Publications

SSRN

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March 2013 (Revised March 2013)
Case

Rough Justice: Stuart Eizenstat and Holocaust-era Asset Restitution (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

Beginning in 1994, a series of articles and public disclosures indicated that Swiss banks may have retained assets belonging to victims of the Holocaust, and also may have engaged in long term attempts to block survivors' ability to recover those assets after World War... View Details

Keywords: Banking; Banking And Insurance; U.s. History; Germany; Europe; Governance; History; Negotiation; Business and Government Relations; Banking Industry; Insurance Industry; Germany; United States; Switzerland

November 2010
Case

Esquel Group: Building a Sustainable Partnership with Cotton Farmers in Xinjiang (A)

By: James K. Sebenius and Jason Cheng Qian

Esquel Group, leading manufacturer of quality shirts, sought to negotiate long-term partnerships with often-exploited farmers in Xinjiang (western China) to procure a superior cotton variety. Seeking to secure a large supply of specialty cotton in an ethical and... View Details

Keywords: Contracts; Agreements and Arrangements; Corporate Social Responsibility and Impact; Leasing; Business and Community Relations; Business and Government Relations; Partners and Partnerships; Agriculture and Agribusiness Industry; Apparel and Accessories Industry; Manufacturing Industry; Hong Kong; Xinjiang Uygur Zizhiqu

January 1999 (Revised August 1999)
Background Note

Doing Business in Russia: Note on Negotiating in the "Wild East"

By: James K. Sebenius and Randall A Fine

Based on an MBA's experience, this anecdotal note explores cross-border negotiations between U.S. executives and Russian counterparts. The first section guides the reader through general aspects of the Russian market. Next follows a characterization of the Russian... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Deal; Problems and Challenges; Negotiation Style; Decisions; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Negotiation Participants; Russia; United States

January 1998
Case

From Wall Street to Main Street: Morgan Stanley, Dean Witter, Discover & Co.

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Designed as a follow-up to Morgan Stanley and S.G. Warburg: Investment Bank of the Future (A). View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Valuation; Investment Banking; Mergers and Acquisitions; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

January 1998
Case

Morgan Stanley and S.G. Warburg: Investment Bank of the Future (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Supplements the (A) case. View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; Valuation; Investment Banking; Mergers and Acquisitions; Consolidation; Banking Industry; Financial Services Industry

July/August 2004
Article

How No-deal Options Can Drive Great Deals: When Actions away from the Table Eclipse Face-to-face Negotiation

By: David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius

Keywords: Negotiation

October 2, 2000
Article

Interests, Value and the Art of the Best Deal

By: James K. Sebenius and David A. Lax

Keywords: Value; Interests

September 2017 (Revised March 2019)
Supplement

Henry Kissinger: Negotiating Black Majority Rule in Rhodesia (B)

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

In 1976, United States Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger conducted a series of intricate, multiparty negotiations in Southern Africa to persuade white Rhodesian leader Ian Smith to accede to black majority rule. Conducted near the end of President Gerald Ford’s... View Details

Keywords: Equality and Inequality; Race; Negotiation Process; Negotiation Participants; Negotiation Deal; Government and Politics; Africa; United States

2011
Working Paper

From Single Deals to Negotiation Campaigns

By: David A Lax and James K. Sebenius

Negotiation scholars typically take the individual deal, or a few linked deals, as the unit of analysis. While analyzing one deal requires a familiar conceptual framework, doing the same for a broader "negotiation campaign" calls for a different focus and set of... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Deal; Framework; Business Subsidiaries; Agreements and Arrangements; Mergers and Acquisitions; Information Management; Finance; Business and Shareholder Relations; Corporate Governance; Business and Government Relations; Governing Rules, Regulations, and Reforms; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues

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March 1998
Case

Bumper Acquisition (B), A

By: James K. Sebenius and David T. Kotchen

Picks up the negotiation between Thermo-Impact and Medallion Capital where the (A1) and A2) cases leave off. The companies began talks in 1995 when Medallion offered to buy Thermo-Impact. This case brings the negotiation through May 1996. Students view developments... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Process; Negotiation Tactics; Negotiation Participants; Decision Making; Entrepreneurship; Manufacturing Industry; Auto Industry; Illinois

December 1985
Case

Salty Dog: Snowytown (B): Confidential Instructions for Snowytown

By: David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius

November 2004
Article

Anchoring the Big Picture

By: David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius

December 2011
Case

Peace, Non-Aligned: The Pragmatic Optimism of Lakhdar Brahimi

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

Describes the background and career of Lakhdar Brahimi in numerous roles ranging from Algeria's ambassador to Indonesia and the Arab League, to serving as that country's foreign minister, and to his many years at the United Nations, with special emphasis on his actions... View Details

Keywords: Leadership; Conflict Management; Personal Development and Career; Government and Politics; Algeria