“Negotiation is the process of communicating back and forth for the purpose of reaching a joint decision.” “A strategic discussion that resolves an issue in a way that both parties find acceptable. In a negotiation each party tries to persuade the other to agree with his or her point of view.”
Introduction
I wanted to buy new speakers when I moved to Gurgaon. The hostel rules mentioned that we weren’t allowed to play loud music in our rooms as it would disturb others. I discussed this with my roommates and we all decided that I can buy a small speaker which would not have a bass. I just needed a speaker which would be loud enough for the room. I did not want to spend more than Rs. 1500 for the speakers. So, first I searched online for the types of speakers available in the range. I found out a few speakers which were in the range but were not of good brands.
The good brands for speakers are beats, sony, Logitech, iball, etc As per the online sites the rates of speakers of these brands was more than Rs1500. I was thinking of buying the speakers online but I was suggested by a friend to go in the market and check out the quality of the speakers at stores before purchasing. I thought of checking out the electronic store closest to my college which is the e-zone in the Sun City Business Park. There I saw a few speakers which were small in size and were also suitable for small room i.e. were not very loud.
There I checked out various speakers and liked a Sony speaker which was worth Rs. 2200. I knew that it was a lot more expensive than the money available to me for buying speakers so I enquired about discounts. I was told that the maximum discount they could give on a speaker was 10% on M.R.P, which meant that I could have gotten the speakers from that particular store for not less than Rs. 1980. Since, it is a big store and they have fixed price policies all my attempts to negotiate on the price failed and the sales executive told me that he could not give those speakers to me at a price lower than Rs. 1980 as his hands were tied and he wasn’t the one making the decisions on the percentage of discount to be provided on the item.
I checked online for the price of the speaker I liked and was pleasantly surprised to see that Flipkart was offering a 20% discount on the same speaker. I thought this was a great deal and that I should consider buying the speakers for Rs.1760. But I didn’t really want to spend Rs. 260 extra for the speakers. I thought to buy the cheaper one and to not get stuck because the beauty of the expensive speakers. I was going to buy the cheaper speaker available online but before I could order my brother called me up and told me that we could get the speakers I like in the Vyapar Kendra in Gurgaon at a cheaper price. I went to the market- Vyapar Kendra with my brother who took me to a few shops and got me to see more options in case I wanted to change my mind and buy any other type of speaker. But my mind was fixed on the Sony speaker. We went to a few shops but most of them did not have the Sony speaker I wanted available with them.
Then finally I reached a shop which had the sony speaker available and they also had a lot of other speakers too. I first asked the person to show me small speakers and then my brother casually him the price for the sony speakers and the seller said that the speakers were for Rs. 2200 in the market but he could give us a 25% discount and give the speakers at Rs.1650. My brother got really happy that he brought me to a market where he was able to get me speakers at a lower price. So he started to say to the seller to pack up the speakers and give it to us but I stopped him because I really didn’t want to spend anything over Rs.1500 for the speakers.
I then spoke to the seller and told him that I will not be able to pay him more than Rs.1400 for the speakers and that it was not in my budget. He was really shocked that I was trying to bargain over price for Sony speakers on which he was already giving me a 25% discount. I told him that it was not possible for me to pay him Rs. 1650 for the speakers.
He considered for a minute and then told me that its not possible to reduce the price any further as he was already giving me a high discount and that I should not be unreasonable as it would not be feasible for him to give me the speakers for Rs.1400. The seller was a nice person and wasn’t rude to me when I tried negotiating and was still interested in selling me the speaker so I changed my strategy and asked him if he could give me the speaker at a price lower than what he was already quoting.
I also told him that I would recommend his shop to all of my friends if he could quote me a lower price. He thought and told me that he can reduce the price down by another Rs. 100 but not less than that and he also mentioned firmly that if I wanted to buy I should buy at that price only. He asked me not to talk about reducing the price any further. I thought Rs. 1550 was still out of my budget but if I could be a little flexible and consider paying Rs.50 extra I can get the speakers of my choice. I was about to agree to the deal but I noticed that they also sold mobile phone covers. An idea occurred to me so I cleverly told the seller that since Rs. 1550 was also out of my budget it would be great if he could give me a nice mobile cover along with my speakers for that price.
