Units
Negotiating Across Borders
Unit code: MGN448
Contact hours:
Credit points: 12
Information about fees and unit costs
This unit develops students' skills in negotiating intra- and inter-culturally. It provides students with a tool-box of negotiation skills and then explores the relationship between cultural value dimensions and negotiating behaviours. Students practise their negotiating skills with members of their own culture, in cross-cultural dyads and in multi-cultural teams to build confidence and capability in negotiating and influencing.
Availability
| Semester | Available |
|---|---|
| 2013 Semester 1 | Yes |
| 2013 Semester 2 | Yes |
Sample subject outline - Semester 1 2013
Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.
Rationale
In the contemporary global business environment, negotiators who understand how culture affects negotiating processes and outcomes have a decided advantage at the bargaining table. The purpose of this unit is to help you understand and apply the theory and processes of negotiation.
Aims
The unit teaches you to use interpersonal communication and influence skills as well as analysis tools to become an effective negotiator. Contemporary cultural theory and negotiation theory are combined to provide the framework to analyse your own cultural assumptions about the negotiation process and to circumvent cross-cultural differences at the negotiating table.
Objectives
Course Learning Goals (Postgraduate)
The QUT Business School has established the Assurance of Learning (AoL) Goals to meet contemporary industry needs and standards. Achieving these learning outcomes will assist you to meet the desired graduate outcomes set at QUT - aligned with other internationally renowned business schools. Students will develop the following capabilities relevant to a contemporary global and sustainable business environment:
Have knowledge and skills pertinent to a particular discipline (KS)
1.1 Well-researched knowledge and critical understanding applied to issues at the forefront of a specialised discipline area
1.2 Ability to select and use effectively a range of tools and technologies to locate and/or generate information appropriate to the disciplinary context
Be critical thinkers and effective problem solvers (CTA)
2.1 Apply logical, critical and creative thinking and judgement to generate appropriate solutions to problems in the disciplinary context
Be professional communicators in an intercultural context (PC)
3.1 Ability to create and present professional documents and/or reports using high levels of analysis/synthesis/evaluation for a range of contexts and audiences
3.2 Ability to orally communicate and justify ideas and information, at a professional level, for a variety of contexts and audiences, including peers and discipline specialists
Be able to work effectively in a Team Environment (TW)
4.1 Operate effectively and with flexibility to achieve common goals in collaborative settings, using a range of skills, including leadership, negotiation, reflection, proactivity and support for team members
Have a Social and Ethical Understanding (SEU)
5.1 Apply knowledge of the ethical, social and cultural dimensions relevant to business situations, including appropriate standards or codes of practice, to provide courses of action
Unit Objectives
Upon completion of this unit, you should be able to:
1. Explain and implement the skills of negotiation including planning, strategy selection, assessment of needs and interests, the use of tactics to maximise leverage, and the analysis of the macro and micro negotiation environment.
2. Analyse and evaluate your own and others' negotiation behaviour in terms of theoretical cultural value dimensions.
3. Manage and adapt the negotiation process in cultural contexts.
4. Demonstrate commitment to the professional standards of commercial negotiators.
5. Demonstrate capacity to negotiate in a team environment by actively participating in and contributing to a negotiation team.
The specific course learning goals and unit objectives that apply to this unit are shown in the assessment section of this unit outline.
Content
- The nature of negotiation
- Negotiation communication skills
- Integrative and distributive negotiations
- Negotiation strategy
- E-Negotiation
- Impact of culture and cultural element on negotiation
- Negotiation Planning
- Demystifying the secret of power in negotiation
- Ethics in negotiation
- Multiparty negotiations
- Informal: worked examples, such as verbal feedback in class, personal consultation
- Formal: in writing, such as checklists (e.g. criteria sheets), written commentary
- Direct: to individual students, either in written form or in consultation
- Indirect: to the whole class
Approaches to Teaching and Learning
Lecture/tutorial workshop: 3 hours and two Saturday workshops
The emphasis in this unit is on experiential learning where the negotiating and influence skills that are introduced in the initial lecture presentation are applied in a practical session. The negotiation and cultural theories highlighted within the lecture provide a framework for understanding how these skills are applied.
In this unit the skills of negotiation (and particularly cross-cultural negotiation) will be reinforced by doing and reflecting. A high level of participation and engagement with exercises and class discussions will facilitate stronger learning outcomes. Each week's information topic will be based on readings as indicated in the Week 1 Unit Information document. You are asked to undertake the relevant readings before class each week to facilitate discussion.
Further information may be made available on the MGN448 Blackboard Site. Detailed information on assessment tasks and requirements will be provided in class meetings and on Blackboard.
This unit uses the SafeAssign tool in BlackBoard. SafeAssign is a text matching tool that assists students to develop the academic skills required to correctly use and cite reference material as well as to check citations and determine possible instances of plagiarism. You will be expected to submit draft and/or final versions of one or more assignments using SafeAssign. Your Unit Coordinator will provide detailed information on how the software will be used in this unit.
NOTE: Lectures and tutorials will be held fortnightly and will be augmented by two full Saturday workshops. Attendance is compulsory at both workshops as they will provide the practical negotiation experiences on which assessment is based.
Assessment
Students will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester which may include:
Assessment name:
Negotiation Planning
Description:
As part of a negotiating team, you are to represent a client in a multi-party simulated negotiation. Your team will be required to develop a detailed negotiation plan for a multi-party negotiation. (Marks incorporate self and peer assessment of group processes.)
Length: 1,500 words
Formative or Summative: Summative
Relates to objectives:
Unit Objectives: 1, 2 and AOL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1), TW (4.1)
Weight:
40%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Group
Due date:
Week 9
Assessment name:
Negotiation Reflective Essay
Description:
This assessment requires you to view your recorded negotiation performance and write an essay that identifies a number of critical moments or events during the negotiation, justifying why they were important to the way you acted or responded within the simulation, using your negotiation plan (from assessment 1) as a point of reference.
Length/Duration:2,000 words and appendicies
Formative or Summative: Summative
Relates to objectives:
Unit Objectives: 1,2,3,4,5 and AOL goals: KS (1.1), CTA (2.1), PC (3.1), SEU (5.1)
Weight:
60%
Internal or external:
Internal
Group or individual:
Individual
Due date:
Week 13
Academic Honesty
QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.
A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.
Resource materials
Prescribed Texts
Beverly DeMarr and Suzanne De Janasz (2013). Negotiation and Dispute Resolution. Prentice Hall
Additional Readings
Provided in Course Materials Database (CMD) via Blackboard
Risk assessment statement
There are no out-of-the-ordinary risks associated with lectures or tutorials in this unit. You should, however, familiarise yourself with evacuation procedures operating in the buildings in which you attend classes and take the time to
view the Emergency video.
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.
Last modified: 11-Feb-2013
