浅析跨文化商务谈判的中西方思维方式差异-文学学士毕业论文

AbstractAsChineseeconomyshinesonthestage,especiallyafterenteringtheWTO,manyofChinaimportandexportinternationalbusinesscompaniesfacemoreandmorebusinessnegotiations.Duringanegotiation,bothsideshopetoobtainthemaximumbenefit,withminimumconflictandinterest.Therefore,inordertoeffectthenegotiationeffectivelyandgainthewin-winsituationforbothparties,wemusthaveathoroughunderstandingofdifferentcultures.Throughanalyzingthedifferencesincross-culturemodesofthinking,wecandistinguishthenegotiationstylesandskillsofdifferentcultures.Byelaboratingtheimportanceofmodesofthinkingonthecross-culturalnegotiationandanalyzingthedifferentmodesofthinkingbetweenChinaandtheWestandtheircauses,thisthesistriestoputforwardsomecountermeasurestoimprovetheefficiencyincross-culturalbusinessnegotiation,suchasfullpreparationforthenegotiation,cultivationofcross-culturalawarenessandsoon.Keywords:cross-culturalbusinessnegotiation;modesofthinking;strategies中文摘要随着中国的经济在世界大舞台上越来越活跃，尤其是在中国加入世贸组织之后，许多中国进出口国际企业面临了越来越多的商务谈判了。在谈判的过程中，双方都希望以最少的冲突和成本，获得最大的利益。因此，为了使谈判更有效地进行并让双方都达到了双赢的局面。我们必须对不同的文化有一个全面的了解，分析在商务谈判中跨文化思维方式的差异，区别各种文化的谈判方式和技巧。本文通过阐释思维方式对跨文化商务谈判的重要性，分析中西各种思维方式的差异及其产生的原因，提出相应的对策来提高跨文化对谈判的充分准备，培养跨文化的意识等。关键词：跨文化商务谈判；思维方式；策略1.Introduction1.1Thedefinitionofmodeofthinkingincross-culturalbusinessnegotiationModeofthinkingisthegeneralizationofobjectiverealityandtheindirectreflectionwiththehelpofhumanbeing’swordsandactivities.Modeofthinkingreflectsthesubstantivecharacteristicsandtheconnectionwiththings.Generalityandindirectionarethefeaturesofmodeofthinking.Thegeneralityofmodeofthinkingisthereflectiontotheintrinsicqualityandtheregularconnectionwiththethings.Inotherwords,theprocessofconnectingthethingswiththesamefeatures.Theindirectionofmodeofthinkingisthehumanbrainreflectionoftheobjectivethingsbymeansofotherthings,namely,thehumanbrainreflectsthethingwhichcouldnotbesawdirectlywiththehelpofsomemediumandthebrainprocessing. Withthehelpofmodeofthinking,humanbeingscouldnotonlyknowthepresent,butalsogobacktothehistoryandforeseethefuture.Bymeansofmodeofthinking,humanbeingscanfindthetruthandtestthetruthinpractice.Bythecompletedynamicmodeofthinkingprocessofanalyzing,synthesizing,comparing,abstracting,generalizinganddetailing,thedevelopmentprogressofhumanbeingsisdeliberating,andthehumancivilizationwhichmakesupofdifferenttimes,differentareas,differentsocietiesanddifferentethnicgroupsiscreated. Modeofthinkinginbusinessnegotiationisthebehaviorsofthenegotiatorsacquaintedthemselveswithobjectivethingsrationallyduringthebusinessnegotiation,anditistheindirectandgeneralreflectionofthenegotiators’attitudestowardsthenegotiationstandards,thenegotiationenvironmentandthecounterpartsbehaviors.1.2.Thedefinitionofcross-culturalbusinessnegotiation Negotiationisakindofbasichumanactivitythatweareinvolvedineveryday.Itisaprocessofgivingandtakingwherebothpartiesmodifytheiroffersandexpectationsinordertocomeclosertoeachother.Itoccursduetooneofthetworeasons:(1)tocreatesomethingnewthatneitherpartycoulddoonhisorherown,or(2)toresolveaproblemordisputebetweentheparties.Amoderndefinitionofnegotiationwidelyacceptedistwoormorepartieswithcommonandconflictinginterestswhoenterintoaprocessofinteractionwiththegoalofreachinganagreement(preferablyofmutualbenefit).Businessnegotiationreferstothenegotiationthattakesplaceinthebusinessworldanddealswithbusinessrelationship.Businessnegotiationmaybeunderstoodasencountersbetweenfirms(oreconomicorganizations)withthegoalofreachingagreementstogaineconomicbenefits.A

