| Course | LDR 308 Communication Strategies for Leaders (LDR/308) |
|---|---|
| Week | 3 |
| Paper type | Negotiation strategy analysis |
| Length | about 1,012 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | BS in Business |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for LDR 308 Week 3
Renewing the Lease Without Losing the Store: Negotiation Strategy for a Bookstore Owner Facing a 30 Percent Rent Increase
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
LDR/308: Communication Strategies for Leaders
Week 3 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
Riverbend Books, its landlord and all lease terms are composites written for a model paper.
After two weeks on internal messages and customer service, the invented Riverbend chain now faces a high-stakes conversation with its landlord. It now faces a negotiation that could reshape the company. Its Highland store, the largest, occupies 6,000 square feet in a neighborhood shopping center and produces about $3 million in annual sales, a third of the company's total. The ten-year lease ends in nine months. The center's owner, a regional property firm, has proposed a five-year renewal at $36.40 per square foot, up 30 percent from the current $28, which would raise annual rent from $168,000 to $218,400. At that rent, the store would barely break even. Owner Helen Sorensen will lead the negotiation. This paper applies negotiation research to plan it.
Positions and Interests
Riverbend's position is to keep the rent close to its current level. Its interests are deeper: a profitable store in a location customers know, stable costs, room for events and visibility. The landlord's position is a 30 percent increase. Its likely interests include steady occupancy, rent that supports the property's value with its lender, tenants that draw foot traffic to other shops and avoiding the cost and risk of a vacant space.
Alternatives
Riverbend's best alternative is a smaller storefront two blocks away, available at $30 per square foot for 4,200 square feet, which would lower costs but cut event space and likely reduce sales by 15 to 20 percent and require about $250,000 in moving and fit-out costs. The landlord's best alternative is finding a new tenant. Local brokers report that comparable retail space has been vacant for 10 to 14 months recently, and a new tenant would likely need several months of free rent and an improvement allowance. These alternatives suggest the landlord's position is weaker than its proposal implies.
First Offers as Anchors
Experiments by Galinsky and Mussweiler (2001) showed that whoever names a number first usually pulls the final price toward it. The anchoring effect was weakened when the receiver focused on information inconsistent with the offer, such as their own alternatives, or on the other side's reservation price. For Riverbend, this means two things: making a well-researched first offer rather than responding to the landlord's number and, when receiving the landlord's offer, focusing on the market evidence about vacancy.
Sharing Information About Priorities
Thompson (1991) found that negotiators who sought and provided information about their priorities reached more integrative agreements, discovering trades that left both sides better off. Many negotiators assumed the other side's interests were opposite to their own, missing joint gains. Asking questions about what the other side values most was especially effective.
Cooperative Motives
De Dreu et al. (2000) conducted a meta-analysis of negotiation studies and found that negotiators with a prosocial, cooperative motive reached more integrative agreements than those with an egoistic motive, but mainly when they also had high resistance to yielding. Cooperation combined with firmness about one's own interests produced the best joint outcomes; cooperation without firmness led to concessions.
Taking the Other Side's Perspective
Galinsky et al. (2008) found that negotiators who took the perspective of their counterpart, thinking about what the other side wanted, were better at discovering hidden agreements and creating value, while empathy, focusing on the other's feelings, was less helpful and sometimes led to giving away too much.
The landlord needs a reliable tenant that keeps the center busy more than it needs the last dollar of rent.
Issues Beyond Rent
The negotiation includes several issues: base rent, annual increases, lease length, improvement allowance, signage on the street side, use of the parking lot for two outdoor author events a year and an early termination option. Riverbend values lease length and events highly; the landlord likely values length and occupancy highly and may care little about signage and events, which draw shoppers to other tenants.
The First Offer
Riverbend will open with a seven-year lease at $29 per square foot with 2.5 percent annual increases, street signage and event use of the lot, citing comparable rents and vacancy data. A longer term gives the landlord stability its lender values. The offer is ambitious but defensible.
Planned Trades and Reservation Point
Riverbend will trade lease length for rent: willing to go to $31 for seven years, or $32.50 for ten years with an early exit after year five if sales fall below a set level. Its reservation point is $33 per square foot for any term; above that, the smaller nearby space becomes the better choice once moving costs are considered.
Communication Tactics
Helen will ask questions early: what the landlord needs from this renewal, how its lender views long leases and what it plans for the center. She will share Riverbend's priorities, such as event space and stability, without revealing the reservation point. She will present the store as an anchor that brings 1,200 customers a week to the center.
Preparing for Hard Moments
The landlord may refuse to move from its first number or argue that Riverbend has no realistic alternative. Helen will respond with evidence rather than emotion, restating the vacancy data and the costs of a new tenant, and will be prepared to pause the talks rather than concede under pressure. If the landlord introduces a deadline, she will ask what drives it. Practicing these moments with David beforehand will help her stay calm.
