Publications

Educators

May 2000 (Revised August 2001)
Case

Telecom Italia Takeover (A)

By: Michael D. Watkins, James K. Sebenius and Ann Leamon

After two months at the helm of Telecom Italia, Franco Bernabe is confronted by a hostile takeover bid from a much smaller rival. He has a few days in which to maneuver. The case describes the background of Italian telecoms and of the bid itself. Also presents the... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation Process; Mergers and Acquisitions; Leadership Style; Telecommunications Industry; Italy

Find at Harvard

October 2021
Supplement

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

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

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

Find at Harvard

01 Feb 1999
News

Too Much of a Good Thing?

- too much product (and too much production capability) chasing too few buyers - is hardly a new phenomenon. As a factor in market capitalism, overcapacity has been recognized and analyzed as a business-cycle reality by economic thinkers... View Details

Keywords: Garry Emmons

17 Jan 2017
First Look

First Look at New Research: January 17

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=52103 forthcoming Negotiation Journal Learning from Howard Raiffa: Interpersonal, Intellectual, and Institutional Nuggets By: Sebenius, James K.... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

11 Sep 2012
First Look

First Look: September 11

Strollers.com, and Luggage.com. Co-founders Niraj Shah and Steve Conine were considering making a major investment to build brand equity at the corporate level. Purchase this case:http://hbr.org/search/812044-PDF-ENG Col. Joshua Chamberlain: Background to a Challenging... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

Winter 2012
Article

Is a Nuclear Deal with Iran Possible?: An Analytical Framework for the Iran Nuclear Negotiations

By: James K. Sebenius and Michael K. Singh

Varied diplomatic approaches by multiple negotiators over several years have failed to conclude a nuclear deal with Iran. Mutual hostility, misperception, and flawed diplomacy may be responsible. Yet, more fundamentally, no mutually acceptable deal may exist. To assess... View Details

Keywords: Nuclear Proliferation; Zone Of Possible Agreement; International Relations; Negotiation; Iran; United States

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

Educators

February 2014
Case

Tommy Koh: Background and Major Accomplishments of the 'Great Negotiator, 2014'

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

Significant negotiation-related achievements from the career of Ambassador Tommy Koh of Singapore are highlighted in brief form along with elements of his background and career. In light of these accomplishments, Koh was selected as the recipient of the 2014 Great... View Details

Keywords: Multiparty Negotiations; Dispute Resolution; Conference Diplomacy; Free Trade Agreements Environment; Environment; Singapore; ASEAN; United Nations; Negotiation; International Relations; Personal Development and Career; Trade; Conflict and Resolution; Singapore

Educators

2009
Working Paper

Assess, Don't Assume, Part II: Negotiating Implications of Cross-Border Differences in Decision Making, Governance, and Political Economy

By: James K. Sebenius

When facing a cross-border negotiation, the standard preparatory assessments—of the parties, their interests, their no-deal options, opportunities for and barriers to creating and claiming value, the most promising sequence and process design, etc.—should be... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Corporate Governance; Negotiation Process; Organizational Culture; Business and Government Relations

2009
Working Paper

Assess, Don't Assume, Part I: Etiquette and National Culture in Negotiation

By: James K. Sebenius

When facing a cross-border negotiation, the standard preparatory assessments -- of the parties, their interests, their no-deal options, opportunities for and barriers to creating and claiming value, the most promising sequence and process design, etc. -- should be... View Details

Keywords: Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Negotiation Process; Societal Protocols; Competitive Advantage; Cooperation

13 Mar 2018
First Look

March 13, 2018

multidivisional enterprises that have diversified into related product lines. The present book aims to fill in this gap in the literature by adopting a coherent approach to this elusive subject. Publisher's link:... View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

March 24, 2014
Article

Like a Boss: How Corporate Negotiators Would Handle Nuclear Talks With Iran

By: James K. Sebenius

While the Obama team deserves high marks for launching the interim talks, its approach doesn't sell the upside of a comprehensive deal persuasively enough to transform more Iranian skeptics into active supporters—a necessary condition for success if there is an... View Details

04 Dec 2012
First Look

First Look: December 4

the detrimental effects of each trigger. We conclude by discussing implications and recommendations for organizational scholars to take a more integrative approach to developing and evaluating theory about unethical behavior. Learning... View Details

Keywords: Carmen Nobel

01 Dec 2006
News

Faculty Books

David A. Lax and James K. Sebenius (HBS Press) Besides the dimensions of negotiating-table tactics and deal design, Professor Sebenius and his... View Details

Keywords: Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools; Educational Services

01 Dec 1999
News

Negotiating in 3-D: An Overarching Way to Get to Yes?

From resolving a labor dispute, to orchestrating a merger, to getting a new company off the ground, negotiation plays a vital role in nearly every facet of business. In a course note titled "Negotiation Analysis: Summary Framework and Examples," HBS professor View Details

Keywords: Anita M. Harris

13 Feb 2018
First Look

New Research and Ideas, February 13, 2018

https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=53941 forthcoming Harvard International Review Henry Kissinger and Robert Mugabe: The Forgotten Connection via a Remarkably Creative Negotiation By: Sebenius, James View Details

Keywords: Sean Silverthorne

2014
Working Paper

Tommy Koh: Background and Major Accomplishments of the 'Great Negotiator, 2014'

By: James K. Sebenius and Laurence A. Green

Significant negotiation-related achievements from career of Ambassador Tommy Koh of Singapore are highlighted in brief form along with elements of his background and career. In light of these accomplishments, Koh was selected as the recipient of the 2014 Great... View Details

Keywords: Negotiation; International Relations; Personal Development and Career; United States; Singapore; Baltic Countries; Southeast Asia

2008
Working Paper

Etiquette and Process Puzzles of Negotiating Business in China: A Questionnaire

By: James K. Sebenius and Cheng (Jason) Qian

Cultural differences can affect negotiations in many ways, from influencing the basic motivations and perceptions of the players to guiding the surface aspects, such as etiquette, protocol, and process, of business interactions. Navigating the challenges of these... View Details

Keywords: Decision Making; Cross-Cultural and Cross-Border Issues; Governance; Questionnaires; Negotiation Process; Behavior; China