This role play is designed to help you develop your negotiating skills. The class is to break into

pairs. One person will play the role of Alex, the department supervisor. The other person will play

C.J., Alexs boss.

The situation: Alex and C.J. work for hockey-equipment manufacturer Bauer. Alex

supervises a research laboratory. C.J. is the manager of R & D. Alex and C.J. are former skaters

who have worked for Bauer for more than 6 years. C.J. has been Alexs boss for 2 years.

One of Alexs employees has greatly impressed Alex. This employee is Lisa Roland. Lisa

was hired 11 months ago. She is 24 years old and holds a masters degree in mechanical

engineering. Her entry-level salary was $57 500 a year. She was told by Alex that, in accordance

with corporation policy, she would receive an initial performance evaluation at 6 months and a

comprehensive review after 1 year. Based on her performance record, Lisa was told she could

expect a salary adjustment at the time of the 1-year review.

Alexs evaluation of Lisa after 6 months was very positive. Alex commented on the long

hours Lisa was working, her cooperative spirit, the fact that others in the lab enjoyed working with

her, and her immediate positive impact on the project she had been assigned. Now that Lisas first

anniversary is coming up, Alex has again reviewed Lisas performance. Alex thinks Lisa may be

the best new person the R & D group has ever hired. After only a year, Alex has ranked Lisa as

the number 3 performer in a department of 11.

Salaries in the department vary greatly. Alex, for instance, has a basic salary of $93 800,

plus eligibility for a bonus that might add another $7000 to $11 000 a year. The salary range of the

11 department members is $48 400 to $79 000. The lowest salary is a recent hire with a bachelors

degree in physics. The 2 people whom Alex has rated above Lisa earn base salaries of $73 800 and

$78 900. They are both 27 years old and have been at Bauer for 3 and 4 years, respectively. The

median salary in Alexs department is $65 300.

Alexs role: You want to give Lisa a big raise. While she is young, she has proven to be an

excellent addition to the department. You dont want to lose her. More important, she knows in

general what other people in the department are earning, and she thinks she is underpaid. The

company typically gives 1-year raises of 5 percent, although 10 percent is not unusual and 20 to

30 percent increases have been approved on occasion. You would like to get Lisa as large an

increase as C.J. will approve

Negotiation Role Play Read the material for Learning Activity 8 One team takes the role of Alex while one team takes the role of CJ. Discuss with team members for 10 minutes, think about strategies, and then send one member to negotiation The other members observe the negotiation, and take notes on the performances After the class, submit a report (one copy per team) concluding the negotiation observed, what is done well and what needs improvement