商务课程报告LL

商务沟通课程案例分析报告姓名：LL学号：班级：任课老师： Impacts of Cultural Differences on Business NegotiationsAbstract：This article based on the case “NEGOTIATION: LOST IN TAIWAN”deals with the impacts of cultural differences on business negotiation.First, it points out the cultural differences between China and America in this given case and analyses the way these cultural differences impact this negotiation. Second, it extends from the given case to present some central cultural differences and their impacts in international business negotiation.Third, it focuses on the methods of dealing with cultural differences in negotiation.Finally, it concludes that the impacts of cultural differences on business negotiations are so important that a better understanding of cultural differences matters a lot.Key words: Impacts;Cultural differences;Business Negotiation1. Simple analysis of the case “NEGOTIATION: LOST IN TAIWAN”In this case,there are three main cultural differences which influence this negotiation a lot:differences in approaches to tasks,differences in conception of the self,differences in attitude toward uncertainty.First,the difference in approaches to tasks influenced this negotiation at beginning.The Taiwanese were relationship-oriented.They attached importance to the relationship with others especially the business partners,so the Taiwanese prepared extra arrangements for Ellenentertainment to show their respect and sincerity.They didt care as much about schedules or timelines.Meetings could run long.However,Ellen was task-oriented.She focused on a scheduled timeline and would like to do one thing at a time.As a result of this cultural difference,the approach to achieving business goals became slow and Ellens first negotiation with the Taiwanese became a little frustrating.Second,the difference in conception of the self also brought confusion to the negotiation.The Taiwanese were collectivist,placing high value on group cooperation and individual modesty while Ellen was individualist,placing high value on self-reliance and freedom from externally imposed constraints.So,“Ellen was a little surprised when,in speaking about their own firms qualifications,the Taiwanese were very modest.She knew that the distributor was among the best in the region.”Such difference brought Ellens willingness to add her own advantage,which made this negotiation more complex.Third,the difference in attitude toward uncertainty led to the failure of the negotiation.The Taiwanese were good at using of uncertainty:the replies they offered were always ambiguous;they avoided eye contacts to cover their true thoughts;they refused to learn the precise information about the products and they even avoided letting Ellen know the true leader who had the power to make a final decision.On the contrary,Ellen avoided the uncertainty by offering detailed necessary information,telling her thoughts and suggestions clearly.However,because of this cultural difference,this negotiation became a mess and Ellen missed this business.2. central cultural differences and their impacts in international business negotiationInternational business negotiation is playing a more and more important role in modem society. We can see clearly that there are great differences in international business negotiation. Specially, culture can influence negotiating styles in different ways, because negotiators who may come from another nation is different from us in language, beliefs, behaviors manners, privacy, food custom, time, thinking, value and attitudes and so on. Different cultures express different ways of doing business. Even though negotiators are well prepared, it is not so easy to reach a satisfactory agreement between negotiators across cultures. Negotiations can be easily broken down due to a lack of mutual understanding of the cultures. Culture affects negotiation even before negotiators meet with face to face. Therefore, learning the opponents culture and having a good understanding of how cultural differences affect negotiation will be critically important if one wants to succeed in cross-cultural negotiations.In international business settings, the development of the negotiation process and how parties perceive the relationship are crucial. And this process is influenced by culture.Cultural differences create a challenge to the negotiators involved, and demand understanding as well as flexibility. An ability to assess these differences and properly handle the consequences is essential for success in international business negotiations. Some central differences are as follows.First,A cultures use of space is directly linked to its value system. In some Asia cultures, for example, students do not sit close to their teachers or stand near their bosses; the extended distance demonstrates deference and esteem. In Germany, private space is sacred. You cannot go inside your neighbors fence to get your ball, which was thrown in by accident. But in Greek, African, Italian, and Arab where privacy is less important, people demands less space. In Western countries husband and wife share their personal space, they walk side by side in the street, but in Arab countries, husband always walk ahead of their wives, even at the dinner stable, husband and wife do not sit together. In those countries, a mans personal space is his alone. In some Middle Eastern and Asia countries, you will see it is very crowed in buses, banks and other public places, for these cultures demand very little society distance. They have unique orientations towards space and privacy. A mixing of these orientations can cause communication problems. In China, many public places such as bank has “one meter line”, but Chinese dont always pay attention to it. If a Western is in front of you in a bank, you pass the “one meter line” and are close to him or her. You may cause a misunderstanding, you will be said to invade his personal space. Second,Time orientation refers to some cultures preference for a long-term or a short-term outlook on life and work. Some cultures are much more future-oriented than others. For example, Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan have a future orientation. At the other end of the continuum we find those such as Pakistan and some West African cultures where the focus is more present and past-oriented than oriented towards the future. These cultures tend to have a great respect for