Respond to peers who selected a different country for their final project. Compare the negotiation style in their chosen country to the country you selected.
Kathryn Borysewicz posted May 7, 2018 12:09 PM ( I have to respond to her post)
The country that I am concentrating on for my final project is Switzerland. The Swiss tend towards conservatism, empirical-thinking and prefer to stick to the rules. They also have a strong belief in one’s own cultural group and maintains a cautious attitude towards outside influences (Expactica). When it comes to setting up meetings, the Swiss prefer to set appointments, and do not like spontaneous meetings. It is also important to arrive 15-20 minutes before the agreed upon time. The Swiss expect the dress attire to be professional, jeans or casual attire should not be worn for the first meeting. During the meetings, it is important to avoid personal conversation, topics about their military preparedness, jokes, and interruptions. The Swiss are very straightforward with their negotiations, and only the highest person in authority will make any final decisions. Once the final decision is made, there is no questioning it.
The typical American negotiation style is very different from that of Switzerland’s. Americans are very informal, and will not always show up to meetings dressed professionally. Also, age does not indicated status. In America were more focused on skills than age, while in Switzerland generally the highest-ranking individual is also the oldest in the room. Americans will also interrupt, we see this as engaging in the conversation, but many other cultures, including the Swiss see this as rude. American negotiations also feature a lot of back and forth conversation, even when a final decision has been made, one more attempt can be made to sway the decision. Before these two countries interact for business negotiations it is important that both parties research the traditions of the other so that neither are surprised or thrown off by what happens during the negotiations.
Fiona Mathias posted May 10, 2018 5:42 AM( I have to respond to her post)
The term culture can be applied in many contexts, but with different meanings associated. In a negotiation context it is common to define culture in terms of an identifiable group of people sharing the same values and beliefs. It is important to bear in mind that the values or beliefs are shared within subcultures. There are different types of subcultures, including educational culture, race culture, gender culture and religious culture. (Simen Moen Nordbo, 2010)
The country that I have selected for my final project work is India. India is a developing nation that is growing on an exponential rate. India’s GDP grew 7.2% in the third quarter, surpassing expectations and wresting back the mantle of fastest growing economy from China on the back of a rebound in industrial activity. (Economic Times India, 2018)
As a country, India is extremely diverse, encompassing, multiple languages, religions, and identities, these have a significant impact on the India culture, thereby effecting negotiations in a business. The Indian and the US culture is extremely different. Indian business is very slow, considering most business in India, deal with the local market, and as such, they take an ample amount of time during negotiations to ensure the finer points of very situation are being tackled. Unlike in USA, where being informal when addressing people from the opposite group is considered building a relationship, in India titles and surnames are given their due importance, and unless asked, must be addressed respectfully. In India age and experience go hand in hand, whereas in the US, the skill of a professional is more focused on in a negotiation. Negotiations will always involve large groups and always a collective decision is made, whereas in the US authority of decision making can be given to one individual or a smaller group. Even amongst the opposite sex, the kind of greeting may differ, a handshake with an India woman, needs to be initiated by the woman of the group, if the opposite personnel is anyone from the opposite gender, USA does not have these as part of their culture.
Verbal and Non-verbal ques play a significant role in a negotiation when an Indian party is involved. Indians may have a difficulty saying “no”, as it can convey an offensive message. Instead, they will prefer making statements such as “we’ll see”, “yes, but it may be difficult”, or “I will try” when they likely mean “no”. Listen carefully and be aware of the meaning behind these answers. Do not attempt to compel your contact to be more direct, as this can be counter-productive. (UK India Business Council) Nonverbal ques may also differ, as the head shake for “no” is not the same as it is in the USA.
