RENT NEGOTIATION BETWEEN COMMERCIALS AND LANDLORDS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

The emergence of the coronavirus crisis has generated unexpected negative effects for most companies, specifically small enterprises. The objective of this research is to examine the effect of this pandemic on the rental negotiation process between commercials and landlords. Based on an in-depth literature review on negotiation and the phenomenon of the crisis, a quantitative study is carried out with a sample of 396 Tunisian respondents to validate our measurement model. The empirical results show that the integrative arrangement has a positive effect on the negotiation process, with a mediating role of the mediation variable. The latter exerts in turn, a positive effect on the social psychological result of the competitor. These findings led to a rich discussion and a set of managerial recommendations that can help commercials to respond more effectively to the challenges generated by the COVID-19 pandemic.


ISSN: 2320-5407
Int. J. Adv. Res. 9 (12), 296-307 298 This channel of sales has seen higher development since the start of the Coronavirus emergency. Furthermore, the study affirms that more clients have gone online to search for fundamental items. Staple goods, drugs, wellbeing and cleanliness items, eatery conveyance, just as monetary administrations, are the business classifications which saw the biggest expansions in the Coronavirus emergency through outsider online commercial centers (Park et al., 2019). Famous online closeouts progressively use robotized exchange for internet business. The objectives of these communications are to make different specialists make on a particular way of move, shift a proposed direction of activity, or go to a concession to an ordinary strategy.

Loans payment difficulties
No one can deny that the spread of Covid Sickness 2019 (Coronavirus) influences the financial strength. The issue looked by the whole world today, is that the exhibition and limit of indebted individuals in doing their credit commitments have been disturbed by the spread of Coronavirus, which can possibly upset banking execution in credit the board.
Bank loaning during monetary slumps has been a subject of extreme investigation, with customary way of thinking at any rate since Bernanke (1983) recommending that monetary emergencies upset the credit assignment measure, along these lines prompting limited credit supply and higher acquiring costs.
Researchers who study the situational attributes of emergencies accept that the climate wherein exchanges occur influences the manner in which mediators act and in this way influences the financial results of the dealings. Such natural factors incorporate the actual area of the dealings, the setting of the arrangement, the construction of the exchange, the issues engaged with the exchange, the design of the exchange groups, the quick situation, gatherings to the exchange, outside occasions, exposure related with the dealings, and the design of the homegrown body electorate that should consent to the result of the negotiation (Wright, 2005). These factors are thought to influence the adaptability of mediators, the sum, timing, and sort of concessions arbitrators will make, and the arranging techniques they use.

Distributive/Integrative negotiation strategies
Distributive bargaining strategy is competitive approach negotiators adopt to achieve success over the other party in the negotiation process (Olekalns, Kulik and Chew, 2014). They use this strategy purposely to take advantage of the other negotiators through win-loss solution (De Cremer et al., 2001). It is zero sum: when I win, you lose. In case distributive negotiators succeed in using this kind of strategy, that would mean that their success will become a failure to the other party. Overall distributive negotiators are more comfortable using this type of bargaining style as it has no psychological distress to them in anyway but success (Abigail, Eden and Ideris, 2018). Several existing studies (Alavoline, 2012; Miles and Clenney 2012; Lewicki et al., 2003;Lax and Sebenius,1986;Van Kleef et al., 2006) have identified key behaviors which prevents negotiators with distributive strategy from achieving a win-win beneficial solution with their integrative counterparts. These attitudes include Lack of cooperation, compromise, lack of group feeling and competitive.
The integrative strategy is a cooperative approach disputant adopt in a negotiation process for joint maximization (Paavola, 2014). In other to achieve a collective win-win agreement, integrative negotiators tend to be cooperatively oriented with the intention of reaching a satisfactory 50-50 agreement at the negotiation table with their opponents. This means they sacrifice their personal needs for the purpose of collective interest to their enhance future relationship with their partners. Evidence from most current literature (Miles and Clenney, 2012;Fells, 2016) shows that integrative negotiators place a strong emphasis on high degree of trust and commitment to integrate their ideas with their counterparts in order to come out with a meaningful and logical solutions to ensure integrative agreement. They consider information exchange as their top priority for the purpose of achieving a collective goals. Negotiators with integrative bargaining tactic also seek for more clarification and understanding from their counterparts in relation to their interest in dispute (Harinck and De Dreu, 2004) with this kind of mind set; they often succeed in accomplishing a collective goals during the negotiation process beneficial for all the parties involved (Walton and McKersie, 1992;Goering, 1997). Further on, Aquino and Becker (2005) reported that negotiators who utilize integrative strategy are honest in the negotiation table as they believe that it is a way of been fair and kind to the other negotiators. They also believe in cooperation to honestly and fairly reveal their priorities and preferences to the other party's to avoid suppressing each other (Abigail, Eden and Ideris, 2018). This type of kind and generous behavior from the negotiators with integrative attitudes often lead to a less considerable level of psychological distress between the two disputants during the negotiation process (Bolkan and Goodboy, 2021).

