ImpactsofCulturalDifferencesonSinoU.S.BusinessNegotiations.doc

Impacts of Cultural Differences on Sino-U.S. Business NegotiationsCONTENTSAbstract……………………………………………………………1Introduction………………………………………………………2Chapter 1 Analysis of Cultural Difference Between China And America……………………………………………………………5 1.1 Individualism vs. Collectivism………………………………51.2 Inductive Thought vs. Deductive Thought……………………61.3 Low-context vs. High-context………………………………71.4 View of Time ……………………………………………8Chapter 2 The Impact of Cultural Difference on Sino-American Business Negotiation……………………………………………112.1 Impact on Goals: Contract or Relationship?…………………112.2 Impact on Communication Style: Direct vs. Indirect………122.3 Impact on Conflict Resolution……………………………132.4 Impact on Agreement Building: Bottle-up vs. Top-down……142.5 Impact on Risk-taking Propensity…………………………152.6 Impact on Decision-making: One Leader vs. Concensus……16Chapter 3 Suggestions for Effective Cross-cultural Negotiation3.1 Enhancing Cultural Awareness……………………………173.2 Preparing Well before Negotiation…………………………183.3 Overcoming Communication Obstacles in Business…………18Conclusion………………………………………………………20Notes………………………………………………………………22Bibliography……………………………………………………23Acknowledgements………………………………………………24 Abstract：With the rapid development of economic trade between china and America , the business contacts of the two countries become more and more frequent , the importance of business negotiation gets obvious gradually. However, the huge cultural differences between the two countries may give rise to potential cultural conflicts and unnecessary misunderstandings. So it is imperative that negotiators should learn the cultural factors in Sino-U.S. business negotiation. The thesis emphasizes the importance of taking cultural sensitivities into consideration during business negotiation to make proper negotiation tactics. In view of such a situation, this thesis makes an effort to highlight the cultural impacts on negotiation and puts forward several suggestions in reconciling cultural differences in order to make the negotiation develop smoothly.Key words: cultural differences; Sino-U.S. business negotiation; impact 摘要:中美两国间经济贸易飞速发展，双方商务交往活动越来越频繁，商务谈判的重要性也日渐显现。

然而，由于中美两国之间存在着巨大的文化差异，中美两国谈判者之间很可能出现文化冲突以及不必要的误解因此，两国商务谈判者了解中美文化的差异显得十分必要中美双方在商务谈判中必须增强对文化差异的敏感性，制定出合适的谈判策略本文重点讨论了中美之间的文化差异及其对商务谈判的影响并提出了化解文化冲突的几点建议，使中美贸易谈判能顺利进行关键词: 文化差异;商务谈判;影响Introduction Nowadays, due to the rapid development and integration of global economy, international business contacts and activities are increasingly frequent and complex. The unprecedented growth of international business has resulted in an increased volume of face-to-face negotiation between members of different culture. While pursing the success of international business negotiation, it is imperative for negotiators to know the cultural difference of negotiating parties. As we all know, China is one of the largest economic country in the world, and America is our biggest trade partner. Since the normalization of relations between China and America began 25 years ago, Sino-U.S. business relationships have been growing at a fast pace. Negotiations have often been a difficult process for both sides, for cultural and other reasons. Cultural differences of China and America constitute an enormous challenge for cross-border negotiation. Negotiation is a kind of basic human activity that we’re involved almost everyday. International negotiation is the process in which two or more entities from various cultural backgrounds discuss common and conflicting interests in order to reach an agreement of mutual benefits. It is clear that international business negotiation refers to the negotiation that take place in the business world and deals with business relationship. It may be understood as encounters between firms(or economic organization) with the goal of reaching agreement to gain economic benefits. It is no surprise that when business people negotiate across cultures, the process is often more difficult than within their own culture. Culture differences and communication barriers in how the negotiation game is enacted can lead not only to simple misunderstandings, but sometimes a complete breakdown of the process and relationship between the parties. When negotiating internationally, there are a variety of factors contributing to the result of business negotiation, such as geographical distances, political situation, economic factors and foreign cultural backgrounds. However, the most crucial factor is the negotiators’ sensitivity and responsiveness to the new cultural context. But in fact, members with different cultural background may behave quite differently, and may focus on different aspect of business. Therefore it is better for both negotiating parties to understand their cultural difference well. Culture, in human’s history, has been defined in a variety of ways, and there is no agreement on a singl。