Online Course Guide of WHU –
Find all modules and courses of our degree programs.
Please use the filters below to select the term (spring or fall) as well as the respective program (BSc, MSc, MBA, Exchange, Doctoral) of your choice for an overview of all modules offered at WHU. The courses are listed under the modules. Please click on a module to see which courses are part of it. If you would like to find out more about a certain course, click on the name of the course to see detail information. The location of the lecture will be revealed after your course registration on myWHUstudies.
Spring term counts from January - August, fall term counts from September - December.
Important for Exchange Students: As the Full-Time and Part-Time MBA Programs utilize a modular course structure, the dates on which students begin and end the exchange are flexible. Please find here a chronological overview of the preliminary course offering for Fall and Spring.
Negotiation Strategies and Skills
(Please note that exchange students obtain a higher number of credits in the BSc-program at WHU than listed here. For further information please contact directly the International Relations Office.)
Course Content
While we negotiate often, many of us know very little about the strategy and psychology of effective negotiations. In this module, students will have the opportunity to evaluate their existing approach to negotiations, learn new strategies, and learn how to apply these strategies to the wide variety of negotiations they will encounter across their career. The module is designed for students in all managerial and entrepreneurial careers.
The module will be largely experiential, providing students with an opportunity to develop their skills by participating in negotiation role-plays and integrating their experiences with the principles presented in the assigned readings and module discussions.
The module has five major parts, adding more complexity as we proceed in the module:
(1) Single-Issue, Two-Party Negotiations
(2) Multiple Issues, Two-Party Negotiations
(3) Multi-Party Negotiations
(4) Conflict Resolution
(5) Negotiations in International Context
Class Dates
Date
Time
Learning Outcomes
- Gain a broad intellectual understanding of central concepts in negotiation to understand the structure and dynamics of negotiation in a variety of contexts
- Learn to develop strategic plans for negotiating in a variety of contexts
- Improve ability to lead the negotiation process and execute win-win agreements
- Assess one’s own and the other party’s style, strengths, weaknesses, and biases
- Learn how to resolve conflicts effectively and create value out of them
- Build confidence in negotiation skills
- Negotiate effectively across cultural boundaries
Literature
R. Fisher & W. Ury (and B. Patton as Editor of the Revised Edition) (4th Edition), Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, New York, NY: Penguin Books
“The Hidden Challenge of Cross-Border Negotiations” by J.K. Sebenius, Harvard Business Review, March 2002 (See Moodle for link in Session 6)
Learning Methods
The negotiation role-plays will treat a variety of situations (e.g., company acquisition, employment and salary, multi-party coalition building, and dispute resolution between business partners) and will provide students with an opportunity to attempt strategies and tactics in a low-risk environment and learn about themselves and build their confidence.
The module will be administered via Moodle. The content is structured according to the module outline presented at the end of this Syllabus.
I will upload the lecture slides AFTER each session since they include information that you are only supposed to see after we conduct simulations in class.
Please note that slides on “simulation solutions” will NOT be uploaded. Therefore, you may choose to take notes during the class.
Form of examination
- Class Contribution (15%)
- Team Presentation (45%)
- Self-Assessment and Reflection Paper (45%)
For details, please see the Syllabus (PDF-File).