GRA 3112 Negotiation and International Networks
GRA 3112 Negotiation and International Networks
As firms become increasingly embedded in international networks, the ability to develop and manage relationships has become essential to firm survival and success. This is particularly relevant for startups seeking to grow or firms trying to innovate while simultaneously protecting their innovations. However, managers frequently encounter issues in their international collaborations, such as those pertaining to conflicting objectives, cultural differences between partners, and intellectual property rights protection. This course aims to develop students’ understanding of the ways in which firms can collaborate, the challenges associated with collaboration in an international context, and the ways in which conflicts can be resolved. Participants will study a number of theories and processes aimed at developing their skills in forming relationships, and avoiding and resolving conflicts between organizations. Participants will learn through engaging in discussion and activities related to negotiation, mediation, arbitration and other dispute resolution processes.
The goal is to equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully establish and manage interorganizational relationships.
- Knowledge
- An understanding of the different ways of organizing interorganizational relationships, such as alliances, joint ventures, networks
- Students will learn to identify the best alternatives for collaboration in the international networks
- Students will learn to understand the key challenges associated with formation, coordination, and maintenance of relationships in the international context.
- An understanding of the ways in which external collaboration can facilitate firm growth and innovation
- Students will understand the different types of conflict that can arise international collaboration and how conflicts can be resolved
- Students will learn to examine the influence and implications of power in understanding and managing conflict.
- Students should be able to formulate strategies for the formulation and maintenance of interorganizational relationships, and for the development of international networks to gain access to relevant resources and knowledge
- Students should be able to assess the challenges associated with international collaboration and devise strategies to overcome these challenges
- Students should be able to apply theoretical insights about interorganizational relationships and conflict management to practice
- Students should be able to successfully devise and assess negotiation strategies across a range of potential situations
- Students will develop the skills to reduce and successfully overcome conflicts that may arise in international collaborations through the assessment and development of dispute resolution systems.
- Students should be able to use their understanding of the different ways of collaborating and the challenges that arise in international collaboration in a range of interorganizational situations. This knowledge, combined with the negotiation skills developed in the class will also apply beyond the interorganziational context, for instance in salary negotiation or personal conflict resolution
- Students should be able to assess the relevance of academic articles to practical challenges encountered in firms, and use the insights from the academic literature to avoid conflicts and solve problems in interorganizational relationships
- Through negotiation exercises in class students will develop their analytical skills to understand and overcome conflicts of interest in a range of situations.
The course will consist of two main parts:
- International networks. This part will focus on types of inter-organizational relationships (alliances, joint ventures, networks), theories that can be used to facilitate decision-making, and challenges often encountered in international networks.
- Negotiation and conflict management. This part will be aimed at developing the students’ understanding of common conflicts in international collaboration and the tools and skills necessary to successfully negotiate and resolve conflicts.
The course content includes:
- Formation: the relevance of global networks, how to form international networks, different forms of organizational relationships: alliances, joint ventures, networks
- Organization: How to organize interorganizational relations, the role of trust, and learning strategies and races
- International challenges: key challenges frequently found in international relationships, such as cultural differences, property rights protection, managing the portfolio, dynamic environments
- What is conflict: Understanding the nature of conflicts, assessment of conflict
- Getting what you want: Theories and strategies to successful negotiation including saving face, negotiation strategies
- Third-party intervention: Escalation of conflict, mediation, advocacy, arbitration
- Contextual factors: the role of culture, ethics, and power in (international) conflict
The course will consist of 3 hour interactive workshops that will be a combination of theory, practice, and skill development. During these workshops students are expected to actively participate in class discussion and activities.
Specific information regarding student assessment will be provided in class. This information may be relevant to requirements for term papers or other hand-ins, and/or where class participation can be one of several components of the overall assessment.
This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded using points on a scale from 0-100. The final grade for the course is the weighted average of the three components.
Please note that while attendance is not compulsory in all courses, it is the student’s own responsibility to obtain any information provided in class.
This is a course with continuous assessment (several exam components) and one final exam code. Each exam component is graded by using points on a scale from 0-100. The components will be weighted together according to the information in the course description in order to calculate the final letter grade for the examination code (course). Students who fail to participate in one/some/all exam elements will get a lower grade or may fail the course. You will find detailed information about the point system and the cut off points with reference to the letter grades when the course start.
At re-sit all exam components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course.
All courses in the Masters programme will assume that students have fulfilled the admission requirements for the programme. In addition, courses in second, third and/or fourth semester can have specific prerequisites and will assume that students have followed normal study progression. For double degree and exchange students, please note that equivalent courses are accepted.
Covid-19
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there may be deviations in teaching and learning activities as well as exams, compared with what is described in this course description.
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| Exam category | Weight | Invigilation | Duration | Grouping | Comment exam |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exam category: Activity Form of assessment: Class participation Exam code: GRA 31121 Grading scale: Point scale Grading rules: Internal examiner Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course | 40 | No | 1 Semester(s) | Individual | |
| Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Exam code: GRA 31121 Grading scale: Point scale Grading rules: - Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course | 20 | No | 1 Semester(s) | Individual | Assignment |
| Exam category: Submission Form of assessment: Written submission Exam code: GRA 31121 Grading scale: Point scale Grading rules: - Resit: All components must, as a main rule, be retaken during next scheduled course | 40 | No | 1 Semester(s) | Group/Individual ( 1 - 3) | Term paper |
| Activity | Duration | Comment |
|---|---|---|
Teaching | 30 Hour(s) | |
Group work / Assignments | 45 Hour(s) | |
Group work / Assignments | 15 Hour(s) | Individual assignments |
Prepare for teaching | 70 Hour(s) |
A course of 1 ECTS credit corresponds to a workload of 26-30 hours. Therefore a course of 6 ECTS credits corresponds to a workload of at least 160 hours.