Parker Gibson

PROGRAM ON NEGOTIATION AT HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
AN INTER-UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM TO IMPROVE THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION
PARKER – GIBSON
TEACHER’S PACKAGE
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
P ROGRAM O N N EGOTIATION AT H ARVARD L AW S CHOOL
PARKER-GIBSON
Teaching Notes
Parker-Gibson is a two-party, single-issue negotiation for the purchase of a vacant lot. It is a

refinement of an earlier simulation, Appleton-Baker.
Overview
The Parkers and Gibsons are neighbors. A vacant parcel of land, now owned by the Parkers, sits
between their two house lots. The vacant parcel is smaller than the minimum required by zoning
for a building lot, but potentially has value to abutters for "accessory uses" or simply as a buffer.
The Parkers bought the land 15 years ago for $20,000 thinking that they might build a tennis
court on it, but never went ahead with this project. The Parkers recently sold their house, but the
purchasers are not very interested in buying the extra land. As a result, the Parkers have
approached the Gibsons to see if they would like to acquire the parcel.
As it happens, there is a large bargaining range in this case. The Parkers are moving out of state
and will reluctantly sell the land for $15,000 to the purchaser of their home if the Gibsons aren't
interested in buying the lot. Unbeknownst to the sellers, the Gibsons are very interested in
purchasing the land to expand their house. They recently received an inheritance, and are willing
to pay up to $40,000 for the land.
The case was written to illustrate the dynamics of single-issue bargaining. To the extent possible,
other issues have been suppressed. For example, the parties have a polite but distant relationship;
with the Parkers’ departure, there is no realistic prospect of future dealings. Likewise, the
relatively small amount of money involved argues against elaborate deal structuring.
Mechanics
Two Parties One person in each role
Materials Confidential Instructions for each party (there are no separate general
instructions)
This case was written by Michael Wheeler. Copies are available online at www.pon.org, telephone 800-258-4406 or 617-495-7818. This case
may not be reproduced, revised or translated in whole or in part by any means without the written permission of the Director of Curriculum
Development, Program on Negotiation, 518 Pound Hall, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138. Please help to preserve the usefulness of
this case by keeping it confidential. Copyright © 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998. 2006, 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights
reserved. (Rev. 07/07)
PARKER GIBSON: Teaching Notes
Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire for each party
Timing Reading, strategizing, completing Part 1 of Inventory/Satisfaction

Questionnaire: 10-15 minutes
Negotiation: 10-20 minutes
Completing Part II of Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire, debriefing:

