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sally Soprano I Discussion

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Welcome to Discussion Board for the Sally Soprano exercise.

Click "Reply" to leave your post in this thread. This week you’re asked (ok, required) to answer two questions. Question 1, everyone must answer, and Question 2 you can choose from a list of topics. Between the two questions, please remember to define and apply a total of at least 3 course concepts (at least one for each question, and a total of 3). The concepts can come from the readings or from lecture/debrief. 

No reply post is required this week.

 * PLEASE clearly indicate what concepts you’re addressing (bold for the concepts defined is highly encouraged) and use paragraphs and/or bullet points when composing your posts. Nobody - especially me - wants to read a big fat block of text. **

Before posting your comments to this discussion board:

· Go to Announcements and to find the PDF file with Class Outcomes and Instructor Comments. Make sure you read the instructor comments. 

· Watch the recorded Sally Soprano Debrief that provides analysis of the negotiation situation you just faced. Find the Debrief in Week 5 in the Sally Soprano Group Assignment area.

HERE ARE THIS WEEK'S QUESTIONS:

Question 1 (required): What creative solutions did you use or could you have used in this negotiation? And….what role do creative solutions have in integrative negotiations?

Question 2: (choose any of the topics below):

· What standard(s) did you apply, or should you have applied? What role do standards play? (Shell, ch. 3).

· Why did your negotiation go as it did?

· What did you do well, and why?

· Where could you have improved, and how?

· What would you do differently next time, and why?

· Was your BATNA a consideration?

· How did you do at estimating the other side’s BATNA or reservation point?

I look forward to reading your posts.

Ex 1: Question 1 (required): What creative solutions did you use or could you have used in this negotiation? And….what role do creative solutions have in integrative negotiations?

In this discussion, I was the business manager at the Lyric. My partner and I used two creative solutions in this integrative bargain, or a bargain in which both parties collaborate to create a win-win solution for both sides. We were able to come up with these creative solutions (which was an audience retention dependent payment style as well as the possibility to continue the relationship through coaching) by increasing the discussion to uncover each others interests.

I figured that Sally wanted the publicity and the chance to prove that she is still very capable as an agin soprano, considering that she was the one who reached out to the Lyric in the first place. I was able to confirm that this indeed was her interest, but also that Sally wanted to continue the relationship with the Lyric in the future. I came up with the idea of having Sally coach because it was implied that my back up singers were younger and less experienced, and Sally, had a wealth of knowledge but she was aging and may not have many shows left in her.  I thought that Sally would enjoy finishing her career in a role she knows and at a venue she knows, and then taking on a new chapter in her career as a coach, satisfying her desire to continue her presence in the industry. 

My partner pried at me a few times to discover that my main interest was to fill the seats to their maximum capacity every night. She also found out that I had capable back up singer that may or may not perform well in the role. Once she knew this, she proposed that we work out a conditional payment based upon how well Sally is able to fill the seats at at least 80% capacity for the first 6 shows, her salary would be increased to a total of $36,900; still a win-win for both parties. 

Creative ideas play a big role in integrative bargains. The whole goal behind an integrative bargain is to make a deal that allows the relationship to prosper and continue. This creates a collaborative/accommodatingapproach to the negotiation, which is when the parties work together to come to an agreement. This approach, inherently creates a creative negotiation environment that stimulates the parties willingness to  ideate and find ways to make a deal. Without this approach, the creative juices would not be able to flow and therefore no creative ideas can be made. Therefore, creative solutions play key role in integrative bargaining.

How did you do at estimating the other side’s BATNA or reservation point?

I'll be the first to say it; I did an awful job at estimating Sally's reservation point. I was able to estimate her BATNA accurately, which is her best alternative if a deal cannot be made. I figured that Sally would just continue on with her life and wait for the next opportunity or contract to come along. Her Reservation Point, or the price at which she walks away, I estimated it to be at least the salary of my backup singer. I thought that Sally would not take anything less than $27,000 as her RP. I had no idea, and I was almost in shock when I watched the debrief, and learned that Sally would have done the performance for nothing. I looked back over the exercise role document, and I still do not know how I would have been able to estimate that, but as the debrief video discussed, I do think that had I known this, the negotiation would have been much easier to work through. 

· EX2: What creative solutions did you use, or could you have used in this negotiation? 

I was fully prepared to use ticket sales as a creative solution.  In my preparation and planning (research and understanding the goals, norms, interests, and possible outcomes before a negotiation, p.104), I formulated the average costs of seats and the number of seats sold in a 2,000-seat theater and what each of those percentages looks like.  85% average attendance means that 1700 seats are sold on average a night.  86% sales are equal to 1720, therefore if I could make a scale for how much that means in actual monetary value I could either give her a flat bonus or work out a percentage based on the value.  Using the best practice accounting of $28 as an average ticket sale price, each night at 85% is equal to $47,600 in revenue, 86% at $29 is $49,880.  I was prepared to offer a 50% split of the profit if she reached 90% or higher and any dollar amount change in the average ticket sale would be applied after the base is taken out. Using ticket sales as an Authoritative standard and norm (a legitimate standard that both parties can formulate a negotiation and assess value, p. 45) would also explain concerns of the business of her craft. 

· And…. what role do creative solutions have in integrative negotiations?

Creative solutions (solutions that do not fit into any standard but are likely interests that may sway both parties for equitable concessions, Lecture 5)  like this in an integrative negotiation (making interests wider and integrating all interests, needs, and wants into the negotiation,p. 140) would allow both parties to gain but also mitigate any possible costs that are associated.  With my creative solution, I was hoping to persuade her to take $22,000 and 50% profit of sales after 90% as my possible goal.

 

· Why did your negotiation go as it did?

I represented the Lyric Opera House or the Buyer in this situation.  My BATNA (best alternative to negotiated agreement, Chapter 2 or lecture 1) was to use the other singer that was in the secondary role of Adalgisa, for a reservation price(highest or lowest value that is acceptable before walking away from the negotiation, p.31) of $28,000, which is the industry standard or normative leverage (views of the other party as legitimate and relevant to the resolution of your differences, which is the same as above, p.45) as being about double the secondary roles salary.  I assumed this was a fair but rather low offer considering Ms. Risingstar, who is not as famous, was going to receive $30,000.  I made the initial offer right off the bat of the industry standard hoping that this will start a negotiation where we can have concessions and trade-offs, thus, engaging in an integrative negotiation.  However, she accepted immediately.  I asked if this was okay and she was enthusiastic and said she would have been willing to do it for $12,500 as her reservation price.  At first, I felt like I did something wrong.  Until I read the results and listened to the debrief.  She could have negotiated more but I think there was a language disconnect because it was hard for us to understand each other.  I wanted to tease out more information, but she was ready to be done with it and really, she got a win for her client, who was willing to do it for next to nothing.   I won because it was a normative distributive negotiation (purely transactional, p.140) that kept with the industry standards without sacrificing ticket profit.