training package for female managers from the

Gain greater leverage with sole suppliers

Posted by & filed under Business Negotiations, Daily.

Adapted from “Negotiating with Sole Suppliers,” by David Lax (managing principal, Lax Sebenius LLC), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Negotiators often wonder how to do business with sole suppliers who know they don’t have any real outside alternative and who take advantage of this. Without the power of a realistic best alternative to a negotiated

Staying in touch with strategic partners

Posted by & filed under Business Negotiations, Daily.

Adapted from “Handle with Care: Negotiating Strategic Alliances,” by Lawrence Susskind (professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Some business partnerships are more important than others. This is especially true in supply chains, where producers of key components can be irreplaceable.

Consider the relationship between two hypothetical companies, Brattlebury Corporation, which manufactures

Too much commitment?

Posted by & filed under Daily, Negotiation Skills.

Adapted from “Are You Overly Committed to the Deal?” First published in the Negotiation newsletter.

A telecommuter hires a carpenter to build a workstation for her home office. The carpenter’s contract requires payment of 50% upon signing, an additional 30% halfway through the job, and the final 20% upon completion. When the job is done,

Pick the Right Agent

Posted by & filed under Business Negotiations.

So, you’ve decided to use an agent in your next negotiation. Now what?

It’s important not to rush headlong into the process of choosing an agent—picking the first one you speak to, for example, and sending him off to talks the next day. You need to choose your agent carefully, then establish a clear, detailed understanding of each other’s responsibilities and expectations. The following are critical steps in picking an agent and negotiating his contract.

The threat of bad publicity

Posted by & filed under Daily, Negotiation Skills.

Adapted from “Driving the Deal Home,” first published in the Negotiation newsletter.

Having trouble convincing someone to follow through on a promise? Borrow a page from the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s playbook.

In September 2007, fashion designer Mark Ecko purchased Barry Bonds’ record-setting 756th home run ball in an online auction for $752,467. After

Nadim Rouhana

Posted by & filed under Affiliated Faculty, PON Affiliated Faculty.

nadmi-rouhana-100pix

From his experience growing up as a Palestinian in Israel to his extensive research and practice in the field, Nadim Rouhana has examined protracted social conflict from various angles. Rouhana’s research highlights the centrality of identity, history, and justice in such conflicts and underscores the need to develop theory to understand these conflicts and tools with which to approach them.