Introduction to Negotiation Strategy
At Oak Spring University, we provide corporate level professional Negotiation Strategy and other business case study solution. Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) case study is a Harvard Business School (HBR) case study written by Naeem Zafar, Jack Fuchs. The Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) (referred as “Amici's Pizzeria” from here on) case study provides evaluation & decision scenario in field of Leadership & Managing People. It also touches upon business topics such as - negotiation strategy, negotiation framework, Growth strategy, International business.
Negotiation strategy solution for case study Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) ” provides a comprehensive framework to analyse all issues at hand and reach a unambiguous negotiated agreement. At Oak Spring University, we provide comprehensive negotiation strategies that have proven their worth both in the academic sphere and corporate world.
What’s my BATNA (Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement) – my walkaway option if the deal fails?
What are my most important interests, in ranked order?
What is the other side’s BATNA, and what are his interests?
University of California, Berkeley-Haas collectionThe Amici's East Coast Pizzeria case study presents the history of Amici's East Coast Pizzeria, started by Peter Cooperstein and Mike Forter in 1987. The case study allows students to evaluate the company's launch in terms of opportunity identification, as well as to evaluate the company's scaling and growth strategy and options - all in the context of an entrepreneurial startup environment. The (A) case focuses on the history and the founding of Amici's, as well as its strategy, culture, and operations. The (A) case also presents several potential growth options such as selling the company; expanding within the Bay Area; expanding into different regions such as Southern California; franchising; expanding overseas; opening non-conventional distribution venues such as airports; sports venues; and small-location take-out venues; and selling pizza and other products through supermarkets and other retail locations. The (B) case shows what Cooperstein and Forter chose to do such as expanding into Southern California, opening a small venue in the San Jose Sharks arena, and opening a restaurant in Shanghai, China with partner Sophie Lo and her brother Jimmy Lo. Please note: this case also has a supplementary case available. The (B) supplement can be found using product number B5759.
By interests, we do not mean the preconceived demands or positions that you or the other party may have, but rather the underlying needs, aims, fears, and concerns that shape what you want. Negotiation is more than getting what you want. It is not winning at all cost. Number of times Win-Win is better option that outright winning or getting what you want.
Options are the solutions you generate that could meet your and your counterpart’s interests . Often people come to negotiations with very fixed ideas and things they want to achieve. This strategy leaves unexplored options which might be even better than the one that one party wanted to achieve. So always try to provide as many options as possible during the negotiation process. The best outcome should be out of many options rather than few options.
When soft bargainers meet hard bargainers there is always the danger of soft bargainers ceding more than what is necessary. To avoid this scenario you should always focus on legitimate standards or expectations. Standards are often external and objective measures to assess the fairness such as rules and regulations, financial values & resources , market prices etc. If the negotiated agreement is going beyond the industry norms or established standards of fairness then it is prudent to get out of the negotiation.
Every negotiators going into the negotiations should always work out the “what if” scenario. The negotiating parties in the “Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A)” has three to four plausible scenarios. The negotiating protagonist needs to have clear idea of – what will happen if the negotiations fail. To put it in the negotiating literature – BATNA - Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement. If the negotiated agreement is not better than BATNA then there is no point in accepting the negotiated solution.
One of the biggest problems in implementing the negotiated agreements in corporate world is – the ambiguity in the negotiated agreement. Sometimes the negotiated agreements are not realistic or various parties interpret the outcomes based on their understanding of the situation. It is critical to do negotiations as water tight as possible so that there is less scope for ambiguity.
Many negotiators make the mistake of focusing only on the substance of the negotiation (interests, options, standards, and so on). How you communicate about that substance, however, can make all the difference. The language you use and the way that you build understanding, jointly solve problems, and together determine the process of the negotiation with your counterpart make your negotiation more efficient, yield clear agreements that each party understands, and help you build better relationships.
Another critical factor in the success of your negotiation is how you manage your relationship with your counterpart. According to “Naeem Zafar, Jack Fuchs”, the protagonist may want to establish a new connection or repair a damaged one; in any case, you want to build a strong working relationship built on mutual respect, well-established trust, and a side-by-side problem- solving approach.
According to
Harvard Business Review
, there are three types of negotiators – Hard Bargainers, Soft Bargainers, and Principled Bargainers.
Hard Bargainers – These people see negotiations as an activity that they need to win. They are less focused less on the real objectives of the negotiations but more on winning. In the “Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) ”, do you think a hard bargaining strategy will deliver desired results? Hard bargainers are easy to negotiate with as they often have a very
predictable strategy
Soft Bargainers – These people are focused on relationship rather than hard outcomes of the negotiations. It doesn’t mean they are pushovers. These negotiators often scribe to long term relationship rather than immediate bargain.
Principled Bargainers – As explained in the seven elemental tools of negotiations above, these negotiators are more concern about the standards and norms of fairness. They often have inclusive approach to negotiations and like to work on numerous solutions that can improve the BATNA of both parties.
Open lines of communication between parties in the case study “Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A)” can make for an effective negotiation strategy and will make it easier to negotiate with this party the next time as well.
Naeem Zafar, Jack Fuchs (2018), "Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A) Harvard Business Review Case Study. Published by HBR Publications.
Feel free to connect with us if you need business research.
You can download Excel Template of Case Study Solution & Analysis of Amici's East Coast Pizzeria (A)
Technology , Electronic Instr. & Controls
Energy , Oil Well Services & Equipment
Financial , Misc. Financial Services
Financial , Insurance (Life)
Services , Retail (Specialty)
Basic Materials , Gold & Silver
Capital Goods , Construction Services
Services , Real Estate Operations
Transportation , Airline
Financial , Misc. Financial Services