The seller looked at me as if I was a crazy person and then smiled sheepishly and said that he cannot give me any mobile covers which are worth more than Rs.300 each with the speaker after giving me so much discount; but he noticed that the screen guard on my phone was damaged so he said that if I am willing to pay Rs. 1550 then he will change the screen guard for my phone in that amount. I told the seller that I will pay him 1550 if he would change the screen guard for my phone as well as for my brothers.
The seller laughed out loud and told me that I am being very annoying and nagging him too much and taking up too much of his time. I thought that he doesn’t want to agree to my deal so I started to move towards the door of the shop when he stopped me and said that he agrees to my deal and would give me the speakers and the screen guards for Rs. 1550 but he will not give me the screen guards of the expensive range but of the cheaper range. I agreed to the deal as I knew that 2 screen guards even of the cheaper range would cost me another Rs.150. So I finally bought the speakers at my price which was Rs.1500 and was also able to buy two screen guards for Rs. 50
Negotiation Analysis
NEED, INTERESTS, CONCERNS
Need for a speaker for a small room.
Budget Rs.1500
NEGOTIATION STYLE
My approach to the negotiation was deliberate. I took my time visiting stores and viewing speakers. I was sure of what I wanted and how much I wanted to spend on it. I tried to claim as much value as possible but I also tried to create value for him and build on a relationship so that I could achieve better results.
BATNA( Best alternative to negotiated agreement)
My BATNA was to buy the same speakers online for a slightly higher price or to buy some low-brand speakers for a cheaper price. The seller’s BATNA were the other customers who might have been interested in buying the speakers.
ZOPA (Zone of possible agreement)
My ZOPA was around Rs. 1000 to Rs.1500.
The sellers ZOPA was around Rs.1500 to Rs. 2200.
Strategies
I had a fixed budget for buying the speakers. So my reservation price was fixed before I could formulate my strategies to claim maximum value with the budget I had. Firstly, I checked the prices online as I was aware that high discounts were available on a few of the online stores.
Once I had decided which speakers I wanted to buy I looked for them at every type of store to get them at the cheapest price. I couldn’t negotiate at e-zone because they had rigid rules and policies regarding the fixation of the price. I negotiated with the seller in Vyapar Kendra only when I knew that he was interested in making the sale even at a lesser price. I used tactics by asking the seller to reduce the price as my reservation price was Rs. 1400 but my actual reservation price was Rs.1500.
He thought he would reduce the price he was quoting but will not come down to the price I was asking for. He came down to the price closer to my reservation price. Since he stopped negotiating on the price after a while I quickly thought of asking for some other benefits in the price he quoted in order to claim more value in the money I was spending and to not spend more than my reservation price on the speakers. I tried to get the seller to give me a phone cover along with the speakers but that strategy didn’t work.
Outcome
Due to the rigid rules of e zone I couldn’t negotiate with them to lower the price of the speakers. So I had to leave the store empty handed because the price they were quoting was out of my ZOPA. As the interest of the seller to make the was high in the store at vyapar Kendra he was open to negotiations and even though he felt annoyed by my negotiations he still wanted to come to an agreement so that he could complete the sale. In the end he himself suggested creating more value for me to finish the deal quickly.
Conclusion
I was able to purchase the speakers I liked without having to pay the price higher than what I wanted to pay. Although it took some time, I was patient and I kept my cool in order to buy the speakers at the lowest price possible. Negotiation can be long process and in order to reach an agreement a lot of effort has to be put in and strategies have to be implemented. Planning your strategies before beginning the negotiation process is essential to achieve favorable results. Going through the negotiation course and learning about various concepts of negotiation has definitely helped me build my negotiation skills which are needed in every sphere of life.
