不同文化对商务谈判的影响-英语论文.doc

论文题目：Influences of Different Cultures on International Business Negotiation

Contents
Abstract(English)----------------------------------------1
Abstract(Chinese)----------------------------------------2
1. Introduction------------------------------------------3
2. Different cultures------------------------------------5
2.1 Definition of culture-----------------------------5
2.2 Cultural differences------------------------------6
3. International business negotiation--------------------7
3.1 General Introduction of Negotiation---------------7
3.2 Definition of international business negotiation---8
3.3 General process of negotiation---------------------9
4. Influences of different cultures on international business negotiation-------------------------------------------9
4.1 High-context and Low-context communication---------9
4.2 Individualism versus collectivism------------------11
4.3 Results versus relationships-----------------------12
4.4 Time orientation-----------------------------------14
5. Achieving effective negotiations
Through effective negotiation strategies---------------18
6. Conclusion--------------------------------------------23
Works Cited----------------------------------------------25

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Abstract
With the constant development of the economic globalization, business cooperation between companies is dramatically increased. Negotiators from different countries come together and discuss their common and conflicting interests: meanwhile, they bring different cultures to the negotiating table. Culture is one of the factors that have important impacts on international business negotiation. Culture forges values and religious belief that define one’s thinking and behavior. Therefore, negotiators with different cultural backgrounds employ different negotiating strategies. Cultural differences will certainly result in cultural factors. Thus, to negotiate effectively, negotiators should have a good understanding of culture and cultural differences. More importantly, they should know how negotiation is affected by culture. In doing so, negotiators can predict the process and adjust strategies in order to reach a satisfactory agreement. Therefore, the research on how culture influences negotiation is in the need of social developing, and is of practical significance.
Key words: Influences, Different Cultures, International Business Negotiation.

内容摘要
随着经济全球化的不断发展，各公司之间的商业合作的机会急剧增加。不同国家的谈判者在同一张谈判桌上就共同和冲突的利益进行协商。同时，他们也带来了不同的文化。文化是影响国际商务谈判的重要因素之一。文化决定人的价值观、宗教信仰，从而影响人的思想和行为。因此，不同文化背景的谈判者运用不同的方式、策略进行谈判。文化的差异必然会引起文化冲突，谈判的成功与否大多可以用文化因素来解释。因此，要想取得有效地谈判，谈判者不仅要了解对手的文化及与己的文化差异，更重要的是应该了解文化因素如何影响谈判。这样，有助于谈判者预见谈判的进程，及时调整谈判策略，最终达成圆满的协议。可见，这一课题的研究顺应时代的发展，具有积极的现实意义。

关键词：影响；不同文化；国际商务谈判。

1. Introduction
As international negotiation increasingly involves cultural factors, the relationship between culture and negotiation has attracted more and more academic attention. Research on international negotiation concerning cultural variables has developed only several decades, and is still largely expected in the future .In 1976,scholars,like Deshler, Sato, Clapp carried out a research on the different outcomes of a series of the U.S-Japanese negotiations resulted from cultural differences. Then in 1980, it is Fisher who worked out the theory from practice. He argued, “The greater the cultural differences, the more likely barriers to communication and misunderstandings become.”(Hendon et al x) After that, some scholars in 1990s made further exploration on the of culture in international negotiations exclusively from the cross-cultural perspective. In this thesis, attention is focused on influences of different cultures on international business negotiations. And the Sino-American business negotiation cases are mainly selected. The negotiating styles of the United States and China, to a large extent, represent that of most negotiators from the world. Meanwhile, these two cultures are quite different, or even opposing. For example, Americans value individualism while Chinese emphasize collectivism. Americans negotiate a contract while the latter negotiate a relationship.
Over two-thirds of U.S-Chinese negotiation efforts fail though both sides want to reach a successful business agreement. In fact, the member holds true for most cross-cultural meetings. Often barriers to a successful agreement are of a cultural nature rather than an economical or legal nature, besides, with China’s entry into WTO, China is becoming more and more important in today’s economic field. China is the country with a long history in which a very important religious belief Confucianism originated. It is typical representative of Oriental Culture.
It is my intent, in this thesis, to present an exploration on the relationship between culture and negotiation across borders. In addition, I will give some recommendation to the negotiators who need to deal with people from other cultures. In today’s global environment, only those negotiators who fully understand the opponents’ culture and cultural effects on negotiation can be successful in international negotiations.

