Culture conflicts in international business negotiation
PART I Introduction
This article analyzes the impacts of cultural differences on international
business negotiations. Nowadays, the world is developing quickly in the age of economic globalization. Business contacts among nations get increasingly close, which has brought more and more opportunities to deal with businesses. Successful international business negotiations certainly will benefit the development of the enterprises. During negotiation, culture difference is one of the factors that have important impacts on business negotiations. The failure of international business negotiation has seriously affected the smooth progress of exchanges.
PART II Contents
2.1Cultural Differences
Now, with the rapid development of economic globalization and the
prosperity of international business, international business negotiations are a very common and important activity in the world. But during negotiation, it is all too natural that conflicts occur where both sides have different views about their own interest or culture. To be fully prepared before the negotiation, negotiators should pay attention to the cultural differences such as privacy, time, Food practices, and so on. Since culture does matter much in international negotiations, the first step is to focus on impacts of cultural differences on business negotiations.
2.1.1The difference of Privacy
Chinese people's privacy concepts are relatively weak, but personal
privacy are very importance for westerners, emphasize personal space, they are not willing to mention their own affairs. So on the issue of privacy, Chinese and westerners frequent conflicts between the two sides, such as: for the first met Chinese people often asked about each other's age, marital status, children, occupation, income and so on, Chinese people think this is an manners, but the West people think these problems are violated their privacy.
2.1.2The difference Of Time
Westerners time concept and the money concept are close contact, time is
money, they are very treasured time, in their life, they are often careful arrangements and plans the time. In the West, to visit someone, we must advance notice or agreement, and indicate the purpose of visit, time and place, to be agreed later. Generally chinese people are not same as Westerners strict accordance with the plan, Westerners often feel are not suited to this.
2.1.3 Courtesy of the phrase difference
Chinese people are attach importance to modest, when communication
with the people, and stress " for himself humble, respect for others, " as a virtue, which is a rich Chinese cultural characteristics courtesy phenomenon. When Other
person are praise us, we tend to a self-criticism to show modest and polite. Western countries have not this cultural practices, when they are praised, they will pleased to say "Thank you" expressed acceptance. Because of cultural differences, we think that Westerners are too self-confidence, without modesty; When Westerners hear that the Chinese people deny other person’s praised or hear their denying their own achievements, even when their criticism of worthless, they would be very surprised that the Chinese people dishonest.
2.1.4Food practices difference
The Chinese nation has a fine tradition of hospitality. For example,the
enthusiasm of the Chinese people often offers their cigarettes each other. Chinese banquet, even Put all the delicious on the table, and the owner will use chopsticks help guest nip some foods, and persuade guests are more drink, more eat. In Western countries, people are stress respect for individual rights and privacy, and therefore they will not do help guest nip foods.
2.2 The reasons of the different culture
Since there are so many cultural differences, then conflict is inevitable.A
cultural diversity have many reasons, in a word, eastern and Western cultures have different cultures, historical background, it will inevitably bring some thinking, behavior, and many other differences, even conflicts. Many factors influence the differences of cultures.
2.2.1Value Differences
Every culture has own unique value systems, this culture think that is
good, another culture might consider bad, but it does not mean that this values are advanced, and the other values are behind. For example, parents in western countries tend to cultivate children to be independent. They encourage their children to deal with their personal things by themselves. Parents in eastern countries, however, always spoil their children. They always help their children finish some things which the children have the ability to cope with by themselves.
2.2.2Political Differences
Political differences mean that policies and regulations of the political
system standardize the behavior of the people’s role so that people under different political system have different political concepts. Take America and France for example: the power of American president is strictly limited by the Constitution and the other two authorities---Congress and Supreme Court. While France has to expand their president’s power due to their own conditions.
2.2.3Economic Differences
Economic difference is a reflection of the cultural differences due to
economic factors. For example, people in the western developed countries have the rich life, and receive the high education so that they pay more attention to the quality of life, and they have good safety awareness. But in the Third World, especially the developing countries, people are more concerned with the problem of food and clothing. So this is reflected in cultural differences.
PART IV Conclusion
The present study represents both affirmation to past cultural factors on
changes of perspectives and the success of business negotiation.To be successful in the commercial negotiation between different culture, one must strengthen trans-cultural consciousness, thus form a concept of cultural difference and come to understand and respect these characteristics of different countries in the negotiation, then understand adversary’s valuable ideas , behavior and characteristics to establish mutual trust and cooperation. To be successful in different commercial negotiations，one must overcome national behavior criterion . Cultural differences have great impact on negotiations on every aspect. The above contents are only some example of them. Having a good understanding of those differences and doing some research in this field, trying to reduce and avoid the negative effect that the cultural differences may bring. Furthermore, they are one of the tasks that firms undertake in decision making.
PART V Reference
1．Ackennan，G．R，(2003)．Cross-Cultural Negotiations and Dispute Resolutions,pages3—10,25-30．
2．Augsburg,D．、Ⅳ．f1992)．Conflict Mediation Across Cultures：pathways andpatterns
3．Bazerman，Max,and Margaret A．Neale，Negotiating Rationally,New York：The Free Press，1992．
4．Blackman，Carolyn，Negotiating China．"Case Studies andStrategies，St Leonards：Alien&Unwin．1997．
5．Buttery,E?A&Leung,T．K．P．(1998)．The Difference Between Chinese and Western Negotiations．European Journal ofMarketing,32(3)：374—389
6．Casse,P．and S．De／o,Managing Intercultural Negotiations,Washington D．C．：Sietar,1991．