Course

Negotiation Skills

Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Department
Business Law
Course code
BLAW 3780
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
Students will learn a variety of negotiation techniques that may be applied in multiple business settings. Students will gain hands-on experience through role-plays and simulations, while developing an understanding and appreciation for pre-negotiation strategies and benchmarks.
Course content

1. Introduction to Business Negotiations

a. Practical application of negotiation skills:

i) assessment tool for compatibility;

ii) negotiating offers and contract terms; and

iii) dispute resolution.

b. Dispute resolution alternatives to negotiations:

i) arbitration;

ii) litigation; and

iii) mediation.

 2. Negotiation Essentials

a. Differentiating between procedural, substantive, and emotional interests;

b. Preparation before the negotiation:

i) conflicts screening;

ii) preparation, logistics, agreement to negotiate; and

iii) BATNA and reservation point.

3. Advanced Negotiation Skills

a. Negotiation techniques, interest based:

i) micro skills;

ii) establishing common ground;

iii) communication: questioning, paraphrasing, and summarizing; and

iv) how to find a win/win solution.

b. Negotiation techniques, distributive v. integrative:

i) competitive;

ii) collaborative; and

iii) adaptive.

c. Establishing trust and building a relationship;

d. Power, gender and ethics;

e. Problem solving in negotiations; and

f. Working with emotional counterparts:

i) tactical empathy;

ii) rational compassion; and

iii) verbal self-defense.

4. Applications and Specific Scenarios

a. Multi-party, coalitions, and teams;

b. Cross-cultural negotiations;

c. Social dilemmas; and

d. Negotiating via information technology.

5. Post Negotiation Skills

a. Evaluating a negotiation:

i) reality check the outcome;

ii) resolution of the identified issues; and

iii) getting agreement in writing.  

Means of assessment

Assessment will be in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.

Case(s) and/or Assignment(s) 30 - 50%*
Oral Presentation(s) 15 - 20%
Test(s) and/or Quizzes 20 - 30%
Final Examination or Capstone Project  20 - 30%
Participation 0 - 5%
Total:  100%

NOTES:

  1. *No one assessment may be worth more than 40%.
  2. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
  3. Students may conduct research as part of their course work in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.
Learning outcomes

1. Demonstrate primary negotiation skills.

2. Distinguish among ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) options and explain the appropriate use of each method.

3. Develop a BATNA (Best Alternative to Negotiated Agreement) and estimate your reservation point in preparation for negotiation.

4. Apply tools for negotiation preparation including self-assessment and assessment of the other party.

5. Identify obstacles and remedies to integrative negotiations.

6. Demonstrate how to deal with distributive bargaining in negotiations.

7. Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of trust and relationships in negotiations.

8. Recognize and apply sources of power in negotiations.

9. Practice ethical negotiations and recognize unethical practices.

10. Explain the complexity of multi-party negotiations, and apply strategies for effective negotiations in the multi-party context.

Textbook materials

The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator, Latest Edition by Leigh Thompson (Pearson) or

Essentials of Negotiation, Latest Edition, by Roy Lewicki, Kevin Tasa, Bruce Barry and David Saunders (McGraw-Hill)

Optional Supplemental Texts:

Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss (HarperCollins)

Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion by Paul Bloom (HarperCollins)

The Gentle Art of Verbal Self-Defense by Suzette Haden Elgin (Dorset Press)

Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury (Penguin Books)

 

Or any other textbook and/or materials approved by the department.

Requisites

Prerequisites

None

Corequisites

None

Equivalencies

None

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer details for BLAW 3780
Alexander College (ALEX) ALEX COMM 2XX (3)
Athabasca University (AU) AU COMM 2XX (3) or AU LGST 2XX (3)
Camosun College (CAMO) CAMO BUS 281 (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU BADM 475 (3)
Coast Mountain College (CMTN) CMTN BADM 2XX (3)
College of New Caledonia (CNC) CNC LAW 2XX (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR MGMT 2XX (3)
Emily Carr University of Art & Design (EC) No credit
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU BUSI 2465 (3)
Okanagan College (OC) OC BUAD 201 (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU BUS 2XX (3)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU BLAW 3XXX (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW BUSI 3XX (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) No credit
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV BUS 3XX (2)
Vancouver Community College (VCC) VCC MGMT 1XXX (3)
Yorkville University (YVU) YVU BUSIE XXX (3)

Course Offerings

Summer 2025