45-75 minutes
Optional re-negotiation: 15 minutes
Pre-Negotiation Instructions
Before participants begin negotiating, make it clear that the vacant lot between the Parkers’ and
Gibsons’ homes is under discussion, not the Parkers' house lot.
Emphasize that the parties should not exchange their physical Confidential Instructions during
the negotiation. People can reveal as much or as little of their confidential information as they
see fit, but must establish their credibility with their words or other actions. Also, you may ask
people not to swap sheets even after they have come to agreement, so you can reveal the key
information during the debriefing.
Emphasize that the negotiation is taking place under a tight deadline: ten to twenty minutes
really will suffice. By the same token, people should be encouraged to make good use of the time
they have; tell them that they will get more out of the exercise if they do not rush to agreement in
the first few minutes.
Some instructors might be interested in adding another step in the game: ask participants to
record their goals privately before they negotiate. This will make it possible to explore the
possible connection between aspirations and success. It will also demonstrate how, for some
people, standards of success are relative, not absolute. A seller may be very happy with a
$20,000 deal, for example, until he or she learns that the buyer had much more to spend. To
pursue this topic, hand out the Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire along with the Confidential
Instructions and give people an extra minute to complete Part I of the form before the
negotiation.
Copyright © 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998. 2006, 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. (Rev. 07/07)
PARKER-GIBSON: Teaching Note
Debriefing
Before you record the results, give people a moment to complete Part II of the
Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire. Then ask whether everyone was able to come to
agreement. Perhaps one in 20 pairs will have been stalemated; if there is a stalemate, make sure
at the end of the debriefing to find out why the parties got stuck. Next, ask people to raise their
hands if they are satisfied with the agreements that they reached; almost everyone will do so.
Now it's time to record the results on an overhead or poster. You can have each pair submit a
simple agreement (you only need the names of the parties and the agreed price) or you can
simply put up a vertical scale (as illustrated in the Results Scale overhead) and ask people to
report from the floor. If you use this latter method, make sure that you ask only the sellers to
report so that you don't count the same agreement twice. To maintain suspense, you might ask
first how many people settled in the $25,000 range (that is $25,000-$25,999), and then move up
a bracket ($26,000) and down ($24,000), until you have included all the outcomes. The midway
point between the two reservation levels is $28,000, but for reasons that are discussed below, the
typical median is several thousand dollars less. If you are working with a small group, you
might want to compare the results your group produces with the 100 Results overhead, which
shows the distribution for 100 people who negotiated this exercise.
As you record the results, you often will get gasps or laughter, particular as you get toward either
extreme. When the full distribution is displayed, you might ask whether participants are still
satisfied with their agreements. Some people will answer “yes” -- because they sold high or
bought low, or they are not relativists -- but some others might admit to remorse.
You may choose at this point to explore the so-called "winner's curse." People should consider
not only their own standards for satisfaction, but also how the people with whom they are
dealing measure success. Negotiations are often stymied when people have unrealistic
assumptions about what others can afford.
Early in the discussion, you might also step back from the problem and ask whether the wide
range of results is realistic. One of the fundamental points of the exercise is that even when
people have identical instructions, the differences in how they negotiate may produce very
different outcomes. Whether the bargaining range is big or small (or exists at all) will depend on
the situation. In a purely competitive market, there will be no range; but for many commodities
– cars come to mind – there is some play in the numbers. The more unusual the subject matter
and the smaller the number of available substitutes, the less certain the parties can be about the
nature of the bargaining range.
One of the lessons in this particular exercise is that negotiators should be careful not to impose
their assumptions and perceptions on the other side. The Parkers are desperate sellers and the
Gibsons cannot walk away from this unique parcel of land as easily as they might leave a car
dealer's showroom. If either family focuses exclusively on their own needs, they will miss an
opportunity to do much better than their respective BATNAs (Best Alternative to a Negotiated
Agreement).
The variation in results invites rich discussion. If you don't mind going out on a limb, you have
an 80 percent chance of being right by predicting that in the pair that reached the lowest price,
the seller put the first serious number on the table (and conversely). Cover yourself, of course,
by noting that your prediction is an educated guess. On occasion you will run into an extreme
result that instead is explained by an even more extreme initial demand. In any event, the high
and low outcomes should be juxtaposed.
If the prediction proves right, it demonstrates the risk of making the first offer, namely that one
