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Approaches to Managing and Resolving Conflict 3 because he would be leaving for the benefit of the clinic, he ex- pected that no penalty would be assessed for breaking the con- tract two-and-a-half years early and that the no-competition clause would not be applied to him. Singson was surprised and upset that his finely tuned staff was going to lose one of-its most respected members. And he was shocked by Whittamore's announcement that he planned to stay in town and open up a medical practice. Singson visual- ized the long-range impact of Whittamore's decision: The doc- tor would leave and set up a competing practice, and many of his patients would leave the clinic and follow him. The clinic would lose revenues from the doctor's fees, lose patients, incur the cost of recruiting a new doctor, and, if the no-competition clause was not enforced, establish a bad precedent for manag- ing doctors in the clinic. Singson responded that the no-compe- tition clause would be enforced if Whittamore wanted to practice within the county, and the clinic would have to arrive at a penalty for violating the contract. He estimated that the penalty could be as much as 100 percent of the revenues that Whittamore might earn in the two-and-a-half years remaining on his contract. Whittamore was irate at Singson's response. He consid- ered it unreasonable and irresponsible. If that was the way the game was to be played, he threatened, he would leave and set up a practice, and Singson could take him to court to try to get his money. Singson responded that he would get an injunction against the practice if necessary and would demand the full amount if pushed into a corner. Whittamore left Singson's of- fice mumbling that he was going to "get that son of a gun" as he went down the hall. This conflict has several different parts: the Whittamores' relationship with each other, the Whittamores' relationship to other staff members of the clinic, the potential conflict between Andrew Whittamore's patients and the clinic, and Andrew Whit- tamore's relationship with Richard Singson. For ease of analy- sis, we will examine only the Singson-Whittamore component of the dispute. What alternative means of conflict resolution do these two people have to handle their differences?