Lesson 4: Resolution of Team Divergence

Veginots Role-Play

This role-play is based on a scenario originally developed by Robert House of Suffolk University, Boston, Massachusetts.

If you are completing this assignment with a partner:

1. Each of you pick one role, Dr. Harper OR Dr. Smith. Using the navigation (below) go to your respective role and read your chosen scenario. DO NOT READ BOTH SCENARIOS, just your chosen scenario.
2. Arrange for a time clock and set the negotiation time to 5 minutes.
3. When both of you have read and understand your roles you may start the time clock and begin the negotiations. Remember the negotiations are time sensitive and that thousands of lives may be influenced. The sooner you can conclude the negotiations, the better prepared you will be.

If you are completing this assignment by yourself:

1. Pick one of the two roles: Dr. Harper OR Dr. Smith. Using the navigation (above) go to your chosen role and read your chosen scenario. DO NOT READ BOTH SCENARIOS, just your chosen scenario.
2. Using a time clock allow yourself 10 minutes maximum to outline your strategy to achieve a successful negotiation. Remember that the negotiations are time sensitive and that thousands of lives may be influenced. The sooner you can conclude the negotiations, the better prepared you will be.
3. When you have outlined your strategy (remember you are allowed no more than 10 minutes), read the profile of the other party of negotiations. Take a moment to reflect on how you think your negotiations would have gone. Determine if there were other possible outcomes to the negotiations and how those outcomes may have been achieved.

DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT UNTIL YOU HAVE SELECTED A ROLE FROM ABOVE.

Veginots Role Play (continued)

Dr. Harper

You are a research scientist who is working on some secret projects for national security. You accidentally discover that Zeno, a substance that your group created, would neutralize radioactive fallout. By the time you made this discovery, there was little Zeno left. None of the ingredients of Zeno are difficult to obtain except veginot seeds. The veginot, an experimental melon, takes four months to produce the seeds needed for Zeno.

It has been confirmed that a group of terrorist are planning to set off a nuclear bomb within a few days in a Middle-East country. Although the target city is unknown, several are most likely. If enough Zeno is available, it can be used to seed clouds over these cities. Your experiments indicate that rain produced by these clouds will protect a city from fallout if the nuclear explosion occurs within two weeks. Naturally, the cloud seeding must be kept secret.

Your search has turned up only one crop of mature veginots. This crop is just large enough to produce enough Zeno to seed clouds over the cities that are potential targets for the bomb. The owner of the crop will sell it to the highest bidder.

Dr. Smith, a researcher from a small competitor of your company, is also in need of veginots for some sort of research on a rare disease. Smith knows about the available veginots and intends to buy them.

The federal government, though not as convinced as you are about the value of Zeno, has authorized you to offer up to three million dollars to obtain the veginot seeds. However, you have decided to talk to Dr. Smith before approaching the owner of the veginots. You hope to persuade Smith not to bid on the crop.

Dr. Smith

You are a research scientist who recently developed a vaccine to prevent Stache, a children's disease that permanently disfigures the victim and can cause brain damage. The disease has been extremely rare and your research was not considered particularly valuable. However there has now been an outbreak in a small community and several thousand children are in danger if they do not immediately receive a vaccine for Stache. The consequence of no vaccine, of course, could be a nationwide or worldwide epidemic.

If the company, for which you work, can produce enough vaccine to stop the potential epidemic, it will probably receive enough government grants to bring it out of its precarious financial position and, of course, it will receive worldwide publicity for its contribution to humanity. Needless to say, you will be the star of the entire episode.

Unfortunately, the veginots, which you used to develop the vaccine, are rare. The veginot, an experimental melon that has a toxic rind when it matures, takes four months to produce the toxin. You need the toxin for your vaccine and the crop you were depending on was killed by an unseasonable freeze just prior to the outbreak of Stache. Therefore, you must obtain mature veginot rinds immediately or it will be too late to prevent the spread of Stache.

Your search has turned up only one crop of mature veginots. This crop is just large enough to produce the vaccine needed for the children who are in imminent danger of Stache and the owner of the crop will sell it to the highest bidder.

Dr. Harper, a researcher employed by a successful competitor of your company, is also in need of veginots, you are not sure of the type of research Harper is doing, but it has something to do with national security. Harper knows about the available veginots and intends to buy them.

You have been authorized to obtain the veginot rinds that you need and your company is willing to pay three million dollars. However, you have decided to talk to Dr. Harper before approaching the owner of the veginots. You hope to persuade Harper not to bid on the crop.