gives away part of the bargaining range. If, for example, the Gibsons start the conversation with
a bid of $23,000, it is highly unlikely the property will be sold for less than that. What had been
a range between $23,000 and $27,000 instantly becomes truncated.
It is essential that you emphasize another aspect of such a bid: it fundamentally shifts the
bargaining power of the parties. Going into the negotiation, each party is in a position of equal
ignorance, knowing his or her own BATNA but in the dark as to the other side's. (Indeed,
neither can be sure that there is any range at all.) The moment the seller offers $23,000, however,
the seller knows that a deal will be made. The only question is at what amount. He or she must
determine if the $23,000 is a take-it-or-leave-it number or something the buyer is prepared to
improve. The seller must also determine how much he or she can fairly extract (or whether
fairness even comes into the question).
Many sellers in that situation will report that they rapidly recalculated their standards of success.
Initially, a $23,000 deal might have seemed like a straight-A outcome, but now their aspirations
are higher. This is a very good time to explore the dynamic nature of success, specifically the
connection between substance and process. You can make good reference to Neale and
Bazerman's findings that negotiators often devalue concessions of the other side, once they are
made. (See Negotiator Cognition and Rationality.)
Explore the interpersonal and communication dimensions of these exchanges, as well. Often the
sellers will report being startled by the buyer's generous offer. Sometimes they have a
too-good-too-be true reaction, which is surely not in the buyer's interest. Many of the buyers
will be unaware that their numbers have triggered such thoughts and claim that their sellers had
poker faces. Perhaps this is so, but without videotape, you can't be sure: Some buyers may have
been so absorbed in their own calculations that they did not look for a response.
Ask people to consider how this negotiation would have been different if it had been conducted
by phone or fax. People usually will volunteer that they would have missed the nonverbal cues,
but if you push hard, you'll probably discover that some people made much more of them than
did others.
Push hard on how people interpreted language, as well. If the buyer who initially offered
$15,000 was eventually "talked up" to a higher figure, find out just how that happened. Did the
seller say that number was "totally unacceptable"? If so, you have good fodder for discussing
the ethics of negotiation. (Ethics aside, it is also a risky strategy, as the buyer may be making a
good faith offer.) If, as is much more likely, he or she said something less explicit (such as "I
really am looking for more"), ask the would-be buyer how he or she interpreted that. The
experienced negotiator may well hear such a statement as not being a firm “no”.
It is important to stress that this is not a lesson in why you should never make the first offer. If
people take that from the exercise, they can be sure of two things: first, they will never get
burned; second, they will never make a deal. At some point, silence must be broken and
someone has to get serious about a reasonable price. People should be cautioned about throwing
out a number before getting an impression of the other person's situation, but as noted below,
there can be advantage in talking from your own number. Psychological anchors come into play
here.
In any case, people who put the first number on the table should be asked how they arrived at
their numbers and what assumptions they were making. The Parkers don't know about the
Gibsons' recent inheritance; the Gibsons are unaware of the Parkers' imminent move.
Negotiators who glean that information before discussing dollars are in a much stronger position.
In the course of debriefing particular cases, the instructor should explicitly establish a vocabulary
of negotiation analysis. Key concepts include bargaining range, BATNA, offer patterns,
winner's curse, and the like. You might note that although the problem is necessarily fictitious
and simplified, it does allow us to see what is seldom apparent in real life: namely, the range of
outcomes that might have been. In practice, we must negotiate with incomplete information and
uncertainty. It behooves us to have a clear sense of our nonagreement alternatives, but we
should be modest about what we really know about the other side. In debriefing the problem, we
can see both ends of the bargaining range clearly, while in practice, all but our end of it may be
obscure.
It's also worth noting that persuasion is an important part of negotiation, so the bargaining range
may move in the course of conversation. In ordinary sales situations, the seller will try to
convince the buyer of the value of what he or she is offering; if this pitch is successful, the range
is extended.
You can explain the coyness with which many people negotiate single-issue cases in terms of
each side's reluctance to make offers that are too generous or to reveal information that betrays
the party's true need to make a deal. This reluctance can carry a big cost. At best, it wastes
valuable time. At worst, parties who convincingly feign disinterest, each waiting for the other
side to pounce, may miss profitable agreements.
If you have time, you might invite the buyer who paid the least and the seller who received the
most to come forward and participate in a championship playoff. Having explained all the
dangers of the “dance of offers and counter-offers,” tell them that you have spared them that
problem. Each knows exactly what the other's situation is: Parker can see $40,000 in cash