tradition. Canada, Germany, and the United States are in the middle. Compared to North Americana the British tend to emphasize the past much more. Third, the manner in which people “present” themselves to others. On the negotiating table, Chinese people, as they put a strong emphasis on maintaining relationships, are expected to be particularly motivated to protect face of others as well as be concerned that their own face be accepted. Given this sensitivity, they seek harmony and communicate that they respect partners as capable and worthy. Their collectivism in general and their understanding of social face lead them to be hesitant about engaging in aggressive interaction that may challenge the face of others. They regard conflict and confrontation as unpleasant and undesirable. So they want to avoid conflict and, once engaged, use compromise and accommodation to deal with conflict. In contrast, people in the English speaking societies, like United States, value frankness, freedom of expression, independence and the traditions of debate as the way to foster direct and straightforward expression. For example, American culture is known for its assertive and aggressive communication style because it has a long history of valuing non-conformity, individualism, competition, and freedom of expression is bound to encourage assertive behavior. They tend to express their points directly and frankly without thinking about the ensuing confrontation to the Chinese party. During negotiation, if conflict arises, aggressive behavior from either party can damage the face of the other. Since not giving face to a person is perceived as denying that persons pride and dignity, the Chinese are mindful about the implications of antagonism and aggression and will normally be hesitant about engaging in such behavior. In addition, the adoption of “face-giving” and “face-saving” behaviors in conflict situations is valued as a means to maintain a sense of harmony. 3. How to Negotiate and to Deal with Cultural Differences in Negotiation we have known the impacts brought by the cultural differences on business negotiation. Considering the importance of cultural differences in Sino-American business negotiations, its helpful to discuss about how to deal with Cultural Differences in Negotiation and achieve the cross-cultural competence. The following suggestions maybe very useful and effective for a potential negotiator.Frist,we should enhance cultural awareness.Objectively speaking, the integration of global economy and rapid development of internet have deepened the cultural awareness of international negotiators. More and more negotiators can gradually tolerate and respect other countries culture. However, there are still lots of people who ignore the function of culture on negotiating style, as a result, they pay little attention to cultural awareness. In cross-cultural negotiations, it is imperative to realize the cultural difference of different countries; understanding the requirements, motivations and beliefs of negotiators with different cultural backgrounds. We should also recognize that a foreign negotiator is different from you in perception, value and outlook. What is thought to be approved in our own country is not effective in another country. When coming to a conflict, negotiators should analyze it from both cultural perspectives. On the other hand, besides the right awareness, negotiators should learn to adapt our own negotiating styles and strategies to various cultures. For example, when negotiating with France and Japan, whose people care so much about etiquette, a negotiator had better wear formally. If someone expects to get respect from a German, he or she must prepare adequately and appear confident as themselves.Second,we should prepare well before negotiation .In the area of international negotiation in which the variables are so complex, there is a straightforward and direct relationship between the amount of preparation and the chances of success. Preparation is essential if one is to be proactive rather than reactive. In order to be well prepared for the negotiation, key information such as the other partys expectation, their team composition, their selected negotiators background and their decision-making process must be collected prior to the negotiation and the lack of such information has often been partly responsible for the failure. Information gathering process can help us gain the negotiating power, smooth the negotiation process and achieve a desirable result. At the same time, understanding ourselves, our own goals of the negotiation is also a basic part of the preparation work. Remember: poor preparation is always a major obstacle to your success in achieving an agreement.Third,we should overcome communication obstacles in business.Communication forms are mainly verbal and non-verbal. If a negotiator can improve these two skills, the whole negotiation process will continue smoothly.There is no doubt that language is a big barrier to communication in international negotiations. It is advantageous to know the language of the other party even if an interpreter involved to help with the negotiation. Grasping the language of the other side signifies we have won extra time to think and respond to other sides questions and proposals. In addition, completely relying on the interpreter to convey the information is not safe enough, and occasionally it may cause unnecessary misunderstandings once the interpreter is not well-informed, for some words, idioms have specific cultural meanings. On the other hand, non-verbal communication should equally be paid much attention to the negotiating process. By observing non-verbal cues such as body languages, facial expressions, gestures, eye contacts, the negotiator can interpret the other partys underlying attitudes and intentions and respond appropriately. Culture is also one crucial factor that influences the negotiators to judge the actual meaning of the same non-verbal signals. It will make a big difference to be aware of the non-verbal communication effectively. 