Book excerpt: The book deals with the techniques of handling situations which could crop up at home as well as in the international arena while negotiating business . . . With globalization, it marks a new age for the Indian industry. For players and observers alike in this age, the book will serve as a practical guide. Business World Almost all sections of the book carry examples and problems to help the reader hone his skills in the art of negotiation. . . This book, simple and easy to read, yet laden with intellectually stimulating facts and guidelines, holds the key to successful negotiation. The Economic TimesAlmost all transactions barring acts of pure altruism involve varying degrees of give and take, otherwise known as the fine art of negotiating. This book explains how all parties to a negotiation could be winners. Negotiators need to understand that it is not necessary that only one party wins; if they will only take the trouble to find out what the other party really wants, and then go about designing a package that gives it to them, they can gain what they themselves want from the process. It is this careful peeling away of the unwanted elements that leads to successful negotiation. This book contains all the secrets used by canny negotiators to achieve their objectives. Negotiation is a process, not an event that can be learnt. All the steps that lead to mutually satisfying outcomes are described here: creating the climate, identifying interests, and selecting BATNA (Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement) outcomes that you will go through in any negotiation. Studded with many examples, valuable tips from great negotiators, and many interesting cases, this book allows the reader to hone his skills while mastering the concepts involved in this crucial area of management. With practice, you will gain skill at facilitating each step of the process, and as your skill increases, you'll discover that negotiating can be fun.