NEG 7310 Module 1 The Nature of Negotiation Example

Course	NEG-7310 Negotiations
Module	Module 1
Paper type	Discussion forum: initial response and two comments
Length	About 417 words
Format	Discussion post with APA 7 citations
School	Thomas Edison State University
Program	Master of Business Administration
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for NEG 7310 Module 1

Module 1 Discussion: The On-Call Rotation as a Negotiation

The On-Call Rotation as a Negotiation: Interdependence and Intangibles at an HVAC Contractor

Every November I set the winter on-call rotation for our eleven service technicians, who answer emergency calls for no-heat failures at schools, offices and nursing homes. For years I simply posted a schedule. Last year I negotiated it, and the result was better.

Lewicki et al. (2011) list the characteristics of a negotiation situation: two or more parties, a conflict of needs or desires, a voluntary choice to negotiate, an expectation of give and take, a preference for a negotiated agreement over open fighting or one side's decision, and both tangible and intangible issues. The rotation met each test. The technicians and I were the parties. Their wishes conflicted with each other's and with coverage needs: everyone wanted to be off Christmas week and opening day of deer season. I could have imposed a schedule, so choosing to negotiate was voluntary. And we expected to trade.

The tangible issues were nights, weekends, holidays and the $150 on-call stipend per week. The intangibles mattered as much. Two senior technicians felt that seniority should earn them first choice; a younger technician with a new baby wanted to be seen as committed even though he needed fewer nights. Fisher et al. (2011) urge negotiators to separate the people from the problem while still dealing with each side's concerns, and the intangibles were where the people lived.

Interdependence made negotiation the better path. I depend on the technicians to answer calls at 2 a.m., and they depend on me for hours and stipends. An imposed schedule produced compliance and quiet trading of shifts I could not track. The negotiated one, built in a ninety-minute meeting, let senior technicians pick holidays first in exchange for taking more weekend nights, and it held all winter with no missed calls. Curhan et al. (2006) found that negotiators value how they feel about the process and the relationship, not only the outcome they receive; the technicians told me afterward that being asked mattered to them as much as the nights they got.

What this page is doingNaming the intangible issues, seniority, respect and how people want to be seen, shows why an imposed schedule had failed even when its numbers were fair.

Comment on Rachel's Post

Rachel, buying a car seems like a one-time negotiation with no relationship, but you mentioned returning to the dealer for service. Does that future relationship change how hard you should bargain on price?

Comment on Omar's Post

Omar, your family's vacation planning has intangible issues, like whose turn it is to choose. Did naming those openly make the tangible choices, dates and budget, easier to settle?

References

Curhan, J. R., Elfenbein, H. A., & Xu, H. (2006). What do people value when they negotiate? Mapping the domain of subjective value in negotiation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 91(3), 493-512. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.91.3.493

Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in (3rd ed.). Penguin.

Lewicki, R. J., Barry, B., & Saunders, D. M. (2011). Essentials of negotiation (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin.

Reading the NEG 7310 Module 1 assignment instructions

NEG-7310 grades eight discussion forums, which carry 35 percent of the grade between them, and the course opens with an ungraded introductions forum. This first forum asks what negotiation is. You will test a situation from your work or life against the textbook's characteristics of a negotiation, separate tangible from intangible issues and judge whether negotiating was the right choice. Use Lewicki, Barry and Saunders and at least one other source. Reply to two classmates with questions that apply the module's ideas to their examples. The introduction forum in Module 1 is ungraded but required, so post there as well. For the graded forum, choose a negotiation you know from the inside, since you will need to describe each side's interests, and keep the post to the module's question about what negotiation is.

How the NEG 7310 Module 1 example is put together

The post opens with a routine decision the writer used to make alone. It tests the situation against each characteristic of a negotiation from the textbook. A paragraph separates tangible from intangible issues and connects the intangibles to separating people from the problem. A paragraph explains interdependence and why the negotiated rotation worked better than an imposed one. The two replies ask about relationships and intangibles in classmates' examples, so each comment adds a question rather than agreement. It closes with a result, a rotation that held all winter with no missed calls, and research on subjective value explains why being asked mattered to the technicians as much as the schedule itself.

Reading the NEG 7310 Module 1 grading rubric

Discussion grades reward a full initial post that uses course concepts accurately, use of the readings and replies that push classmates' analysis further. In the opening forum, posts that test a real situation against each characteristic of negotiation, rather than listing the characteristics, show understanding. Identifying intangible issues demonstrates insight into why negotiations succeed or fail. Concrete details, such as the stipend and the trade between seniority and weekends, make the analysis credible, and replies that pose a pointed question earn more than praise. Bringing in a second source, as the post does with work on subjective value, shows reading beyond the textbook and strengthens the argument about intangibles.

Common NEG 7310 Module 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Students lose points by describing a negotiation without applying the textbook's definition, by ignoring intangible issues or by assuming every conflict should be negotiated. Others choose examples with no real interdependence. Test your example against each characteristic. Name the intangibles. Explain why the parties depended on each other. Ask classmates a question that applies a concept to their case. Pick a negotiation you can describe with real numbers and real people, and say what changed when you negotiated rather than decided alone. A free first sample on your own NEG-7310 discussion post is available on request.

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More NEG 7310 and Master of Business Administration sample papers

NEG 7310 Module 1 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NEG 7310 Module 1 sample paper?

An HVAC contractor's on-call rotation tested as a negotiation, with two replies, is the discussion above.

What makes a situation a negotiation?

Two or more parties, a conflict of interests, a voluntary choice to negotiate, expected give and take and both tangible and intangible issues.

What are intangible issues in negotiation?

Psychological concerns such as respect, fairness, reputation and how a party wants to be seen.

What is interdependence in negotiation?

The parties need each other to reach their goals, which gives both a reason to negotiate.

What textbook does NEG-7310 use?

Lewicki, Barry and Saunders's Essentials of Negotiation, fifth edition, from McGraw-Hill Irwin.

NEG 7310 Module 1 Discussion: Is the On-Call Schedule a Negotiation? Example