4. Conclusion The success of international business negotiations is decided by a lot of factors, especially the negotiators consciousness of cultural difference. As in a cross-cultural business negotiation, negotiators are separated from each other not only by physical features, a totally different language and business etiquette, but also by a different way to perceive the world, to define business goals, to express feeling and thinking, to show invisible motivation and interests.Nowadays, with the growing development of cross-cultural business negotiation, more and more people begin to realize the importance of cultural differences. Nowadays, with the growing development of cross-cultural business negotiation, more and more people begin to realize the importance of cultural differences.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 adversarys valuable ideas , behavior and characteristics to establish mutual trust and cooperation.In a word,.As Cultural differences have great impact on negotiations on every aspect,realizing and learning the cultural differences and their impact will benefit us a lot.Bibliography1. 曹菱主编商务英语谈判，北京：外语教学与研究出版社，20042. 赵伟君.中西文化冲突与我国跨文化商务谈判对策J.商业研究，2002，（22）.3.林海.文化差异对中美商务谈判的影响J.零陵学院学报,2005,( 01).4. 刘媛媛.从跨文化角度分析中美商务谈判的成败J. 北京交通大学,2007.5.许力生.跨文化交际英语教程M.上海：上海外语教育出版社,2004.附案例：NEGOTIATION: LOST IN TAIWANEllen Stoddard-Jones, 35, is a sales representative with a multinational data systemscompany headquartered in New York. While most of the companys international businesswas conducted in Europe and Japan, China was a growing market for its products. Ellen, a capable and ambitious graduate with a dual M.B.A./PhD from a prestigious Europeanuniversity, had recently been transferred to her companys International Division, where shewas responsible for the Far East market. For the third time in two years, Ellen was scheduledto meet with representatives of a very large Taiwanese distributor whose product lines fitthose of her company.Her first trip to Taiwan had been basically positive but somewhat unsettling. Very littlebusiness had been discussed. To a certain extent, though, shed expected that. She had beentold by several more internationally experienced co-workers that the Taiwanese wouldundoubtedly spend most of the time establishing a relationship, initiating culture-relatedtrips during her stay, and showing respect for her and her company by providingentertainment. This had indeed been the case. Although she had enjoyed seeing places likethe national Palace Museum in Taipei, she still had found this slow approach to achievingbusiness goals frustrating. Ellen made sure that, upon her return to the U.S., she followed upwith extensive communications regarding developing a contract.Her second trip fallen more in line with her expectations as to what a business trip should be,probably because she tried to take a more forceful lead in the negotiations. She had almosta full week of meetings with her primary contact, Chen Wu-Ping, in particular about how helooked forward to a long-lasting business relationship and was honored to have Ellencome a second time to Taipei to continue the negotiations. Furthermore, the Taiwaneseclearly recognized the superiority of her firms product lines; they praised the reputation of her company and the quality of its products at some length. She was a little surprised when, in speaking about their own firms qualifications, the Taiwanese were very modest. She knew that the distributor was among the best in the region. Ellen figured this could only work to her advantage; they obviously regarded this opportunity as a very beneficial deal. By the end of the week, she was convinced that she had a firm agreement for a large contract. True, she has not left with a signed contract (although she had pressed to create one). But she understood that decisions in Taiwan probably take longer than in the U.S. and she was convinced of the ultimate success of her approach. Chen Wu-Ping had said that Something will happen soon. She told her management that she expected a signed contract by the end of the quarter. The goal for the third trip was to return with a signed contract, yet the introductory meetings during-the first two days perplexed Ellen. She had thought that the contract was virtually sewn up, but the Taiwanese were not treating it as such. They were re-negotiating major points of the proposal, speaking of needing more time to discuss the contract, bringing up far-reaching implications of the contract that were no concern of hers (such as potential effects on their relationships with other suppliers) and, in general, evading finalizing the agreement. There was also some confusion as to who exactly had the authority to the decision to sign the contact. She had previously thought that Chen Wu-Ping was the decision maker; however, this did not seem to be the case now. He and his colleagues (all much older than she) did not seem to have an acknowledged leader.Todays meeting was her chance to turn the situation around and find out conclusivelywhether or not Chen Wu-Ping and his colleagues would follow through on the agreement.Moving quickly through the small talk, Ellen clearly elaborated the benefits and competitive advantages of her products over the competition, telling the Taiwanese distributors how this would help them get ahead. They asked many detailed questions about her products, which was surprising, since she had provided them long ago with substantial documentation outlining the specifications of the given product lines. She definitely felt the deal was slipping away, and she was becoming increasingly anxious. As the meeting progressed, the Taiwanese kept averting eye contact, even when she asked them direct questions. She pointed out that the deal was very competitively priced, but her words were followed by uncomfortable silence. Keying in on all the benefits they would receive by signing the contract, she proceeded to argue that her firms products would revolutionize their somewhat outdated methods, bring them praise from their management and colleagues fro the gains in efficiency achieved, and save other companies millions of dollars. Also, many renowned companies throughout Europe were using these state-of-the-art products. At the end of the meeting, the Taiwanese said that they would study her proposal further, but she felt that a company like hers shouldnt get this kind of treatment. Clearly, she was offering them the best products available. If they did not recognize all the advantages that Taiwanese companies would reap in terms of time and money savings, that was their fault. A few weeks after Ellen returned to New York she received word that the Taiwanese distributors had decided to forego signing a contract.