Negotiation is the process whereby two or more parties attempt to settle what each shall give and take, or perform and receive, in a transaction between them. Negotiation situations are characterized by five key components: the process takes place between two or more parties (individuals, groups, or organizations); there is an unresolved conflict of needs and desires between the parties; the parties negotiate by choice, expecting that they can improve upon what the other might simply offer them; the parties expect a giveand-take process; and the parties prefer to negotiate rather than to fight openly, have one side ...