September 26th

  Today`s lesson got me thinking about what the "win-win" situation that we were always seeking for actually was. Because in the business world, I would think that people opt more for a win on their own situation  rather than a win-win one. For them money, making a profit is everything. So is the case for the majority of the people living in fact; money is without doubt a big factor in our life. Therefore, people generally probably would have a WIN paradigm, or if not at least a win-win one where there is essentially more win on your side. It is hard to get an equal balance of wins, if there was one anyway, in real life I think. If there were a near equal win-win terms, there would be definitely a less win factor on your part compared to if you have just won completely-so I think. As I have said, people want to win, they need to win especially when money is involved.
  Again though maybe the situation would be a little different if the people you were negotiating with were those that you feel you need to have strong ties with. Whether be it family, neighbours, or possible business partners, if they were you allies, if they could help you out in the future someday( being business minded here-doesn`t mean that keeping good relations with friends mean that you want something our of them:o), or the very opposite if you don`t want to get in trouble with them, it would be a good idea to keep them happy with the results of the negotiations. In maximizing the satisfaction on both sides, there is a chance of getting a  higher return in the long run . A important point to note  here I think is for both sides to not  achieve a win win situation based on a  compromise. As Johnny pointed out, coming to a compromise is a lower level of a win-win situation, it does not necessarily boost your satisfaction level, it just stumps it on both sides to a certain degree. In the end, I guess the point I would like to make is that in real life, trying to achieve a win-win situation is mostly actually trying to create a win situation for yourself. You either try to win more, even on the seemingly balanced equation, or you get your `win` way, by strengthening ties with the opposing negotiator in making them happy.
I hope I don`t seem too cynical.
We have been doing a lot of class work based on this term, and out of curiosity I wonder what others think about these win-win situations?