The Master Negotiators Contest is a semester-long competition in which students compete in teams to do the most real-life negotiating. The contest was created to motivate students to apply their negotiation skills to real-life negotiations outside of the classroom.
Students are divided into teams at the beginning of the semester and are tasked with conducting as many real-life negotiations as possible. The top teams receive extra points at the end of the semester and are inducted into the Master Negotiators Hall of Fame.
Past Results
I have run the MNC is all of my negotiation sections in the BCom and the MBA programs since 2017.
| Year | Course | Enrollment | Number of Negotiations | Return on Negotiations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | ORGB-325-001 | 45 | 105 | $9,907 |
| 2017 | ORGB-633-001 | 15 | 34 | $8,275 |
| 2018 | ORGB-325-001 | 37 | 86 | $12,399 |
| 2018 | ORGB-325-002 | 43 | 112 | $11,085 |
| 2019 | ORGB-325-001 | 40 | 181 | $16,140 |
| 2019 | ORGB-325-002 | 26 | 92 | $15,480 |
| 2020 | ORGB-325-001 | 20 | 209 | $30,004 |
| 2020 | ORGB-325-002 | 16 | 53 | $4,240 |
| 2021 | ORGB-325-001 | 36 | 182 | $20,151 |
| 2021 | ORGB-325-002 | 34 | 149 | $17,203 |
| 2022 | ORGB-633-001 | 12 | 22 | $3,577 |
| 2022 | ORGB-325-001 | 35 | 92 | $11,872 |
| 2022 | ORGB-325-002 | 35 | 89 | $11,470 |
| ∑ = 394 | ∑ = 1,406 | ∑ = $171,803 |
Competition Rules
Rule #1: Participant Eligibility and Structure
Participants must form teams consisting of either 3 or 4 members. Over the course of the semester, teams will engage in various negotiations concerning real-life transactions involving real monetary value.
Rule #2: Categories of Competition
Competing teams will be evaluated under two distinct categories:
- Number of Negotiations (NON): This category measures the average number of negotiations conducted by each team member.
- Return on Negotiations (RON): This evaluates the average financial benefit derived from each negotiation, subject to a maximum of 500 CAD per negotiation.RON Calculation:
- For buyers: The savings realized from the transaction.
- For sellers: The differential between the negotiated selling price and the average market value of the product or service in question.
Rule #3: Negotiation Qualifications
Only negotiations that involve financial transactions are eligible for point accumulation.
The qualifying interactions extend beyond mere buying and selling, requiring evidence of negotiation. Transactions that result in acquiring something for free without any documented negotiation will not contribute to a team’s point tally.
Rule #4: Proof of Negotiation
For a negotiation to be included in a team’s score, participants must submit evidence of the negotiation to the Teaching Assistant (TA).
This includes:
- Documentation of the negotiation process between buyer and seller (e.g., textual exchanges, emails, contracts).
- Evidence of monetary savings or earnings (e.g., receipts, invoices, credit card statements).
Rule #5: Negotiations with Recurring Benefits
In cases where a negotiation results in a recurring benefit, such as a monthly salary increase, the RON will be calculated over a period of three months. However, it should not exceed the established maximum of 500 CAD per negotiation.
Rule #6: Appeal Process
In case of disputes regarding the attribution of points, teams may lodge a formal appeal with the Professor.