2. Different cultures
2.1 Definition of Culture
As we all know, culture is not a new but rather complex topic, which has been heatedly discussed in the past decades. There are more than 160 definitions given in the anthropology literature and the term culture has been defined in many ways. We can say that culture can include language, arts, morals, beliefs, custom and even everything in our life.
In this thesis, culture is defined as “a set of learned and enduring values, beliefs, knowledge, standards, laws and behaviors shared by a group of members and determines how the member acts, feels and views oneself and others”. A society’s or a nation’s culture is passed on from generation to generation and people learn culture in everyday life by communicating with their family members and those around them. Culture directs people’s judgment and opinion, and the standards for what is right or wrong. And very often, the people of a certain culture tend to act according to values, beliefs, customs and standards provided by their culture, which will usually ,manifest itself in how an individual view space, time, responds to others, communicates, does business, negotiates a contract or deals with a potential trade partner. So, to have a good understanding of your business partner’s culture can help predict your business partner’s behavior and develop sound strategies for deal-making and negotiations.
2.2 Cultural Differences
With the globalization of economy, as well as the fast progressing of transportation and communication means, the way of doing business has been changed a lot and businessmen are given much more opportunities to touch various cultures than ever before. When transacting business in some foreign countries, Americans tend to employ what they consider professional behavior. Unfortunately, they are often given blank stares, pretended half-smiles. They are perceived as aggressive and insensitive to another culture, which is resulted from cultural difference. No country is completely self-sufficient and can develop itself without any connection to others. Many companies have their subsidiaries abroad and foreign products can be found in their home market. Today, many businessmen often find them working in a multi-cultural environment, dealing with a great number of differences ranging from communicating styles to social etiquette to values. It has been a well-know fact that people across nations and cultures behave and believe differently. Members of different cultures look differently at the world around them. Some believe that the physical world is real. Others believe that it is just an illusion. Some believe everything around them is permanent while others say it is transient. Reality is not the same for all people. Nations and cultures differ in terms of how they perceive the specific object and phenomenon. For instance, age is highly respected in eastern countries especially in China and Japan, as it is a sign of great wisdom. Young people are taught to respect the old when they are children. On the contrary, American encourage and promote those who are qualified and competent regardless of age and the young don’t see the old in the same sense as Chinese and Japanese culture are characterized as collective.
3. International Business Negotiation
3.1 General Introduction of Negotiation
Negotiation is a basic human activity that people do at some point everyday, to sort out differences with other people, or to get what they want. A housewife with a salesperson over the counter for the price of fruits, a girl with her parent for lifting the night curfew, a driver with a policeman for removing ticket over a traffic violation, a purchasing agent with a supplier for negotiation plays an important role in our daily life.
What then is negotiation? A modern definition of negotiation is two or more parties with common and conflicting who enter into a process of interaction with the goal of reaching an agreement. Negotiation is a decision-making process that provides opportunities for the parties to exchange commitments or promises through which they will resolve their disagreements and reach a settlement. In belief, a negotiation is two or more parties striving to agree when their objectives do not coincide.
3.2 Definition of International Business Negotiation
Negotiation can be considered a special case of communication in which information is shared and common and complementary goals acceptable to both sides are searched. Parties at the negotiating table are highly interdependent. Their common interests are locked together. A buyer cannot survive without a seller. Namely, a win-win transaction is more related to negotiation of modern from different countries or regions negotiate in order to achieve a certain economic goal and to clear up the relations between each other’s rights and obligations.

3.3 General process of negotiation
Negotiation process addresses how negotiation behavior changes over time as parties interact, In the international business negotiation studies, many scholars have defined the negotiation process model. On the basis of previous research, the negotiation process presented in this thesis is divided into five different stages: preparation before negotiation, non-task sounding, task-related exchange of information, persuasion, concession and agreement.
4. Influences of Different Cultures on International Business Negotiation
4.1 High-context and Low-context communication
In high-context cultures (Chinese). People prefer to communicate allusively rather than directly. Meaning is embedded in the message and must be inferred to be understood. Directness and blunt expressions are much disliked. Truth is not needed when a lie avoid unpleasantness.
In low-context communication, people tend to speak directly and explicitly. Everything is needed to state and meaning is on the surface of the message. Information is explicit while indirectness is not welcomed.
Difference between high-context and low-context communication styles can produce difficulty and misunderstanding when negotiators are from these two kinds of cultures. For example:
George Hall, an American business in Beijing attending a trade fair was looking for all opportunity to do business in China. His first day was going well. On the second day he approached the company which he felt would be most responsive to his products. He introduced himself to the general manager, Mr. Li. Since he read that Chinese find getting down to business immediately is too abrupt and impossible, he began a casual conversation, eventually leading up to the topic of products and suggesting how Mr.Li’s company might benefit from using them. Grorge then suggested that he could arrange to get together with Mr.Li and provide more specifics and documentation on his products. Mr.Li responded in fairly good English,” That would be interesting,” Knowing that he had only a few days left in Beijing, George wanted to nail down a time “When can we meet ?” asked George. “ Ah, this week is very busy,” replied Mr. Li. “It sure is,” said George, “How about 10 o’clock ? Meet you here.” “Tomorrow at 10 o’clock?” asked Mr.Li. thoughtfully. “Right.” Said George. “I’ll see you then？‘Hmm.Yes, why don’t you come by tomorrow.” Was the reply. “OK.” Responded George, “It was nice meeting you.” The next day at 10 o’clock he approached Mr.Li’s company’s exhibit only to find that Mr.Li had some important business and was not able to meet with George. He called back later in the day and was told that Mr.Li was not available.
4.2 Individualism versus Collectivism
In individualistic culture, individuals are expected to take care of themselves and to value their needs over that of the collective-the group, community and duties are defined by laws. Society regards individual achievements and legal institution protects individual rights. Task is put before relationship.
Individualistic culture, such as USA, is more self-centered and emphasize mostly on their individual goals. People from individual cultures prefer clarity in their communication and they tend to communicate efficient in a direct way. In business communication, they try to improve strengthen the connection with their counterparts not for establishing a long-term relationship but to gain more benefits.
Collectivism emphasizes common interests, cooperation and interdependence. Relationships are based on mutual self-interests. Maintaining harmony within groups is obtained at all cost.
Collectivist cultures in Asia like China, regard other companies with less collectivistic philosophy as cold and not sustainable. Collectivistic cultures have a great emphasis on groups and take the terms of “we”. In a company of collectivistic culture, harmony and loyalty is regarded important and thought to be maintained. Besides, confrontation is considered to be avoided. It is regarded as impolite to disagree with somebody in public in China. If you don’t agree with someone, you would choose a more personal atmosphere to do it for “saving his face”. Instead of saying “no” is not good for the harmony of a group. The relationships between employees and employers are based on trust and harmony. The wealth of the company and the group are more important than the individual one.
4.3 Results versus Relationships
Negotiators from relationship-oriented culture place high value on friendly relationships and are not comfortable with a strong result-driven negotiation process. Business in China is not about doing business between organizations, but about doing business between people. You have business when you have established an interpersonal relationship. Chin