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There is no perfect negotiating style or strategy, each have their time and place; each have their distinct advantages and disadvantages. It is up to you to assess the environment and then apply the correct tool, adjusting as needed as the negotiation unfolds (Aquino and Becker, 2005).

Hypotheses development and research model
The ability to effectively negotiate gives the individual or organization a competitive advantage in the marketplace (Kurtzberg, 1998). Over the past three decades, a significant stream of research has focused on the negotiation process. As a result, much is now known about the characteristics of the negotiators (Graham 1983;Rubin and Brown 1975;Zarrad and Debabi, 2015), the negotiation process itself (Graham 1984;Ganesan 1993), as well as potential negotiation outcomes (Ganesan 1993). Peterson and Shepherd (2010), however, have suggested that the manner and degree to which a negotiator prepares for the negotiation encounter may have a significant impact on the negotiation outcome.
The objective of integrative arrangement (otherwise called "non-lose-lose situation" or "mutual benefit game") is to achieve a commonly useful understanding expanding negotiation efficiency and reasonableness under appropriate conditions (Park et al, 2019). Integrative arrangement was clarified as an exchange approach in which mediators utilize critical thinking. Critical thinking is for the most part suggested for accomplishing an integrative settlement. Power relationship is a key contextual factor in determining negotiation behavior, but it has to be defined more in terms of the perceived value of the alternatives rather than the amount of available better alternative to a negotiation agreement (BATNA). Thus, when a partner looks to gain access to knowledge (market, technology, etc.) about the counterpart, although it has a greater number of BATNAs, they perceive a situation of mutual dependency. Understanding how the negotiating context affects behavior is crucial for firms to anticipate the reactions and behavior of their counterparts and thus display suitable behavior to gain the most favorable agreement possible ; win/win agreements in view of the importance of establishing long-term commitment for a correct implementation and performance (Revuelto-Taboado, 2013).
We introduce firstly the upcoming hypothesis based on the literature.
Building trust is significant in exchange in light of the fact that the negotiators should have sufficient trust. Accordingly, the work can possibly be assigned to the assigned party on the off chance that they can be trusted without a steady requirement for review (Park et al, 2019). H1a: Negotiator trust capacity will have a positive impact in arriving at an integrative settlement.
Trust comprises of a few convictions like managing the ability (knowledge/intelligence) and integrity (genuineness/honesty). For example, a small menu because a small menu for this person suggests that it is freshly cooked, or he can say a certain quality of light, and then you could elaborate a little bit more on what kind of light this means. Or that is a certain quality of hygiene, music, and so on. Thus, you will get a whole set of criteria that must be fulfilled, and the interesting thing about the criteria is there are much more restaurants than only one restaurant that will fulfill the criteria. So working criteria kind of opens a world with a lot of options. H1b: Negotiator trust respectability will have a positive impact in arriving at an integrative settlement.
Data is important to critical thinking and there is a generally incredible accentuation on certainty finding. Hence, negotiators share information and divulgence of each party's requirements and interests to discover a commonly satisfactory circumstance (Park et al, 2019). In cooperation strategy: there is a theoretical possibility that both sides can reach their goal by way of compromise (Zohar, 2015). H2: Arbitrator that gives data about his/her advantage will affect acknowledgment of the proposition and coming to of an integrative settlement.
It is a logical investigation of how the genuine, saw or construed presence of others. Estimating arrangement execution depends on the social discernment idea, which incorporates most highlights of the perceivers' social universes like individuals, their practices, furthermore, the situation (Mugge et al, 2019). With multiple equivalent simultaneous offers (MESO), negotiation becomes a process of crafting an agreement that best meets your and your counterparts interests rather than a contest of wills at the bargaining table. MESOs create a dialogue for a negotiator and her counterpart with which to engage in the process of formulating a negotiated agreement. In developing an offer strategy model of integrative negotiation, propose to use the multiple equivalent simultaneous offers as a 300 negotiation tactic and argumentation-based negotiation (MESOarg N) as a negotiation strategy (Abdul Rahman, Choe and Park, 2017). H3a: Contrasted with a SOArgN offer system, a MESOArgN offer methodology will impact the arrangement result, which prompts fulfillment in the partner's social-mental result.
Each time you arrange, you need to settle on decisions that influence whether you accomplish a fruitful result for your business. To get the best results, you really wanted to comprehend the means associated with the arrangement cycle (Park et al, 2019). No measure of readiness is a lot in moving toward complicated or high-stakes arrangements. Plan both your way to deal with the subject under exchange, and your tone and correspondence style. In choosing your correspondence style, dive more deeply into effective arranging techniques. Arm yourself with a quiet, certain tone and a bunch of considered reactions and methodologies to the strategies you expect (Conlin et al, 2016). The results also confirmed that the counterpart's satisfaction is higher compared with SOArgN (Simultaneous Offers and Argumentation Negotiation). Negotiators who make multiple equivalent simultaneous offers discover more integrative solutions, attain more profitable results, and counterparts are favorable because of flexibility that comes with choices (Park et al., 2019). H3b: Contrasted with a SOArgN offer methodology, a MESOArgN offer procedure will affect the arrangement cycle, which prompts fulfillment in the partner's social-mental result.
