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DIP 730-001 - Cross Cultural Negotiation and Bargaining-Spring 2008
Professor John D. Stempel
Office:Patterson Office Tower, Room 449
Telephone:257-8261; e-mail:
Class Time:Tuesdays, 1:00-3:30 p.m.
Classroom:Room 420, Patterson Office Tower (The Vandenbosh Room)
Office Hours:Tuesdays 9-12:45, and by walk-in or appointment.
COURSE OVERVIEW: This multidisciplinary graduate-level course explores negotiation and bargaining from the individual to the international level, including both public and private sector examples. It contains special emphasis on cross-cultural elements, which affect both the perception, as well as the process of negotiation at all levels. The course explores the context of negotiation, proceeds to the structure of negotiations and thence to the dynamics--strategy and tactics--for persuading, coercing, and bargaining through to conclusion. Group and national differences and approaches will be highlighted and demonstrated using intra-cultural negotiating exercises. The context and importance of negotiations in several cultures (including different religious contexts) will be explored, and case studies from different cultures and cultural contexts will be examined. Material is drawn from Political Science, Communications, Sociology, Anthropology, History, Conflict Resolution, Law, and other disciplines as appropriate. Multilateral and commercial (private sector) negotiation in a cross cultural context will be explored. Exercises and case studies involving different cultural contexts will be undertaken. Material will be drawn from any relevant disciplines, and energetic, proactive student research will be required and rewarded.
EXAMINATIONS AND GRADING: Assuming an interest in--but not a terminal neurotic preoccupation with--grades, the following activities constitute the evaluation system:
There will be a 90-minute midterm on March 4, which will cover material through that date, and a snap quiz. These and all other graded exercises are listed below:
ActivityWeightdate due/to be taken
Midterm Exam25 per cent March 4
Reports (two each) 15 per cent each (30 total) periodic
Trial negotiation25 per cent April 15(report due)
Class participation10 per cent(total) every session
Snap Test 5 per cent To be announced
The instructor reserves the right to factor for improvement over time. In simple terms: you will never do worse than figuring your score by the above percentages; if you improve consistently over the time line of the course, you may do better. Letter grades--A, B, C, D, E will be given for all exercises.
ATTENDANCE: This is a graduate course and participation is marked. All credit-earning members of the class should be present for all class meetings, and be reasonably flexible to participate in activities outside of class associated with the trial negotiation. Just as in business, government or politics, occasionally a scheduled appointment must be missed. In case of such an emergency, a phone/ voice or e-mail notification, note under my door or some other communication should precede any absence. You will be responsible for all material missed. Makeup exams and exercises will be permitted ONLY in the case of previously excused absences.
SUBJECTS OF STUDY: A topical syllabus follows the list of required texts. Students are expected to do the class readings assigned for each week before the class period. A list of texts is included below. Other readings are available for copying in at box in the Student Room of the Patterson School, Rm. 469 P.O.T.; and/or are also available on the Full Text Data base, or on reserve (see list attached at end of syllabus). HOWEVER, STUDENTS ARE ALSO URGED TO DO THEIR OWN RESEARCH READING WHEREVER THEY FIND RELEVANT MATERIALS.
REPORTS: Each member of the class will be assigned two presentations-*, either individually or in tandem, with one week’s notice, based on material suggested/provided by the instructor. This is to give added dimension to each class, while developing your expertise at fast turn-around work. As part of the class grade, students will be asked to prepare short lesson presentations and take questions on the assigned reading.
TRIAL NEGOTIATION: Each person will be assigned to a negotiating team for a practice negotiation on March 4. Short initial oral progress reports of these trial negotiations will be made in class by each pair of negotiating teams on April 1, and the longer, final report in class on April 15. Timing, context and duration of these reports will be set forth in the information sheet for the negotiating exercise.
SOURCE/TEXT BOOKS: (available at bookstores or AMAZON.COM)
Jacob Bercovitch, Resolving International Conflicts, Lynne Rienner, 1996 (referred to below as RESOLVE)
Raymond Cohen, Negotiating Across Cultures: Communications Obstacles, Institute of Peace, 1991 (referred to below as Cohen)
Roger Fisher, Getting to YES: Negotiating Without Giving In, Penguinbooks, 1987 (referred to below as YES)
John S. Odell, Negotiating the World Economy, Cornell Paperbacks, 2001
(referred to below as ODELL)
Susan Schneider & Jean Barsoux, Managing Across Cultures, Simon &
Schuster, 1997 (referred to below as MANAGING)
Bridget Starkey, et. Al., Negotiating in a Complex World, Rowman &
Littlefield, (referred to below as COMPLEX)
In addition, you are expected to keep up with relevant current events by reading the appropriate sections of at least one daily newspaper and one weekly newsmagazine, such as the Economist, Newsweek, or Time.