Cross-culturalbusinessnegotiations,namely,cross-culturalcommunications”,whichreferstothatpeoplefromdifferentculturalbackgroundscommunicatewitheachother”.Beside，cross-culturalcommunicationsaresignificantcommunicativesymbols,especiallythemeaningofsharingandsignificanceofsymbols.Itisamutualinfluentprocessandatleasthastwogroupscomefromdifferentcultures.Thus,cross-culturalcommunicationshavefivecoreassumptions,asfollow:a)Includingculturalgroupswithdifferencesofvarieddegreesb)Includingreal-timeencodinganddecodingoftheinformationbetweenverbalandnon-verbalcommunicationprocess;c)Containingtheconflictingoodfaith;d)Alwayshappeninginaspecificcontext;e)Alwayshappeningattheexistingsystem.BecauseofthecomplexityofCross-culturalcommunication,Larry(2002)pointedoutthathumanbeingsneedtolearnotherpeople’sperspectivetowatchtheworld,makethechoicecarefullyofusingwhatkindofculturalperspectivetoobserveandjudge,andtrytousedifferentwaystoachieveaharmoniousinteraction.1.3.Theimportanceofmodeofthinkingincross-culturalbusinessnegotiationUnderthesamecircumstances,eachindividualinoneculturemaythinkinaslightlydifferentwayonthesamequestion.Furthermore,thesameindividualmayalsothinkinaslightlydifferentwayinthesamequestionunderdifferentcircumstances.Itconcludeslinearandlinkagemodesofthinking.Theymakeimpactsonnegotiatingstylesandtheresultofthenegotiation.Therefore,itissomewhatimportanttolocalizeinternationalbusinessnegotiations,learntothinkonthesideofothers,andpromotemutualunderstanding.Throughtheeliminationofculturalbarriers,thefavorableculturalconditionscanbecreatedbytheconcernedeffortssothatbusinessnegotiationscanbeeffectivelycarriedout.2.LiteratureReviewCross-culturalnegotiationsistheinteractions,typicallyinbusiness,thatoccurbetweenvariouscultures.Thesenegotiationsaretypicallyviewedasoccurringbetweenvariousnations,butcross-culturalstudiescanalsooccurbetweendifferentcultureswithinthesamenation,suchasbetweenEuropean-AmericansandNativeAmericans.Astheworldbecomesmoreandmoreinterdependentasaresultintheexpansionofglobalizationandinternationalbusinessrelations,cross-culturalnegotiationsarebecomingacommonfeatureinbusinessandpoliticaltransactions.Thisbeingthecase,understandinghowcross-culturalnegotiationsoccurisanimportantskilltohave.Thus,therehasbeenanabundanceofresearchandliteratureconductedandwrittenonthetopic.Whatfollowsisabriefreviewofthecurrentliteratureavailableonthetopicofcross-culturalnegotiations.Curry,Jeffrey,Edmund(1999):AShortCourseinInternationalNegotiating,WorldTradePress,thisbookmainlyfocusonsomefactorsincross-culturalnegotiation,otherwises,Mitchell,Charles(2000):AShortCourseinInternationalBusinessCulture,WorldTradePress,whichisconcentratedonthetopicoftheculture.Andmystudyonthisdissertationaimsatcombiningthetwotopicintoonesoastogetabetterandprofoundunderstandingincross-culturalbusinessnegotiation.3.VariousKindsofDifferentModesofThinkingbetweenChineseandtheWesternersinCross-culturalBusinessNegotiation3.1.DifferencebetweenindividualismandcollectivismIndividualismreferstothedoctrinethattherightsoftheindividualarethemostimportantonesinasociety.Mostwesternersbelievethateachpersonhashisownseparateidentityandpersonality,whichshouldberecognizedandreinforced.Therefore,onecannotcomprehendthewesternanditspeoplewithoutunderstandingindividualism.Onlywiththecognitionofindividualismcanweunderstandhowwesternersconceptualizefamily,friendships,andprivacy.Thecoreofindividualismisthepursuitofpersonalachievements.Itishighlyvalued,earnestlybelievedandwellappreciatedasafundamentalsocialvirtue.InChristianitytraditions,individualsareimportantnotonlytoeachother,butalsotothesocietyandGod.Individualismhasbeenhandeddownfromtheirancestors.Therefore,towesterners,individualismisnotselfishnessbutrathervirtue.Theyemphasizeindividualismsomuchthattheybelievethattheremustbesomethingwrongwithsomeonewhofailstodemonstrateindividualism.Theylikethesentence“Godhelpsthosewhohelpthemselves.”HowevertoChinesepeople,theword“individualism”isrelatedtothederogatorymeaningasegoism,whichrepresentsselfishnessinqualityandloosenessindiscipline.IntraditionalChinesebeliefs,esp.inConfucianism,collectivismisappreciated.Itemphasizescooperationamonggroupmembersandindividualsuccessisduetothecollectiveeffortofthestaffinaunit,anorganizationoracommunity.ThesacrificeofindividualinterestforthatofthecollectiveisanoblequalityeulogizedsomuchbyChinesepeoplethatbeingmodestandthoughtfulofothersarehighlypraised.3.2.DifferencebetweenconsensusanddecisivenessindecisionmakingWhenlockedinnegotiationsitisimportanttotakeintoconsiderationthedifferencesinthedecision-makingprocessbetweencultures.Insomecultureswherepowerisdecentralized(UnitedStates,Australia)decisionscanbemadequickly---andoftenbyasingleindividual.However,incultureswithcollectivistvalues(Japan,China),decisionsaremadebyconsensusandcantakelonger.(However,implementationofdecisionsisquickerincollectivist’sculturesasopposedtoindividualisticculturesthatoftendemandtherighttoquestionthedecisionhandeddown.)ConsidertheexamplesoftheUnitedStatesandJapanwherevaluesandculturalinfluencesplayamajorroleinthedecision-makingprocess.Thecontrastbeginswiththebasicobjectivesabusinessdecisionismeanttoachieve.InChinathatobjectiveispreservationofgroupharmony.IntheUnitedStatesitisusuallymaximumprofitoroperatingefficiency.Nowconsideradecisionastowhetherornottobuyoutacompetitor,say,inthesteel-makingindustry.InChina,wheredecision-makingisdecentralized,theprocesswouldbeabottom-upone.IntheUnitedStatesitiscentralizedandtop-down.TheChinesewillstartwithtryingtodefinethequestionorproblem,beginningwithinputfromthelowerranks---thepeoplewhomaybedirectlyaffectedbythedecision.Fromtheselowergroups,thedecisionispassedupwardsorlaterallyuntiliteventuallyreachesseniormanagementwhoarealreadyawareoftheconsensusbuiltfrombelow.KeepinginmindthattheChineseobjectiveispreservationofgroupharmony,thequestionwouldbeframedasadecisiontotheimpactonthecompany’scurrentemployeesandthoseofthefirmtobepurchased.Oncecompleted,themergerwouldgofairlysmoothlybecausetheconsensuscamefromthebottomupandworkers,notwishingtodisturbgroupharmony,workhardtomakeitsuccessful. IntheUnitedStates,seniormanagementwouldbegintheprocess,notbydefiningtheproblem,butratherbyseekingasolutiontothequestionofhowtomaximizeprofitfromthisacquisition.Therouteofthedecisionispurelytop-down.KeepinginmindthattheAmericanobjectiveiseconomicefficiency;theproblemisframedasoneofmaximizingresourcesandreturnoncapital.Thedecisionwouldbeobjectiveandimpersonal.Ifmaximizingefficiencyinvolveslayoffsatbothcompanies,sobeit.Theworkershadnoinputonthedecisionandwillquestionwhatisinitforthemiftheygoalong.3.3.DifferentvaluesbetweenChineseandwesternersincross-culturalbusinessnegotiationTheconceptofChinesevaluesisoftenconsciouslyorunconsciouslyplacedinoppositionwithWesternvalues.Therefore,itisnecessarytodeterminehowpeopledefineWesternvalues.SomehavestatedthatthemodernWesternvaluesystemoriginatedinVictorianEngland,anddescribeitassocialnormsandbehaviorscommoninEuropeanpeopleduringthattime.ThecoreofWesternvaluesisindividualism.DavidHitchcockdescribedWesternvaluesfromaChineseperspective.Hesaidthat,fromtheChineseviewpoint,Westernvalueshavethreelevels:1)physicallevel–science,technology,business,publicadministration,andmoderncapitalisteconomics;2)conceptuallevel–equalopportunity,theroleoflaw;andtimemanagement;and3)corevalues–opendebate,equality,balanceofpower;freespeech,anddemocracy.ThecoreoftheChinesevaluehassomerelationshipwiththeConfucianism.TheethnicprincipleofConfucianismisitsdiscoveryoftheultimateinthemoralcharacterofhumanrelationshipsinwhichConfuciusofferedthesolutionfortheillsandevilsofhisdays.Thatisthewell-knownFiveRelationships:ruler-minister,father-son,husband-wife,elder-youngerbrotherandfriend-friend.Thiswasexplainedas”Thereshouldbeaffectionbetweenfatherandson,righteoussenseofdutybetweenrulerandminister,divisionoffunctionbetweenmanandwife,stratificationbetweenoldandyoung,andgoodfaithbetweenfriends.”Duringthemorethantwothousandyearsofthefeudalperiod,therulingclassarrangeseverythingbythisrelationship,andthenformedaclasssociety.Inthiskindofsociety,aministerowesloyaltytohisruler,andachildfilialrespecttohisparent.Theresultisthehumanityisneglectedandpeoplehavenoequality.DifferentfromChina,intheRenaissanceperiodofEngland,peoplebegantoemphasizethedignityofhumanbeingsandtheimportanceofthepresentlife,theyvoicedtheirbeliefsthatmandidnotonlyhavetherighttoenjoythebeautyoftheirlife,butalsohavetheabilitytoperfectthemselvesandperformwonders.ThisistherudimentofHumanism.Peoplebecamerespectthehumanityfromthenon.Andthendevelopintotheideasofwhatwealwayssaidfreedom,democracy.Today,takeAmericansforinstance;thetoppersonalvalueswereself-reliance,hardwork,andatiebetweenachievingsuccessinlife,personalachievement,andhelpingothers.Hardwork,respectforlearning,honesty,andself-relianceweremostvaluedamongChinesepeople.Intermsofsocialvalues,thetopsixforAmericanswerefreedomofexpression,personalfreedom,rightsoftheindividual,opendebate;thinkingforoneself,andofficialaccountability.ThetopsixsocialvaluesforAsianpeopleweremaintenanceofanorderlysociety,harmony,accountabilityofpublicofficials,opennesstonewideas,freedomofexpression,andrespectforauthority.ThisstudyfindsthatunlikeAmericans,EastAsiansaregenerallymorerespectfulofauthorityandprizeanorderlysociety,howeverinconcurrencewiththeWest,Asianshonornewideas,officialaccountability,andfreeexpression.4.TheCausesofDifferentModesofThinkingbetweenChineseandWesternersinCross-culturalBusinessNegotiationIninternationalbusinesssettings,thedevelopmentofthenegotiationprocessandhowpartiesperceivetherelationshiparecrucial.Andmodeofthinkingplaysimportantrolesinthisprocess,whichisinfluencedbysomefactsandfactorsbeyondthenegotiationprocessinquestion.Culturaldifferenceisoneofthemostimportantfactors.Cultureisamajordeterminantofstrategiesandtacticsininternationalbusinessnegotiations,becausenegotiationsinvolvecommunication,time,andpowerandthesevariablesdifferacrosscultures.Culturaldifferencescreateachallengetothenegotiatorsinvolved,anddemandunderstandingaswellasflexibility.Anabilitytoassessthesedifferencesandproperlyhandletheconsequencesisessentialforsuccessininternationalbusinessnegotiations.4.1.PersonalspaceOurpersonalspace,thepieceoftheuniverseweoccupyiscontainedwithinaninvisibleboundarysurroundingourbody.EdwardHall’sworkhasdemostratedclearlythatculturesdiffersubstantiallyintheiruseofpersonalspace.Culturesthatstressindividualismgenerallydemandmorespacethandocommunalcultures.Aculture’suseofspaceisdirectlylinkedtoitsvaluesystem.Forexample,inwesterncountrieshusbandandwifesharetheirpersonalspace,theywalksidebysideinthestreet,butinArabcountries,husbandalwayswalkaheadoftheirwives,evenatthedinnertable,husbandandwifedonotsittogether.Inthosecountries,aman’spersonalspaceishisalone.InsomeMiddleEasternandAsiacountries,youwillseeitisverycrowedinbuses,banksandotherpublicplaces,fortheseculturesdemandverylittlesocietydistance.Theyhaveuniqueorientationstowardsspaceandprivacy.Amixingoftheseorientationscancausecommunicationproblems.InChina,manypublicplacessuchasbankhasonemeterline,butChinesedon'talwayspayattentiontoit.IfaWesternisinfrontofyouinabank,youpasstheonemeterlineandclosetohimorher,youmaycauseamisunderstanding,youwillbesaidtoinvadehispersonalspace.4.2TimeorientationTimeorientationreferstosomeculturespreferenceforalong-termorashort-termoutlookonlifeandwork(Rouses,2002).Someculturesaremuchmorefuture-orientedthanothers.Forexample,HongKong,JapanandTaiwanhaveafutureorientation.AttheotherendofthecontinuumwefindthosesuchasPakistanandsomeWestAfricancultureswherethefocusismorepresentandpast-orientedthanorientedtowardsthefuture.Theseculturestendtohaveagreatrespectfortadition.Canada,Germany,andtheUnitedStatesareinthemiddle.ComparedtoNorthAmericanandtheBritishtendtoemphasizethepastmuchmore.Timehasotherdimensions,too.Timehasbeencharacterizedby（Hall1987)aseithermonochromicorpolychromic.Monochromictimereferstothepreferenceinsomeculturesforonlydoingonethingatatime.Polychromictime,ontheotherhand,refersdoingorpayingattentiontomanythingsatonce(Rouses,2002). Inculturescharacterizedasmonochromic,timeisassumedtobelinear.Itislikeanarrow,straightandclearlypointinginonedirection.Timeisdividedintosegmentsthatcanbemodularizedandscheduledsothatonlyonethingneedstobehandledatonetime.Anychangeorturbulenceinthissequencewillmakethesequentialpersonmoreuncertain.Timeisperceivedasaresourcethatcanbespentandsaved,wastedorlost,andlatenessdeprivestheotherpreciousminutesinaworldwhere“timeismoney”.ManywesternculturessuchasthoseofGermany,Canada,theUnitedStatesandtheScandinaviancountriestendtobepredominantlymonochromiccultures.Forexample,Americanstendtomaketheirschedulesverytight,squeezingalotofactivitiesintothintimeslots.Itisrudetobeevenafewminuteslatebecausethewholeday’sscheduleofeventsisaffected.Polychromicculturesperceivetimeintheoppositeway.Peopleholdacyclicalviewoftimeandconductvariousactivitiesinparallel.Manythingscananddohappenatthesametime.Theytendtoputmoreimportanceoncompletingtheircurrentbusinessorcommunicationthaninterminatingitabruptlyinordertostartthenext.Planschangefrequentlyandrelativelyeasilycomparedtomonochromiccultures.ManyLatinAmericanculturesarecharacterizedbyatendencytowardspolychromictime.Interestingly,accordingto(Hall1987),Japaneseculturetendstobedividedbetweenmonochromictimethatisusedwhendealingwithforeigners,andpolychromictimethatisinvokedwhendealingwithotherJapanese.4.3.InterpersonalrelationshipThisculturaldimensiondealswiththemannerinwhichpeoplepresentthemselvestoothers.Onthenegotiatingtable,Chinesepeople,astheyputastrongemphasisonmaintainingrelationships,areexpectedtobeparticularlymotivatedtoprotectfaceofothersaswellasbeconcernedthattheirownfacebeaccepted.Giventhissensitivity,theyseekharmonyandcommunicatethattheyrespectpartnersascapableandworthy.Theircollectivismingeneralandtheirunderstandingofsocialfaceleadthemtobehesitantaboutengaginginaggressiveinteractionthatmaychallengethefaceofothers.Theyregardconflictandconfrontationasunpleasantandundesirable.Sotheywanttoavoidconflictand,onceengaged,usecompromiseandaccommodationtodealwithconflict.Ontheotherhand,thepeopleoftheUnitedStates,valuefranknessandfreedomofexpression.Forexample,Americancultureisknownforitsassertiveandaggressivecommunicationstylebecauseithasalonghistoryofvaluingnon-conformity,individualism,competition,andfreedomofexpressionisboundtoencourageassertivebehavior. Duringnegotiation,ifconflictarises,aggressivebehaviorsfromeitherpartycandamagethefaceoftheother.Notgivingfacetoapersonisperceivedasdenyingthatperson’sprideanddignity.Inaddition,theadoptionofface-givingandface-savingbehaviorsinconflictsituationsisvaluedasameanstomaintainasenseofharmony.4.4NationalismSincetheancientChina,thenationformofChinaisbasedsolelyontheHannationality.WhatwesaidsocialetiquettestandardsarealsobasedsolelyonTheHannationality.TheHannationalitydevelopedtheirprivitiesinthelanguageexpressionandsocialcontactduringthecommonlifeandworkoftheirforefathersinthehistory.Justasubtlefacialexpressionoraslightactioncanexpresssomemeanings.Peoplecanunderstandwhatyouwanttosaywhenyousayhalfofyoucommentorjustsayalittlethings.Sopeopledonotneedtosayalltheirintentionwhentheyexpresstheirownfeelings.Whileinwestern,taketheAmericaforinstance;Americaisaimmigrantcountrywhichhasmorethan2hundredyearshistory.However,peopleinAmericastillcannotreachprivities.Theymustexpressclearlywhattheythought,want.Onlybythiswaycantheothersunderstandverywell.Sotheirlanguagemustspeakoutwhattheyhavetosay.5.TheStrategiesofSolvingtheProblemsofDifferentModesofThinkingbetweenChineseandWesternersinCross-culturalBusinessNegotiation5.1.FullpreparationThemostcriticalphaseforaninternationalventureisthefirstnegotiationandthusextensivepreparationiscritical.Alearn-as-you-goapproachcanbedeadly.Herearesomenegotiatingpreparationtipsgivenby(Mitchell,Charles,2000:212):(a).Itisessentialtounderstandtheimportanceofrankintheothercountry;toknowwhothedecisionmakersare;tobefamiliarwiththebusinessstyleoftheforeigncompany;andtoknowtheissueswell.(b).Prioritizewhatismostimportant—yourneeds—andseparatethesepointsfromthosethatarelessimportant—yourwants.Thiswillallowyoutofocusonwhatismostimportanttoyouontheagenda.(c).Consultrecenthistory.Whatworkedinthepastforyouorothersinyourcompanyinspecificnegotiatingcircumstancesmayjustworkagain.