| Course | NEG-7310 Negotiations |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 7 |
| Paper type | Discussion forum: initial response and two comments |
| Length | About 427 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 7
Module 7 Discussion: Slow Down to Speed Up
Slow Down to Speed Up: Adapting a Negotiation to a Japanese Manufacturer's Process
Variable refrigerant flow systems are a growing market, and we applied to become an authorized dealer for a Japanese manufacturer's line in central New Jersey. The manufacturer's U.S. team included two Japanese managers and an American regional director. Our team of three went in planning a single meeting to settle terms: territory, pricing tiers, training requirements and inventory commitments.
Lewicki et al. (2011) describe culture as shaping negotiation through how people define a negotiation, select negotiators, communicate, use time, take risks and make decisions. Brett (2014) distinguishes cultures in which people communicate directly, stating preferences and asking questions, from those in which meaning is carried by context and inference. In our first meeting, we stated our preferred territory and asked for the top pricing tier. The Japanese managers responded with questions about our company's history, our technicians' training and our largest customers, and said they would "study" our proposal.
At first we read "study" as stalling. The regional director explained privately that the managers needed agreement within their company before committing, and that our questions about price had come too early. Gelfand and Christakopoulou (1999) found that negotiators from individualistic cultures were more prone to certain judgment errors, such as the fixed-pie bias, and that cultural background shaped how negotiators perceived the process. We had treated a relationship-building meeting as a failed bargaining session.
We changed our plan. Over three months we hosted the managers at two job sites, sent two technicians to the manufacturer's training before any contract and shared our installation records. When terms were discussed, the manufacturer offered a smaller territory than we wanted but a faster path to the top pricing tier if we met training and sales targets. We accepted, and the agreement has held. The slower process cost us a season of sales, but it produced a relationship the manufacturer now treats as a model for its other dealers.
Our team also learned to speak with one voice; in the first meeting, our sales manager and I had contradicted each other on inventory, which the textbook warns undermines a team in negotiation.
Comment on Lena's Post
Lena, your German supplier wanted every term in writing before the meeting, which seems the opposite of our experience. Did that low-context style make the negotiation faster or simply more formal?
Comment on Carlos's Post
Carlos, your plant manager in Monterrey valued the personal relationship before business. Did your team invest time in that, and did it change the terms you reached?
References
Brett, J. M. (2014). Negotiating globally: How to negotiate deals, resolve disputes, and make decisions across cultural boundaries (3rd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Gelfand, M. J., & Christakopoulou, S. (1999). Culture and negotiator cognition: Judgment accuracy and negotiation processes in individualistic and collectivistic cultures. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 79(3), 248-269. https://doi.org/10.1006/obhd.1999.2845
Lewicki, R. J., Barry, B., & Saunders, D. M. (2011). Essentials of negotiation (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Irwin.
What the NEG 7310 Module 7 instructions ask for
The Module 7 forum covers negotiation across cultures and contexts, and the live negotiation team project takes place in this module's synchronous session. Expect to analyze a negotiation that crossed cultures, explain how cultural differences in communication, values or decision making shaped it and evaluate how the parties adapted. Use the textbook and research on culture, and avoid stereotypes by describing specific behaviors rather than national traits. Reply to two classmates with questions that compare their experiences with yours. If you have not negotiated across national cultures, consider differences of organizational or regional culture, which the module's ideas also explain. Describe what you would do differently in a second attempt. Keep each reply specific to the classmate's case.
Inside the NEG 7310 Module 7 example
The post opens with the deal and the team's original plan. A paragraph sets out the textbook's view of culture and research on direct and indirect communication, then describes the first meeting. A paragraph explains how the team misread the other side's process, with research on culture and negotiator cognition. A paragraph describes the adapted plan and the outcome, and a short paragraph notes a lesson about team negotiation. The replies compare low-context and relationship-first styles. The post weighs the cost of the slower process, a lost season of sales, against the relationship it produced, so the adaptation is judged by results rather than assumed to be right. Both replies compare styles.
Reading the NEG 7310 Module 7 grading rubric
Grading considers accurate use of cultural concepts, analysis backed by research, freedom from stereotypes and replies that add something new. Posts that describe specific behaviors and how they were interpreted show cultural insight. Admitting a misreading, and explaining how the plan changed, demonstrates learning. Connecting the case to team dynamics shows awareness of the module's broader context, and replies that compare styles across cases enrich the forum. Weighing the cost of adapting, as well as its benefits, shows balanced judgment rather than an assumption that adapting is always right. Attention to how the team itself behaved, including a contradiction in front of the other side, shows awareness of the module's material on teams.
Common NEG 7310 Module 7 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by describing cultures with stereotypes, by listing cultural dimensions without applying them or by assuming the other side should adapt. Others ignore team dynamics. Describe what people actually did and said. Explain how each side interpreted it. Show how your approach changed. Use research to explain the difference, not to label people. Weigh what adapting cost you against what it gained, and say what you would do in a second attempt with the same partner. Note how your own team behaved, since speaking with one voice matters across every culture and setting. A free first sample on your own NEG-7310 cross-cultural discussion is available on request.
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NEG 7310 Module 7 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NEG 7310 Module 7 sample paper?
An HVAC contractor's negotiation with a Japanese manufacturer, with two replies, is the discussion above.
How does culture affect negotiation?
It shapes how people define negotiation, communicate, use time, take risks and make decisions.
What is high-context communication?
Communication in which meaning depends on context, relationships and inference rather than explicit statements.
Why can consensus decision making seem like stalling?
Because negotiators from faster, individual decision cultures may misread the time needed to build internal agreement.
How should a team negotiate across cultures?
Prepare together, speak with one voice and invest in the relationship the other side values.