Facts, logic, argument Separate the content Respect, positive

And the person atmosphere, consensus

USA

France

Mexico

Germany

Italy

Britain

Arabia

Spain

Portugal

Japan

 

CONTENT PERSON

 

• Focus on the subject

• Suppression of personal relatiobships beneath the subject

• Emphasis on logic and argumentation

• Say NO if necessary

 

• Focus on the person

• Submersion of subject beneath person

 

• Build positive atmosphere

• Never say NO

• Avoid conflict

 

Discuss negotiating styles of different nations in Chart 1, 2, 3. Where could you place your country?

 

Personal Relationship

 

Different cultures place varying degrees of emphasis on the importance of relationships building. In many Middle Eastern countries no business can be done until a relationship of mutual trust and confidence has gradually been built up between the two parties. By contrast, in Finland, small talk before a negotiation is generally kept to a minimum, and most of the relationship building will take place afterwards, in a restaurant or sauna. In many cultures people find it easier to build a relationship with a potential business partner in a social setting. This is particularly true of many European cultures, such as Spain, France and Great Britain. But it's bad manners to discuss business at social occasion in India.

The practice of immediately handling over a business card is most common among the Japanese. It has the advantage of helping you to remember unfamiliar names and to understand better the role and status of the members of the other negotiating team. However, in other cultures, for example, Germany, it's more common to exchange business cards at the end of a meeting.

In many cultures the giving of gifts is seen as a way of helping the negotiation to run smoothly, but in others it may be interpreted as corruption or bribery. While the exchange of company gifts, such as inscribed pens or, lighters, is acceptable in most cultures, other gifts or complimentary services could lead to problems. You have to give your present in public in the Middle East to show it's not a bribe, but it's good manners to give your present in private in Asia. You mustn't give cutlery in Latin America because it suggests that you want to cut off the relationship. You mustn't give a clock in China because the Chinese word for clock is similar to the word for funeral. It is to research the attitudes to gifts in any country before entering into negotiations there.

The amount of touching acceptable in different cultures also shows great variation and depends on the gender of the participants. You have to shake hands when you are coming or going in Russia, Germany, but in Britain you usually only shake hands when you meet someone for the first time. Latin American cultures permit more physical contact between men than, for example, European cultures. The distance at which two people stand from each other also differs. In Arab and Latin- American cultures, people generally stand closer together when talking than European or Americans do.

It is certainly prudent to avoid controversial topics at the early stage of negotiations. However, the conventional «taboo» topics of politics and religion may be acceptable if you concentrate on information-gathering type questions (who/what/how) rather than questions which may imply comment or criticism.

Americans usually mean «Yes» when they nod their heads. An English person probably just means «I understand», and an Asian is just showing interest. «Come any time» means «I want you to visit me» in India. If you don't suggest a time and arrange a visit immediately, an Indian will think you are refusing the invitation. But if an English person says «Come any time», they will think you are bad-mannered if you start fixing a date.

 

Group Discussion

Interview two or three students in your group to find out their answers to the following questions. Note down the individual speakers' answers:

1. When introducing yourself to someone you don't know at a party, what do you usually say?

2. When you are introduced to a man of your age or younger/ what do you usually say?

3. When you are introduced to a woman of your age or younger/ what do you usually say?

4. When you are being introduced to someone, do you usually shake hands?

5. What are some topics you might talk about immediately after an introduction?

6. Do you prefer going out with a group of friends rather than with one or two friends?

Lead a short discussion and focus on the following questions: — In which situations is behaviour in your own country similar or different from behaviour in the UK, the US, in your own country?