OFFSTONE JAN EDITION 2025

55 communal traits traditionally associated with women, such as empathy and a focus on maintaining harmonious relationships. In buy-and-sell contexts, these traits often lead women to prioritize mutual benefits and long-term partnerships over short-term gains. Research supports this, showing that women who adopt relationship-focused negotiation strategies achieve better outcomes in small business settings. In marketplaces, this can be observed in women’s emphasis on building trust with buyers or sellers, enhancing their reputation and fostering customer loyalty. According to Azril Mohd Amin, Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Future Institute (MASA), the government must raise public awareness about women's rights and protections while strengthening their emotional and spiritual resilience to address present and future challenges. Research also indicates that women are less likely to negotiate for themselves due to concerns about social rejection, limiting their ability to secure better deals. Economic disparities further exacerbate these challenges, as limited access to capital and market knowledge can weaken women’s bargaining power in buy -and-sell activities. Strategies for Effective Negotiation Empowering women with negotiation skills and strategies can significantly enhance their success in buy-and-sell activities. Training programs that focus on assertiveness, persuasion, and conflict resolution have shown positive impacts on women's negotiation performance. Additionally, networking and mentorship play crucial roles in strengthening women’s negotiation capacity. By connecting with other women entrepreneurs or buyers, they can share insights, resources, and strategies to navigate marketplace challenges. Recent studies indicate that digital platforms offering mentorship programs for women entrepreneurs have significantly improved their negotiation outcomes in e-commerce environments. Similarly, research on women entrepreneurs in Turkey’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) reveals that those who adopt adaptive negotiation strategies achieve higher customer satisfaction and business growth. These strategies include balancing assertiveness with warmth, which helps women secure better negotiation outcomes while mitigating potential rejection due to gendered stereotypes. The ability to combine emotional intelligence with strategic thinking significantly enhances women's negotiation effectiveness in competitive markets. Closing Women’s participation in buy-and-sell activities is a vital component of economic development. While they face unique negotiation challenges, their collaborative and