Negotiation is regarded as an activity that is inherent in every human being. At a given point, one must negotiate for a given resource. In contracts, negotiations are a common and essential activity. This ensures that the government, as well as the contractor, reaches an agreement for the provision of services or goods. It is essential that all parties at the negotiation table be given equal opportunities in the process. This paper is set to analyze negotiation process between a company that deals with GPS guidance device and the government. Additionally, the paper discusses ways of ensuring the company’s team of negotiators get the better of the government negotiators.
It is significant that all parties in the negotiations to be prepared before the start of the negotiations. Adequate preparation enables the contractor and the government to have knowledge of each other. Carefully studying the strengths and weaknesses of the government negotiators is crucial for the company's negotiation team. This offers a competitive edge over their counterparts. For any success in the negotiation phase, adequate preparation is very essential. There are several key approaches in researching the governmental negotiation team (Zarate, Kersten, & Hernández, 2014). The first approach is to analyze the relationship between the negotiators and the previous contractors. This clearly shows how the government deals with its clients. Additionally, it is essential in highlighting the strength and weaknesses of the government negotiators. To do this, the company negotiators can visit these contractors before negotiation date in a bid to get certain information from them.
Another approach that should be employed by the negotiators involves visiting the government’s website to understand its operations, values, and principles. This is significant in the negotiation process as it allows the company’s negotiating team to clearly understand the policies, rules, as well as the values of the government Zarate, Kersten, & Hernández, 2014). It is essential to be up to date on these issues to ensure they have an advantage over government negotiators. Most government negotiators do not take adequate time in their preparation for negotiations. If a company can master these issues, it puts itself in the running for the contract. When the negotiators are not well prepared through comprehensive research, it would be difficult to be awarded a contract considering the number of competitors available.
In any bargaining situation, some common characteristics exist that must be understood by all parties in the negotiation. The most common characteristic is the inherence of conflicting circumstances. There must always be a conflict between the parties. The government negotiators want to acquire a service or good at the lowest price possible while the other party wants to offer their services at the highest price to ensure maximum profits are achieved (Iland, 2013). The main aim of the government negotiators is to ensure expenditures are not raised beyond the amount in the budgeted. Another characteristic of negotiations is the application of reason in determining the final position. All negotiating parties must table the reasons for their proposals. Logical reasoning is a key component of negotiations. It allows the parties to form an agreement in the provision of given services.
Additionally, the parties in the negotiation must also be independent in everything they do. This is crucial in ensuring that no party influences the other. Independence at the time of preparation and negotiations helps the parties to present their cases with a lot of freedom (Zarate, Kersten, & Hernández, 2014). When the parties are dependent, the government can influence the outcome of the negotiations by imposing certain conditions. It is rear for company's negotiators to influence the outcome of the negotiations especially without any induction to the other party. This amounts to unfairness to other competing firms. It is crucial to keep such independence for better negotiation services. All these characteristics are essential in research of an impending negotiation between the two parties at the table.
Several companies exist that produce automated driverless vehicles that use GPS control. These companies include the Google, the Mercedes-Benz, as well as the Delphi Automotive. They use cars that integrate the GPS into their systems. Google automated car is considered as a direct rival since the GPS system used in the vehicle is similar to the one used by this company. The car has sensors that detect obstacles from all sides of the vehicle. This enables it to stop, slow down, or speed up depending on the location of the object (Meyer & Beiker, 2014). The car is round shaped and small. This enables it to detect any approaching object. The rounded shape maximizes the field view of the sensors. The magnification and detection of the sensors are believed to be the car’s main advantage. Even though the GPS used in the Google car is similar to the one used in the automated GPS-guided device; the quality of the devices used differs significantly.
The quality of the GPS gives the company’s device an edge over its competitors. The GPS device is installed in a simple manner that can easily be repaired in case of any breakdown. For that reason, the device can be repaired locally due to the availability of its spare parts. Additionally, the low cost of the device gives it a slight advantage. It can be separated from the car and kept differently. In the Google car, the GPS device is part of the car and needs an individual with greater expertise to separate the two (Meyer & Beiker, 2014). This is a major disadvantage when compared with our device when used in a vehicle. Convenience and availability of spare part also play a crucial role in comparing GPS devices. Our device can be easily acquired from different outlets within the United States and other parts of the world. These advantages give the company a competitive edge over its rivals.
