COURSE NUMBER: MBA 252.1

COURSE TITLE: Negotiations and Conflict Resolution

UNITS OF CREDIT: 3 Units

INSTRUCTOR: Barbara A. Mellers

E-MAIL ADDRESS: mellers@haas.berkeley.edu

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION (HTTP URL): http://bspace.berkeley.edu

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Tuesday and Thursday, 2:00 – 3:30PM

PREREQUISITE(S): None.

CLASS FORMAT: A series of negotiation exercises is central to this course. Each topic will be introduced using a lecture/discussion format with demonstrations, readings, and occasional videos. The exercises and a final project are intended to put concepts into practice. 

REQUIRED READINGS: The course will have a reader and two required texts, Getting to Yes by Fisher, Ury, and Patton and Getting Ready to Negotiate: The Getting to Yes Workbook by Fisher and Ertel.

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

Negotiation Exercises (25%)

Negotiation Analyses (25%)

Group Presentation (30%)

Individual Negotiation (10%)

Class Participation and Contributions of Everyday Examples (10%)

ABSTRACT OF COURSE’S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

Negotiating effectively is critical to all aspects of life. When we disagree with friends, spouses, neighbors, employers, or even strangers, we can proceed as usual (often by the seat of our pants) or we can use a host of tools and insights that are readily available. This course should give you a whole new way of interacting with others to achieve your goals. Those insights will apply to negotiations with individuals, groups, and organizations.

The learning method is experiential. You will have the opportunity to participate in and analyze a variety of business problems that require negotiations. You can take a variety of different roles and learn your own strengths and weaknesses. The skills you develop will serve you in both your professional and personal life. The broad objectives of the course are:

1.      To provide a theoretical framework for negotiation – a set of concepts integral to preparing, negotiating, and subsequently evaluating the negotiation process and outcomes.

2.      To develop your ability to negotiate beneficial transactions and to resolve disputes. This will involve recognizing your strengths and weaknesses; learning to develop an appropriate strategic plan for negotiating; and being able to adjust your tactics “on the fly” if circumstances change.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Barbara Mellers is Milton W. Terrill Professor of Business Administration at the Haas School of Business.  She has taught and done research on human judgment and decision making for over 25 years. Her research has examined perceptions of fairness, jury decision making, contextual effects in judgment and choice, and issues that arise in preference measurement. Mellers is also interested in why people make "irrational" decisions. Her current research focuses on the connections between emotions and choice.