Negotiation is defined as “a social interaction between two (or more) parties who provide arguments with the aim of influencing each other to accept their point of view regarding the value of the negotiated object” (Maaravi, Ganzach and Pazy, 2011). This means that two parties are trying to achieve an end goal and both require something from the other to achieve that goal. A company or person identifies a problem either out of a desire or need to solve that problem, but they cannot fix it on their own. This creates an environment to begin a negotiation with another party that can either resolve the entire issue or be part of a series of negotiations in a multi-step process. There are many types of negotiations for various reasons, but the commonality of all negotiations is that both parties have potential gains to make. This essay will explain how people negotiate for almost everything, but especially for employment, salary, large purchases, and sex. We will also examine how each party's differences in race, culture, and gender can influence the negotiation process. (Thompson, 2010) First, a business or individual must do a self-assessment and find out what their real needs and wants are. This process can be tedious and time-consuming but absolutely necessary to begin negotiating with others. Usually, during a self-assessment, parties may realize that their goal is not what they thought they would achieve. For example, a company says it wants to produce more widgets, but that's not really its goal. The real goal is to increase profits. To make more profit, there may be alternative techniques to simply creating more widgets. The company could cut costs or simply market its gadgets middle of paper ......iator and get the best possible result. Emotions need to be controlled when at the table. This will lead to a more productive process and will be recognized as a strength for the opposition. (Sinaceur, et al., 2011) Likewise, gender played a role in negotiations due to the stereotypes that exist within many societies. Due to women's societal role as caring and selfless, many people view them as weak negotiators. Men are seen as the opposite of women: competitive, assertive and aggressive. Because of these roles, women are at a disadvantage at the negotiating table. However, this stereotype can be used as an asset if used strategically during negotiations. As women are considered more communal in nature, their first offers are generally more reasonable and more accepted than men with more extreme offers and a broader ZOPA. (Miles, 2010)