今晚是难忘的一个晚上. 前几天在facebook和Arvind 还有Jack 聊天, 知道他们13号就要回国了, 突然感到一种莫名的伤感与不舍. Arvind是印度人, 是我来爱尔兰时在飞机上认识的, 当时他就坐在我的旁边. 当时大家很聊得来, 所以就交换了邮箱方便联系. 后面我居然和他有一门课是相同的, 所以我们就经常会碰面, 一聊就聊半个小时以上. 后面有空还在学校饭堂吃了两次饭. 虽然他是印度人, 可是我觉得他的思想理念很有中国化的色彩. 认识了短短三个月, 我们就成为了好朋友. 这个学期他完成了他的学业要回印度工作了, 后天就要走了. 至于Jack则来自西班牙, 是一名交换生. 读MBA的. 认识他是一次巧合. 记得刚开学上课时, 我不知道我的课室在哪里. 当时他从我身旁走过. 我就问他, 他指了路给我看. 见到我仍然满脸茫然, 他居然亲自带我去到课室. 那一刻我觉得说多少句”thank you” 也表达不了我的谢意！当时大家行色匆匆，都赶着上课，我差点迟到了， 所以也没来得及和他交换联系方式．可是后来有一次我在打印室打印文章时，有一个人走过来和我说 “Hello”， 我转头一看， 盯了他一会儿，突然间认出他来了．于是大家就聊了起来．他看到我好像遇到救星一样，急忙问我有没有空在周末接受他一个访问．原来他们老师要他们做一个关于中国超市发展现状的调查与研究，他需要找一个中国人来采访，问他们对于本国超市发展情况的认识与了解．我当然很乐意．于是那周六上午弄完一切以后， 他请我在外面吃了一个牛排，大家也就慢慢熟了．可是他学完这个学期也要回西班牙工作了．今朝一别，不知何时再聚，所以大家都感到格外的不舍．
于是今晚，他们宿舍楼的同学朋友们要为他们两个举行一个送别的party，他们也邀请我去参加，所以我就去了．这个party真的让我大开眼界，吃到了很多从前没有吃过的东西．整个厨房都被我们霸占了，一***有差不多20个人．他们来自美国，德国，意大利，西班牙，印度，比利时等不同的国家．我一去到就被我眼前的各种食物吸引了，有刚煎好的牛排和羊排，有各种各样的巧克力，饼干，啤酒，红酒，果汁，香肠，薯片，还有好多各种各样的小吃．后来听那些同学讲才知道，那些小吃全是来自不同国家的．就这个晚上我吃到了来爱尔兰这么久最丰盛的晚餐了，真的很开心！喝了两杯红酒，虽然我不太会喝，可是一入口我就发现这几瓶红酒不是一般的货色，一问才知道每瓶要花73欧元（差不多人民币650元）．喝了红酒又喝啤酒．我真的很佩服老外的酒量，喝啤酒好像喝水一样，一会儿一瓶，一会儿又一瓶．最惨的是我是那里唯一一个中国人，当他们听说我不喜欢喝啤酒时，就喜欢起哄，一个个轮流要我干杯．本来我不想喝的， 可是想想来了这里这么久了也没有好好地”疯过”，难得今晚大家这么高兴，所以我也来者不拒，就好像今年毕业晚会一样，喝了差不多6瓶啤酒！后来Arvind还煮他的”印度茶”给我们喝，刚开始我不以为意，因为我不喜欢喝茶．可是他把茶煮好以后， 我喝了一口，发现超级好喝！！一连喝了好几杯．印度茶和中国的茶完全不同，茶叶像小沙粒一样，很细致的．放到锅里煮牛奶， 再放些姜片和白糖去，慢火煮它个十几分钟，那味道真的堪称一绝！就这样我们闹了三个多小时才散．临走时，大家都和那两位即将离去的主人公拥抱再见，那情景真的让人有一种想落泪的感觉．我从来没有想过我会和一些老外的友情这么深，从前我总是觉得和外国人有一种cultural gap，很难深交．可是渐渐地我发现其实不尽然．当你遇到一些主流思想一致的老外时，你们真的可以成为很好的朋友！在这里我愿他们后天的旅程一路顺风！
说完开心的事，也要记一下今天的”惨事”．今天中午12点开考第一科．首先是要坐车到考场．这是我最纳闷的地方：为什么考试不在学校的课室里考而要专门坐车到另一个所谓的考试中心去考呢？我根本没有到过那个地方，所以不懂怎么走．幸好昨晚就和Yuky说好了今天早上大家一起出发．Yuky是香港大学和我们学校的交换生，香港本地人，她读的是本科金融．刚好她和她同学也正要去那个考试中心考试，所以我们就一起去了．说到Yuky，一个可爱的小女生，我真的忍不住要在这里称赞一下她．虽然她来自香港，可是没有一点香港人的架子，很多香港人会看不起我们中国大陆的人，但是她不会．相反她很亲切善谈，很好相处．更让我佩服的是她的英语，非常流利地道，真的非常厉害．和她一起来的几个香港中文大学的学生，和她比起来，就逊色多了．看来港大的学生真的很牛！
