Conflict is a part of business life and as students enter their careers they will become involved in many conflicts. The question is which mechanisms our future business leaders will use and whether they will be prepared to use them. That is the subject of a class taught by Professor Stanley A. Leasure, Negotiation, Mediation, and Arbitration (RIL 550/650).

The most common method of dispute resolution in the United States has been the system of litigation provided by the courts. This highly adversarial process is costly, time consuming and damaging to business relationships. In recent years, businesses of all sizes have become interested in finding other ways to resolve disputes. Three main “alternatives” have emerged: negotiation, mediation and arbitration. Negotiation, Mediation and Arbitration, a class which utilizes experiential learning, examines each of these methods of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) from a practical standpoint and in detail. At the conclusion of the course, students will understand the advantages and disadvantages of litigation, negotiation, mediation and arbitration and how each works. Most importantly, according to Professor Leasure, students will develop the skills necessary to participate effectively in these processes.

In the fall 2008, Professor Leasure says he reinvented the course, turning it into a skills-based course using extensive role plays published by the Harvard Program on Negotiation and student participation in the presentation of material from the highly regarded textbook, Getting to Yes. “The students enjoy the course and see the skills they learn as something which will be valued by potential employers.” John Bowen, a former student, found the course beneficial in several ways, “As I plan to be an attorney, the course was obviously beneficial. Not only because we learned more about each type of ADR, but because we developed skills necessary for every lawyer. However, the lessons learned would be beneficial in any career. Getting to Yes was very valuable, but if you would only read the book you would miss a lot. Practicing these concepts in actual negotiations with fellow classmates forces the techniques to become natural and easy to use. The ability to obtain more through negotiations, while preserving or even strengthening relationships, has proven to be invaluable.” Professor Leasure agrees that the many negotiations in which the students participate over the course of the semester are the heart of the class. He believes the course will directly benefit the students in their careers. Malorie Stockmann, who took the course in the spring 2009 semester agrees, “I truly believe this class will be beneficial to me in my career. I am going into the insurance and financial planning industry. I can already see many opportunities to use the skills I have learned in this class. In the real world my knowledge of how to separate the people from the problem and focus on interests will be beneficial when trying to identify the real needs of my clients. The skills I learned in this class will be incredibly helpful, especially considering the economy and how reluctant people are to trust others with their assets.” Professor Leasure says that a number of students have reported that the course has helped them in their personal lives to deal more effectively with family, classmates and friends, “Some students are amazed at how useful these skills are in a variety of situations.”

Enrollment in the class has continued to grow. Leasure is pleased with the increasing interest in the course, “This spring we had our largest enrollment ever, including a number of non-business majors. I expect this trend to continue as more students across campus learn about the short and long term benefits of possessing these skills. Our best marketing comes by word of mouth from former students.”