EXC 3402 Business Communication - Negotiations and Presentations
EXC 3402 Business Communication - Negotiations and Presentations
This course is relevant to students who recognize that negotiations play a daily role in their professional and personal lives - whether it is negotiating salary, the price of a new apartment, or the terms of a contract with a customer. In this highly interactive course, students will learn negotiation theory and acquire the practical skills and techniques required to competently engage in a variety of negotiations. Aligning with BI’s sustainability strategy, this course addresses a bias within negotiation and strives for equality and inclusion.
In this learn-by-doing course, students will apply negotiation theory in in-class negotiations, critique the outcome of those negotiations, and practice designing and delivering presentations. These activities will enable students to strengthen their skills in two important areas of business communication that are most often carried out in English: (1) negotiations and (2) presentations.
The overall objective of this course is that students develop skills that will enable them to communicate effectively in an international business environment. By the end of the course, students will have developed their competence as negotiators. First, they will be able to reason and reflect orally in English on the theoretical aspects of negotiation strategy and their personal experience from frequently participating in negotiation case simulations. Second, students will also have developed their skills in creating and delivering an effective persuasive business presentation in English.
Students will acquire a thorough theoretical knowledge of the two major approaches to negotiation theory, critiques to the theories and alternative practical approaches to negotiations and be able to explain these theories and approaches in their own words. Students will also acquire an appreciation of business presentations as a communicative exchange.
Students will develop the formal language skills to discuss negotiation theory and practice. In addition, students will apply their acquired theoretical knowledge of negotiation strategies by participating in several negotiation cases - alone and within teams. Students will be able to identify, assess, and address ethical concerns within negotiations and then reflect on the real-world implications of those concerns. Students will also acquire the skills to prepare and deliver a persuasive business presentation in English.
Students should be able to reflect on the appropriateness of particular negotiation strategies, evaluate their usefulness, and discuss their strengths and weaknesses. Students should also be able to analyze and reflect on the ethical implications of the decisions made during their negotiations and the impact of those decisions on stakeholders not at the negotiation table.
Additionally, students should be able to reflect on the communicative context in which a particular business presentation is delivered and how that ought to affect the content they deliver.
- Negotiations
- Introduction to negotiations
- Distributive bargaining
- Principled negotiations
- Alternative/supporting practical approach to negotiations
- Criticism of the negotiation theories
- Nine business case negotiation simulations - requiring students to prepare for and participate in in-class negotiations. Each negotiation concludes with a discussion/reflection on the approach, process and results.
- Presentation
- Introduction to presentations
- Practice presentations
- Components of an effective presentation
- Feedback – receiving and delivering
- Persuasive business presentation with advice, guidance, and feedback.
- Dress rehearsal presentation in front of an audience with feedback.
Students should start the course by learning what will be required in the oral exam, by carefully reading the Exam Procedure and Grading Guidelines document (provided on the first day of class), which describes the procedure for the oral exam.
Students can also test how well they have understood course contents by taking (optional) quizzes on ItsLearning.
- Negotiations
Beginning in class 1, students actively participate in negotiations and acquire knowledge of negotiation theories and strategies covered in this course. To implement these theoretical negotiation ideas, students participate in in-class negotiation case simulations - individually and in teams. This process requires students to reflect on their own negotiation experiences and provide a peer review of another student team’s negotiation. Students also must reflect on and analyze how well they managed to apply negotiation strategy to the cases.
Students are responsible for identifying a suitable persuasive business presentation topic and constructing a suitable context to deliver their presentations. Students are responsible for developing, practicing, and delivering their presentations at the oral exam. Class lecturers provide advice and guidance to students during this process.
Each week students are responsible for deliverables. Students are expected to come to class having read the theory/literature and the case brief and are expected to prepare the cases to be negotiate in class. Students are also expected to actively contribute to their learning experience by contributing feedback to classmates.
The exam for this course focuses not only on the student's knowledge and understanding of negotiation theory but also on the application of negotiation theory during in-class negotiations. Regular attendance is expected for the quality of each student’s learning outcomes and the successful completion of this course.
Higher Education Entrance Qualification
Disclaimer
Deviations in teaching and exams may occur if external conditions or unforeseen events call for this.
English from upper secondary school or equivalent.
| Assessments |
|---|
Exam category: Activity, Oral Form of assessment: Oral Exam Exam/hand-in semester: First Semester Weight: 100 Grouping: Individual Duration: 30 Minute(s) Exam code: EXC 34021 Grading scale: ECTS Resit: Examination every semester |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 42 Hour(s) | - Presentation – rehearsals - Participation in discussions on negotiation theories - Participation in negotiation of relevant business cases |
Student's own work with learning resources | 157 Hour(s) | - Presentation: development of presentations - Negotiations: reading the course literature thoroughly/carefully - Prepare cases for in-class negotiations - Post-negotiation evaluation of cases |
Examination | 1 Hour(s) | Oral exam (30 minutes) Must arrive to the exam room 30 minutes before your scheduled exam time. |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 7,5 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of at least 200 hours.
The two parts of the exam are, in chronological order:
1) A 6-to-7-minute presentation in a business/professional/organizational context which occupies one third of the examination time and counts for 30% of the overall grade. The student, in their role of presenter, must make an explicit attempt to persuade the audience that they should either do something or think something which they otherwise would not. (This is not an informational presentation).
2) A 12-to-3-minute negotiation discussion, occupying two thirds of the available examination time, and counts for 70% of the overall grade. The business case selected for discussion is chosen at random. No second choice is permitted. The discussion is led by the examiner, based on the negotiation theories and critiques studied during the course, and the experience of the candidate in attempting to use the theory in the in-class business case negotiations.
If the exam case was not negotiated, the student is ineligible for a passing grade. Students must be negotiate cases with another student from the course.
Examination support materials: PowerPoint slides for the business presentation.
Notes are NOT permitted on either section of the exam.
Students retaking the exam should contact the course responsible Examination every semester Students must contact the course responsible -Yanique Fletcher (yanique.fletcher@bi.no) - at the beginning of the semester to be informed of their responsibilities for taking the exam.