【摘 要】随着经济全球化的趋势、国际商务活动的日益频繁，越来越显示出对多元文化理解的必要性和跨文化谈判能力的重要性。商务谈判中的文化因素引起了人们越来越多的关注。无庸置疑，在跨文化的商务谈判中，除了基本的谈判技巧、理解不同地区的文化因素、认识文化差异外，还要采取相应的策略和不断调整自己的谈判风格，这样将对成功的商务谈判起到至关重要的作用。
【关键词】文化；因素；商务谈判
I. Introduction
With the emergence of economic globalization and China’s entry into WTO, international business becomes increasingly intercultural. As international business relations grow, so does the frequency of business negotiations among people from different countries and cultures. And that can create considerable challenges for business representatives unfamiliar with the cultures of different groups. So the intercultural approach to international business negotiation has attracted increasing academic attention. Negotiations can easily break down because of a lack of understanding of the cultural component in the negotiation process.
Therefore, to the successful negotiations, the two sides must first understand the cultural differences. Negotiators who take the time to understand the approach that the other parties are likely to use and to adapt their own styles to that one are likely to be more effective negotiators. Thus in an intercultural negotiation, in addition to the basic negotiation skills, it is important to understand the cultural differences, and to modify the negotiation style accordingly.
This paper focus on the four dimensions of culture and different negotiating styles to illustrate the importance of the culture factors in business negotiation.
II. Negotiation and Culture
The very definition of negotiation, in its modern sense, can vary from culture to culture. What a negotiation is designed to accomplish is seen differently by different groups of people. Before one even comes to the table, such differences in the meaning or purpose of the negotiation affect the negotiation, as how one defines the process of negotiating is culturally determined. Some cultures see it only as an opportunity to bargain, others as the establishment of a lifetime relationship that goes beyond the occasional meeting, still others as an opportunity to demonstrate their capacity for eloquence and debate. Some do not see negotiation as a process at all. For instance, Americans and Europeans tend to see negotiations as a competitive process; the Chinese and the Japanese see it as a collaborative endeavor.
So there are many more challenges in an intercultural environment than in a mono-cultural setting. Intercultural negotiations are negotiation where the negotiating parties belong to different cultures and do not share the same ways of thinking, feeling, and behavior. The negotiation process is generally more complex because cultural norms may undermine effective communication.
III. Some Culture Factors in Business Negotiation
Language goes beyond the spoken word, encompassing nonverbal actions and behaviors that reveal hidden clues to culture. In the negotiation process, interpersonal communication is the key activity that takes place at the verbal, nonverbal, situational contextual level, and a total communication system can assist the negotiator to bridge the gap between utterance and felt meaning. Three key topics---time, space, body language---offer a starting point from which negotiators can begin to acquire the understanding necessary to do business in foreign countries.