Although they
rightfully claim to be unfairly treated, negotiation and decision analysis shows that they made irrational choices in the past. On the other hand, TransLink could have handled more effectively the emotions involved in these negotiations.
The roman orator Seneca once said “people are miserable only by comparison”; very appropriate for the students. They turn down offers of around $35, arguing that they were not the same as the price for UBC. In other words,
they chose to keep paying a regular monthly fee between $73 and $136 instead of $35 a month! Apparently, they care about the UBC students more than their pockets!
On the other hand, TransLink failed to deal effectively with the emotions of the counterparts. Good negotiators know that emotional preoccupations are as important as economic concerns. These students were left out, and to hurt their feelings even more, there were understandable reasons: revenue neutrality. To date, TransLink still haven’t addressed the student’s emotions, despite the clear manifestations of outrage and indignation: “this is unfair”, “this is discriminatory”.
See the entire analysis here:
http://kettlesoffish.wordpress.com/2009/04/24/translink-versus-students-a-case-study