FOCUS GROUP MEMBER POINT OF VIEW (skip to SMARTSETTLE CEO POINT OF VIEW)

Focus Group Member is the first to arrive at the Smartsettle ONE negotiation panel. He must first make an Initial Proposal that will be revealed to CEO. Initial proposals from each party are required to be optimistic in order to create a bargaining range on the negotiation panel. Focus Group Member must also set a “Walkaway” value. The initial values set by the parties must show that they have similar ideas about the bargaining range. After Focus Group Member enters his Initial Values, his private bargaining range appears, showing his Initial Visible Proposal of $250 on the right. He is willing to settle for much less than that but wants to take advantage of the psychological effect of an extreme opening move. On the left side is his Walkaway of $20. The Walkaway is never revealed to CEO. Focus Group Member would actually be happy to contribute his ideas without compensation but doesn’t think that would be fair.

Focus Member Initial Values

The yellow flag on the right side can be used by Focus Group Member to make a hidden acceptance. To do that, he simply drags the flag to the left and places it on the value that he wishes to accept. He decides to accept a value of $30. That’s nearly as far as he’s willing to go. Yellow shading appears to show all the values that have been accepted by Focus Group Member.

Focus Member Acceptance

Focus Group Member is now waiting for CEO to arrive. While waiting for CEO  to arrive, Focus Group Member clicks on the “Cases” tab to check if any other cases require attention.

The Cases window appears.

Focus Member arrives in Cases tab

Focus Group Member has only this one case. CEO still shows absent so there is nothing more to do right now. Focus Group Member could log off and wait for email to notify him when CEO arrives, but CEO happens to arrive before Focus Group Member leaves. Focus Group Member notices that CEO is in the panel.

Focus Member notices CEO in panel

Having returned to the negotiation panel, Focus Group Member sees that CEO is now present (green dot) and has entered her Initial Proposal of $5. CEO’s proposal is apparently too cheap and has revealed a red zone below Focus Group Member’s Walkaway.

Focus Member see CEO proposal

Focus Group Member is still waiting for a hidden concession from CEO, which will end Session 1. At the end of a session, agreement is reached if there is an overlap among the accepted values. Otherwise, the negotiation continues with the next session.

CEO makes a move that ends Session 1 and the negotiation is over already. The agreement is declared to be $30. That must have been close.

0Focus Member sees agreement

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