bulging out of Gibson's pocket; Gibson knows that if there is no deal, Parker will turn around
and sell the vacant lot for $15,000. You will stand by as a “truth officer” just in case either one
starts bluffing or lying.
Give the two parties a couple of minutes to see if they can reach a deal, and have them talk
loudly enough so that everyone can hear. Prod them to get past the pleasantries and into the
heart of the negotiation quickly. You may have to count down the final seconds. About a third
of the time, the parties will split the difference. In another third, one player will stand firm on a
favorable number and the other will capitulate. In the other cases, the parties will be unable to
come to agreement in spite of the fact that they both can see the large bargaining range.
Even when the parties agree, you usually will be able to illustrate the tug-and-pull of single-issue
cases. As the problem is written, it is hard to find joint gains. A dollar more for one party
necessarily means a dollar less for the other. It is often clear that ego may be more important
than dollars. The same people who did well in the first round may be disinclined to bend when
up against one another. Splitting the difference is a convenient face-saving device, but there is
nothing inherently “fair” about this approach. If a billionaire investor is the seller and a
non-profit charitable organization is the buyer, the parties will have very differently uses for the
same dollar bill.
The result in this demonstration may give you a chance to comment on the distribution of results
for the group as a whole. Typically the curve will be asymmetrical, with the median closer to the
seller's end. Ask the group to propose explanations. One might be that sellers feel some sort of
obligation to put a price on the thing that they are offering, and then will be more likely to give
away part of the bargaining range. Some may suggest that the sellers feel more pressure to make
a deal, given their undesirable alternative, and if people believe this is true, then it is. However,
the buyer shouldn't be cavalier about missing the chance to buy a piece of property that is
uniquely valuable to him/her.
This last comment suggests a somewhat different way of starting the debriefing. Instead of
predicting that the extreme cases are explained by first offers, you might instead ask people to
suggest their own theories about the distribution. Possibilities might include the truncated
bargaining range, psychological anchors, gleaned information, different aspirations, the
interaction of particular pairings, differing notions of fairness, etc. You can then analyze the
various transactions to see which of these factors were in place and how they worked against one
another.
However you proceed, you should point out that the case was designed to be single issue.
Relatively few real-life problems have this quality, but it is important to acknowledge their
existence. There is a much larger set of multi-issue problems in which one issue dominates;
often that issue is cash.
The problem nicely sets up a comparison with more complex cases. The Tendley Contract
simulation (also available from the Program on Negotiation Clearinghouse) presents a nice
contrast, as its notes indicate. The same hard bargaining approach that sometimes prevails in
single-issue cases will be disastrous in others. There is, moreover, no firm line between those
two kinds of cases. Indeed, an effective negotiator often succeeds by transforming zero-sum,
win-lose transactions into ones in which there is possible joint gain.
If you do set up such a comparison, you should later revisit Parker and see if there is any realistic
way of finding joint gains. Future dealings are assumed away, as noted earlier, and this really
doesn't seem to be a case for seller financing. There might well be advantage, however, in
further subdividing the half-lot. The Gibsons' interest lies particularly in that portion of the land
that will allow them to expand their house. Not every square foot of that parcel is of equal value
to them. Face with the choice of getting the entire property for $20,000 (let us say) or half of it
for $15,000, they plausibly might prefer the latter; this would get them all the land they actually
need and leave them with $5,000 more to spend on their expansion. The buyers of the Parker
house, in turn, might be willing to pay more than half of their earlier offer of $15,000 for the
remaining portion. If so, the Parkers will clear more than they could get just from the Gibsons.
There are other approaches, as well; perhaps a variance or re-zoning would create more value.
PARKER – GIBSON
TEACHER’S PACKAGE OVERHEADS
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
This case was written by Michael Wheeler, Deputy Director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School. Copies are
available online at www.pon.org, telephone 800-258-4406 or 617-495-7818. This case may not be reproduced, revised or translated in
whole or in part by any means without the written permission of the Director of Curriculum Development, Program on Negotiation,
518 Pound Hall, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138. Please help to preserve the usefulness of this case by keeping it
confidential. Copyright © 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998. 2006, 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved.
(Rev. 07/07)
PARKER-GIBSON: Overheads
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Read information carefully
2. Plan your strategy
3. Negotiate with other party
4. Do not exchange sheets
5. Straight cash deals only
6. Submit either:
Signed Agreement or
Review Copy
Last Best Offer
7. Registry of deeds closes

