商务英语论文范文(4)
2.5 Negotiation Structure
Cultural differences also impact on negotiation structure. Different countries have different negotiation structure, so do the team. The team in eastern countries feel that time is abundant and humans should not follow the timetable blindly. For example, Chinese people are famous for the length of their negotiations; they spend much time in the non-task sounding stage of negotiation to establish rapport and get to know their partners. Chinese people usually discuss many issues at one time, without an apparent order, they may skip from one issue to another and they may also come back to points which in the eyes of their Western partners have already been settled and concessions are made or all issues at the end of the discussion.
However, the team in western countries regard time as money and would like to set fixed agendas. Western countries are emblematic of the “time is money” culture, where time is a scarce resource. People would try to achieve its optimal allocation between the competing ways of using it. They establish timetables and deadlines. Norms tend to be strict regarding time schedules. When a discussion with someone lasts longer than planned, they will politely stop the conversation, in order to keep their schedule.
2.6 Negotiation Style
Negotiation practices differ from one culture to another and cultural difference can impact on “negotiation style” --- the way people from different cultures conduct themselves. Here, we divide negotiation style into the eastern negotiation style and the western one. China and Japan are the typical countries of the East, while America the West.
Chinese culture is a high–context culture. In a high-context culture, the emphasis on communication is indirectness and ambiguity. Most of the information is in the context while little is in the explicit part of the message. The external environment, situation and non-verbal behavior are crucial in understanding communications. People depend heavily upon covert clues to interpret a message given under a certain context. And also, Chinese negotiators also look forward to long-term partnership. They are not in a hurry to push for an agreement. Generally, there is a slow start to “warm up”, and then it is followed by some tentative suggestions.
In the international business negotiation, saving face and achieving harmony are more important factors than achieving higher sales and profits for Japanese. As far as the Japanese negotiators are concerned, they try to build up a long-term relationship in the course of negotiation. Therefore, they prefer personal contacts in an informal way. For them, trust is more important than agreements. The reason why there is a low ratio of success between American and Japanese negotiators lies mainly in this point. Besides, Japanese negotiators try their best to avoid an open conflict between both parties. Consequently, they often ask a third party to function as go-betweens. In this way, they can prevent an unpleasant feeling from coming up on both sides
The impression Americans leave us on the negotiating table is flexibility, straightness and zest. They never express themselves with vague words. They say “Yes” or “No” directly. Consequently, during a negotiation they like people speaking without reservation. When any conflict appears in a negotiation, Americans aim to solve the problem and never mind if you have adequate proof and dispute with them. Meanwhile, if you want to ease up the atmosphere and respond with a smile, it will be reckoned as insincere and as if you are in the wrong way. In addition, Americans respect human rights, and they can not tolerate throwing stones at a certain person behind him. American negotiators often act in an impersonal way ---“business is business” is their view, American negotiators are always mission-driven---anxious to bring parties concerned into agreement, and they have little interest in building up any relationship. Furthermore, American negotiators like to be openly challenged for the negotiation, and they think it is quite normal if they run into any conflict with any party concerned.
2.7 Decision-making Process
Decisions are made differently in different groups. They may be made by individuals or by the group as a whole. Some groups accept the decision of the majority of the group members, but other groups seek consensus among group members and will not make a decision until all members have agreed. Knowing how your counterpart makes decisions is vital to help gauge the approach you should take to persuade him or her. Take Japan and America as typical eastern and western countries for example.American people make decisions based upon the bottom line and cold, hard facts. They believe not people, but statistics and performance count. Business is business. In American view, a business negotiation is a problem-solving activity, and the solution is a deal that suits both parties.
The decision making process is just like a cost-benefit analysis applied to all parties who would be touched by the decision. A decision is considered right because it produces the greatest net benefit when all the costs and benefits to all the affected parties are taken into account. So the Americans usually list the possible effects and estimate the magnitude of their costs and benefits as accurately as possible.
In general, decision-making in Japan is a communal affair requiring unanimous approval by management. In this decision-making style, everyone must be convinced, not just the key decision-maker. Upper-level managers do not make fast, on-the-spot decisions. Most Japanese companies use some form of a system of decision-making known as document system. In the lower layer of management, usually at the section level, a manager drafts a proposal after achieving consensus within his own group.
The proposal is circulated to the heads of other sections and departments. These heads study the proposal. If they approve, they stamp their name seals on it. If they disapprove, they either refuse to stamp it or put their seals on it upside down. Then the document is passed up through the different
levels of management until it reaches the president. If everyone stamps the proposal, it becomes a company policy. If not, it is usually sent back to its originator with certain suggestion. Thus all the middle managers in companies using this system perform almost all the planning functions for the company, deciding what will be done, when and how.
Chapter Three Coping Strategy of Negotiating across Cultures
The culture differences in cross-cultural communication have various impacts on operation of enterprises. These differences will influence negotiation and management of transnational operation; what’s more, it may have bad effects on the harmonious relationship between our country and foreign countries. Maybe that will lead to the missing of market opportunities, the increase of trade cost and the low efficiency of company management. So, it is really necessary for us all to eliminate and avoid disadvantageous effects.
3.1 Making Preparations before Negotiation.
The negotiators must make good preparations if they want control the development of negotiation successfully in the complex situation. Only do they make good preparations can they make changes freely according to the situation of negotiation and avoid the happening of conflicts. Because the international business negotiation involves extensive aspects, more preparations are needed. The preparations often include the analysis of the negotiators themselves and the opponents; the constitution of negotiation group, elaborating the negotiating goal and strategy and going on imitation negotiation when necessary. When making preparations, you should try to know the opponents while you analyze yourselves. Analyzing yourselves mainly refers to studying if the project is feasible. To knowing about the opponents means understanding their strength such as credit status, the policy、 business customs and regulations of their countries and the
conditions of their negotiating members and so on.
3.2 Overcoming Cultural Prejudice
Tolerating different cultures and overcoming cultural prejudice contribute to better communicating with each other and understanding each other. West people often think that they are powerful, capable and experienced, so sometimes, we need to recognize then and give then some good comments. We should learn about the foreign cultures before negotiation and accept and understand their cultures in negotiation, because every country regard their own cultures as a matter of course and hope that their culture could be recognized and accepted.
3.3 Conquering Communication Barriers
Two trains running at different railways in the opposite direction will collide with each other; maybe this is the best arrangement for trains. But to communication between people, there won’t be communications if people go ahead according to their own ways. Trains will collide with each other if they run on the same railway at the opposite direction. But if we measure by the objective of people’s communication, only we meet each other, can we have communication and friendship. In negotiation, sometimes we can’t make much progress although we have talked for long time. And sometimes both parties are not satisfied. After thinking, that is caused by communication barriers which happen easily in cross-cultural negotiation. We should make sure if there appear communication barriers, if so, we must overcome them. Generally speaking, we should pay more attention to the following three communication barriers in cross-cultural negotiation: the communication barriers caused by culture background of both; the ones caused by misunderstanding of the contents and information from the partner; the ones caused by not being willing to accept the opponent’s contents and ideas.
