毕业论文中西方思维差异对国际商务谈判的影响英文版.doc

毕业论文 浅析中西方思维差异 对国际商务谈判的影响 指导教师： 甘长银 学 生： 王 莉 系 别： 外国语学院 年 级： 2010级 重庆三峡学院 二0一四年五月On the Effect of Differences Between Chinese and Western Thinking Patterns on International Business Negotiation Supervisor: GAN Changyin Student: Wang Li Department: Foreign Language Institute Grade: 2010 Chongqing Three George University May, 2014 Abstract: The success of international business negotiation is the premise for enterprises to obtain the competitive strength in the international market, but people under different cultural backgrounds often encounter obstacles in the negotiation. The reasons why they meet with obstacles are various, but the different way of thinking is one of the important factor. Having a good knowledge of various differences between Chinese and western thinking patterns will help us to get the initiative position in the international business negotiations. This paper compares and analyzes the different characteristics of Chinese and Western thinking modes from different perspectives, and discusses the different effects caused by the thinking differences on international business negotiations. Key words: thinking patterns; differences; effect; international business negotiation; 摘 要:国际商务谈判的成功是企业获取国际市场竞争力的前提,但是来自不同文化背景的人在谈判时往往会遇到各种障碍。其原因是多种多样的,而思维方式的不同应是一个重要因素。理解中西方的传统思维方式的各种差异有助于商务谈判者在谈判中赢得主动地位。本文从不同角度对比分析了中西两种思维方式的不同特点,并讨论了这些差异对国际商务谈判的各种不同影响。 关 键 词：思维方式；差异；影响；商务谈判OutlineI. IntroductionII. Effects of Integrative thinking and dispersing thinking on international negotiation 1. Integrative thinking and dispersing thinking 2. The effect of integrative thinking and dispersing thinking on international negotiation 2.1 Induction and deduction 2.2 Group consciousness and individualism 2.3 Ambiguity and precisionIII. Effects of perceptual intuition thinking and rational logical thinking on international negotiation 1. Perceptual intuition thinking and rational logical thinking 2. The effect of perceptual intuition thinking and rational logical thinking on international negotiationIV. Effects of spiral thinking and linear thinking on international negotiation 1. Spiral thinking and linear thinking 2. The effect of spiral thinking and linear thinking on international negotiationV. ConclusionI. Introduction Since China entered into the WTO 13 years ago, China has achieved good performance in its economic field. For Chinese enterprises, China is still full of opportunities and challenges during the next five years. At the same time, it is only the beginning of the trail, because China will really face the competition from all over the world after the end of the transition period. In order to obtain the competitive strength in the international market, enterprises must achieve numerous successful negotiations. However, the thinking style of each nation is different, and thinking differences tend to be the main stumbling blocks to successful international business negotiations. For example, an American negotiator may only pay attention to the friendly smile on his opponent negotiators face but get nothing of the opponents real thoughts. For another example, when Americans meet each other for the first time, they are willing to communicate, but they will not reveal their secrets easily. While once establishing cooperative relations, a Japanese negotiator will communicate with his opponent unreservedly. Therefore, in many cases, having a correct understanding of the different thinking patterns between Chinese and Western negotiators is a key point on the success of an international business negotiation. II. Effects of Integrative thinking and dispersing thinking on international negotiation The differences of integrative thinking and dispersing thinking can reflect in the differences between Chinese and Western negotiations. In the negotiations, Chinese businessmen like to reach an agreement on major target, then discussing the details. While the Western businessmen think that the details are the foundation, and the problems will be solved easily when the details are clear, and the final agreement is a series of settlement of the details. They tend to solve the problems of the price, delivery, warranty and contract and other issues one by one with every problem having concessions and commitments; however, the oriental culture attaches importance to have the whole discussion of all issues. Usually they will make the concessions when it gets to the end of the negotiations, then it may come to a series of agreements even contract signing. The different thinking patterns of Chinese and western negotiators often make it difficult to communicate with each other. 1. Integrative thinking and dispersing thinkingChinese semi closed continental environment and self-subsistence peasant economy made an ingrained idea of Chinese traditional thinking pattern, i.e., “harmony between man and nature in a view of the universe”. “Harmony between man and nature” means that man and nature are interfacing, which emphasizes the harmonious relationship between man and nature. These kinds of holistic thinking puts all things to one network, with the relationships being taken into account, rather than separates the whole into several parts or analyze them one by one. This kind of thinking pattern emphasizes the unity of diversity and harmony of opposite things. Therefore, Chinese advocates if you know yourself and your enemy well, youll never be defeated instead of the from point to area, overgeneralization and “one-side view” of problems, and it also prevents the consequence of the endless attention to tress at the expense of forests. While the westerners regard the living environment as external factor, so they divide the subject (human) and the object (nature) into two different parts and admit the opposition of man and nature, and then they explore from this aspect. Therefore, westerners focus on in-depth and detailed analysis and rigorous reasoning, and study the essence of things through the phenomenon; and form the developed abstract thinking pattern and rigorous logical reasoning method and meticulous division of disciplines. So their thinking styles are with dispersion. 