单选题 The telecommunications, pharmaceutical, and airline industries all have undergone radical changes in recent years. Pharmaceutical companies, which once sold drugs to the doctors that dispensed them, switched to the solution-selling method and started dealing with health-care companies. And many major airlines consolidated at the same time that low-cost firms like Jet Blue entered the market.
In each of these industries, the game changed, and with new rules came new ways to win. That is the premise of Harvard Business School's "Changing the Game. Negotiation and Competitive Decision Making." The program, which covers not only deal-making but also topics as diverse as online auctions and strategic partnerships, "is for companies that are going through fundamental change in the way things are done," says Max Bazerman, program chair and professor of business administration at the school.
This is not a program for novices, says Bazerman; most participants have already attended a general negotiation program. In "Changing the Game," participants learn to understand their thought processes regarding negotiation, to compare rational and intuitive decision-making strategies, and to identify common mistakes made by even the most experienced professionals. By focusing on competitive environments, the program draws on some of the most advanced concepts from the emerging areas of behavioral economics, behavioral decision research, and behavioral finance.
Participants engage in simulated negotiations that highlight the tension between creating and assessing value, and learn how to think about both simultaneously. The soup-to-nuts simulations encompass preparation, team building, negotiating, and feedback, as well as the development of a conceptual structure for thinking about negotiations more rationally. Participants then apply that structure in their critiques of several large-scale negotiation cases. Ultimately participants apply their newly-honed analytic skills to their own companies and critique of past negotiations.
Negotiations can take many forms, of course. Bazerman notes that auctions are becoming increasingly common. Thanks to a renewed focus on driving clown costs, auctions have emerged as a valuable way for buyers to exert maximum leverage (although the course offers advice to sellers as well). Here again, coursework focuses both on analysis of case studies and on simulations that give participants a chance to roll up their sleeves and put themselves to the test.
"Max's approach is more pragmatic than other programs I've taken," says Gerry Dully, senior vice president of global marketing and logistics at Methanex, a producer of methanol based in Vancouver. "Looking at my prior experience, I could see what mistakes I made, and I'm more conscious of them now. The course had a profound impact on how I've modified my behavior in negotiating situations. /

单选题 The author cites the pharmaceutical industry to show that
[A] such an industry should be brought under stricter supervision.
[B] the solution-selling method is superior to the traditional method.
[C] it is not developing as fast as the airline industry.
[D] new ways of transaction accompany changes in the industry.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】第一段中提到了通信、医药和航空行业所经历的变化,第二段第一句提到,这些行业的游戏变了,游戏规则也发生了变化,因此赢得游戏的方式也发生了变化。提到这些变化的最终目的是为了说明哈佛大学商学院的培训项目如何能帮助学员掌握新的游戏规则,在变化了的交易方式中学会新的协商技能,使公司立于不败之地。
单选题 What is the focus of Harvard Business School's training program?
[A] Online auctions. [B] Strategic partnership.
[C] Business management. [D] Negotiation.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】这篇文章是对哈佛大学商学院的一个商业协商培训项目的介绍。其中介绍了开设这个培训项目的理念(见第一、二段)、这个项目的培训对象与主要内容(见第三段)、培训模式(见第四段,包括协商过程的设计理念和协商环节训练)。最后一段是一个学员对这个项目的评价。
单选题 The word "novice" (first sentence, Para. 3) probably refers to
[A] a person with no previous experience.
[B] an ordinary employee in a company.
[C] a specific strategy for business negotiation.
[D] a professional negotiator for a company.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】这个词意为somebody who has just started learning or doing something new and has no previous experience in the skill or activity(新手,初学者)。在上下文中,这个词的意思可以由第三段第一句后半句推出。
单选题 The "Changing the Game" program emphasizes
[A] the training of practical skills.
[B] theory as well as practical skills.
[C] decision-making capabilities.
[D] negotiation in online auctions.
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】第三段提到这个培训项目借鉴了一些新学科的概念,但这只是说这个项目训练协商技能的思路和理念,并不是说要让学员们学习这些新兴学科。从第四、五段的内容来看,培训项目更强调通过实际的模拟训练,帮助学员掌握协商技能。另外,从最后一段Gerry Duffy的评价也可以看出,这个培训项目重视的是实用(pragmatic)技能。
单选题 Gerry Dully is
[A] a friend of the program chair Max Bazerman.
[B] a participant in the program.
[C] a professor who teaches at the program.
[D] a company leader who is an expert in negotiation.
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】从Gerry Duffy说的话来看,他显然是在作为这个培训项目的一名学员谈自己的学习体会。