A Young Library reserve reading list is appended to this syllabus: non-book items listed may also be found in the Student Room, POT 469
TOPICS AND READINGS:
Jan. 15Negotiation and Bargaining
COMPLEX, ch. 1-3
YES, intro, ch. 1
RESOLVE, intro, ch. 1
Sumati Reddy, “international negotiation strategies,” (In box, Rm 469)
Jan. 22Negotiation Processes
YES, chs 2-4
RESOLVE, chs. 2-3
ODELL, intro, Ch. 1
Reddy, “Trust Building in interorganizational Negotiations,”(in box)
Jan. 29Bases of Negotiating
COMPLEX, chs 4,5
YES, ch. 5-8, pp. 147-8
ODELL, chs, 2 and 3
Reddy, “Power, Culture and preparation in International Organzations,
(in box)
“Conquistador, Tourist, and Indian,” Fr. Thomas Merton (from A Thomas
Merton Reader, Tom P. McDonnell (ed), pp. 305-310. (In Box)
Feb. 5Mediation and Negotiation
RESOLVE, ch. 9, 11
ODELL, chs 4 and 5
“Place, Culture, and Peace,” (in 469 box)
“Management of a Conflict System: The Church of the Holy Sepulcher,“
by Raymond Cohen, paper (in 469 box),
Feb. 12Cultural Aspects of Negotiation
Cohen, forward, chs 1-5
RESOLVE, ch. 5
Lawrence E. Harrison, “Culture Matters,” The National Interest,
Summer 2000 pp. 55-65 (in 469 box)
“The Idea of Diplomatic Culture and its sources,” Paul Sharp, paper (in box)
MANAGING, preface and chs. 1-3
Feb. 20Blending Cultural Aspects and Negotiational Reality
Cohen, chs 6-10
Jean Bonthous, "Understanding Intelligence Across Cultures," International
Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, Fall 1994, pp 7-34 (In box)
RESOLVE, ch. 8
REDDY, Ch. 4
Feb. 26Negotiating Types and Styles
RESOLVE, chs 7 and 10
COMPLEX, ch. 6
“Argument and History: Indian Culture of Dispute, Amartya Sen, The New
Republic, Aug. 8, 2005, (in 469 Box)
“Pax Americana: Bumping into Diplomatic Culture,” Geoffrey Wiseman,
International Studies Perspectives (2005) No. 6, pp 409-430 (in 469 box)
National Style selection--read article on one country or culture from any
country on the reserve list (papers in Rm. 469 box & see also REDDY
chs. 6-8) BE PREPARED TO DISCUSS YOUR COUNTRY’S CULTURE
March 4MIDTERM: NOTE: THERE WILL BE A 90-minute MIDTERM EXAM DURING THIS CLASS -- BRING BLUEBOOKS!!!!!!!!!!
*****************Week of March 12-16: MIDTERM BREAK**********
March 18 __Negotiation and Organization -- MOCK CROSS-CULTURAL NEGOTIATION- Faber VS India. Plus trial negotiation teams assigned)
MANAGING, chs. 4-6
March 25Conflict Resolution
RESOLVE, ch. 9, 11
Michael Desch, “Culture Clash: Assessing the Importance of Ideas in
Security Studies?” International Security, summer 1998, vol. 23,
no. 1, pp. 141- 170, (in 469 box)
ODELL, Chs. 6 and 7
April 1Multilateral and Coalition Negotiations
(Interim trial negotiation reports due)
RESOLVE, ch. 4
“Coalitions and Representative Bargaining,” Gary Goodpaster (in 469 box)
Mingst and Warkentin, “What Difference Does Culture Make in Multilateral Negotiations? In Global Governance 2 (1996, (in 469 box)
ODELL, Chs 8 and 9
April 8Commercial and Other Private Sector Negotiation Variants
MANAGING, chs 7,8,9, &10
John Stempel. “The American view of negotiation, it’s virtues and its vices”
(in box)
April 15Trial Negotiation Presentations (No assigned reading)
April 24Guided dialog and Concluding Discussion