Relationship and Ethics
Riverbend will present only accurate data and will not bluff about an alternative it would not take. A respectful process protects a relationship that will last years.
Conclusion
Research shows that well-researched first offers anchor outcomes, that sharing information about priorities and taking the other side's perspective reveal trades and that cooperation works best with firmness. Riverbend's lease negotiation offers more than one issue to trade and a landlord whose alternatives are weaker than its proposal suggests. A prepared first offer, planned trades, good questions and a firm walk-away point give Riverbend the best chance to keep its largest store profitable.
References
De Dreu, C. K. W., Weingart, L. R., & Kwon, S. (2000). Influence of social motives on integrative negotiation: A meta-analytic review and test of two theories. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(5), 889-905. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.78.5.889
Galinsky, A. D., Maddux, W. W., Gilin, D., & White, J. B. (2008). Why it pays to get inside the head of your opponent: The differential effects of perspective taking and empathy in negotiations. Psychological Science, 19(4), 378-384. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008.02096.x
Galinsky, A. D., & Mussweiler, T. (2001). First offers as anchors: The role of perspective-taking and negotiator focus. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 81(4), 657-669. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.81.4.657
Thompson, L. L. (1991). Information exchange in negotiation. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 27(2), 161-179. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1031(91)90020-7
What the LDR 308 Week 3 instructions ask
The third LDR 308 assignment commonly asks students to analyze negotiation as a leadership communication skill, often by planning or evaluating a real or realistic negotiation. Expect to describe distributive and integrative negotiation, interests versus positions, the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, reservation points, first offers and communication tactics such as asking questions and framing. Some prompts ask students to reflect on a negotiation they experienced. A strong paper uses negotiation research, applies it to a specific situation with real interests and numbers, identifies opportunities to create value as well as claim it and addresses the relationship and ethics. Cite scholarly sources in APA format.
How this LDR 308 Week 3 example is built
Riverbend's Highland store sits in a neighborhood shopping center whose owner has proposed raising rent from $28 to $36.40 per square foot at renewal. Losing the store would remove a third of company sales, but paying the increase would erase its profit. The paper first separates positions from interests on both sides and estimates each side's best alternative. Research shows that first offers anchor outcomes, especially when negotiators focus on their own targets, that exchanging information about priorities leads to better joint outcomes, that cooperative motives support integrative agreements and that taking the other side's perspective helps negotiators find deals. A plan follows with a researched first offer, trade-offs on lease length, signage and events, prepared questions and a walk-away point.
LDR 308 Week 3 grading rubric: where the points go
Negotiation papers are graded on preparation and use of research. High marks go to papers that define interests, alternatives and reservation points for both parties with realistic figures, apply research on anchoring, information exchange and integrative bargaining and identify ways to create value rather than only split a fixed amount. Graders also look for attention to communication tactics, the relationship and ethics. A clear plan, including the first offer, concessions, questions to ask and when to walk away, shows practical skill. Recognizing what the other party needs is a sign of mature analysis in this assignment. Reviewers also check that the figures are consistent from the alternatives through the walk-away point.
LDR 308 Week 3 help: mistakes to avoid
A common mistake in negotiation papers is treating the negotiation as a contest with one issue, usually price. Most negotiations have several issues that parties value differently, which creates room for trades. List them. Another frequent problem is ignoring the other side's interests and alternatives. Estimate them, since they set the range of possible agreements. Some students avoid making the first offer out of fear; research shows a well-researched first offer can anchor the outcome. Others concede too quickly without asking for anything in return. Plan concessions as trades. Prepare questions in advance, since listening reveals trades. Finally, consider honesty and the long-term relationship, especially when the parties will work together after the deal.
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LDR 308 Week 3 questions, answered
What does LDR 308 Week 3 usually cover?
It usually covers negotiation as a leadership communication skill, including interests and positions, alternatives, first offers, integrative and distributive bargaining and communication tactics.
Where can I find a free LDR 308 Week 3 sample paper?
The Week 3 lease negotiation plan for a composite Twin Cities bookstore, with its figures and tactics, is shown above in full.
What is a BATNA?
It is shorthand for the best alternative to a negotiated agreement, meaning the fallback a side will use if no deal is reached; it tells a negotiator when leaving the table beats any offer on it.
Should you make the first offer in a negotiation?
Research suggests that a well-researched first offer can anchor the outcome in your favor, particularly when you focus on your target rather than your minimum.
What is integrative negotiation?
Integrative negotiation looks for agreements that create value for both sides, often by trading issues each side values differently, rather than only dividing a fixed amount.
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