Professor Gavin Kennedy highlights that we need to distinguish negotiation from other forms of decision-making by focusing on what is unique about it (the voluntary exchange) and not shared by other techniques such as persuasion, gambling (e.g., coin tossing), command decision, instruction, litigation and coercion.

There are several pricing strategies used by suppliers:
Cost-plus pricing - Total variable + Fixed cost + profit
Premium pricing - based on branding. Supplier determines to charge a very high price, notconnected with cost structures, usually based on its reputation and/or the perception that the product/service is of a superior quality. This strategy typically found in the early part of the product life cycle/when demand exceeds supply.
Penetration pricing - Supplier attempts to enter a new market or extend its share in an established one. It is characterised by price reductions to increase volume, followed by steady price increases; may even be loss leading at start (no profit made) Marginal cost pricing - covers only variable cost Market pricing - suppliers prices in line with what the market is willing to pay

Explanation
In a globalisedcommercial world characterised by dynamic market and multiple companies competing for business, a positive corporate reputation can be an enormous asset. Reputational strength in one organisation might be based on some or all of the following characteristics:
- Quality of products or services
- Low cost/high value for money
- High ethical standards
- Reliability
- Cutting-edge technology
- Strong customer focus
- Engineering excellence
LO 1, AC 1.4

Explanation
In order to estimate the gap and the progress towards desired level of support, a stakeholder support scale can be used by the procurement internally. The support level scale measures stakeholder commitment. Current support level for the procurement/negotiation objectives should be gained from engagement with key stakeholders. The following is an example of stakeholder support level scale:
Graphical user interface, application Description automatically generated

LO 1, AC 1.1

Buying organisation may increaseits leverage with suppliers by concentrating spend. Supplier spend consolidation can take many forms as outlined below:
Vendor base reduction: straightforward reduction of number of suppliers in any category Volume pooling: pooling cross organisational requirement until your order volume is high enough to attract new bidders/additional discounts Volume redistribution: making recommendations following spend analysis to move from one supplier to another Volume consolidation across categories: certainpurchase requirements may be common across a number of categories Standardisation and harmonisation of specifications: analysis of specifications and standards for a high spend purchased input, may show that there is a little difference between them and that the specification can be standardised or at least harmonised across the group or across national, regional or global operations.
Forming purchasing consortia: buyers may decide to come together and combine their purchase volumes to attract better deals.