When is it acceptable to lie? The ethics of negotiation
When negotiating, is it acceptable to lie? What about lying just a bit? Don’t we at least have a right to lie about the highest price we are prepared to pay, or the lowest we are prepared to accept? And in negotiations, to what extent are we obliged to consider the outcome for the ‘other side’? Is it acceptable to exploit another’s extreme vulnerability to ‘drive a hard bargain’?
These are questions we face regularly in careers and personal lives, and yet there is little discussion of them in ethical terms: what is right, fair, morally acceptable. In his new book, A Fair Bargain: The Ethics of Negotiation, which our speakers will discuss at this event, Charles Sherwood sets out to answer these questions. Through philosophical rigour, provocative thought experiments, and applied real-life business situations, Sherwood develops a theory of negotiation as a social construct, designed to promote cooperative behaviour based on mutual consent. In doing so, he locates the fairness of a negotiation not in some abstract, objectively fair, single solution, but in the negotiating process itself.
Meet our speakers and chair
Marta Coelho is Professor of Management and holds a BSc and an MSc in Economics, as well as a PhD in Behavioural Economics from LSE. Marta opted early on for a career in academia which she has complemented with consulting engagements in her chosen fields of research. Over time, her research interests started distancing themselves from the assumption of pure rationality in decision making. The implications of irrationality, and notably of unrealistic optimism, on private and public sector decision making including in negotiation contexts fascinate her and are the focus of her work.
John Kennedy has worked in the music industry for more than 40 years. Starting as an entertainment Lawyer, he went on to be chairman and CEO of Universal UK and then Universal International before becoming a Founder Trustee of the Band Aid Trust with Bob Geldof. At every stage of his career, the art of negotiation has played a crucial role.
Charles Sherwood spent 30 years in the private equity industry as a Founder Partner of Permira. He has served on the boards of five public companies and a wide range of private ones. Among his various responsibilities, he was one of Permira’s most experienced negotiators. He has studied and conducted research on negotiation ethics at LSE, where he is now a lecturer and graduate teacher on the popular Business & Organisational Ethics course.
Alex Voorhoeve is Vice President and Pro Vice Chancellor for Faculty Development and Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method and in the School of Public Policy.
More about this event
The Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method was founded by Karl Popper in 1946 and is renowned for a type of philosophy that is both continuous with the sciences and socially relevant.
LSE Press is a non-profit, open access publisher of the social sciences. It publishes high quality, peer reviewed books and journals, all available free of charge, that shape the academic debate, influence public policy and contribute to the broader conversation.
This book, A Fair Bargain: The Ethics of Negotiation, is free to read and download from the LSE Press website. Physical copies can be purchased from third-party retailers.
Hashtag for this event: #LSEEvents
Any questions?
If you have a query see our Events FAQ or take a look at the information below.
You can also contact us at events@lse.ac.uk.
Many speakers at LSE events also write for LSE Blogs, which present research and critical commentary accessibly for a public audience. Follow LSE British Politics, the Business Review, LSE Impact, LSE European Politics and the LSE Review of Books to learn more about the debates our events series present.
If the event is live streamed, automated live captions will be available. Please note that this feature uses Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) technology, or machine generated transcription and is not 100% accurate.
Photographs are regularly taken at LSE events both by LSE staff and members of the media and events are routinely filmed. Photographs from events taken by LSE staff are often used on LSE's social media accounts, with videos being made available on the LSE Player. If you have any concerns about this please contact the event organiser in advance of the event.
Please contact the Press Office if you would like to request a press seat or have a media query about this event, email LSE.Press.Events@lse.ac.uk. Please note that press seats are usually allocated at least 24 hours before each event.
We aim to make all LSE events available as a podcast subject to receiving permission from the speaker/s to do this, and subject to no technical problems with the recording of the event. Podcasts are normally available 1 week after the event. Podcasts and videos of past events can be found online.
Event updates and other information about what’s happening at LSE can be found on our Facebook page and for live photos from events and around campus, follow us on Instagram.
Livestreams and archive videos of past lectures are shared on our YouTube channel while event podcasts can be found on the LSE Player.
Attending our events in-person or online? Join the conversation using #LSEEvents.
If you are planning to attend this event and would like details on how to get here and what time to arrive, as well as on accessibility and special requirements, please refer to LSE Events FAQ. LSE aims to ensure that people have equal access to these public events, but please contact the events organiser as far as possible in advance if you have any access requirements so that arrangements, where possible, can be made. If the event is ticketed, please ensure you get in touch in advance of the ticket release date. Access Guides to all our venues can be viewed online.
LSE has now introduced wireless for guests and visitors in association with 'The Cloud', also in use at many other locations across the UK. If you are on campus visiting for the day or attending a conference or event, you can connect your device to wireless. See more information and create an account at Join the Cloud.
Visitors from other participating institutions are encouraged to use eduroam. If you are having trouble connecting to eduroam, please contact your home institution for assistance.
The Cloud is only intended for guest and visitor access to wifi. Existing LSE staff and students are encouraged to use eduroam instead.
From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend that if you plan to attend this event you check back on this listing on the day of the event.
LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Join the LSE Events mailing list
