Negotiation definition | which is the right one?

Negotiation is a concept that is far from meaning the same thing for everybody in the research community, and in all walks of life, but it surelly can be said that a negotiation takes place, when the parties believe that an agreement could benefit more than a non agreement. 

Several negotiation definitions 

It can be seen that different authors use different definitions for the term "negotiation", making explicit the multifaceted aspect of the term, and the difficulty of reaching to a single definition, which is a clear signal of the complexity of the negotiation field.

Negotiation definition #1: 

A bargaining problem is a situation in which several individuals have the possibility of mutually beneficial agreements, there is a conflict of interest on the various possible arrangements and no agreement can be imposed on any individual without approval (Nash 1950).

Negotiation definition #2: 

The purpose of the negotiations is to create a new reality through play information exchange (controlled) the negotiation and transformation of fixed values in variables values (Zartman 1978).

Negotiation definition #3:

A basic means of getting from others what you want. Negotiation is communication designed to reach an agreement if the parties have some interests that are common and others that are opposed (Fisher et al. 1981).

Negotiation definition #4: 

Negotiation is a process of conflict resolution by agreement between the parties (Kennedy 1982).

Negotiation definition #5: 

Negotiation is a process of decision making in which multiple parties make decisions together to resolve conflicts of interests (Bazerman & Lewicki 1983).

Negotiation definition #6: 

Negotiation is a confrontation between protagonists close and tightly interdependent, linked by a certain balance of power and having a minimum willingness to reach an agreement and to reduce differences to achieve an acceptable solution in terms of its objectives and scope maneuver that would have been granted (Bellenger 1984).

Negotiation definition #7: 

Professional negotiation is the means through which a buyer and a seller, using a special communication process called "bargain shopping" (bargaining) reach an agreement on the terms and conditions of a contract that reflects a balance between the parties interests of both (Bloom 1984).

Negotiation definition #8: 

Negotiation is a complex dynamic combining conflictual and cooperative processes ... / ... aimed at peacefully resolving a past, current or potential conflict; excluding provisionally at least, force, violence, recourse to the authority, and including recognition of the partners / adversaries as different and with a certain power (Lax & Sebenius, 1985).

Negotiation definition #9: 

Negotiation is the formal and civilized process that occurs when the parties are trying to find a mutually acceptable solution to a complex conflict (Lewicki et al. 1997).

Negotiation definition #10: 

Negotiation is the joint decision-making between parties with perceived divergent interests (Pruitt & Rubin 1998).

Negotiation definition # 11: 

Negotiation is a key form of interaction that enables groups of agents to arrive at a mutual agreement regarding some belief, goal or plan (Beer et al. 1999).

Negotiation definition # 12: 

Negotiation is is a process aiming at finding some compromise or consensus between two or several agents about some matters of collective agreement, such as pricing products, allocating resources, or choosing candidates (Amgoud et al. 2007).

Negotiation definition # 13: 

Negotiation is a specific form of communication in which the parties enter into deliberately, each with clear aims and goals and a mutual dependency towards a decision due to be taken at the end of the confrontation (Alavoine 2014).