Blog Post #7

After watching the "Final Offer" movie, I was surprised and in shock on how everything was structured such as the organized labor that was presented to everyone. They were talking about increased benefits in the beginning of the film and how people will get a raise year after year the more you negotiate a deal. The USA signed a deal to the GM to get a raise, but the Canadians didn't like that and their ideas needed to be different from theirs. Everyone wants a raise in their hourly pay so that they can receive more on their paychecks in which they had worked hard for. It was interesting how there were no disciplines, which is why people were doing whatever and aren't showing union discipline. There were many problems that were occurring, but the Canadians strike could affect the US Ford operations which could make them receive less money for the business. I noticed that there were many coalitions going on during the film such as Bob White and Owen Beiber were at odds, but as time went on Bob White felt that Owen Beiber was on his team and he now knows that he is not. Owen was working out a deal with Rodger Smith and Bob White was feeling left out since they are not working with each other anymore. It is interesting how everyone was switching sides and are negotiating against the other sides to get their points across. Bob White was the one that was making the negotiations while everyone else got elected to negotiate. During negotiations they were discussing deals and they have to approve of a deal before they can move forward. I was in shock on how long their negotiations were since they were stuck in a five hour long negotiation in a small room with a lot of people inside. By the end, Bob White was able to end the strike and people were eventually able to return to their jobs sine they were on strike for a week. It is important to understand what everyone is working toward and what they want to accomplish. Everyone has a different viewpoint and focus which is why the Americans didn't see the differences on everything that was going on compared to the Canadians. After watching the movie, I was surprised how everything worked since the organized labor is different today then from what it was like years ago.

Today, organized labor treats employees the way they should be treated such as receiving higher wages, more hours, and working in a safe environment. Companies make sure that they are treating their employees with respect by letting them work in an improve and safe working condition to feel motivated to do their best performance. Many employees are able to pay for medical coverage and several weeks vacation due to the organized labor that we have today. I feel like everyone should have a say and state their opinion on how they are feeling about the organized labor that they work with. For example, Walmart and McDonald's are two companies that sell their items for low so that the customers are satisfied with how cheap they are buying their products for. Walmart is a company that limits the power of organized labor to enable it sell lower cost items for customers. This allows for the retailers to cut salaries or eliminate jobs since they are selling their items for a low cost. While McDonald's employees are in the process of wanting to raise their hourly pay to $15 since they believe that they deserve more money and be able to join a labor union. McDonald's is a well known business that many people go to every day due to the fast pace and low priced foods that they sell. Many people don't believe that employees should get a raise since it is a fast food franchise where people of all ages work at due to poor work experience. I believe that all employees should feel honored to be able to have a job since everyone is guaranteed with one. Workers should receive credit and acknowledgement when they work their hardest and show their company that they should get a raise or a bonus. Even though Walmart and McDonald's are two well known companies that everyone knows about, they should treat their employees with good organized labor since they work hard everyday to make their businesses successful. I believe employees would work better in an organized labor since they know that their management believes in them and wants the best for them as well. Having a business that motivates and appreciates their employees will help the company have employees that will want to work and they will end up working their hardest for successful results.

Blog Post #6

On page 221, the Principle of Consistency: People align with their clear commitments was mentioned and it makes it clear that people are able to make their commitments active, public, and voluntary. I was able to employ this principle in one of the negotiations this semester which allowed me to get my point across for them to be on my side. I was able to do this principle when it was the negotiation of the three people and I was able to get the baker on my side from the beginning. Since I was able to tell my side of the story and demonstrate my points, I was able to get the baker on my side to agree on some of the points that I had provided.  By having someone agree with your information, they will end up backing you up with points that they think were crucial as well. This shows how it is not all about likability, but they also need to feel committed to what you want them to do. It is beneficial to get your main points across first so that the other side knows exactly what you are looking for. By taking a stand on what you believe in, you should pursue to stick with it so that this shows commitment. Since I was able to give evidence on the side that I believed in, the other side was able to sit back and listen to what I was setting forth with. I was able to come prepared for the negotiation, which made it easier for me to tell the other side what I believed in. It is important to have your commitments active, public, and voluntary so that the information you are presenting is worthwhile to tell others. Yes, the influence attempt did work during this negotiation since I was able to get one person to agree with me and be able to back up my points with me. Since the one person agreed to what I was providing to the group, it ended up becoming a two to one ratio, which helped us get what we wanted by the end of the negotiation.

On page 231, it was able to mention channel #6 which is relationships and how you should present yourself to others. Having a strong relationship to the other side is beneficial since everyone can end on good terms and you are able to have a positive conversation the more the negotiation goes on. By having a good relationship with your opponent, you will have a positive enforcement rather than having a negative interaction by bringing that person done on whatever they say. Even if you don't agree with what the other side is saying, it is crucial to be social and have a positive attitude so that problems will not end up occurring. I was able to use this technique on the first negotiation since it was Fran and I on one side while Grayson was on the other side. Even though we all didn't agree with each other with what everyone was bringing to the table, we were able to demonstrate a positive relationship between the three of us. Grayson didn't agree and benefit from what Fran and I were saying, which made him end up winning the negotiation due to the information that he was providing. Relationships in a negotiation is beneficial since the way you present your information and how you react to others can make or break the conversation that will be presented. No, the influence attempt did not work in this negotiation since Grayson was able to provide information that was more beneficial and worthwhile compared to what Fran and I were bringing to the table. The more information that you are able to back yourself up with, the more far you will be able to get in the negotiation.

Blog Post #5

The three approaches of bargaining ethics include the tension between creating and distributing value, the tension between empathy and assertiveness, and the tension between principals and agents. Each of these have a different meaning and are able to come together to make a deal or to settle a dispute. It is important that you are able to have a fixed amount of value since negotiations are distributive. You are unlikely to create new value if you try to affect the distribution of that value. Since negotiations are distributive, it is efficient that you provide everyone value equally so that everyone has a fair share. You need to have an open mind while you negotiate and that you don't provide too much information or value for everyone to know since that can make or break the conversation. Empathy verses assertiveness is important during negotiations since you want to figure out and understand how the other side is feeling and thinking. By figuring out what the other sides's empathy is, you can help that person out by solving their problems to ensure that you will get better quality goods in return. By illustrating that you understand what the other person is thinking, you are able to demonstrate questions that will help provide useful information while listening closely during the negotiation. You should express your own interests with intelligence and confidence so that you feel more better about what you are bringing to the table. If you can be empathetic and assertive, you can be a skilled negotiator as time goes on. By figuring out the other sides wants and needs during the negotiation, you will get a better idea on what they are trying to illustrate. Lastly, being a principal versus serving as an agent is two different aspects that you can be during a negotiation. Being an agent consists of someone representing themselves as being fair and also be effect towards everyone during the negotiation. While being a principal consists of someone having personal interests that are not similar to those individuals on their team. It is important that you acknowledge what is being brought to the table so that everyone is aware of the problems that are being addressed. It is beneficial that you are an equal and open minded person so that everyone can interact well with others in the group.

The 'school' that I subscribe to or aspire to subscribe to is #1, which is the tension between creating and distributing value. It is beneficial that you are distributing value all throughout the negotiation so that everyone has the potential to expand on what is being negotiated about. The more value that you bring to the table, the more information that will be talked about and will have interest in. You also need to make sure that you don't mention too much information or value during the negotiation since you don't want the other party to know what you are thinking. By just giving enough information to the other side, it will allow for more of a discussion and batting between each side.