For any negotiation to be successful, certain steps must be followed. A good negotiation process has seven stages that must be sequentially observed. The stages include agenda setting, the opening of the negotiations, tabling of the demands and offers, ensuring that the differences between the negotiators are reduced, final bargaining, persuasion from both sides, as well as the implementation of the agreed deal. It is essential that the steps be followed from one-step to the other. This raises the probability of success of the negotiation. An introduction is an important tool in a negotiation exercise (Zarate, Kersten, & Hernández, 2014). Proper introductory remarks enable the other party to clearly understand certain values, as well as the presentation of the offer. That first impression is essential in providing a clear stand of the company. It also has the potential to persuade the other party in understanding the main issues of the offer. Essentially, it plays a role in detecting false and true presentations by the prospective contractor.
Within the introduction, the team has to start by mentioning the issue to be negotiated upon. This has the potential of allowing participants to build confidence and relax. This also enables the other party to be prepared for the tabling of the offer. Others believe that the prospective contractor should let the government negotiators to start the presentation of their offer, but this is not always the case (Zarate, Kersten, & Hernández, 2014). In most cases, the contractor introduces the issue to be negotiated upon. It also allows the government negotiators to assess if the presenter understands the matter to be discussed. Speaking first enables the company negotiators to control the negotiations due to their already stated position and offer. This also enables them to determine certain indicators and measurements of the discussion as it progresses.
In negotiations, several approaches can be used to ensure fairness to both parties. These methods include positional and interest-based approaches. They can either be used singly or as a combination of the two methods. At the start of any negotiation, it is crucial to identify the method employed by the other party in the negotiation. This enables the prospective contractors to either soften or harden their stands depending on the strategy employed by the government negotiators (Iland, 2013). All these strategies have their advantages as well as disadvantages. The most commonly used negotiation strategy is the positional method. Both the government and the company's negotiators take extreme positions regarding offers. They then argue towards a common middle ground until they get to a neutral position. Various counter offers are exchanged in an attempt to achieve a given middle ground. However, the method may result in a stalemate if the parties do not arrive at a common middle ground.
In the interest-based strategy, the parties involved often seek innovative ways of ensuring that there is no loser in the negotiation. They work towards achieving the best for each party by ascertaining the reasoning of the other party (Zarate, Kersten, & Hernández, 2014). Everyone’s interest is usually considered in this type of strategy. It is especially effective when there are several varying issues to be addressed. There is a belief that an agreement can only be reached when these issues are expanded rather than simplified. An expanded pie is better than a limited portion of it; that is the motto of the strategy. If it is expected that there will be a continued relationship between the negotiating parties, interest based strategy is always recommended. In most negotiation tables, interest based strategy is rarely used due to its insistence on accommodation of the interests of all parties involved. Positional based strategy would be the best for this type of negotiation since positions are changed depending on the level of persuasion.
In negotiations, body language plays a crucial role to both parties. To the prospective contractor, positive body language can lead to a positive response from the clients. The client must also display positive body language since negative body language has the potential to drive away some of the best companies in the market. Therefore, it is important for every individual in the negotiation team to be aware of these involuntary body movements. Different people have different ways of expressing disgust, happiness, as well as satisfaction through these non-verbal communication techniques. The non-verbal techniques can harm an individual’s success during negotiations (Iland, 2013). It is important to learn them for a better understanding of their use. This assists in determining the feeling of the client during negotiations. It is believed that only thirty percent of communication originates from talking.
It is necessary for the contract document to be written by a representative of the company rather than the government negotiators or the industry members. The representative of the company understands the operations and the financial resources needed to complete a given task. Such representative also knows the level at which either profit or loss can occur. When prepared by a government negotiator, the representative will be striving to reduce the government’s expenditure with no regard to the profits of the company. This can heavily affect the operations of the company. The main concern of the government will not be profit making for the company but expenditure reduction on its side. Moreover, when the industry members draft the document, the company can suffer losses since these are its competitors. The competitors may decide to unite in a bid to drive the company out of the market. Therefore, the company representatives should solely do preparation.
In summary, negotiation is a crucial activity in the business world. The rapid changes in the business environment also lead to changes in negotiation strategies. It is important that every negotiation event employs a different strategy. The representative of the company should do the documentation of any contract to avoid future conflicts. In every negotiation, every participant must be aware of the body language and its effects.
References
Iland, A. (2013). Reading the Signs: Negotiations and Body Language in the Business Place. Houston: Iland business pages.
Meyer, G., & Beiker, S. (Eds.). (2014). Road Vehicle Automation. New York: Springer International Publishing.
Zaraté, P., Kersten, G., & Hernández, J. E. (Eds.). (2014). Group Decision and Negotiation. A Process-Oriented View: Joint INFORMS-GDN and EWG-DSS International Conference, GDN 2014, Toulouse, France, June 10-13, 2014, Proceedings (Vol. 180). New York: Springer.
