论文总字数：36396字

摘 要

随着中美贸易关系的改善，两国之间的商务交流变得更加频繁，因而文化差异在这一过程中所起的作用不容忽视。本文以商务谈判技巧研究的理论为基础，分析中美两国在商务谈判中体现出的文化差异，旨在提高中美两国商务谈判效率。本文从商务谈判的定义入手，分析影响中美商务谈判的文化因素，从中美谈判者的谈判风格，礼仪和禁忌三个方面分析，继而探讨提高中美商务谈判效率应遵循的策略以及如何应对商务谈判中的僵局。在中美商务谈判中恰当地处理文化差异可以带来双赢的结果。

关键词：文化差异；中美商务；谈判策略

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 1

2.1 The definition of business negotiation 2

2.2 Characteristics of business negotiation 2

2.3 Overview of Sino-US cultural differences 3

3. The Influence of Cultural Differences on Sino-US Business Negotiation 5

3.1 Cultural differences influence Sino-US business negotiation in different ways 5

3.2 Negotiating style, etiquette and taboo of American businessmen 6

3.3 Negotiating style, etiquette and taboo of Chinese businessmen 7

3.4 Risks of business negotiation result from cultural differences 8

4. Strategies to Sino-US Business Negotiation 9

4.1 Language skills 10

4.2 Nonverbal communication skills 11

4.3 How to deal with negotiation deadlock 13

5. Conclusion 14

Works Cited 16

1. Introduction

With the development of economic globalization and frequent business contacts, cultural differences have become increasingly important in business negotiation. Once ignored cultural differences may increase misunderstandings between the negotiating parties, and can even break the negotiation. At present, China has become the largest trading partner of the United States along with a large number of disputes arising in Sino-US business negotiation. Therefore, in the process of Sino-US business negotiation, it is essential to learn each other’s culture and explore proper strategies to sidestep cultural clash.

For Sino-US business negotiation, culture difference is a very significant and complicated variable. Just as a former American representative from a corporation said“Our Chinese partners show a different culture value with us at the negotiating table. Compared with us, they have a totally different view on the contract or the agreement, the knowledge, software and standard of partner choosing. Therefore, negotiation between us often caught in a predicament.”(Brett 1)

The thesis specifically focuses on business negotiations between China and the United States, which analyzes the two countries’ difference in mindset, custom and etiquette that influence the negotiating process thus to put forward corresponding strategies to help negotiators deal with the cultural differences appeared at the negotiating table. This thesis is aimed to provide help for managers to break through culture boundary, strike a value added deal, resolve disputes and make decisions.

The paper starts from stating the definition of business negotiation, then analyzes cultural differences between China and the United States, afterwards discusses its influences on Sino-US business negotiation and finally presents multiple ways to settle business negotiation clashes result from the two countries’ cultural differences.

2. Literature Review

In an age of economic globalization, cross-cultural business negotiation is playing an increasingly important role in international business activities. Bai Yuan illustrates the fact that behind the international business contacts, there are numerous competitions and clashes, thus under such circumstances, resolving disputes and enhancing cooperation have become an unavoidable task for international business negotiation. Roy J. Lewicki and David M. Saunders point out several factors should be taken into consideration while negotiating with people coming from different culture background. Jeanne M. Brett shows how cultural differences of negotiating strategies closely combined with the cultural values in interpersonal communication, which not only limited to economic activities. Sun Ping puts forward strategies to international business negotiation based on cultural differences.

This paper specifically explores cultural differences between China and the United States that influence their business negotiation, and then strives to present some operational strategies to avoid disputes during negotiating process.

2.1 The definition of business negotiation

The word “negotiation” comes from the Latin word --negotium. It literally means that in order to coordinates the position of each party and the relations between them, the negotiating activities people carried out to reach an agreement that acceptable to every party. The word “negotiation” in English has the meaning of reaching an agreement through discussion, but it includes more information in Chinese, with a double meaning of “discussing”—the consultation between relevant parties as well as “judging”—to introduce a third party or a middleman to judge right or wrong.

Business negotiation is a complicated process of social communication and joint decision making. To serve their own interests and based on their control over resources and interests, negotiators will reach an agreement with the other party through communication to adjust, exchange, divide and safeguard their economic interests.(Wu and Chalom 2) Negotiation is an art, while business negotiation can best embody its artistic charm. In the process of international business negotiation, knowledge of multiple disciplines such as trade, science and technology, law, finance, philosophy, literature, speech and so on are frequently involved, flexible use of these knowledge plays a significant role in foreign economic engagement, business efficiency and economic benefits. (Yang 9)

2.2 Characteristics of business negotiation

One typical characteristic of business negotiation is that it sets economic interests as its goal. Different negotiators have different goals in participating a negotiation, as diplomatic negotiations involves national interests, political negotiation cares about the fundamental interests of political parties. While the goal of business negotiation is absolutely explicit, namely gaining economic interests. Only under the condition that the economic interests are met, other non-economic interests would be involved. A business negotiation would lose its value without stressing economic interests.

Another characteristic of business negotiation is that price is its core. Price always plays a core role in almost every business negotiation. This is because that through negotiation, the economic interests of relevant parties can directly show through price. (Yang 10) For instance, quality factor, different levels of products represent different quality, certainly means a different price. Another example is the factor of quantity, as lower price for larger quantity is people’s habitual practice.

