ANALYSIS AND REFLECTION OF SIMULATED ROLE PLAY Guidelines
SPRING 2024
Role Play Simulation
Negotiating is key to conflict resolution, an important management skill. Students will engage in simulated role plays of two negotiations during class. Select one out of the two negotiations to write your assessment. This assessment is designed to reflect on the negotiating experience, utilize management and conflict resolution theories to analyse the process and outcome of the negotiations, and finally to apply conflict resolution skills to operating effectively in business settings. Submitted assessments are evaluated based on understanding and application of professional skills (55%), critical thinking (20%), and quality of writing (25%).
Analysis and Reflection of Simulation (individual assessment)
Reference requirement: a minimum of 2 references must come from among the four readings assigned for the weeks covering Conflict Resolution; students are also encouraged to reference additional readings from this or previous Management subjects.
Word limit: maximum 500 words per question with a 10% margin (i.e. up to 550 words permitted with a 1% penalty for every word in excess of 550). Your answers across the four questions should not exceed a total of 2,200 words (which includes a margin of 10% in excess of 2,000).
Note: this is an individual assessment. You must work on this assessment by yourself and may not collaborate with your simulation partner(s) or anyone else. As this is a reflective essay, using a first person narrative is appropriate and allowed.
Submission: upload your assessment to Canvas in the proper assessment folder. Your assessment should be titled: [Name of Negotiation], [Name Given to Your Role], [Your Name]. File format must be MS Word (for word count check). Size 12 font, double spaced with 2.5cm margins.
Structure and Content:
Students should provide a short essay (up to 500 words) for each of the four questions below. Please use the sub-headings and numbers given for each question in your assignment. Given that this is a reflection as well as an analysis, you should write from a first person perspective (I did, I said) and analyse the negotiation from your perspective rather than from the perspective of the role you played.
Negotiation Strategy
Describe the nature of the conflict you were faced with during the negotiation. Based on your understanding of the situation, what strategies did you approach the negotiation with? First, analyse the negotiation situation. What is the nature of the relationship between the parties and what are the stakes in this conflict remaining unresolved? What are parties interests and around which issues are their interests and/or goals compatible, if any? Second, justify the strategy or strategies you approached the negotiations with by demonstrating your understanding of all negotiations strategies available to you and their respective strengths and weaknesses.
Effectiveness of Strategy
Briefly describe the outcome of the negotiation and assess the effectiveness of your approach during the actual negotiation. Provide examples and illustrations that evidence your effectiveness (or lack thereof) in the negotiation. Why was your approach effective, or why not? How do you know this? In answering this question, consider how appropriate your strategy may have been to the situation at hand/ how your opponent reacted to it/ and how well you implemented your strategy.
Assessment of Self as Negotiator
Critically assess your strengths and weaknesses as a conflict resolver. Step back from the issues of the negotiation and discuss your qualities (behaviours, skills, communication style, strategies, etc) as a negotiator in ALL negotiations. Provide examples and/or illustrations how these qualities impacted the assigned negotiation or other negotiations in your life. Given what we have learned about negotiations, what situations would your strengths best serve you in and which situations would you want to be more prepared for given your weaknesses? Being critical means that you do not take for granted the received wisdom in readings, that you are able to question existing knowledge and build on it to reach your own conclusions.
Future Steps
What would you do differently in the future to improve the way you negotiate? This question does not refer to repeating the negotiation you were assigned in class; rather, it asks, how would you build on your strengths and avoid any negative consequences of your weaknesses in future negotiations? What steps would you take to avoid pitfalls and what skills would you work on developing?
What is Included in word limit?
Executive summary (if any not required)
All text
In-text citations
Foot notes
Tables, figures, diagrams and charts
What is excluded in word limit?
Table of contents (if any not required)
Appendix
Title page
Reference list
Marking Rubric for Analysis and Reflection
Maximum mark: 40
Understanding of professional and technical skills*
* This criterion assures Program Learning Objective 4.1 Apply technical and professional skills necessary to operate effectively in business Critical thinking Improvement of professional and technical skills Quality of writing
30% 20% 25% 25%
– Uses concepts and readings from this and previous subjects to justify and/or critique strategies taken and decisions made in simulation.
– Demonstrates understanding of interests involved in a conflict situation and appreciation of the big picture beyond the immediate issues at hand.
– Utilizes examples from simulation to illustrate how concepts play out in real life.
– Provides evidence of the effectiveness of negotiation strategies from the simulated negotiation.
– Demonstrates understanding of the processes and outcomes of conflict resolution, including tangible and intangible outcomes.
– Critically evaluates the situation in the simulation.
– Critically assesses own and others performance in simulation and identifies alternatives.
– Critically evaluates own strengths and weaknesses. – Demonstrates appreciation for strengths and weaknesses in self as well as genuine reflection regarding one’s performance in simulation: is honest, open, objective, and fearless in examining traits about self
– Is fearless in identifying bold steps to improve
– Identifies creative ways in which student would have acted differently or in which solutions could have been reached in simulation.
– Points to creative ways to improve own negotiation style in future. – Demonstrates analytical, accurate, and fluent written communication skills.
– Writes in a professional style and uses technical and conceptual terms correctly.
– Analysis is organised and structured in a way that conveys its arguments clearly and convincingly.
– Writes succinctly (within maximum word limit) and follows formatting guidelines for assessment.
– Utilizes an adequate quantity as well as quality of references.
– References are integrated into the text to provide justification for concepts and arguments.
– References are cited in text and listed in a bibliography following APA 7th style