Negotiation and compromise is evaluating and selecting beneficial solutions for all parties involved in a relationship or agreement. Students will learn these skills by simulating potential relationships, and making decisions about how to interact with the people they work with when making a deal or solving a problem.

An introduction to bargaining and negotiation in public, business, and legal settings. Combines a "hands-on" skill-building orientation with a look at pertinent social theory. Strategy, communications, ethics, and institutional influences are examined as they influence the ability of actors to analyze problems, negotiate agreements, and resolve disputes in social, organizational, and political circumstances characterized by interdependent interests.

Law, in its simplest form, is used to protect one party from another. For instance, laws protect customers from being exploited by companies. Laws protect companies from other companies. Laws even protect citizens and corporations from the government. However, law is neither perfect nor all encompassing. This course will introduce the student to the laws and ethical standards that managers must abide by in the course of conducting business. Laws and ethics almost always shape a company's decision-making process; a bank cannot charge any interest rate it wants to charge that rate must be appropriate. By the end of this course, the student will have a clear understanding of the legal and ethical environment in which businesses operate. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Identify sources of law in the United States; Describe the function and role of courts in the US legal system; Differentiate litigation from methods of alternative dispute resolution; List the elements of the major torts; List the essential elements of a valid contract; Describe how a contract can fail; Summarize the remedies available for breach of contract; Distinguish between real and personal property; Identify the various interests in real property and how they pass; Identify the requirements to hold various rights under intellectual property laws; Analyze the impact of the digital era on intellectual property rights; Distinguish between at-will employment and contractual employment; Identify laws that generally regulate the employer-employee relationship; Identify criminal acts related to the business world; Define white collar crime; Describe the various forms of business organization; Identify the major laws regulating business in the United States; Identify major ethical concerns in business today. (Business Administration 205)

In an increasingly interconnected world, communicating across cultures is a crucial skill in the international networks of business, science, and technology. Subject examines a range of communication styles and techniques resulting from different cultural norms and traditions. It begins with a general theoretical framework and then moves into case studies. Topics include understanding the relationship between communication and culture, differences in verbal and non-verbal communication styles, barriers to intercultural communication, modes of specific cross-cultural communication activities (e.g. argumentation, negotiation, conflict resolution) and intercultural adjustment. Case studies explore specific ways of communicating in Asian and European cultures. Graduate students are expected to complete additional assignments. Taught in English.It has become commonplace knowledge that globalization is one of the major forces shaping our world. If we look at the spread of information, ideas, capital, media, cultural artifacts--or for that matter, people--we can see the boundaries and borders that have historically separated one country or one group from another are becoming more and more permeable. For proof of this close to home, you need only to look at the composition of the MIT student body: 8 percent of the undergraduates and 37 percent of the graduate students are from 109 different countries. "Communicating Across Cultures" is designed to help you meet the challenges of living in a world in which, increasingly, you will be asked to interact with people who may not be like you in fundamental ways. Its primary goals are to help you become more sensitive to intercultural communication differences, and to provide you with the knowledge and skills that will help you interact successfully with people from cultures other than your own. We hope the course will accomplish those goals by exposing you to some of the best writers and scholars on the subject of intercultural communication, and by giving you a variety of opportunities to practice intercultural communication yourself. As you read the syllabus for this course, we hope you get a sense of our commitment to making this course a rewarding experience for you.

Subject provides tools to achieve negotiation objectives fairly and responsibly. Develops negotiation skills by active participation in a variety of negotiation settings: price-quantity negotiations, oil price coalition negotiations, auctions and fair division of a valuable art collection. Subject turns to bargaining between two parties over issues: a union negotiates a contract with a city, a sydicator sells a series to a network, a chain negotiates a mall lease. More complex negotiations follow: two teams, one representing an airframe manufacturer and another an airline, re-negotiate a contract, a tri-partite negotiation between the U.S., Japan, and the People's Republic of China over landing rights, unions negotiate terms of privatization of a water works with management. Students negotiate sales terms for items for the coming year between a retail group and a marketer of branded consumer products via electronic mail. No quizzes or papers. Grade depends on effective negotiations with classmates. From course home page: Course Description This course is centered on twelve negotiation exercises that simulate competitive business situations. Specific topics covered include distributive bargaining (split the pie!), mixed motive bargaining (several issues at stake) with two and with more than two parties, auctions and fair division. Ethical dilemmas in negotiation are discussed at various times throughout the course. There are two principal objectives for this course. The first is to provide you with negotiation tools that enable you to achieve your negotiation objectives is a fair and responsible fashion. The second is to “learn by doing.” That is, we provide a forum in which you actively apply these tools to a wide variety of business oriented negotiation settings.

CHALLENGE TWO: In order to help your conversation partners cooperate with you and to reduce possible misunderstandings, start important conversations by inviting your conversation partner to join you in the SPECIFIC KIND of conversation you want to have. you can use one of 30 basic conversational invitations (explored) such as, "Right now I would like to take a few minutes and ask you about... [subject]." The more the conversation is going to mean to you, the more important it is for your conversation partner to understand the big picture. If you need to have a long, complex, or emotion-laden conversation with someone, it will make a big difference if you briefly explain your conversational intention first and then invite the consent of your intended conversation partner.

This half-term course examines the choices that we make which affect others and the choices others make that affect us. Such situations are known as "games" and game-playing, while sounding whimsical, is serious business. Managers frequently play games both within the firm and outside it - with competitors, customers, regulators, and even capital markets! The goal of this course is to enhance your ability to think strategically in complex, interactive environments. Knowledge of game theory will give you an advantage in such strategic settings. The course is structured around three "themes for acquiring advantage in games": commitment / strategic moves, exploiting hidden information, and limited rationality.