2. The effect of integrative thinking and dispersing thinking on international negotiationThe characteristics of the oriental integrative thinking pattern and the western dispersion thinking pattern also determine that the Chinese and western negotiators may have differences in following aspects in the process of negotiations. 2.1 Induction and Deduction The overall thinking is based on intuitive judgments. It understands things through the integration of a series of images, and seizes things nature, features, functions and their relationship in a whole. Therefore, Chinese value overall grasp rather than undervalue partial analysis and are well at induction, but not at abstract thinking. “Induction is an important means for Chinese to understand the world. For example, Confuciuss benevolence , Lao tses philosophy of “Tao, Mo-tses universal love and Non-offence” are all the summaries of induction. However, for it is based on experience, people will add subjective factors in the operation of the process inevitably, then the objectivity could be affected because its judgment is based on the “conscience” rather than “reason”. Therefore, Chinese negotiators are not good at analyzing, judging or reasoning in certain affairs with a dispassionate attitude. Whats more, they may make a decision with some subjective factors. While the westerners are full of the spirit of the reason and are accustomed to observing the world in an analyzing way, and they are full of the spirit of the reason. But their anatomical methods used to analyze such things is divided into many parts for careful studies, and it often affects macro-control of people for things, so it makes people know this but do not know that and fail to see the wood for the trees. In this aspect, the isolation of western medicine department is a very good example. And detailed division of labor may lead people to know more details and may also allow people to study a problem with static, isolated and one-sided view attitude. Therefore, western negotiators may have a very thorough understanding and profound insight in some aspects, but they are often lack of abilities of grasping things in a whole. 2.2 Group consciousness and individualism The concept of harmony between man and nature emphasizes the social harmony and stability, praises the group consciousness and collective value, advocates the life philosophies of being modest and polite and reconciling themselves to their situation “and content being happiness; the pursuit of personal development is regarded as the seek to prevail over others, and it also might be regarded as the bird “who should be “shot. But this kind of thinking pattern can contribute to deal with multiple relations effectively, especially the interpersonal relationship, and brings about the social harmony. Although this kind of harmony is lack of equality and democracy consciousness, even suppresses the development of the human personality, this point often makes the western negotiators feel sick in the negotiations. Generally speaking, in order to avoid conflicting, Chinese negotiators will not put forward different views directly for the sake of group harmony and also try to avoid being the bird and the possibility to undertake personal responsibility, sometimes the negotiators will make decisions together. It not only extends the negotiation time, also increases the degree of difficulty for the western representative to deal with the relationship of negotiators. Correspondingly, the open environment of western and dispersing thinking pattern breed an export business culture. As for thinking patterns and actions, they are active, changeable and different from others, and they emphasize human rights and personal value of life. Individualists advocates “coming and going freely” and “ self-centeredness ” in communication, and their communicational words are direct for their own purposes, they will not hesitate to use various persuasive techniques and show their initiative confidence in the negotiations. In the American negotiating team, the delegation is generally at a small scale. Usually the key decision makers in a negotiation are only one or two persons, and they have the right to make a decision at once before reporting to the company. But their negotiating group is a loose group, each member can talk their own opinions freely and loosely when they dispute in the negotiation. Unlike the Chinese negotiating team, only the chief representative give opinions but other members support them fully. Western negotiators often do not agree with others easily, they would like to be different, and even dare to challenge the previous, wise, authoritative sayings and conclusions. 