Do Not Reproduce
PREPARATION
1. Assess your goals
2. Analyze your BATNA
3. Estimate the other side’s BATNA with utmost

Objectivity
4. See what you have to learn
5. Anticipate perceptions
6. Plan your process

Review Copy
7. Be ready to adapt
Do Not Reproduce
LESSONS
1. Know your BATNA

(Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement)
2. Plan your strategy
3. Be modest about how much you know
4. Weigh offers carefully
5. Avoid the winner’s curse
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
DYNAMICS
Implicit
Framework:
Values, Assumptions,
Habits & Expectations
US THEM
Explicit
Planning:
Fact-gathering &
Moves away from the table
Strategy:
Analyzing, Framing &
Review Copy Implementing
***************************
Do Not Reproduce Interaction:

Communication, Persuasion,
Learning & Reframing
Agreement or Impasse?
ZOPA STRATEGY
1. Identify the range
2. Shape perceptions
3. Commit credibly
4. Apply principles
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
SINGLE-ISSUE BARGAINING
Buyer’s Maximum
$40,000
$27,500
OVERLAP
Review Copy
$15,000
Do Not Reproduce Seller’s Minimum
1. Zero-Sum (or Win-Win)

2. Positional (Bluffs)
3. Psychological Anchoring
4. Split the Difference?
5. Risk of Lock-ins
RESULTS SCALE
$40K
$35K
$30K
$25K
Review Copy
$20K Do Not Reproduce
$15K
5 10 15 20 25
# of agreements
100 RESULTS
$40K
$35K
$30K
$25K
Review Copy
$20K
Do Not Reproduce
$15K
5 10 15 20 25
# of agreements
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
PARKER GIBSON
Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire
Instructions
Please fill out Part 1 after you have read your Confidential Instructions and formulated
your strategy but before you sit down to negotiate. Complete Part 2 after you have finished your
negotiation but before you have had any follow-up discussion with your counterpart or in class.
Part 1 (pre-negotiation)
A. Your name
B. Your role (circle one): PARKER/seller or GIBSON/buyer
C.
Review Copy
Please fill in the settlement amount which would result in the following levels of
satisfaction for you (note: marginally satisfactory must equal the bottom line
you've been given in your Confidential Instructions):
Do Not Reproduce MARGINALLY SATISFACTORY
SATISFACTORY
$
VERY SATISFACTORY $
OPTIMAL $
This case was written by Michael Wheeler. Copies are available online at www.pon.org, telephone: 800-258-4406, fax: 617-495-7818. This case
Parker Gibson: Questionnaire
D. Is there any amount which, though seemingly even better for you than the
OPTIMAL figure you just listed, you would reject as being unfair to the other
side?
Circle One: YES NO
E. Now that you have completed the inventory, you may begin to negotiate. Don't
show this sheet to your counterpart.
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
Copyright © 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998. 2006, 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. (Rev. 07/07) 2
Parker Gibson: Questionnaire
Part 2 (post-negotiation/pre-discussion)
A. Did you reach an agreement? (circle one): YES NO
B. If YES, for what amount? $
C. How would you now describe the outcome? (circle one):
MARGINALLY SATISFACTORY VERY SATISFACTORY
SATISFACTORY OPTIMAL
D. Did your standards for satisfaction (circle one) …?:
GO UP GO DOWN STAY THE SAME
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce
P ROGRAM O N N EGOTIATION AT H ARVARD L AW S CHOOL
PARKER-GIBSON
Confidential Instructions for the Parkers
The Parkers own a house at 43 Willow Street. Fifteen years ago, they paid $20,000 for a
10,000-square foot parcel that sits between their home and the home of the Gibsons, who live at
39 Willow Street. That specific parcel is slightly less than half of the one-half acre minimum
building lot size required by the local zoning. The Parkers purchased the half-lot thinking that
they might someday use it for a tennis court, but they never got around to building one. They
have used some of the land for a vegetable garden from time to time.
Now the Parkers have decided to move out of state, having elected to take a generous early
retirement package. They were lucky enough to find a private buyer for their house at 43 Willow.
Because they got a good price and did not have to pay a broker fee, they are netting more than
they expected. The only drawback is that the buyer is not interested in purchasing the extra
parcel, seeing no real use for it. At the most, the buyer will be willing to pay an additional
$15,000 (over and above the negotiated price for the house and house lot) for the half-lot. This is
less, of course, than the price the Parkers themselves paid over a decade ago, but lacking other
bidders, they would accept this $15,000 offer. It would make no sense to hang on to this land
once they live thousands of miles away.
Before swallowing this loss, however, the Parkers have tried to see if they could do better by
Review Copy
approaching their neighbors whose houses abut the half-lot and who might have some use for it.
Neither the people to the north or to the south have any interest, so their last hope is the Gibsons,
who live immediately to the west. As it happens, when the Parkers first acquired the parcel, they
had asked the Gibsons if they wanted to buy it jointly, but the Gibsons declined. There is no
Do Not Reproduce
animosity between the families, but they have had little contact over the years.
The Gibsons may not be any more interested in the land now than they were fifteen years ago,
