Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "BUS 340"
COURSE NAME: "International Business Negotiations"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2020

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Ieva Jakobsone Bellomi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 1:30-2:50 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: Junior Standing
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course aims to provide students with a theoretical and practical background to develop their personal skills to manage negotiations in multicultural environment. The course will explore leadership and communication approaches to effective negotiation management, and will highlight the role of innovation in achieving integrative, successful results. Students will have an opportunity to explore the meaning and practice of managing negotiations. During the course, they will review theory, analyze strategies, engage in practical exercises and acquaint themselves with the language, thought, and praxis of negotiations in the multicultural setting in which we live, learn and work. By studying the impact of the relations between their and others’ cultural narratives, the student will discover innovative paths, techniques, and strategies to lead negotiation processes in multicultural environments.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
This course will use a combination of empirical frameworks and dynamic classwork to develop effective knowledge and adaptable approaches to international, multicultural communication and negotiations. The course will be supplemented by videos, discussions, case studies and exercises to build strong cultural intelligence for effective international business negotiations.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
After the completion of the course the students are expected
- to demonstrate a practical understanding of negotiation techniques and being able apply them to real life international, multicultural negotiations cases;
- to understand the negotiation process and types of negotiation, as well as cultural implications on multitude aspects of negotiations;
- to be skilled in communicating and negotiating within multiparty and cross-cultural teams;
- to understand the importance of social settings and ethics in negotiations and different cultural approaches towards them.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
The Mind and Heart of the Negotiator	Leigh Thompson	Pearson	978-1292073330

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments
Handbook of Global and Multicultural Negotiation	C.W.Moore, P.J.Woodrow	Jossey Bass	978-0-470-57343-3

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Warm-up quiz	Multiple choice questions on the key topics covered and learned in the class	10%
Mid-term exam	An individual written exam, essay questions, on the topics covered and learned in the class	20%
Final exam	An individual written exam, essay questions, on the topics covered in the class	30%
Class attendance and participation	Class participation: high quality, contributing to the class discussions. Class attendance: 3 allowed missed classes	10%
Cases and exercises: class work and homework	Class exercises and homework assignments on negotiation cases	30%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________

ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.

STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

TOPIC 1 COMMUNICATION ACROSS CULTURES

· Culture and its characteristics

· Communication framework and cultural challenges, high-context vs low-context cultures

· Verbal and written communication

· Nonverbal communication

· Tips on how to communicate effectively across cultures

TOPIC 2 BASICS OF NEGOTIATION AND CULTURAL IMPLICATIONS

· Negotiation Basics

· Decision making process, types of the decision making, cultural implications

· Cultural approaches to negotiations

TOPIC 3 PREPARING FOR THE NEGOTIATION

· Self-assessment: positions, interests, identification of issues in negotiation

· Developing BATNA: Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement

· Reservation Point and Sunk Costs

· ZOPA: Zone of Possible Agreement

· Preparing the plan for the negotiations

TOPIC 4 DISTRIBUTIVE NEGOTIATION: SLICING THE PIE

· Bargaining zone

· Pie-slicing strategies

· Saving face: South East Asian perspective

· Fairness concept in distributive negotiations

TOPIC 5 WIN-WIN NEGOTIATION: EXPANDING THE PIE

· Negotiation types for win-win potential

· Most common pie-expanding errors

· Most common pie-expanding strategies

· Strategic framework for reaching win-win solution

TOPIC 6 DEVELOPING AND ADJUSTING THE NEGOTIATION STYLE

· Motivational orientation

· Interests, rights and power, cultural implications

· Emotions and developing emotional intelligence for multicultural negotiations

TOPIC 7 ESTABLISHING TRUST AND BUILDING RELATIONSHPIPS

· Types of trust in negotiations, cultural implications

· Reputation, professionalism and social networks, China perspective

· Relationships in negotiations, long-term vs short-term focus, cultural implications

TOPIC 8 POWER, GENDER AND ETHICS IN NEGOTIATIONS

· Power, symmetric and asymmetric power, egalitarian vs hierarchical societies

· Power and decision making, cultural implications

· Status

· Gender

· Ethics in negotiations and decision making

TOPIC 9 MULTIPARTY NEGOTIATIONS

· Multiparty negotiations, key challenges

· Coalitions, key challenges

TOPIC 10 CHALLENGES OF MULTICULTURAL NEGOTIATIONS

· Cultural values and negotiation norms

· Ethnocentrism

· Faulty perceptions of conciliation

· Implementing of agreements

· Conflict resolution, cultural implications

· Tips on how to negotiate effectively across cultures