Website Redesign Negotiation

Web site Redesign Negotiation

Table of Contents

Abstract 3

A. Statement of the Negotiation Goal 4

1. What was your goal? 4

2. Brief Summary of the Negotiation (an objective and brief overview/summary of the actual events that occurred, with emphasis on key facts) 5

B. Description of Your Planning and Preparation 7

C. Negotiation Strategies and Effectiveness 10

1. What negotiation strategies (style) and tactics did you use? How successful were you in achieving your desired outcome? 10

2. What were your key Negotiation Strengths and Weaknesses? 12

3. What strategies and tactics did your partner use? How did you respond to your partner's strategies and tactics? 15

D. Lessons Learned 16

1. What did you learn about yourself from the experience? 16

2. What did you learn about the behavior of others? 17

3. How does this experience compare with other negotiations you have undertaken? 17

4. What did you learn about bargaining or conflict from this situation? 18

E. Application of Course Concepts 18

1. How do the concepts in the course text and readings enrich your understanding of the process of this negotiation and its outcome? 18

F. Future Negotiation Strategies 20

1. In the future, what would you do the same and what would you do differently to perform more effectively in negotiations and why? 20

Abstract

The purpose of this negotiation was to discuss the redesign of a non-profit organizations' live Web site that was created in 1996 and left defunct for almost 15 years. For the past 5 years, the company has suffered a decline in sales and the existing customer base has decreased drastically. The negotiator, convinced that a well designed, updated, functional Web site could help to better market the company's services; cast a more positive image on the organization; and, create new interest in the company, proposed a bid to serve as an independent contractor/consultant to address these issues. However, the senior executive held the stance that the Web site should not be as a sole source to drive the customer base; the company has changed priorities and technology is no longer high on their list; and, that saving money and time by awarding a bid to someone presently employed by the company was not enough incentive to close the deal. The parties were able to agree on a three-month redesign trial period and a revisit to the bargaining table at the conclusion of the agreed upon time.

A. Statement of the Negotiation Goal

1. What was your goal?

Overall, the goal for this negotiation was to secure a contract with my employer that would allow me to serve as an independent contractor/consultant to re-design and maintain the company Web site.

The Web site at my company was developed in 1996 and has not changed in any way since then. The employee who initially designed the Web site admittedly only has basic HTML skills and lacks the knowledge and time necessary to make improvements or updates. The site was created in Microsoft Publisher, which is not an ideal application with which to build Web sites because it offers a limited number of features and very little functionality. Heuristically, the Web site breaks many of the principles of usability that are recognized as standards in Web design and development. For example, here are a few of the issues:

 The absence of white space makes the pages look heavy, gloomy and dated; the colors selected are dark and do not work well together.

 The use of more than four different fonts on most pages takes away from the consistency and uniformity of the layout, making the site look amateurish.

 The clipart images give the design an elementary look; and, the photo images used are distorted is dimension.

 The scrolling marquee is a distracting and unappealing design element.

 The content is outdated. The site is not dynamic and the information has not changed since 1996.

Frankly, the Web site is more of a liability than an asset. The number of hits began to decline one month after the site went live and continued to dwindle. Currently, the site has very little substantial traffic at all. Our associates complain about the look of the site and the employees are embarrassed to offer the URL to people. Clearly, there was a need.

Specifically, I hoped to meet with the Senior Officer of the company to make clear the current design and functionality issues with the Web site; also, to explain the ramifications of not taking the necessary actions to correct the issues; and finally, to negotiate a deal that will allow me to be the sole, independent contractor/consultant designated to redevelop/ redesign the company Web site for a compensation package that includes an acceptable monetary payment, company-paid Web development software (Adobe Creative Suite 5 Design Premium - $399.98) or paid Joomla training (Steve Burge in Atlanta for $299), free hosting for my personal Web site, as well as a monthly stipend to perform ongoing Web maintenance and content management.

2. Brief Summary of the Negotiation (an objective and brief overview/summary of the actual events that occurred, with emphasis on key facts).

In the beginning of the negotiation,