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This case argues that central to being a professional is the pledge to manage conflicts of interest such that client interest is placed foremost.

Supplements the (A) case.

Competition is present, explicitly or implicitly, in many business negotiations. Rarely in buyer-seller negotiations are the bargainers stuck with each other, usually they have an alternative trading partner to whom they can turn. The terms of agreement that are negotiated are shaped by the fact that the alternatives exist. The ability to exploit competition among potential trading partners is a major source of bargaining power. Competition within a negotiation works much like competition in a formal auction. The case describes the bidding for television rights.

Develops a framework linking structural diagnosis and strategy design in complicated (complex and ambiguous) negotiations. To develop good strategies, negotiators must rigorously diagnose the structure of their negotiating situations. Equivalently, strategy follows structure. At the same time, they must work to shape the structure in favorable ways, both before and while they are playing it. So strategy shapes structure too. Superior negotiation strategies, therefore, consist of a mix of moves to bargain within the existing structure of the game and moves to shape that structure in favorable ways.

Provides a framework for influencing key outside players--businesses, governments, and NGOs--in support of business strategy. This could mean negotiating contracts with major customers and suppliers, concluding acquisitions and alliances, and securing financing from investors and banks. It could also mean building coalitions to influence government rule-makers, working with institutional shareholders, and influencing key opinion-makers in the media and analyst communities. Illustrates how effective corporate diplomats skillfully employ the tools of diplomacy--negotiation, coalition building, and public relations--to shape the business environment favorably.

This case explores the conflict between Shell Oil and Greenpeace over Shell's plans to sink the aging Brent Spar oil platform in the North Atlantic. It details the tactics Greenpeace employed and examines Shell's responses.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

Supplements the (A) case.

Public professional service organizations (PPSOs) are professional service organizations that serve the public. This case describes the unique challenges facing PPSO leaders.

This case discusses why economies (and diseconomies) of scale and scope exist in professional service firms (PSFs) and how they influence the amount and range of services that PSFs offer. It is distributed with a case that focuses on determining the optimal scale/scope of a PSF.

This case distills the practical implications of current research on nonverbal communication. The first section sketches different kinds of nonverbal behavior: facial expressions, eye movements, physical gestures, paraverbal cues, posture, and "personal space." The next section looks more deeply at the interactive nature of nonverbal communication--specifically, how one person's behavior both influences and reflects what others do. The final section suggests how negotiators can make better use of nonverbal communication. Five themes run throughout the case: 1) we communicate far more information to other people than is conveyed by our words alone, 2) our nonverbal signals sometimes contradict the words we use, 3) much of this communication is less than fully conscious, 4) reading nonverbal communication is an art, not a science, and 5) nonverbal communication must be understood in the context of the broader set of interactions among all parties.

This case discusses the problem of balancing demand and supply of professionals within a professional services firm (PSF). It emphasizes how human resources management policies impact supply conditions and how market opportunities determine demand conditions. The case identifies the levers that can be used to bring the demand and supply in balance.

This case highlights the tradeoff between valuation ascribed to professionals at the time of a professional services firm (PSF) acquisition and the postacquisition compensation of these professionals. It emphasizes how a high valuation at acquisition carries with it the requirement to lower professionals' compensation postacquisition.

In late 2001, Yahoo!'s new executive leadership team faces a decision. With online advertising revenues significantly off, the company has decided to explore new strategic businesses, including online recruiting. The team must decide whether to make a bid for HotJobs.com, already under contract to be acquired by TMP Worldwide, parent of Monster.com. The deal is currently under scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission. Given the importance of career listings to the company's new strategy, should Yahoo! make a move now for HotJobs or wait for the FTC's decision?

After weighing the pros and cons of making an unsolicited bid for HotJobs.com (an online recruiting company already under contract to be acquired by TMP Worldwide), the executive team of Yahoo! decides to make an immediate move rather than wait for the Federal Trade Commission to clear the pending merger. This case examines Yahoo!s process for formulating a bid offer with limited information about the target and details the course of the company's negotiations with HotJobs.

Most experienced negotiators are comfortable working out the terms of an economic contract--they bargain for the best price, haggle over equity splits, and finesse detailed exit clauses. Yet these same seasoned professionals spend so much time ironing out the letter of the deal that they often pay little attention to the spirit of the deal--the social contract. And that can lead to major problems, say the authors, because even though the parties agree to the same terms on paper, they may have very different expectations about how to meet them. Because the parties have failed to have a true meeting of the minds, they sign a deal that is likely to fall apart. To avoid such a disastrous outcome, negotiators should explicitly discuss the details of their social contract before inking the deal. For instance, what is the real nature, extent, and duration of the agreement? And in practice, how will we make decisions, handle unforeseen events, communicate with one another, and resolve disputes? The authors also highlight risk factors that can lead to misunderstandings and expose common misperceptions about the social contract.

This case tracks the evolution from October 2000 to July 2001 of public debate, regulatory decisions, and firm perspectives on the subject of consulting by accounting firms.

Two fictional travel companies, SCOUT and TravelPlanner, engage in competitive bidding to acquire a third party, Travelexis. This exercise consists of three roles, one representative from each of the three companies. It is based on the actual negotiations between Headhunter (represented by Travelexis), Yahoo! (SCOUT), and CareerBuilder (TravelPlanner).

Two fictional travel companies, SCOUT and TravelPlanner, engage in competitive bidding to acquire a third party, Travelexis. This exercise is consists of three roles, one representative from each of the three companies. It is based on the actual negotiations between Headhunter (represented by Travelexis), Yahoo! (SCOUT), and CareerBuilder (TravelPlanner).