Ethical Issues In Negotiations

Negotiation is a method by which people settle differences or in international politics to achieve formal agreement to the way forward on an issue that is either of shared concerns or in dispute between the other parties. It is also a process by which compromise or agreement is reached while avoiding argument and dispute. In any disagreement, individuals understandably aim to achieve the best possible outcome for their position. However, the principles of fairness, seeking mutual benefit and maintaining relationship are keys to a successful outcome. It is inevitable that, from time to time conflict and disagreement will arise as the differing needs, wants, aims and beliefs of people are brought together. Without negotiation, such as conflicts

Arguably one of the reasons for the failure of the first set of negotiations was the fact that the agenda was too large and the issues to wide as to effectively be dealt with. By narrowing the agenda, the issue of the conflict become manageable. With the agenda agreed, the final task of the prenegotiations stage is agreement on procedure the format of the negotiations can be direct (face to face) or indirect (mediator). Choice of the format of a negotiation sometimes goes a long way towards dictating where they will take place, their venue. The venue of negotiations is important because if a state is able to persuade its rival to send a delegation to its own shores, this will be of great practical convenience to it. There are three common strategies for getting over this problem: neutral ground, meeting ‘halfway’, and alternating (rotating, if there are more than two parties) home venues. Some venues are chosen for negotiations because either by convention or law they are neutral ground. This is why the popularity of venues in Switzerland and Austria, both permanently neutral states in international law. The third procedural point requiring agreement is the nature of the delegations, which embraces level, composition, and size.

At this stage rivals mainly ‘size up’ each other. What cannot and does not need to be agreed in advance is normally left to a subsequent ‘step-by-step’ process, an approach considered most ideal in delicate negotiations so as to avoid premature collapse. The formula stage can be provide a clue of the expectations by the parties into the next (details) stage of