American Dream: What Does It Mean
Dreams of becoming an absolute individual, living a carefree life, hoping for freedom, searching for unlimited options, and living without judgment and discrimination all cross different individual’s minds throughout their journey in life. All are thought of and considered to be a part of each of their American Dreams. The American dream is a term used so broadly and often changes from person to person and within different ages. It can be used in numerous ways but essentially the American dream is an idea that anyone who works hard, and obtains the potential to live happily, will have a successful life.
Lesson to be learned is that people always change. Not only do people change but their ideas and the way they see things around them change as well. Every individual has their own look at what a successful life includes. The American Dream is classified as the ideals of freedom, equality, and opportunity traditionally held to be available to every American or a life of personal happiness and material comfort as traditionally sought by individuals in the U.S.
The American Dream was different between two famous people back in the late fifties or early sixties. First, Martin Luther King Jr had said he no longer wanted segregation to exist in American. His dream differed from John F. Kennedy’s in such Kennedy wanted to United States to run in a smooth manner and come together as one. The American Dreams are unalike within time and thought from altering perspective.
The dream is changed from person to person such as Dinesh D’Souza and Scott Russell Sanders. Souza said immigrants thought of Americans having everything they wanted and had the desire of coming to American. Sanders on the other hand wished to have a life like a woman. All four people had different dreams to get them to their successful lives.
A good beginning makes for a good end. Working hard to get what is desired gets things accomplished with a high held head. John F. Kennedy’s American Dream was for the United States to come together and run smoothly in order to reach goals. In Kennedy’s “Inaugural Address” essay, Kennedy talks about how we should accept others and help each other out. “Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty”(482).
Kennedy was determined to see his dream come true. His main declaration was to not be discouraged by compromise. He states in his essay, “Let us never negotiate out of gear. But let us fear to negotiate” (483). Without negotiation and compromise Kennedy may not have accomplished his goal. Kennedy taught many a lesson of compromise without even trying. Every day, somewhere in the world, people are negotiating in order to find solutions to their issues.
As Jane Wells says, “Learn the wisdom of compromise, for it is better to bend a little than to break.” Ever heard the saying, “Treat others the way you want to be treated”? Every day people are walking the streets being judged by the color of their skin. “I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most memorable speeches of all time. King had a dream to end all segregation and wants people to open their eyes and realize that all are different and should be accepted.
In King’s essay he states, “I have a dream my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by color of their skin but by the content of their character” (487). Yet time has changed and people have too, there are still people that judge by a person’s skin or race. “Even though we may face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed- we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal” (487). King’s dream is slowly coming more and more alive through time.
Discrimination is a disease that can’t be tamed. Not only do people judge people by the color of their skin, some are tormented for their sexualities. Bob Summers’ American Dream deals with him wanting to be accepted for being gay. Summers writes an essay called “Oak Ridge, Tennessee”, expressing how he felt left out just because he was not straight. He was set apart from his East Tennessee community all because of his homosexuality.“The only things I excelled in were checking out library books, mural painting, and going to movies, usually alone (37).
Summers was not into sports all that much but the other boys were so he would memorize sports scores and batting averages just to impress his male classmates and his father with sports knowledge. Summer eventually finds a boy named Jack that he can relate to and walk to classes with. “We never grew to be best friends, but we did become well-acquainted enough to trade sly jokes in the hallway between classes” (37). Summers wanted to be accepted and be comfortable in his shoes but it was not until he met Jack that he was able to do so. Summers American Dream was to be recognized for who he was not by his sexuality.
You always want what you can’t have. For most it’s you want what others have that you do not. Observing another’s life and comparing it to your own, leads you to wanting not what you already have but more. In the essay, “The Men We Carry in Our Minds,” Scott Russell Sanders discusses the roles men and women played back in earlier years.
Typically the men were the working ones, whether it outside farming or building, etc. Women were in charge taking care of the kids, cleaning up, feeding the family, and anything to help out their households. When growing up Sanders did not wish to grow up and be like the men. Instead he wanted to live the life of a woman. He would watch his father slave over the farm. “Worked all day long whatever the weather, and when they came home at night they looked as though somebody had been whipping them” (295).