Subject introduces persistent themes and challenges facing planners. Emphasizes historical roots of contemporary problems and comparative study of practice in the US and other countries. Eight week module intended for first semester MCP students.

This module offers a version of the Harvard Negotiating Process suitable for conducting village meetings and intercultural discussions about engineering projects in student outreach programs such as Engineers without Borders.

Frameworks and Models for Technology and Policy students explore perspectives in the policy process -- agenda setting, problem definition, framing the terms of debate, formulation and analysis of options, implementation and evaluation of policy outcomes using frameworks including economics and markets, law, and business and management. Methods include cost/benefit analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and system dynamics. Exercises for Technology and Policy students include developing skills to work on the interface between technology and societal issues; simulation exercises; case studies; and group projects that illustrate issues involving multiple stakeholders with different value structures, high levels of uncertainty, multiple levels of complexity; and value trade-offs that are characteristic of engineering systems. Emphasis on negotiation, team building and group dynamics, and management of multiple actors and leadership. This course explores perspectives in the policy process - agenda setting, problem definition, framing the terms of debate, formulation and analysis of options, implementation and evaluation of policy outcomes using frameworks including economics and markets, law, and business and management. Methods include cost/benefit analysis, probabilistic risk assessment, and system dynamics. Exercises include developing skills to work on the interface between technology and societal issues; simulation exercises; case studies; and group projects that illustrate issues involving multiple stakeholders with different value structures, high levels of uncertainty, multiple levels of complexity; and value trade-offs that are characteristic of engineering systems. Emphasis on negotiation, team building and group dynamics, and management of multiple actors and leadership.

Presents basic concepts in group dynamics and leadership. A structured set of outdoor experiences complements classroom activities. Restricted to entering students in the Technology and Policy Program.

Presents basic concepts in group dynamics and leadership. A structured set of outdoor experiences complements classroom activities.

This module reviews styles of conflict behavior and explains a mode of negotiation that can meet multiple needs.

This course is a core requirement for the Masters in Engineering program designed to teach students about the roles of today's professional engineer and expose them to team-building skills through lectures, team workshops, and seminars. Topics include: written and oral communication, job placement skills, trends in the engineering and construction industry, risk analysis and risk management, managing public information, proposal preparation, project evaluation, project management, liability, professional ethics, and negotiation. The course draws on relevant large-scale projects to illustrate each component of the subject.

Investigates social conflict and distributional disputes in the public sector. While theoretical aspects of conflict are considered, focus is on the practice of dispute resolution. Comparisons between unassisted and assisted negotiation are reviewed along with the techniques of facilitation, negotiation, and nonbinding arbitration.

This course examines the conceptual framework of negotiations as applied to all areas of negotiation in both the public and private sectors, focusing specifically on business negotiations later in the course. It also uncovers the influence of national and cultural variations in the decision-making process. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: demonstrate an understanding of the theory, processes, and practices of negotiation, conflict resolution, and relationship management; identify and discuss common negotiation myths and misconceptions; demonstrate an understanding of the principles, strategies, and tactics of effective negotiation and professional relationship management; identify and assess the variables in negotiations; develop reliable planning techniques; demonstrate an increased level of comfort and skill in managing negotiations as well as professional relationships; assess the importance of various factors that impact negotiations, including specific issues in question, different stakeholder positions, interests, relationships, and group dynamics; develop and execute effective negotiation strategies and tactics for different scenarios; employ effective communication, problem-solving, and influence techniques appropriate to a given situation; diagnose negotiation problems; demonstrate familiarity with new negotiation ideas and practices; explain how culture impacts negotiations; identify characteristics of culture or national identity that negotiators should become familiar with prior to engaging in cross-cultural or international negotiations; explain how TrompenaarsŐ and HofstedeŐs theories of cultural dimensions can be applied to cross-cultural and international negotiations; describe the types of political and legal issues that might arise during the course of international negotiations. (Business Administration 403)

Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of how people interact in organizations. These interactions are governed by a number of factors, including the student's personal life, the personality of the student's boss or your boss's boss, a direct report, the team the student has been assigned to, or the direction that the top of the organization has given the student. OB researchers carefully monitor these dynamics within an organization, because any time there is friction, money is lost. A certain level of friction is to be expected (and often even desirable), but most of the friction that occurs within an organization is counterproductive and detrimental to the bottom line. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Define organizational behavior (OB); Understand the current trends for organizational behavior; Explain the benefits of diversity; Describe the cross cultural challenges of the workplace; Explain how work attitudes affect workplace behavior; Name the key attributes that are relevant for performance; Explain how motivation affects performance; Describe various approaches to job design; Compare and contrast groups vs. teams; Describe and identify group development and group dynamics; Define power and recognize the sources of power; Describe and identify the factors of organizational politics; Describe the various types of conflict; Explain how to effectively manage conflict; Describe and identify negotiation strategies; Define organizational structure; Describe organizational change. (Business Administration 209)

Subject enhances students' ability to take effective action in complex organizational settings by providing the analytic tools needed to analyze, manage, and lead the organizations of the future. Emphasis on the importance of the organizational context in influencing which individual styles and skills are effective. Employs a wide variety of learning tools, from experiential learning to the more conventional discussion of written cases. Subject centers on three complementary perspectives on organizations: the strategic design, political, and cultural "lenses" on organizations. Restricted to first-year Sloan master's students.

Pareto Analysis Technique: The primary focus is to aid students in making quick decisions while still taking into account rational action and feasibility.