Publications

April 1995 (Revised March 1996)
Background Note

How can framing--alternative description of an object, event, or situation--can be used effectively in negotiation? A real estate dialog is used to illustrate three common varieties of framing: losses versus gains; short and long horizons; and aggregation and... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Tactics

04 Jun 2012
Research & Ideas

The Business of Life

Blockbuster's historical margins. History reveals Blockbuster's tactical error, of course: the company is bankrupt, while Netflix now has more than 25 million customers. Marginal thinking can be dangerous on a personal level, too.... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel

24 May 2022
Research & Ideas

Career Advice for Minorities and Women: Sharing Your Identity Can Open Doors

career-related outcomes. “There are lots of open questions,” says Chang. “We're talking about using this tactic in a one-off interaction asking for help, but we don't know what's going to happen if it’s a prolonged interaction.” Feedback... View Details

Keywords: by Pamela Reynolds

13 Nov 2019
Research & Ideas

Don't Turn Your Marketing Function Over to AI Just Yet

learning to gain new knowledge about current and potential market segments. “It might be that people on the bus use their cell phones more,” Amano posits, “so they just tend to buy cell phones more often.” Personalization vs. privacy Managers who implement marketing... View Details

Keywords: by Kristen Senz

March 2023
Teaching Note

Ransomware Attack at Colonial Pipeline Company

By: Suraj Srinivasan and Li-Kuan Ni

Teaching Note for HBS Case No. 123-069. On the morning of May 7, 2021, Colonial Pipeline Company became aware that the company had been the victim of a malicious ransomware attack that had stolen and locked up company data. The extortionists demanded 75 bitcoins (worth... View Details

03 Jan 2011
Research & Ideas

Most Popular Articles of 2010

to Tactics Drivers such as globalization, deregulation, and technological change are profoundly changing the competitive game. Scholars and practitioners agree that the fastest-growing firms in this new environment appear to have taken... View Details

Keywords: by Staff

13 Oct 2009
Research & Ideas

7 Lessons for Navigating the Storm

who devise new strategies but fail to underpin them with detailed plans for marketplace execution. Emergent strategies are only as good as their execution. Sound execution requires not only attention to detailed planning, but adaptability to changing market conditions... View Details

Keywords: by Martha Lagace

2015
Chapter

"Level II" Negotiation Strategies: Advance Your Interests by Helping to Solve Their Internal Problems

By: James K. Sebenius

Many negotiators have constituencies that must formally or informally approve an agreement. Traditionally, it is the responsibility of each negotiator to manage the internal conflicts and constituencies on his or her own side. Far less familiar are the many valuable... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Deal

Read Now

14 Jul 2020
Research & Ideas

Restarting Under Uncertainty: Managerial Experiences from Around the World

across a variety of countries and sectors. The results of this exploration show that managers are trying to ensure safety and maintain profitability with tremendous energy and creativity. While specific tactics vary by company, they share... View Details

Keywords: by Raffaella Sadun, Andrea Bertoni, Alexia Delfino, Giovanni Fassio, and Mariapaola Testa

April 1996
Case

Silver Lane Apartments

By: William J. Poorvu and John H. Vogel Jr.

Scott Johnson is a successful developer of single-family and multi-family housing who specializes in renovating and turning around poorly performing apartments in good locations. He plans to sell a 506-unit property for portfolio and estate planning purposes. This case... View Details

Keywords: Housing; Mortgages; Property; Negotiation Tactics; Real Estate Industry

October 2021
Case

Unshrinking the Pie: Desirée Stolar's Negotiation Saga (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Alex Green

When Desirée (“Des”) Stolar’s wool sweater shrank two sizes, the Harvard Business School student worked with classmates to develop a solution that both fixed her problem and launched Unshrinkit, a successful consumer goods company with a widely-available product for... View Details

Keywords: Bargaining; Startups; Negotiation; Contracts; Negotiation Tactics; Entrepreneurship; Business Startups; Strategy; Consumer Products Industry

05 Apr 2017
Research & Ideas

For Women Especially, It Pays to Know What Car Repairs Should Cost

Women who come prepared to challenge an auto repair quote can overcome gender discrimination and negotiate a fairer price, according to recently published research. That's one conclusion from the research study Repairing the Damage: The Effect of Price Knowledge and... View Details

Keywords: by Wendy Guild Swearingen; Auto; Service

Fall 2011
Article

Leveraging Tribal Sovereignty for Economic Opportunity: A Strategic Negotiations Perspective

By: Gavin Clarkson and James K. Sebenius

Indian tribes and U.S. states often find themselves at the bargaining table, often negotiating "compacts" to govern gaming operations on tribal lands. The operational success of the Pequot gaming operation in Connecticut, Foxwoods, and the substantial revenue shared... View Details

Keywords: Strategy; Ethnicity; Negotiation Tactics; Race; Social Issues; Relationships; Government and Politics; Economics; United States

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December 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Exercise

Negotiating Peace Accords in Bellicoso for the Head of the Opposition Political Party (OPP): General Instructions and Confidential Information

Bellicoso is a multi-party conflict resolution simulation based loosely on the bitter civil war in El Salvador. It is designed to explore issues in: 1) the management of interactions between external negotiations between sides and internal negotiations within them, 2)... View Details

Keywords: War; Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Participants; Government and Politics; Conflict and Resolution; El Salvador

December 1998 (Revised May 1999)
Exercise

Negotiating Peace Accords in Bellicoso for the Director of the National Landowners Association (NLU): General Instructions and Confidential Information

Bellicoso is a multi-party conflict resolution simulation based loosely on the bitter civil war in El Salvador. It is designed to explore issues in: 1) the management of interactions between external negotiations between sides and internal negotiations within them, 2)... View Details

Keywords: War; Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Participants; Government and Politics; Conflict and Resolution; El Salvador

28 May 2008
First Look

First Look: May 28, 2008

confidential information for the Euro Elektrische Keramische Vorrichtungen, GmbH (Euro EKV) management role. Challenges include how to set up and implement the most promising sale process, come up with the right deal, and choose the best View Details

Keywords: Martha Lagace

November 2006
Case

Kroger Union Negotiations

By: Dennis A. Yao

A stylized version of the negotiations between Kroger Company and its local unions during the mid-1980s. Management faces a sequence of individual negotiations with local unions during a time of weak economic performance when management is seriously considering... View Details

Keywords: Job Cuts and Outsourcing; Wages; Management; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics

September 1983 (Revised December 1988)
Case

Cleveland Twist Drill (A)

By: Richard G. Hamermesh

Deals with the problems of implementing strategy in a declining industry and the negotiation of strategy with external constituencies, particularly labor unions. Traces Jim Bartlett's first nine months as president and asks for a plan of action. View Details

Keywords: Decision Choices and Conditions; Management Style; Negotiation Tactics; Labor and Management Relations; Corporate Strategy

October 2008 (Revised September 2011)
Supplement

PepsiCo's Bid for Quaker Oats (C)

By: Carliss Y. Baldwin

Third in a series of PepsiCo's bid for Quaker Oats. Describes the auction for Quaker Oats including terms of the bids. After winning the auction, Coke's stock price fell dramatically. Coke's Board then refused to approve the deal and withdrew. Quaker then approached... View Details

Keywords: Mergers and Acquisitions; Stocks; Governing and Advisory Boards; Auctions; Bids and Bidding; Negotiation Tactics; Valuation; Food and Beverage Industry