Course 2025-2026 a.y.

Students use knowledge and tools to improve their success in international deal making by:

• Anticipating differences in culture before negotiations begin, and taking the necessary steps to build trust and minimise the cultural gap
• Understanding that culture effects how the counter-party will assess communication, rapport building, symbols of respect, roles and stereotypes, relationship building and the role of women (in some cultures)
• Considering how location, virtual meetings and translators can impact outcome
• Considering the negotiating team – who to bring, how many and which roles do each play
• Focussing not just on what they want to achieve in negotiations but also by identifying what are the key “drivers” of the counter-party
• Learning how to emphasis areas of agreement and build momentum despite differences in culture
• Understanding the “culture” of the negotiation itself is competitive or collaborative
• Identifying a BATNA (best alternative to no deal!)

At the end of the course a student will be able to...

• Understand what Culture means and its importance in cross-border deals
• Identify and avoid common mistakes
• Adequately prepare for negotiations, including by researching gaps in culture and making appropriate adjustments in order to build trust and momentum
• Apply advanced strategies in order to maximize successful outcomes (for example, by engaging professional translators, carefully choosing the composition of teams, promoting respect of different cultural norms, allowing time for relationship building and avoiding stereotypes).

Upon completing this course, students should have developed sensitivity to the importance of respecting and anticipating different cultures in international negotiations.  They will be able to address cultural factors in a proactive and intentional way in order to reduce the risk of misinterpretation, trust erosion or suspicion in order to maximize the success of the negotiation process.

• Lectures
• Guest speaker's talks (in class or in distance)
• Practical Exercises
• Individual works / Assignments
• Collaborative Works / Assignments

Using a workshop format, class sessions typically are in three parts:

1. Discussion of key concepts and tools,
2. Student interaction in case studies,
3. Practical exercises using the techniques learning in class to increase successful outcomes.
    

There is no exam. The goal of the course is to improve the student’s confidence and skill in cross-cultural negotiations. Because the course is a workshop format - focusing on practical, real-life challenges - most of the assignments arise from exercises, case studies or short role-playing that take place during class. Therefore, attendance provides students with the opportunity to obtain real, hands-on skills with the problems that lawyers typically face when negotiating.

There are only twelve class meetings; each is focused on particular skills or knowledge. Occasional student absence (once or twice) may be recovered by coordinating with classmates and the professor on the content.  However, missing additional class time detracts from the student’s ability to get the most out of the course and receive timely and useful feedback from the professor, and this will ultimately result in limited outcomes at the end of the course.

REQUIRED: Class materials, case studies and slide packs will be provided by the professor and uploaded in advance of each class meeting.

OPTIONAL: The Palgrave Handbook of Cross-Cultural Business Negotiation by Mohammed Ayub Khan, Noam Ebner (Pallgrave Macmillian).