Negotiation Information

Four Ways To Work Out Business Disputes


Business owners have four options to resolve disputes with partners, vendors or customers. Each option is based on different assumptions, and entails a different cost. Therefore, it pays to understand them better.

Option #1 - Direct negotiation

Direct negotiation is certainly the cheapest - but not necessarily the easiest - way to resolve a conflict. A good place to start, is to get clear about what one wants, why, and how much one cares for the future relationship with the other person. The next step, is finding out how the situation looks from the other person's perspective. This task requires effective questioning, listening, and observing. The final negotiation step, is crafting an agreement that both parties believe to be better than all other alternatives.

To negotiate successfully one needs some planning, communication and negotiation skills. Without them, it is easy to end up with no deal, or a bad deal, or even a personal war.

Option #2 - Mediation

The goal of mediation is not to find who is right or wrong, but how the problem at hand can best be resolved. Mediation is a process in which parties who disagree meet with a neutral third-party, who facilitates their negotiations. The mediator doesn't have any decision-making authority. The parties decide how to resolve their problem, in a way that is mutually acceptable.

Since mediation is confidential, mediation discussions and materials are not admissible in court. In a sense, when people mediate they have everything to gain and nothing to lose. If they are able to reach a mutually acceptable agreement with the mediator's assistance, that's great. Otherwise, they can still use the remaining two options. And in that case, whatever they have said or heard, offered or counter-offered during mediation, doesn't matter.

Option #3 - Arbitration

The business dispute is submitted to a neutral arbitrator, who examines the evidence, listens to the parties and renders a binding decision. The conflicting parties must accept the arbitrator's decision, no matter whether they like it or not. Arbitration is past-oriented, and requires a certain amount of fact-finding. Therefore, generally it takes more time (and money) than mediation, but less than litigation.

Option #4 - Litigation

The fourth option is to let the judge decide which party is right or wrong, based on the facts and the law. In actuality, though, the vast majority of civil cases never get that far (some statistics say up to 90%). They settle out of court. A few days - or even hours - before the trial, the two conflicting parties, assisted by their respective attorneys, prefer to negotiate their own agreement, rather than running the risk of losing in court.

For business owners - as well as for anyone else - litigation has two major drawbacks. First, it inevitably has a detrimental effect on the future relationship between the parties. Second, it can be quite expensive in terms of time, money and stress. Nonetheless, when a business dispute cannot be resolved any other way, litigation is a valid option.

About The Author

Giuseppe Leone is a Business and Workplace Mediator. Past President of SPIDR (Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution) Hawaii Chapter. Mediator for Hawaii District Courts. Email: mediationplus@yahoo.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Washington Post

A Watershed Labor Negotiation
Washington Post, United States - 2 hours ago
Negotiations are stalled over Rhee's proposal to give teachers the option of earning up to $131000 during the 10-month school year in exchange for giving up ...


Willets Pt. summit stirs new city & biz negotiation
New York Daily News, NY - 7 hours ago
... at Willets Point after State Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-St. Albans) helped kick-start stalled negotiations, the Daily News has learned. ...


Negotiation Trends: Crude Awakening
Meeting News, NY - 14 hours ago
A closer look at the trends shows the importance of negotiations in meeting planning. The airlines have successfully raised rates nine times so far this ...


Sify

India, ASEAN conclude negotiation on Free Trade Agreement
Thaindian.com, Thailand - 18 hours ago
New Delhi, Aug 28 (ANI): India and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Thursday successfully concluded six years of negotiations for a ...
India, ASEAN clinch a free trade agreement Hindu
India, Asean ink free trade deal Times of India
conclusion of ASEAN FTA negotiations Scoop.co.nz (press release)
Bernama - Voxy
all 370 news articles


'Pursue negotiation, diplomacy before costly litigation'
Saipan Tribune, Micronesia - 17 hours ago
He said the potential impacts of federalization and how the law is crafted could be dealt with through negotiation. “I believe that from the beginning. ...


Venezuela relaunches negotiation with Mexican cement group over ...
Xinhua, China - Aug 26, 2008
25 (Xinhua) -- Venezuelan government and Mexican cement group Cemex re-started negotiations on Monday over the nationalization of its cement plants in the ...


Import-export fees: VN businesses inferior at negotiation table
VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam - 21 hours ago
... accept this because they cannot rely on domestic services, and also because Vietnamese businesses are always at a disadvantage at the negotiation table. ...


Politican scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan called on Armenia to ...
Today.Az, Azerbaijan - Aug 27, 2008
... the sides should take the responsibility to search ways of the conflict resolution without application of force and by way of negotiations. ...


Employment Law Resource Center Offered by Lawyer Central
Emailwire - 51 minutes ago
The Employment Law Resource Center features essential legal information pertaining to contract negotiation, workplace harassment, sexual harassment, ...


Chavez calls for negotiation with Mexico's Cemex
International Herald Tribune, France - Aug 23, 2008
AP CARACAS, Venezuela: President Hugo Chavez is appealing to Mexico's government for a friendly agreement over a cement company he nationalized. ...

Negotiation - Google News

home | site map
© 2006