but the Parkers feel there is no harm in asking. Perhaps they might be persuaded of the value in
adding yard space or getting a bit of a buffer between them and their new neighbors.
1. In this negotiation, you are to assume the role of one of the Parkers – or, if you are
more comfortable, that of a representative fully authorized to act on their behalf.
2. Your goal is to sell the vacant parcel for as much as possible. Any deal you make with
the Gibsons must be more than the $15,000 offer that you already have. You should
regard the $15,000 as an absolute minimum. Try hard to do much better. Remember
This case was written by Michael Wheeler. Copies are available online at www.pon.org, telephone 800-258-4406 or 617-495-7818. This case
Parker Gibson: Confidential Instructions for the Parkers
that you paid more for it, and have had upkeep and taxes through the years.
3. It is true that real estate values fell generally over the last decade, but have rebounded
somewhat in recent years. That fact provides little help here, however, as this is a
unique piece of property. There really is no fair market value for it.
4. You are only interested in a straight cash deal. Do not complicate matters by
arranging seller financing, reserving special easements, or introducing other issues or
options.
5. A parcel plan, not to scale, is below.
M a p
The Moore Estate
Gibson Parker
H al f -Lo t
Review Copy
Do Not Reproduce W i l l o w St r e e t
PARKER-GIBSON
Confidential Instructions for the Gibsons
The Gibsons own a house at 39 Willow Street. They have been approached by their
neighbors to the east – the Parkers – who have asked the Gibsons if they would be
interested in buying the half-lot that sits between their two homes.
The parcel consists of 10,000 square feet, a bit less than half of the half-acre minimum
building lot size set by local zoning. The Parkers purchased this parcel 15 years ago for
around $20,000. At that time, the Parkers had asked the Gibsons if they would be
interested in buying the land together and perhaps building a tennis court, but the Gibsons
declined. The Parkers never got around to using the land for much. There are no hard
feelings between the two families, but they have had little social or professional contact
over the years.
Now things may change. Although the Gibsons are frugal people – Bob is a
teacher/coach at the local high school and Jackie is a part-time bookkeeper – they
recently came into a modest inheritance from a favorite aunt. They plan to use some of
the money to expand their small house. They have already talked to an architect and
Review Copy
contractor about alternative plans. Ideally, they would like to build a new
kitchen/solarium to the east, but their house sits as close to the existing property line as
the zoning allows. Acquiring the half-lot would completely solve this problem. Without
the parcel, the Gibsons will have to expand in another direction. Doing so would be more
Do Not Reproduce
costly and would not produce as attractive a house.
As a result, the Parkers’ inquiry came as a pleasant surprise. (It’s a small town – perhaps
the Parkers got wind of the Gibsons’ building plans). In any event, it’s good news that
the land may be available. The Gibsons don’t want to be exploited on price, of course.
In looking at their bank account and their construction alternatives, the Gibsons have set
a firm maximum of $40,000 for the half-lot. If the Parkers insist on more, the Gibsons
will pass on the deal. They would naturally prefer to pay much less than the $40,000, if
possible, as they have plenty other good uses for the money.
A cousin who is a real estate broker advised them that there is really no "fair market
value" for this parcel. It is unique and has value only to immediate abutters; therefore,
there are no comparable sales. It is true that real estate prices fell generally during the
last decade, but have rebounded somewhat in recent years.
This case was written by Michael Wheeler. Copies are available online at www.pon.org, telephone 800-258-4406 or 617-495-7818.
This case may not be reproduced, revised or translated in whole or in part by any means without the written permission of the Director
of Curriculum Development, Program on Negotiation, 518 Pound Hall, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA 02138. Please help to
preserve the usefulness of this case by keeping it confidential. Copyright © 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998. 2006, 2007 by the President and
Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. (Rev. 07/07)
Parker Gibson: Confidential Instructions for the Gibsons
1. In this negotiation, you are to assume the role of one of the Gibsons – or, if you
are more comfortable, that of a representative fully authorized to act on their
behalf.
2. Your goal is to buy the half-lot for as little as possible. The $40,000 maximum
they have stipulated is an absolute upper limit. Every dollar you can shave from
this cap represents an improved result.
3. You are only interested in a straight cash deal. Do not complicate matters by
arranging seller financing, reserving special easements, or introducing other
issues or options.
4. A parcel plan, not to scale, is below.
M a p
The Moore Estate
Review Copy
Gibson
H al f -Lo t
Parker
Do Not Reproduce
W i l l o w St r e e t
Copyright © 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998. 2006, 2007 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. (Rev. 3
07/07)

