Each essay question will most likely have a scenario (that either I or a colleague experienced) that will ask you to apply key course concepts and theories. Where necessary, I will reference to topic – e.g., distributive conflict management, 3rd party conflict management – for convenience. Below is a list of the ideas and theories in each topic that will be pertinent to the essay questions. Please be careful of questions that ask for an explanation – the why behind the principles. In these cases it is not enough to explain what is happening but why it is happening.
Distributive Conflict Management
Understand, identify, explain, and be able to define in your own words anchoring (and when to use them and why some may think they cannot), reservation level, exploding offers, polite threats, aspiration (target) level, bargaining zone, and BATNA principles. Relate these ideas to the ABC model of negotiation.
Integrative Conflict Management
Understand, identify, explain, and be able to define in your own words the three sources of power, why knowing sources of power are important, and what strategies you may use in any situation to increase your power and reduce your opponent’s sources of power. What are the benefits of planning sheets, what traps can they help to avoid, and what traps must we be wary of when creating them? Other concepts to also know include, positions vs. interests and flexibility and firmness, fixed-pie bias, direct means of acquiring information about your opponent’s preferences. Relate these ideas to the ABC model of negotiation.
Multiple-issue Conflict Management
What are the differences between distributive and integrative conflict management and how do the principles of positions vs. interests, flexibility and firmness, and fixed-pie bias relate to these negotiation approaches? What are the different types of issues that can (all) be present in any conflict? What is the ABC model of negotiation and how do