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Unit outline_

IBUS6018: Business Negotiations

Semester 2, 2020 [Normal evening] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This course is aimed at making you feel more comfortable and confident with the negotiation process. The course is taught as a 'flipped classroom', meaning that the content of the course is primarily taught outside of class, through brief written lectures, and class time is used to assimilate that knowledge through at least a dozen marked role-play negotiations, debriefs of those negotiations, problem-solving workshops and international negotiation case study analysis. You will also be taught how to develop your own negotiation strategies and tactics using a combination of multiple psychological, economic and legal concepts from the course.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Dan Lovallo, dan.lovallo@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation group assignment Group presentation
Presentation task
25% Week 10 10-15 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Written assignment
Written task
25% Week 12 3-5 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Small continuous assessment In-class exercises
n/a
50% Weekly n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
group assignment = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

  • In-class exercises: Negotiation tasks will be distributed in most weeks, in class. You will be evaluated on your in-class negotiation performance and possibly some other negotiation related activities.
  • Presentation: In groups students will find a negotiation issue in the news or a well known historical source. The group will use atleast three concepts from the course material that either explain or provide a solution to the events that occured. Academic research will be required to draft a synopsis and to present findings in a 10-15 minute in-class presentation.
  • Assignment: Students will be required to provide a 3-5 page report to their boss describing one (or more) trap or issue that occurs in the student's workplace and the costs associated with the trap or issue identified. Students will also need to consider how the trap or issue could be overcome and to provide a plan to put the solution into place.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school. 

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

As per Business School Policy.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Negotiation dynamics Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 02 Negotiation preparation and procedure Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 03 Evaluative techniques and economic methods Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 04 The psychology of influence Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 05 Cognitive biases, heuristics, effects and errors Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 06 The psychology of group dynamics Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 07 Principles of logic and creativity Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 08 Parachutes, problems and tricks Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 09 Culture, human nature, emotion and individual difference Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 10 Enforcement mechanisms Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 11 Practical ethics, lie detection and the law Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 12 Alternative dispute resolution and agency Lecture (3 hr)  
Week 13 Conflict Lecture (3 hr)  

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Required textbook:

  • Rares, Quintin (2012) “Negotiation: Science and Practice’

Optional book:

  • Kahneman, Daniel (2011) “Thinking, Fast and Slow”

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. Demonstrate confidence in communicating in the negotiation context by understanding how manipulation and persuasion are used and the psychological foundations behind them.
  • LO2. Interpret the scientific theory underlying effective skills and techniques used in negotiation, including the key psychological, economic, cross-cultural and legal concepts, to develop tactics and strategies that apply across a variety of real-world negotiation settings.
  • LO3. Analyse and apply different psychological, economic, cross-cultural and legal concepts underlying negotiation, and recognise their limitations in practice.
  • LO4. Apply techniques and concepts of group negotiation psychology in negotiating group scenarios, including where there are multiple negotiators representing one or more parties or where there are multiple parties each represented by one negotiator.
  • LO5. Understand ethical and legal dilemmas in negotiations, including determining when it is legal to tell an untruth in negotiations and when it is not legal.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Exam requirements modified.

Recommended additional readings:

  • "Getting to Yes" by Fisher and Ury, any edition. This will cost about $14 delivered from Book Depository.
  • Other suggested resources are available in the Canvas' week-by-week outline of the unit, which will show you which resources are relevant week-by-week.

The above suggestion is not compulsory and will not be examined directly. What will be examined directly is the lecture content and also the compulsory readings, which equate to about 10 pages a week.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.