到了考试中心，进了大厅以后要到一个黑板去查看自己的座位号．人多得不得了！好不容易挤进去了，发现N张名单，不知从何找起．后来发现原来是按姓名的字母序号排序的，终于找到自己的位置，可是那时已经快开始考试了．举目四望，发现好多个考场，而我却不知道自己的考场在哪．不过我还是挺幸运的，因为我突然看到一个我们班的同学经过，所以他带我进去．进考场前要把书包放在外面，匆忙间我忘了拿笔进去，幸好那个同学又借我一支笔．那种尴尬真的让我想找个洞钻进去．进了考场我真的吓了一跳：整个考场就像一个体育馆一样，1200多个考生同时在这个”体育馆”考试！这些学生来自不同的专业和年级，有本科的也有研究生，甚至还有博士生！考场前面有一个总的指挥台，有几个老师在上面念一下考试规则等东西，并且时不时会在上面说哪门考试的哪页卷子题目有问题等等，让人头晕目眩．我当时想：我的天啊，这真是不折不扣的”大锅饭”！
考试开始了，我拿起笔就开始答题了．整个卷子都是主观题，一***五道大题，选三道来回答．我大概浏览了一下题目，谢天谢地，没有我想的那么难．老师之前给了前几年的考试题给我们看，看得我心惊胆颤，可是这次的题目好像没有以前的难．可是没有以前的难不代表它不难，每道题的答案要想半天，然后还要飞快地写，因为时间很紧．越到后面时间越紧．到后面我只记得我的笔不停地写，写到手指关节都痛了，但是我不知道我写了什么东西．临交卷前的五分钟，我终于完成，差点趴在桌上晕了过去，感到”元气大伤”．数了一下，我居然写了密密麻麻八页的答案！当时我想：为什么不用电脑机考呢？我平时习惯了在电脑上打文章，好久没有用笔写过英语了，所以很不习惯，书写也难看了很多，真是惭愧～～不过不管怎样，总算考完了，分数好不好我已经不在意了，过了就行了！
考完了就直接坐车去市中心买东西．市中心好热闹啊，特别是临近圣诞的这个时候，到处是小摊，贩卖各色装饰品．各个商店也在打折促销．最让我惊奇的是路边很多表演看，弄得我走走停停， 差点忘记了要去买东西．最让我难忘的是一个乐队的表演，有人在奏乐有人在唱歌，真的唱得超好听，听得我都不想走了！本来一贫如洗的我都忍不住给了他们三欧元的小费，觉得不给太对不住他们的表演了！圣诞前的热闹让我想起了家乡新年集市的热闹情景．突然好想回家，可是今年过年注定是要在这里过的了！想到这里不禁感到一阵落寞．
今晚同班同学Michael要在他家举行一个圣诞party，他发信息邀请我和别的一些同学参加，可是由于我要参加Arvind和Jack的晚会，所以没办法去了，真的感到很遗憾！不过相信以后会有更多的机会的！试考完了，不过还有很多作业没有做完，未来这十天左右的时间还是要天天读和写．明天还有一个小组讨论，想起来有点心烦．不过日子还是要过的，所以还是积极乐观地面对吧！
Reflection on the Negotiation of “Galbraith and Company”
This week’s negotiation activity is a bit different from the previous ones. It is a multi-party negotiation. This time I acted as a senior member of the executive committee of Galbraith & Company, a professional services firm. There were five senior members in the executive committee, namely, Adam, Downs, Baldwin, Chambers and Eagly. Adam was the CEO of the company. I played the role of “Chambers”, who was responsible for information technology consulting. We were going to hold a discussion concerning several issues as follows: 1) whether to buy the magazine Management Quarterly (MQ);2) Whether to approve Downs to cash out all his stocks;3) Who would get Eagly’s professional team of 7 consultants;4) Who would get the Informatics account from Adam.
