Negotiation

Negotiating for a particular goal may sometimes provide some more insights as to how situations can be handled positively. In some cases however, it is also possible for a party to forecast that a certain negotiation is diverting towards a losing end.

Negotiation is a process of deliberation between two parties to meet a particular agreement of mutual benefits (DFM Unitar, 2004). In this aspect, there are some popular points of views in negotiations which can provide outlooks in a win or lose perspective.

One popular view is to consider negotiation to be a bridging platform. If the two or more sides of the agreement will mutually benefit and that the course practice will connect the parties towards respective self development, then most probably the discussion will reinforce a winning perspective for both parties.

On the other hand, it is very possible that negotiations can impose a losing perspective to at least one of the parties involved. If the view of one party is to use negotiation to take advantage of the other side, and that the other side has no means to counter an imposed agreement due to other prioritized factors, then the latter will be on the losing streak. Therefore, views about a particular negotiation dramatically predict who will win or lose in an agreement.

On a personal note, I had experienced losing in a conflict. This happened when I complained about the higher rates being applied to my credit card bill. I called the company and insisted that I did not deserve such monthly bill rate since I was actually paying a 0% installment plan for an appliance. The agent explained that an additional purchase outside from the installment program can actually increase charges.

He pointed that out in the contract which I was never initially aware of. I was outraged by the seemingly unfair situation I had but when I read through the bill statement at the back of the bill page, the terms of agreement written was actually clear. It was actually my fault that I did not read through the note probably because of the excitement of having my own credit card account. In the end, I accepted my losing experience in the conflict.

A negotiation is usually initiated whenever there is a looking conflict between individuals or entities (Wertheim). But even though it can resolve problems, there are times in which mutual benefits will not be achieved. To lessen the impact of this dilemma, it is only crucial that negotiating parties deliberate well to meet the needs of individual sides of the agreements.

References

DFM Unitar. 2004. Negotiations in Debt and Financial Management. Online Resource Center UNITAR. Retrieved February 21, 2008 from http://www.unitar.org/dfm/resource_center/Document_Series/Document4/3Theoretical.htm.

Wertheim, E. N.D. Negotiations and Resolving Conflicts: An Overview. College of Business Administration, Northeastern University. Retrieved February 21, 2008 from http://web.cba.neu.edu/~ewertheim/interper/negot3.htm.