Parker Gibson

Загружено:

Сведения о документе

Оригинальное название

Авторское право

Доступные форматы

Поделиться этим документом

Поделиться или встроить документ

Параметры публикации

Этот документ был вам полезен?

Это неприемлемый материал?

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

Parker Gibson

Загружено:

Авторское право:

Доступные форматы

PROGRAM ON NEGOTIATION AT HARVARD LAW SCHOOL

AN INTER-UNIVERSITY CONSORTIUM TO IMPROVE THE THEORY AND PRACTICE OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION

Parker-Gibson is a two-party, single-issue negotiation for the purchase of a vacant lot. It is a

Two Parties One person in each role

Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire for each party

Timing Reading, strategizing, completing Part 1 of Inventory/Satisfaction

Negotiation: 10-20 minutes

Completing Part II of Inventory/Satisfaction Questionnaire, debriefing:

Optional re-negotiation: 15 minutes

starts bluffing or lying.

win-lose transactions into ones in which there is possible joint gain.

TEACHER’S PACKAGE OVERHEADS

1. Read information carefully

2. Plan your strategy

3. Negotiate with other party

4. Do not exchange sheets

5. Straight cash deals only

7. Registry of deeds closes

1. Assess your goals

2. Analyze your BATNA

3. Estimate the other side’s BATNA with utmost

4. See what you have to learn

6. Plan your process

1. Know your BATNA

2. Plan your strategy

3. Be modest about how much you know

4. Weigh offers carefully

5. Avoid the winner’s curse

Do Not Reproduce Interaction:

1. Identify the range

1. Zero-Sum (or Win-Win)

B. Your role (circle one): PARKER/seller or GIBSON/buyer

Do Not Reproduce MARGINALLY SATISFACTORY

Circle One: YES NO

A. Did you reach an agreement? (circle one): YES NO

B. If YES, for what amount? $

C. How would you now describe the outcome? (circle one):

MARGINALLY SATISFACTORY VERY SATISFACTORY

D. Did your standards for satisfaction (circle one) …?:

GO UP GO DOWN STAY THE SAME

Confidential Instructions for the Parkers

5. A parcel plan, not to scale, is below.

The Moore Estate

Confidential Instructions for the Gibsons

4. A parcel plan, not to scale, is below.

The Moore Estate

Вам также может понравиться