For me, I exhibited a great interest in Eagly’s professional team, because my group had recently been decimated by a series of defections caused by other firms who had stolen away some of my best talents. Therefore, I was in great urgency to rebuild my team. I was also intended to obtain the Informatics account from Adam. The Informatics account was now the client of Adam. Only by getting Adam’s permission could I get the client from him. However, compared with Eagly’s team, it was less important to us. So my primary task was to try to gain the professional team from Eagly and if possible, I would also try to gain the Informatics account.
In the first ten minutes of the meeting, each member of the executive committee proposed their own concerns. We put out what we wanted. Then after that, we would have a chance to talk to each other regarding our own issues and hoped that others could support us. First of all, I had a meet with Eagly. I told him that I knew he was good at developing talents within his team and that I wanted a professional team of 7 consultants from them because my group had to be rebuilt and was now in short of hands. But he told me that 7 consultants were too many for his team because if he gave me 7 consultants, his team would also face the risk of shortage of hands. He also added that personally speaking, he would not like to transfer his consultants to other members of the executive committee. But he also asserted that if I voted against for Adam’s proposal of buying MQ, he would consider giving me 3 consultants. Eagly reiterated that if the company bought MQ, it would be doomed to suffer a great loss. That was why they were strongly against the buying of MQ. Actually, although I retained a close relationship with Adam, I was also skeptical of the value of Adam’s idea of buying MQ. And more importantly, I was eager to get a professional team from Eagly. Therefore, I argued that if Eagly could promise me 5 consultants, I would stand in line with him on the issue of MQ. He wanted to further reduce the number to 4, but I did not go backward this time and strongly insisted on 5. Besides, I proposed my second best alternative that if I agreed with Adam on MQ, he would surely grant me the Informatics account. Seeing this, Eagly finally acceded to give me a team of 5 consultants.
Then I had a talk with Adam. Adam told me that if I could vote for him on MQ, he would definitely give me the Informatics account. However, I told him that though I wanted Informatics account very much, the team from Eagly meant far more to me. So in order to gain the most needed, I had promised Eagly to cast a con ballot on MQ. Adam felt upset about my response but he still said that he would respect my choice.
Then I had a talk with Downs who would like to cash out all his stocks. According to the company charter, shareholders of the firm could not sell off all their stocks at once, especially when they owned a substantial amount. Instead, any partner who decided to leave the company and sold his stocks should allow the company to buy back his stocks slowly for fear that the company would run out of its cash instantly. So Downs’ request was blatantly violating the company’s rules. Nonetheless, considering that Downs had served the company for so many years and made a great contribution to the development of the company, I promised to vote for him on cashing out all his stocks.
My final private talk was conducted with Baldwin. Baldwin told me that he was desperately longing for Adam’s Informatics account and hoped that I would not compete with him on it. I told him that I had rejected Adam’s idea of buying MQ, so probably he would not grant me the account. So if Baldwin agreed with his request, Adam would give him the Informatics account.
At last, after 25 minutes of private discussion, we came back to the table to vote for the issues we proposed in the beginning. Out of my surprise, I got both the team from Eagly and the Informatics account from Adam! Adam did not grant the account to Baldwin because Baldwin did not vote on his idea of MQ. Baldwin claimed that from a company’s perspective, it would be a loss to buy MQ and might render the company into great crisis. So he claimed that he would not sacrifice the company’s long-term benefits for the sake of his own. So eventually Adam’s idea of MQ did not go through. Downs got what he wanted because his contribution to the company was acknowledged by most of us.
I have learnt something in this negotiation. This is my first to engage in multi-party negotiation, so it is kind of challenging as well as exciting to me. I have learnt that In the multi-party negotiation, you should know what is the most important thing to you. It is the same in normal negotiations. After you know what you want, you can adjust your strategies according to the parties involved in the negotiation. You should know what all the other parties want and try to see whether you can help each other to achieve your goals respectively. If necessary, you should know to sacrifice something minor in order to get what you need most. In my case mentioned above, I intended to sacrifice the Informatics account in order to get the team from Eagly. But unexpectedly, I got both at last. Also, as far as I am concerned, I strongly oppose telling lie to other parties. Maybe you can get what you want by cheating this time, but in the long run, when all the people see you through, your reputation will be ruined and no one is going to trust you. On top of that, I think I learn from Baldwin that we cannot always focus on our own individual benefits and disregard the overall benefits of the firm. Once the firm goes bankrupt, all of us are destined to suffer. Therefore, we should always see things with far vision!