Which conflict resolution strategy allows a neutral third party to make suggestions about an agreement?

• A. Negotiation
• B. Arbitration
• C. Coaching
• D. Mediation

Answer: (D)

Mediation involves a neutral third party to guide conversation and offer possible solutions to the parties in dispute. The mediator helps each side express underlying interests, brainstorm options, and suggest terms that could become part of an agreement, while the final decision remains with the people involved. This directly matches the idea of a neutral party making suggestions about an agreement. In contrast, arbitration has the neutral decide the outcome and impose it as a binding decision; negotiation is direct bargaining between the parties without a mediator offering structured suggestions; coaching focuses on developing skills rather than resolving a specific dispute with proposed terms. In a hospitality setting, mediation can help resolve conflicts between staff or departments by proposing compromises that satisfy both sides.