Cultural Differences Between East and West in the Cross-Cultural Business Negotiations

By Katherine Lee

Culture mainly includes four aspects which greatly influence the cross-cultural business negotiation, they are: language and non-language behaviors, customs, way of thinking and values.

First of all is the difference in language and non-language behaviors. Chinese people are particular about etiquette since the ancient times. Take Chinese and Americans for example, when hearing about others' praise, Chinese people usually use self-depreciatory expression to show their modest. Chinese people are sure to use appellations in conversations. Americans stress equality. The younger generation can call the elder or boss directly by his or her name. To others' praise, Americans will be grateful and accept it. There is also a big difference in non-language behaviors. For example, the behavior of gazing at someone, Chinese people use it to show curiosity or surprise while Americans think it is impolite.

Second is the difference in the customs. Customs mainly include some social activities. Chinese people care much of their face in daily life and work, they care much about their images in other people' eyes and are afraid of being laughed at, discussed and misunderstood. Americans are much more practical, they don't care much about what others think about them, they don't ask about others' age, earnings, marriage which they think is invading others' privacy when they are associating with others. Americans like to express their idea directly while Chinese people choose a more tactful way and so on.

The third difference is in the way of thinking. The difference was embodied in the opposite of the overall thinking and individual thinking. Chinese culture lays particular emphasis on overall thinking which is to observe and think about things on the earth in an overall view, to analyze problems from the whole part, to attach importance on the overall function, complicated relationship and operating process of things, not the internal structure of things. Americans lay particular emphasis on individual thinking which split a complex thing into simple essential factors, then study one by one.

Forth, they work differently in values. The differences in values between east and west lie in the opposite of collectivism and individualism. The core of Chinese people' value is collectivism which thinks that harmonious relationship between people is the foundation of the society. So, Chinese people constantly hold the view of peacefulness is prized and pay special attention to some specially designated group's interests or value. The core of western culture values is individualism, which is the philosophy of individual is most important. The main content of individualism is to believe in the value of individuals, pay much importance to self-freedom and emphasize individual self-control and self-development.

 

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