The benefits adherent to a process of negotiation are sometimes considered synonyms with the goals of a negotiation process. However a distinction must be made in that the goals refer to the future, or the expected benefits, whereas the actual benefits are more realistic and secure.
A mutual benefit would be that of generating a combined ability to strengthen the market position. This would ultimately result in a superior position relative to the competition. "Competition in the emerging handled device industry was fierce. Essentially well established PC manufacturers, every telecom manufacturer, most electronics manufacturers and many other sought to become players in this multi-billion dollar segment. New technologies and new models were constantly being released. Color capability, communication capabilities, screen, size, processor speed, RAM capacity, overall size of the unit and total functionality were all key criteria in the consumer's purchase decision" (Hill, 2002). By joining forces and reaching common grounds through the negotiation process, the two companies could easily get increased access to required resources and strengthen their competitive position.
The parties to a negotiation must also consider the functionality of their products and/or services and their ability to complement each other. This ability is obvious in the case of mGAMES and the Scandinavian telecommunications company, who possess complementary technologies. The technological standpoint in this scenario is of vital importance moreover given the rapid pace of the technological advancements.
In the contemporaneous society, technological advancements play an exponentially increasing role within the process of negotiation. For instance, long distance communications are now possible and more efficient due to the emergence of teleconference possibilities. Other gadgets have also increased the speed and efficiency of the process. "Technology is not only changing the way we do business - it's changing the way we think about doing business. The most important effects of a new technology may be, not to let people do old things more efficiently, but rather to do new things that simply were not possible or feasible with the old technology" (School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois).
Conclusions
Clear and efficient communications...
But communicating one's ideas may not always be enough to achieving the desired status. In this order of ideas then, the individual will have to commence the process of negotiation. This basically revolves around ongoing discussions in which two or more partners try to reach a common understanding that will satisfy their needs.
The process may however imply additional efforts, as the parties would have to deal with the emergent issues. In the presented scenario, the negotiation process revealed several issues. The most significant of them referred to dealing with market rumors when discussing a potential organizational venture, conducting speedy and efficient negotiations, sharing similar goals or dealing with divergent goals. It also presented matters such as benefits of the involved parties, the complementarily features of the respective products and services, the technological input into the process or the market competition.
Ultimately, it can be said that a negotiation process is formed from a multitude of complex issues, which must be addressed in a clear, efficient and professional manner. However the literature on the matter of communicating and negotiating is rather wide, fact remains that each situation is unique and must be therefore addressed in a different manner, as imposed by the respective characteristics. Otherwise put, the specialized literature cannot offer a perfect recipe to resolving negotiation problems, but it can reveal significant approaches, which can then be adapted by each party to suit their unique needs and goals.
References
Hill, S., 2002, mGAMES, Richard Ivey School of Business, the University of Western Ontario
Maiese, M., 2003, What Is Negotiation? Beyond Intractability, http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/negotiation/last accessed on November 17, 2008
Volkema, R.J., 1999, the Negotiation Toolkit, AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn
Welsh, S.G., 2003, Managing and Leading: 52 Lessons Learned for Engineers, American Society of Civil Engineers
Technology in Negotiation, School of Labor and Employment Relations at the University of Illinois, retrieved at http://www.ilir.uiuc.edu/courses/lir567/567%20lir%20handouts-electronic%20neg.pdf.On November 17, 2008
