Theory and Principles of Conflict Resolution
Theory and Principles of Conflict Resolution
QUESTION 1
Eight years ago Sammy bought a new car that has served him very well and required very few repairs in spite of his long commute to work. Sammy really likes the car and would like to keep it as long as he can. Three weeks ago the car began having problems with its transmission and Sammy didn’t want to find himself stranded on the highway. He took the car to the dealership, and they recommended putting in a whole new transmission. However, Sammy was not prepared to spend a lot of money given the car’s age and mileage, so he took the car to Ben’s Transmission Shop. Ben said he could repair the transmission and assured Sammy the repair would be completed within one week, so Sammy rented a car to use while his car was undergoing repair. As it was nearing the end of the week, Ben called to say that he was having a problem getting the proper parts and that it would be another week before the repair would be complete. Sammy wasn’t happy about it but still didn’t want to spend a lot of money to replace the transmission.
Another week passed, and there was another call from Ben. This time he explained that the part that he replaced didn’t correct the problem, he would have to replace another part, and it would take another week. Sammy’s patience was fading fast. He had already paid to rent a car for two weeks, and now Ben was telling Sammy it was going to be yet another week. According to Ben, the transmission in the car had been used by the manufacturer for only a couple of months because it had problems; thus, the difficulty in getting parts. Once again, he assured Sammy that it would be fixed in a week. Sammy didn’t know what else to do so he agreed to give Ben one more week. At the end of the third week, it still wasn’t fixed, and Ben just handed Sammy a hefty bill for his time and the parts he replaced.
Sammy is not happy, and he is now contemplating bringing the matter to the multidoor court house where you are undertaking your internship.
Drawing from academic literature, critically examine conflict creation in this scenario and evaluate two likely dispute resolution mechanisms you will adopt in resolving the dispute.
Weighting: 50%
QUESTION 2
“Every communal conversation bears traces of culturally distinctive means of communicative conduct.” William B. Gudykunst Cross cultural and intercultural communication (SAGE Publications: London) 2003.
Critically examine the importance of cross-cultural awareness in a conflict resolution process.