(d).Developaprofileofyournegotiatingopponents.(e).Aretheytask-drivenorrelationship-driven?(f).Howdotheyprocessinformation?Aretheyfromahigh-contextorlow-contextculture?Whataretheimportantissuesintheirculture?(g).Whatroledoestheconceptof“face”playinyourcounterpart’sculture?(h).Whataretheirtimehorizons?(i).Istheircommunicationstyledirectorindirect?(j).Aretheyzerosumthinkersorisawin-winstrategypossible?(k).Isaformalagreementexpectedormoranagreementinprinciple?(l).Knowtheirdecision-makingprocess.Isitbyconsensus?Orisitindividualistic?Howrisk-adverseistheirculture?(m).Developanideaofthepersonalstyleofyourmainnegotiatingcounterparts.Aretheyaggressive?Passive?Egodriven?Dotheyrelyonintimidation?Stubborn,arrogant?Intobrinkmanship?Istheindividualcompetitiveorcooperative?Talkwithyourteamaboutwhattraitstheyobserve.Everynegotiatingteammustenterwithacleargoalofwhattheywantoutofthenegotiationsandastrategyforobtainingit.Understandthenatureofagreementsinthecountry,thesignificanceofgestures,andnegotiatingetiquette.(a).Becauseofthedifficultiesofcross-culturalcommunicationitisessentialthatyoupresentyourargumentsinaclearanduncomplicatedmanner.Usesimplelanguage.(b).Preparealistofpotentialpositionstheothersidemaytake.Thistypeofrehersalwillensurethatyouwon’tbesurprisedandthatyouwillhaveanalternatestrategyformostpossibilities.(c).Bepreparedtotakeadvantageofyourpositionifyouarethebuyerorinvestor.Conversely,recognizetherelativestrengthofasellingposition.(d).Persuade,don’tdebate.Adebatewillnotmoveyouclosertoyourgoals.Persuadingtheothersidewill.(e).Allowtheothersidetomakethefirstmove.Thiswayyoucanjudgetheleveloftheaspirationsoftheotherside.Ifyouopenfristyoumayendupgivingmorawaythannecessary.(f).Bepreparedtowalkawayfromadeal.Often,nodealisbetterthanabaddeal.5.2.Cultivationofcross-culturalawarenessNegotiatingintheinternationalenvironmentisahugechallengeforanynegotiator.Howdowecopewiththeculturaldifferences?WhatapproachismoreefficientandproperwhendealingwithChinese,AmericansorGermans?Therearesomeveryhelpfulguidelineswecanapply:5.2.1.Learntheotherside’scultureItisveryimportanttoknowthecommonestbasiccomponentsofourcounterpart’sculture.It’sasignofrespectandawaytobuildtrustandcredibilityaswellasadvantagethatcanhelpustochoosetherightstrategiesandtacticsduringthenegotiation.Ofcourse,it’simpossibletolearnanothercultureindetailwhenwelearnatshortnoticethataforeigndelegationisvisitingintwoweeks’time.Thebestwecandoistotrytoidentifyprincipalinfluencesthatforeignculturemayhaveonmakingthedeal.5.2.2.Don’tstereotypeMakingassumptionscancreatedistrustandbarriersthatexposebothyourandtheotherside’sneeds,positionsandgoals.Thewayweviewotherpeopletendstobereservedandcautious.Weusuallyexpectpeopletotakeadvantagesofasituation,andduringthenegotiationstheothersideprobablythinksthesameway,especiallywhenthereisalackoftrustbetweencounterparts.Insteadofgeneralising,weshouldmakeanefforttotreateveryoneasindividuals.Findtheotherside’svaluesandbeliefsindependentlyofvaluesandbeliefscharacteristicofthecultureorgroupbeingrepresentedbyyourcounterpart.5.2.3.FindwaystobridgetheculturegapApartfromadoptingtheotherside’sculturetoadjusttothesituationandenvironment,wecanalsotrytopersuadetheothersidetouseelementsofourownculture.Insomesituationsitis