The desire for future arrangement identifies with a moderator's emotional assessment and impression of the arrangement condition and the impression of the other party. Scientists have perceived the expectation for future interaction (EFI) with the other party to the trade after the determination of an exchange is a mentally perplexing wonder. EFI can length the range from hoping to cooperate on moderately agreeable connections, for example, item establishment, preparing, or administration support, to expecting another series of arrangements in the future and expectation for future negotiation interaction (EFNI). When EFI is present, parties who behave appropriately are more likely to be liked, even when there is no EFI, parties who behave appropriately are more likely to be loved. People who behave in an unacceptable manner are less likely to be loved (Raiffa, 1982). H4: Contrasted with a SOArgN offer technique, a MESOArgN offer system will expand the moderator's fulfillment with the arrangement interaction and result just as the apparent participation and will be decidedly affected with a craving for future exchange.
Mediation might be directed by one individual or by a board (Mugge et al, 2019). According to the literature the mediator job is to work with the goal cycle without offering lawful guidance or constraining either party into an understanding (Alt, 2018). Both exchange and intercession are consensual, instead of ill-disposed, and produce a goal provided that the two players concur thereto. The contrast among exchange and intercession, in short, is that arrangement includes just the gatherings, and intervention includes the mediation and help of an outsider (the arbiter) as a facilitator in the gatherings' work to determine their question. Legally binding endeavors to arrange or intercede are progressively enforceable under the steady gaze of public courts, just as before authorities. H5: Occupants who go straightforwardly under the watchful eye of the appointed authority, without intervention or lawful portrayal, will get a less positive result than the people who have legitimate portrayal or intercession.
A shared way to deal with regular asset the executives perceives and regards the unique and frequently clashing qualities and interests of various client gatherings. At the point when regular asset clashes are tended to productively, they can add to working on the foundations and cycles for normal asset the board. This can assist with settling and work on the manageability of normal assets and the advantages that various individuals get from utilizing them. H6: Occupants who take an interest in intervention (with or without preparing) will have a less great result than inhabitants who have legitimate portrayal.
Related to the literature, there is significant writing showing the impact of force on methodologies. For instance, power prompts negotiators' desires and requests. As indicated by negotiation researchers, power in exchange influences two essential neurological controllers of conduct: the social methodology framework and the conduct hindrance framework. Incredible moderators illustrate "approach related" practices like communicating positive dispositions and looking for remunerations in their current circumstance (Paalvola, 2014). Conversely, frail people will in general experience a lot of self-restraint, set off by dread of expected dangers. Here, we expand on four vital contrasts between the amazing and the less incrediblecontrasts you can use for your potential benefit in exchanges. Thinking through your BATNA-best alternative to a negotiated agreement-is important to helping 301 you decide whether to accept an offer you receive during the negotiation. You need to know what your alternatives are (Fisher, Ury and Patton, 1991). Regardless of whether produced by a solid BATNA, or best option in contrast to an arranged understanding, an amazing job, or a feeling of certainty, power drives moderators to act all the more proactively all through the exchange interaction (Maiwald, 2015). H7: High-power moderators will accomplish higher self-result in distributive arrangement and a higher joint result in integrative exchange than low-power arbitrators.
On the off chance that the powerful arbitrator can sort the idea of distributive exchange out more effectively than the low-power mediator, at that point they should utilize the more battling procedure to accomplish their objectives than the low-power negotiator (Maiwald, 2015). Preceding haggling with somebody you know to be enthusiastic and requesting, consider a period you haggled with a solid BATNA. Review your feeling of certainty and control. Producing mental force can inoculate you from your adversary's furious strategies. H8: The powerful moderator utilizes more battling procedures than the low-power mediators in distributive arrangement, yet more critical thinking in integrative exchange.
Therefore, we propose a conceptual model that synthesizes and extends the existing findings. , that inspects such specialists, and proposes an offer methodology model of integrative exchange for an arrangement specialist with an attention on exchange specialist to-human cooperation, we had built our conceptual model. Hence, through this conceptual model we deduct the relations between the integrative arrangement and the high/low negotiators. Also, the role of the mediation to relate those hypotheses.
Our negotiation process is composed of ten variables, where we find two research models; the first is about integrative arrangement and the second named competitor's social psychological outcome. We have added two factors: high/low power negotiators and mediation.