What’s more, business negotiation emphasizes economic performance. Business negotiation itself is a kind of economic activity, while economic activity pursues economic performance. Compared with political and military negotiations, business negotiations focus more on this aspect.

Above mentioned are the characteristics of business negotiation. International business negotiation not only has these characteristics but also owns its specific nature, manifested in that people from various cultural backgrounds are different in value, thinking, behavior, language and customs, thus greatly increase the number of factors that influence negotiation.

2.3 Overview of Sino-US cultural differences

The most frequently researched area in international negotiation is culture, and Hofstede’s five dimensions theory finds that people from different cultural and social background are different in thinking pattern and behavior. The concept of culture has many different implications, but all the definitions include two important aspects: First, culture is a phenomenon based on group hierarchy, which means all the members of a group share a same belief, value and behavior expectation. Second, belief, value, behavior expectation and other common elements in culture are learned and passed to the new members of the group. Following are the top five cultural differences between China and the US:

2.3.1 Collectivism vs. individualism

Basically China values the community and the US values the individual. If you achieve something in the US, it"s because you were great. While in China, if you achieve something, it"s because the team, or family, or company is great. Everything you do gets attributed to the greater whole, while in America individual merits are celebrated.

2.3.2 Friends

Chinese people have different meanings to define friends. Just hanging out together from time to time is not friendship. Friendship means lifelong friends who feel deeply obligated to give each other whatever help might seem required. Americans always call people they meet friends, so the definition of friends is general and different. There are work friends, playing friends, school friends and drinking friends。

2.3.3 Money

As is known to all, the Chinese like to save money. They are always conservative when they are planning to spend money. It is different in the US, where far fewer families are saving money for emergencies and education than their Chinese counterparts.

2.3.4. Privacy

Chinese people do not share the same privacy concept with Americans. They talk about topics such as ages, income or marital status, which Americans think is annoying and intrusive.

2.3.5. Education

Chinese people value education and career more than Americans, who in turn put more emphasis on good character and faith.

3. The Influence of Cultural Differences on Sino-US Business Negotiation

Not only the negotiators’ personality and psychology will have an impact on the outcome of the negotiation, but also the negotiating habits and styles that formed under the influence of different culture values and state systems will have a profound influence on the negotiating result.

3.1 Cultural differences influence Sino-US business negotiation in different ways

Whether a negotiator sees a negotiation opportunity as distributive negotiation or integrative negotiation is influenced by his or her culture background. (Lewicki, Saunders and Barry 204) Distributive negotiation is a “zero-sum” game in that one gains only at the expense of others, whose purpose is to distribute a certain limited good. While the basic theoretical underpinning of integrative negotiation is that through cooperation, each actor gets more than he would get, if the actors fought each other. Negotiators from the United States would see a negotiation as a distributive one while Chinese negotiators would think it in another way.

Standards of choosing negotiators are diverse in different culture. These standards include knowledge, qualification, family background, gender, age, experience and social status. Different cultures attach emphasis to different standards, leading to different expectations to suitable negotiators in different types of negotiations. In China, establishing a relationship with the other negotiating party at the early stage of negotiating process is very important and choosing an appropriate negotiator will be of great help to the negotiation. However, in the United States, negotiators do not care much about personal relationships.

It is important to be aware of that culture makes the negotiating etiquette or the relationship between negotiating parties different. American culture never bound by any form, an amicable communication style is common to see. For instance, American people call another’s name without adding family name and title, which is a striking contrast to Chinese culture. In China, it is essential to call someone with a proper title, especially to the elder or one’s superior.

Culture influences people’s language and nonverbal communication. Some body languages have different meaning in different culture. A behavior regards as insult in one culture may be just acceptable in another culture. For example, American president Obama likes to put his feet on the table, which indicates power and relax in America, while in China, it’s an indelicate behavior.

Different culture attaches different emphasis to collectivism and individualism. American culture inclines to individualism, in this kind of culture, independence and self-confidence are cherished and praised. (Bai 216) On the contrary, collectivism oriented culture like Chinese culture agrees more on the superior of collectivism, and put personal need after collective need. In negotiations, American negotiators are more likely to show individualism, only one person responsible for the final decision. While in Chinese culture, a decision usually made by a group and involved a unanimous approval, therefor more time is consumed.

3.2 Negotiating style, etiquette and taboo of American businessmen

3.2.1 Style

American people are confident and independent, who do not like to rely on others. American negotiators think that:“ before realizing they are a part of their company, the first thought go to American negotiators mind is that they are specialists in a certain area and believe that they are better than their opponents.”(Sun 220)

American negotiators stick to handle matters in a fair and reasonable way. Their negotiating style is to expound their standpoints and views at the beginning of the negotiating process, put forward their plans to take a superior position. They are full of confidence in the negotiating process with clear and definite language as well as accurate calculation.

American negotiators never cover up their praise to the good quality and advanced technology of their products. If your products have excellent quality and superior performance, you should try to make your customers be aware of it and Americans do not recognize the idea of testing in practice.

America is a high level rule of law country whose people’s legal concept is notably showed in business trade. American negotiators attach great importance to contract and have a strong sense of law. American people think that economic benefits are most important in one negotiation, in order to guarantee their interests, resort to law is the most equitable and proper way.

American negotiators value time and have a high efficiency in negotiating. America, as a highly developed country, has a faster pace of life, which making Americans value time and efficiency of activity. For this reason, in business negotiations, Americans often complain their opponents for lacking work efficiency.

3.2.2 Etiquette and taboo

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