Read the following description of 3 disputes. Based on the legal information that you learned in this chapter, write a response that indicates whether you would recommend negotiation, mediation, or arbitration to resolve the dispute. As part of your answer include an explanation for your choice.

1. You are the production manager for a company that makes birdhouses. One of your long-time suppliers of parts for your birdhouses has, for the past two months, been late with its shipments and the parts you have received have not met with your satisfaction. You have had a good working relationship with this supplier, but want the company to meet the delivery schedule it has agreed to and to ship (as the company has done in the past) the high-level parts you need to manufacture high-quality and safe birdhouses.

2. You and a friend from college have started a bar and grill. Your first two months in business were very successful. The past two months have been less successful and you find yourself arguing about many things with your friend and business partner - the type of food to include on your menu, the hours the business should be open, and whether or not to hire staff to help you both with the work of the business. You want to keep your friendship with your business partner, and want to keep the bar going; however, you need a quick way to settle the many arguments you seem to be having.

3. You manage a law firm and had to, unfortunately, fire one of the firm's attorneys due to his poor quality of work. You recently discovered that the former attorney has claimed that you "cheated him out of his vacation pay" when he left the firm and has filed a complaint with the state labor board to receive two weeks of paid vacation that he claims was owed when you fired him. You want this complaint settled quickly and quietly so as to avoid bad publicity for your law firm.