Page 234 - 4188

232

topics. The higher level officials seldom participate in the negotiating
process. Therefore, when negotiating with a Chinese negotiator, it is
important to identify how much authority he has.
3.Overcome the Language Barrier

Mandarin is the official language in China; however, each region
has its own unique dialect, and one should not rely entirely on
translators. Being able to fully understand the opponent’s language and

local traditions is important in doing business or negotiating with the
local people.
CONCLUSION
Negotiation can be viewed as a process in which a party wishes to

persuade and change the thoughts and behaviors of another. When both
parties wish to do so, they both need to seek mutual benefits that address
their needs and perspectives before they can reach a consensus.

Different people have different views, and it is even more difficult to
reach an agreement in an international negotiation that involves different
cultural backgrounds. The three domains of personal qualities,

situational factors, and strategies/tactics are very different between
different cultures. For example, Americans focus heavily on facts, and
they persuade others by using logic. To the Chinese people, however,

the mutual relationship between the negotiators is the key to a successful
negotiation. This kind of “guan-xi (relationship)” is different from the
Western sense of “relationship” (Chang, 2001). Therefore, a successful
multinational business negotiation begins with understanding the

opponent’s cultural and cognitive patterns.

ASSIGNMENTS

1. Formulate the main idea of the text.
2. What does the term ‘Business Negotiations’ mean?
3. What does the term ‘culture’ mean?
4. Discuss the figure below.