2.3 Ambiguity and precision In order to grasp the overall features of things, Chinese traditional thinking pattern shows ambiguity. A concept can often be defined into several different meanings. This kind of thinking pattern makes people ignore the quantitative analysis of things they deal with, but only focus on qualitative judgments and grasp its overall characteristics. However, Westerners love science, advocate rationality and pursue stringency, clarity and certainty of thinking activities. The concept used to think is single-phase, and each concept has a proper definition whose connotation and denotation are very clear. For example, when adding condiment, “a little amount” is frequently used, but how much is “a little”. However, in the west, the amount of condiment is set by a measuring cup with a balance scale. About the opinion of what is “good or bad, Chinese negotiators focus on related products or services and they are concerned about the problem of quality, while western negotiators like to judge how much good “is, or how far to be good, so they are concerned about the problem of quantity. Westerners will prepare accurate data before negotiation in order to make decisions flexibly and briefly. They tend to write the terms of the contract as specific as possible, especially the responsibilities of both sides and the claim content in order to prevent future disputes. But Chinese believe that since the two sides have reached an agreement, they will act with united strength. Even if they cannot do as the contract requires, they also can renegotiate the terms of cooperation.III. Effects of perceptual intuition thinking and rational logical thinking on international negotiation Westerners advocate rationalism and logicality. Bette Newtons classical physics and Einsteins theory of relativity fully embody their logic and reason. Bacons knowledge is power encourages westerners to use rational, logical and critical attitude towards things. Western thinking pattern emphasizes on the objective and dispassionate scientific attitude towards the world, pursues the objective validity of knowledge. They derive the unknown from the known, and think with certain procedures. Therefore, their concepts are clear, and reasoning is correct and the conclusion is logical. The advantage of this kind of thinking pattern is consolidating at every step”, but the disadvantage is its lack of imagination. 1. Perceptual intuition thinking and rational logical thinking Chinese traditional thinking, based on experience, grasps the essence and laws of cognitive objections as a whole perceptually, then understands more things including their classified contact and significant meaning. This is a kind of vague and direct cognitive style, satisfied with the summary of experience and the description of the phenomenon, but it does not pursues the speculative philosophy behind the phenomenon of the nature of things. This intuition empirical thinking pattern focuses on the use of mode and analogy, i.e., it begins with a basic model, through the paradoxical movement of a series of image combinations and intuitive judgments, gradually expands and deepens, finally approaches the essential meaning. The thinking mechanism maintains direct contact to life, not developing to the analysis judgment of abstract thinking. According to it, human beings are in a phenomenon world which cannot be analyzed, but only be felt. Lao zi said, the great dignity is similar to the water, the ideal state of benefaction is to nurture universe without scrambling for fame and fortune for itself. Lao zi used water to describe the noble character, but this direct perception is no rigorous proof. Chinese also often said, Every flow must have its ebb and the sea admits hundreds of rivers for its capacity to hold; the reason for the cliff being so great firmness is that it can stand highly enough without any selfish desire , and so on. In fact, there is no necessary link between the person and the moon, the sea and the wall. It is just a simple analogy. We should admit that the perceptual intuition that the concept of life is the product of self-examination blocks people to use objective and assiduous attitude to explore the mysteries of the world, and hinders the development of clear rational thinking. Secondly, Chinese with traditional perceptual intuition thinking pattern understand and judge the world based on the standard of ethics, aesthetics and political orientation. This is a kind of value judgment thinking pattern, but not logical thinking pattern. This kind of thinking pattern emphasizes the subjective initiative, but at the same time, it is limited by the emotion instead of rationality. It can explain why Chinese always appoint people through alternative modes-“by favoritism or “by their merit, while the westerners appoint people only on their merit. 2. The effect of perceptual intuition thinking and rational logical thinking on international negotiation Chinese perceptual intuition thinking pattern and western logical thinking pattern also embody in negotiators speech and deportment: the westerners are sagacious when they are in a negotiation, but Chinese are straightforward in it. Moreover, the Confucius views the purpose of learning is not just for knowledge itself, but also for application ability. It is a typical product of pragmatic thinking. While in the West from Plato to Aristotle, they both refuse to regard sense intuition as knowledge, but only admit the rational knowledge. They pay attention to the pure theory of knowledge. Therefore, Chinese use image thinking pattern, emphasizing the idea from image, edifying beauty from truth. Their negotiations are full of value judgment. While the Westerners with abstract thinking pattern emphasize the concept analysis and logical reasoning, that is, the fact without any value emotion. So in the negotiations, they are usually not affected by the emotional factors, and without considering others feeling.IV. Effects of spiral thinking and linear thinking on international negotiations Through a series of analysis of students on different mother tongue, American language scholar Robert Kaplan (1966) proposed the influence of cultural thinking on the mode of discourse. He thought that the Oriental peoples thinking is spiral and Western thinking is linear. 1. Spiral thinking and line