Meanwhile his mother would stay inside taking care of the house and children. Sanders states in the essay, “Before college, the only people I had ever known who were interested in art or music or literature, the only ones who read books, the only ones who ever seemed to enjoy a sense of ease and grace were the mothers and daughters” (297). During college Sanders learned that not only did he want the life of the women but women wished to be like the men because “fathers made decisions that mattered.
They ran the world” (297). Not every person wants what they get in life, but all can make an effort to get where they want to be. This is where your American Dream comes into play. If a desire is so high that an individual’s belief will make their life more successful and happy, they will push until they meet their goal.
The American Dream to a lot of people includes happiness, freedom, and most importantly wealth. Dinesh D’Souza’s essay, “Becoming American”, he expresses that immigrants want to come to America due to the money. Souza states “As for immigrants, they allegedly flock to the United States for the sole purpose of getting rich” (435). Not only does America have money but it has more opportunities to make a living because of the number of jobs and has more freedom. People view America as a better place then where they are living as immigrants.“The newcomer who see America for the first time typically experiences emotions that alternate between wonder and delight” (436).
America sounds like the flawless and ideal place to live. Souza mentions the difference between America and other countries by saying, “Here is a country where everything works: the words are clean and paper smooth, the highway signs are clear and accurate, the public toilets function properly, when you pick up telephone you get a dial tone, you can even buy things from the store and then take them back” (436). Coming to America is often a goal for others are the world and in many individuals “American Dream”.
There are many different ways to classify people such as class. Each and every class whether it may be upper class, middle class, or class, all have unique ways of going about things. In Floyd Dell’s essay, “My Sixth Christmas”, he talks about what living in the lower class was like. The only catch was Dell did not realize he was a part of the lower class himself until the end of the essay. “That was it. I was one of those poor children I had been sorry for, when I heard about them in Sunday school” (20).
Dell had finally picked up on the clues such as eating the same thing for dinner every night, his shoes were completely worn down and were not able to receive new ones, he didn’t attend school in the fall, and his siblings were sent off to a relative’s house. Dell believed that where you start out in life is relevant to your end point. Immediately Dell’s American Dream changed, now all he wanted was to not be a poor boy. American Dreams can change right before your eyes within a few moments because of an event. The American Dream is changeable from person to person and event to event.
The American Dream is nothing but a general term that cannot be classified as only one real meaning. Each and everything person has a different dream and perspective on what an American Dream is to them. The American Dream changes from each person within different ages and places. The American Dream has not changed, the perspectives of it has. Many things such as race, sexuality, and class all play into what each individuals American Dream becomes.
Ebay Failure In China
Firstly, eBay’s oversight of the differences between the Chinese market and the Western market led to significant errors. They appointed a German manager and a chief technology officer from the United States, neither of whom were fluent in Chinese or understood the local business environment. This decision turned out to be eBay’s biggest mistake.
Furthermore, due to their lack of understanding of the local market, eBay wasted substantial financial resources on ineffective strategies, such as Internet advertising in a country where small businesses did not utilize the Internet. The strong brand that eBay possessed in the United States did not automatically translate into a strong brand in China.
Lastly, instead of customizing their products and services according to local customer preferences, eBay insisted on maintaining its “global platform,” which failed to meet the tastes and preferences of Chinese customers.
eBay China’s centralization to the U.S. headquarters resulted in a significant shift for eBay in the Chinese market. This change affected the ownership factor and also led to the appointment of a new COO of German origin. Additionally, the resignation of Shao Yibo caused mistrust among the people towards the company. While eBay’s market entry strategies such as joint ventures, licensing, and acquisition proved successful globally, the situation in the Chinese market was distinct. Despite eBay’s popularity and excellent reputation in the U.S. and international markets, Chinese consumers had limited knowledge about the company.