Method:-
We follow a hypothetico-deductive method. We had chosen the commercials as tenants as a relevant population. We gathered information from an example of 396 of Tunisians commercials (renters).
During the pandemic of the COVID 19, the whole world was affected, economically, socially, and politically by this epidemic. Therefore, our sample target, commercials renters, had faced struggle to pay their rent. Through our questionnaire we explored the data related to this topic, to understand more our sample. We found that more than 50% of the respondents completely agree with the rental struggle payment, and 36% agree. However, just 4% neither agree nor disagree.

Measurements:-
In this quantitative study, we adopted all the measures from previous research. All our constructs were measured on a 5-point Likert scale in which the agreement of the participants to a given statement was assigned a score ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The structured questionnaire-based survey method was used in this empirical study to measure the proposed model. We conduct a pre-test of our survey questionnaire before using it to collect data.

Results:-
In our exploratory factor analysis, all measured variables are related to every latent variable. The alpha coefficient for all items is above 0,6, which indicates an acceptable level of reliability.
The following table presents the results of our confirmatory analysis.  Table 1 shows that the convergent validity of each construct is confirmed by verifying that all variables analyzed have significant factor loadings.
Besides, we will present our structural model then test its fit quality in order to verify the research hypotheses related to the impact of the epidemic of COVID 19 on the rental negotiation process.
303 The upcoming table will be a presentation of the absolute, the incremental and the parsimony quality fit indices, aiming the structural model fit quality judgment.  Table 2 shows that our research's structural model has a good fit quality. In fact, GFI is close to 0, 9 and AGFI is above 0.9, CFI and NFI are above 0.9, RMR and RMSEA have not reached 0.1.
To validate our hypotheses, we will present in the upcoming table our variables' causeand-effect estimation and significance.  Raiffa, 1982). Integrative agreements can be reached in at least one of two ways: through heuristic trial and error and information exchange ). Our results also shows that by examination, integrative bartering includes joint effort or incorporating across various issues to make new wellsprings of significant worth. Negotiation pundits advise that negotiators should engage in creative problem-solving to craft integrative agreements (Wilson and Thompson, 2014). Hence, the three hypothesis H1a, H1b and H2 are accepted.
In addition, Social psychological and organizational behavioral scholars often aim to examine the causality between two (or more) variables and manipulate constructs for probing causality (Druckman, 1973). Both convergent and divergent thinking and problem-solving have been systemically studied in the cognitive and social psychological literatures, and negotiation scholars agree that both types of thinking are important for crafting integrative agreements (Wilson and Thompson, 2014). While various dealings are clear, some will be among the hardest troubles you face. Your success will depend after masterminding and arranging. Ceaselessly approach trades with a sensible game plan of philosophies, messages and procedures that can guide you from planning to closing. This proved to be a win-win outcome. That's why also the three proposed hypothesis are H3a, H3b H4 are accepted.
