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A clear case of Ambiguity – EU vs. AstraZeneca

In August, the European Union signed a framework agreement for more than 400 million vaccine doses with the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca[1]. The drug was then approved by the European Medicines Agency on Jan. 29, 2021[2]. However, a week earlier the manufacturer surprised by announcing a reduction in supply[3]. According to the EU Commission, less than 40 percent of the expected quantity was to arrive in the foreseeable future[4].

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A way out of the Gender Trap: How to Negotiate Successfully as a Woman

In our everyday professional life, we repeatedly experience situations which make clear the difference between male and female behaviour. For example: Before the start of a meeting, a projector must first be set up. In this situation, a man asks directly “Can somebody here fix the device?” — a woman, on the other hand, first tries to find the problem herself. And then the parties involved perceive each other very differently, which has an effect on the course of the negotiation that follows. From the woman’s point of view, the man is behaving pompously and arrogantly, whereas the man sees weakness in the woman’s concern.

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Negotiate aggressively – When it helps!

When attempting to achieve better negotiation results, the strategic use of emotions is often the key. In particular, anger, which is displayed in the form of aggressive negotiating, is a favorite method of intimidating one’s negotiating partner and persuading them to make concessions. However, the use of emotions in negotiations should be carefully thought through, as they can easily have the opposite effect. So, does it pay to negotiate aggressively?

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