Then, in the negotiation literature, scholars discuss two kinds of third-party intervention: mediation and arbitration. Both of these occur when negotiators may be on the brink of impasse, but the alternative to not reaching agreement is costly (consider how war may result if a settlement is not reached in some international negotiations, for example). Mediators serve the role of helping negotiators reach a voluntary settlement. They allow parties to make concessions without appearing weak (Ross and Conlon, 2000) and may help uncover possibilities for integrative agreement (McEwen and Maiman, 1984). Although the possibility of settlement given mediation is high, it is not guaranteed. Conversely, arbitrators hold a hearing in which negotiators state their case and provide supporting evidence (Ross and Conlon, 2000). In this study, we found H5 was accepted, and just one hypothesis related to the mediation variable, is rejected witch is H6 the effect of the mediation on the competitor's social psychological outcome, due to the economic and social situation, that wouldn't let the mediation play its role during the negotiation process. According to the literature review we just understand that mediation could play its role just in the ordinary time of the year not in the crises situation , because its effect will not be the same due to the difficulties (Todd, 2011).
Previous research suggests negotiators in a high-power role tend to affect negotiation outcomes more than negotiators in a low-power role (Allred et al., 1997;Anderson and Thompson, 2004). In this study, the renter had a better alternative to a negotiated agreement than the landlord and thus was in a higher-power position; this helps explain why the tenants' creativity scores were a stronger predictor of the landlords' relational outcome. According to our finding extracted, we found that the hypothesis related to negotiator power are accepted and confirmed with a good signification; H7 and H8 are confirmed.

Conclusion:-
Negotiation is a process of communication where disputants persuade each other to reach an agreement over their disputed issues. However, the success of every negotiation depends much on the approach/attitudes negotiators come to the table to bargain with. Disputants either adopt integrative or distributive tactics. Negotiator who approach negotiation with distributive bargaining style often engage in telling lies, deceptive/fake promise to reach an agreement while claiming the largest part of the negotiation through competition as compare to integrative negotiators who emphasize much on cooperation, honesty and vital information sharing to reach win-win negotiation agreement beneficial for all the parties involved in the negotiation process. They use all the effective method within their power to utilize appropriate tactics to gain successful outcome at the negotiation table (Abigail, Eden and Ideris, 2018). The BATNA is considered one of the most important sources of power in negotiation (Bazerman and Neale, 1992).
Because of the monetary disturbance brought about by the Coronavirus pandemic, organizations keen on renting business space in 2021 are entering a market annoyed by vulnerabilities that scarcely existed a year prior. In this irritable new business climate, current occupants can end up rethinking a rent. With respect to forthcoming inhabitants, they should take additional consideration to guarantee that the rent they are marking contains sufficient adaptability to secure them against dubious monetary occasions and to save the respectability of their venture (Todd, 2011).
This research aimed to focus on negotiation process between commercials and landlords during the pandemic of Covid 19. So, the purpose is to better understand the impact of this epidemic on the financial, economic and social situation of the negotiators and their behaviors. Thus, if you follow the negotiation principals principles, chances are very high that literally go for cooperation, and that you avoid competition (Schlütz, 2016).
Regarding methodological contribution, this academic research presented the importance of the variables integrative arrangement, competitor's social psychological outcome, mediation and high/low power negotiator. With regard to managerial contribution, this academic research has served to provide several recommendations for negotiation crises as well as the process between landlords and commercials during the pandemic of Covid 19. We presented elements that should be taken into consideration in order to produce a negotiation that provide a good deal.
It would be interesting to study the enrollment of the negotiation during another situation not only about rent. It would be also interesting to study the moderating roles of the mediation, in an ordinary situation not in crisis. It is helpful to render our review in different nations with greater examples.