跨文化视角下中美商务谈判的交际风格差异

湘潭大学硕士学位论文跨文化视角下中美商务谈判的交际风格差异姓名：刘明志申请学位级别：硕士专业：英语语言文学指导教师：唐德根20060501DescriptiveChineseAbstractiDescriptiveChineseAbstract中国加入WTO以后，随着经济全球化的加速，各个国家和地区之间的经济合作已得到广泛的发展。我国企业参与国际经济合作的机会越来越多，国际商务谈判也变得越来越重要。如今，中国已经成为美国最重要的贸易伙伴之一，中美两国间的商务谈判越来越频繁。但是，由于中美两国之间存在着巨大的文化差异，两国人民的思维习惯和行为方式有很大不同，如果中美两国的谈判者不了解对方的文化，缺少跨文化交际的理论指导和相关知识，在谈判过程中就可能会出现交际障碍和产生不必要的误解，甚至导致谈判失败。本文从宏观的角度，以“跨文化”为视角，使“跨文化交际学”和“跨文化语用学”的理论与中美商务谈判的具体实践相结合，创造性地 分析 定性数据统计分析pdf销售业绩分析模板建筑结构震害分析销售进度分析表京东商城竞争战略分析 了文化因素、尤其是文化价值观及深受其影响的语用礼貌原则对国际商务谈判的影响，并重点探讨了中美商务谈判者在跨文化谈判过程中表现出的交际风格差异。最后，文章对中国的商务谈判者提出了如何培养自己的跨文化交际能力的建议。本文作者认为，除了商务谈判理论中的基本专业知识以外，中国的商务谈判者还应充分了解并掌握跨文化交际以及跨文化语用学的知识。他们不仅要熟悉自身的文化及其影响下的谈判交际风格，也要熟悉谈判对手的文化及其影响下的谈判交际风格。培养文化意识和文化敏感性并进而提高跨文化交际能力，有助于国内谈判者在国际商务谈判过程中，克服由于文化不同所带来的交际障碍或冲突，并把这些不同的外国文化转化成“有价值的”资源，在国际商务谈判中加以充分利用。这也正是本文的新意所在。本文在第一章引言部分简要介绍了本课题的研究现状和研究中存在的不足，并简要说明了本课题的研究意义、目的和研究方法。第二章对国际商务谈判和跨文化交际理论作了简要的回顾，并探讨了二者之间的内在联系。第三章主要讨论了影响商务谈判者交际风格的文化因素，并作了深层的理论分析。在第四章分析比较了中美两国商务谈判者的交际风格差异。在第五章，本文通过三个具体案例，对中美商务谈判的交际风格差异作了具体分析，并针对国内的商务谈判者，提出了培养文化意识和敏感性，掌握跨文化交际能力的建议。本文的最后部分总结了全文的观点，并指出今后这方面研究的努力方向。关键词：跨文化交际；跨文化语用学；国际商务谈判；交际风格EnglishAbstractiiEnglishAbstractAfterChina’sentryintoWTO,andwiththeaccelerationofeconomicglobalization,economiccooperationbetweencountriesorregionsallovertheworldhasdevelopedrapidly.Therefore,Chineseenterprisesortransnationalcorporationswillhavemoreandmoreopportunitiestoparticipateinglobaleconomiccooperationandtotakepartininternationalbusinessnegotiations,whicharebecomingincreasinglyimportantininternationalbusinessactivities.ThebusinessrelationshipbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesisalsoatitsbesttheseyears.ChinahasalreadybecomeoneofthemajortradingpartnersoftheUnitedStates.Asaresult,businessnegotiationsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesareincreasingdramatically.ThemorecontactsofeconomyandtradewiththeUnitedStatesaremade,themorebusinessnegotiationswilloccurbetweenSino-USbusinessnegotiators.However,duetoenormousculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,membersofthesetwoculturesbehavequitedifferentlyandhavedifferentwaysofthinking.Thecommunicationbarriersandunnecessarymisunderstandings,evennegotiatingfailureswilloccurduringtheSino-USbusinessnegotiationprocessifSino-USnegotiatorsdonotunderstandeachother’sculturesandhavenotenoughtheoreticalguidanceandthecorrelativeknowledgeofinterculturalcommunication.Therefore,thecomprehensionoftheotherside’sculturebeforeenteringintonegotiationsisbeneficialforbothpartiestoreachadesirableagreement.Thedissertation,fromthemacroviewandfromthecross-culturalperspective,incombinationwiththetheoriesofinterculturalcommunication,cross-culturalpragmaticsandtheconcretenegotiatingpracticebetweenSino-USbusinessnegotiations,creativelyanalyzestheinfluencesofcultures,particularlyculturalvaluesandpragmaticpolitenessorfaceprinciplesaffectedgreatlybyculturesontheinternationalbusinessnegotiation.ThedissertationalsolaysmorestressonthediscussionofcommunicationstyledifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanbusinessnegotiatorsnegotiatingcross-culturallyandtheculturalreasonsresultinginthedifferences.Intheend,thethesispresentsrecommendationstoChinesebusinessnegotiatorsabouthowtodeveloptheirowninterculturalcommunicationcompetence.Inauthor’sviewofthedissertation,apartfromthefundamentalandprofessionalknowledgeofbusinessnegotiation,ChinesebusinessnegotiatorsoughttohaveagoodEnglishAbstractiiicommandoftheknowledgeofinterculturalcommunicationandcross-culturalpragmatics.Theyneednotonlytobefamiliarwiththeirownculturesandthenegotiatingcommunicationstylesaffectedgreatlybytheirownculture,butalsotoknowwelltheircounterparts’cultureandcommunicationstylesinnegotiation.Cultivatingculturalawareness,culturalsensibilityandthendevelopinginterculturalcommunicationcompetencearehelpfulfordomesticnegotiatorstoovercomethebarriersofcommunicationcausedbydifferentcultureswhennegotiatinginternationallyandthentotransformthedifferentculturesofothercountriesinto“valuable”negotiatingsourcestobeappliedtotheinternationalbusinessnegotiations.Thatistheinnovationofthethesis.Chapter1,theintroductorypart,introducesthestatusquoofresearchingthecombinationofthetheoriesofinterculturalcommunication,cross-culturalpragmatics,internationalbusinessnegotiationandinadequaciesofresearchingthistopicatpresent.Moreover,itintroducesbrieflythesignificance,objectiveandmethodologyofstudyingthetopic.Chapter2makesabriefliteraturereviewaboutthetheoriesofinterculturalcommunication,cross-culturalpragmaticsandinternationalbusinessnegotiationandtheirintrinsicrelationships.Chapter3mainlydiscussestheculturalfactorsorculturalvaluesthatinfluencegreatlythecommunicationstylesofbusinessnegotiatorsfromdifferentculturesandanalyzesthemtheoreticallyandculturally.Chapter4givesacomparativeanalysisofthenegotiationstyledifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanbusinessnegotiators.InChapter5,bymeansofthreeconcretenegotiatingcasesoccurringbetweenSino-USnegotiators,thethesisconcretelyanalyzesthestyledifferencesofSino-USbusinessnegotiatorsandpresentssomerecommendationstodomesticnegotiatorsnegotiatinginternationallyaboutcultivatingcross-culturalawarenessandsensibilityandthendevelopinginterculturalcommunicationcompetence.Theconclusionpartsummarizesthecentralideasofthewholedissertationandpointsouttheorientationofstrivingtoresearchthistopicinthefuture.Keywords:intercultural/cross-culturalcommunication;cross-culturalpragmatics;internationalbusinessnegotiation;communicationstylesChapter1Introduction1Chapter1Introduction1.1TheStatusQuooftheStudyWiththerapiddevelopmentofthetheoriesofinterculturalcommunication,cross-culturalpragmatics,andbusinessnegotiation,moreandmorescholarshavebeenawareoftheimportanceofthecombinedresearchintheabovethreefieldswhetherinsomemajorwesterncountriesorinChina.Scholarswhoresearchinterculturalcommunicationconcerntheapplicationofthetheoryofinterculturalcommunicationtointernationalbusinessnegotiation.Edward.T.Hallcanberegardedasthefatherofthefieldofinterculturalcommunicationstudy(Chen&Starosta,2005：8)forhisfamousbookTheSilence’sLanguage(1959)whichmarkedthebeginningofinterculturalcommunication(胡文仲,1994:17).TheSilence’sLanguage(1959)aswellashisothertwomonographsTheHiddenDimension(1966)andBeyondCulture(1976)haveafar-reachinginfluenceonthedevelopmentofinterculturalcommunication.Althoughhedidnotmentiontheconcreterelationshipbetweeninterculturalcommunicationandbusinessnegotiation,he“introducedinterculturalcommunicationtointernationalbusiness”(Leeds-Herwitz,1990:76;Chen,2005：9).Sincethebeginningofhisstudy,“trainingpeopleininterculturalbusiness(includinginternationalbusinessnegotiation)hasbecomeoneofthemajoractivitiesofinterculturalcommunicationspecialties”(ibid:9).SamovarandPorterpublishedInterculturalCommunication:AReader(8thed.)in1997,inwhichSamovarandPorter’sworkfocusesontherelationshipbetweencultureandcommunication.Inthisessaycollection,Samovarassertstherelationshipbetweencultureandnegotiationandculturalimpactsonthebusinessnegotiation.IntheirbookCommunicationBetweenCultures,Samovar,PorterandStefani(1998)alsopayattentiontosomestrategiesforinternationalbusinessnegotiation.InChina,somescholarswhostudythefieldofinterculturalcommunicationhavesuggestedthatthetheoryofinterculturalcommunicationbeappliedtointernationalbusinessnegotiation.InhisInterculturalCommunicationGuanShijie(1995：373-37)givesasimpleintroductionofthecharacteristicsofbusinessnegotiationofChinese,Chapter1Introduction2AmericanandJapanese.WangHongyin(1996:194-201)introducesAmericannegotiationstyle—one’sownwishfulthinkingininternationalnegotiationinhisbookInterculturalCommunication:HowtoCommunicatewithForeigners?JiaYuxin(1997:439-443),inhisInterculturalCommunication,discussestheculturaldifferencesintheprocessofSino-USbusinessnegotiationfromfouraspects:thedifferencesofnegotiatingwaysandtheiranalysisatthebeginningstage,emotionalorinstrumentalnegotiation,culturaldifferencesinthecourseofdecision-makinganddifferencesofnegotiationstyles.InhisbookAnIntroductiontoInterculturalCommunication,HuWenzhong(1999:156-162)mentionsthatcultureshavedirectimpactsonbusinessmanagementandbusinessnegotiation,particularlyonthedecision-making,ontheattitudetowardtime,jobandentertainmentandonthestrategiesofnegotiationinthecourseofinternationalbusinessnegotiation.Scholarswhostudyinternationalbusinessmanagementandinternationalbusinessnegotiation,likewise,paytheirattentiontotheinfluenceofculturalfactorsontheinternationalbusinessnegotiationandmanagement.RobertT.MoranandWilliamG.Stripp(1991)havepublishedtheirbookSuccessfulInternationalBusinessNegotiationsthatattemptstoexplainwhatglobalizationentailsandthatprovidesanoverviewfordevelopingglobalstrategyandopportunitiesthrougheffectivelycross-culturalnegotiations.PervezN.GhauriandJean-ClaudeUsunier(1996)editatheses-collectionInternationalBusinessNegotiationswhichhasbeendividedintofourparts:generalaspectsofinternationalnegotiation;cultureandinternationalbusinessnegotiation;thenegotiationofspecifickindsofagreements;andaregionalapproachtointernationalbusinessnegotiation.JefferyEdmundCurry(1999)hashisPlanningandConductingInternationalCommercialNegotiationswhichdiscussesthestrategiesofZero-sumGameininternationalbusinessnegotiationaccordingtothefollowingsequences:negotiator,what,where,when,andhowtonegotiate.PhilipR.Harris&RobertT.Moran(2000)havetheirManagingCulturalDifferences:LeadershipStrategiesforaNewWorldofBusinessinwhichtheydiscussnegotiatingacrosscultures,Americansandnegotiationsandframeworkforinternationalbusinessnegotiations.RussellKorobkin(2003)havehisNegotiationTheoryandStrategyinwhichheprovidesanin-depth,intellectuallyrigorousyetpracticallyusefulintroductiontothestudyofnegotiationforlawstudents.ThiscollectionembodiesJeanneM.Brett’sCultureandNegotiationandMicheleJ.Gelfand&Chapter1Introduction3SophiaChristakopoulou’sCultureandNegotiatorCognition:JudgmentAccuracyandNegotiationProcessesinIndividualisticandCollectivisticCultures.Chinaalsohasfamousscholarstoassociateinternationalbusinessnegotiationwithcultures.TangXiulian(2003)editsherInternationalBusinessNegotiationinwhichsheintroducesthebasicknowledge,types,procedures,strategiesandcommunicationart,etiquettesandstylesininternationalbusinessnegotiation.ProfessorsZouJianhuaetal.(2000)editatextbookEssentialsofModernBusinessNegotiationsinwhichtheytalkaboutinternationalbusinessnegotiationtheoreticallyandpractically.InhiseditedbookInternationalBusinessNegotiation,YuanQigang(2003:256-306,314-413)introducesverbalandnonverbalcommunications,theetiquettesandtaboos,andthecomparisonofdifferentcountriesininternationalbusinessnegotiation.Healsodiscussestheculturalfactorsthataffectinternationalbusinessnegotiations.XiaoYunnan&QuanYing(2003:199-218)editatextbookInternationalBusinessNegotiationinEnglishwhichintroducestherelationshipbetweenthedifferentbusinessculturesandnegotiationsandpresentsdifferentnegotiatingstylesofdifferentculturessuchasAmericanstyles,Germanstyles,Frenchstyles,Britishstyles,Russianstyles,Australianstyles,Chinesestyles,andJapanesestylesandsoforth.However,thescholars(Moran&Stripp,1991;Ghauri&Usunier,1996;Curry,1999;Harris&Moran,2000;Korobkin,2003;Zou,etal.,2000;Tang,2003;Yuan,2003)inthefieldofinternationalbusinessnegotiationmainlyfocusonthefundamentalandprofessionaltheoryandknowledgeofinternationalbusinessnegotiationandonlypayalittleattentiontoculturalimpactsoninternationalbusinessnegotiation.Similarly,thescholars,suchasE.T.Hall(1975),G.Hofstede(1991),Samovar,etal.,(1998),Chen(2005);Hu(1999),Guan(1995),Wang(1995),Lin(1996),Jia(1997)andthelikeinthefieldofinterculturalcommunication,chieflydiscussthetheoryofinterculturalcommunicationfromthemacroviewandfromthedifferentaspectsbutonlyinvolveslessapplicationsofthetheorytobusinesssettings,particularlythesettingsofinternationalbusinessnegotiations.Moreover,fewdomesticscholarsstudytheculturalimpactsonthecommunicationstylesintheprocessofinternationalbusinessnegotiationandstudythecommunicationstyledifferencesofSino-USbusinessnegotiators.Therefore,itisnecessaryandsignificanttohaveafurtherresearchonthetopicofthedissertation.Chapter1Introduction41.2TheSignificanceofStudyingCommunicationStyleDifferencesbetweenSino-USBusinessNegotiationsAfterChina’sentryintoWTO,andwiththeaccelerationofeconomicglobalization,economiccooperationbetweencountriesorregionsallovertheworldhasdevelopedrapidly.Therefore,Chineseenterprisesortransnationalcorporationswillhavemoreandmoreopportunitiestoparticipateinglobaleconomiccooperationandtotakepartininternationalbusinessnegotiations,whicharebecomingincreasinglyimportantininternationalbusinessactivities.ThebusinessrelationshipbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesisalsoatitsbesttheseyears.ChinahasalreadybecomeoneofthemajortradingpartnersoftheUnitedStates.Asaresult,businessnegotiationsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesareincreasingdramatically.ThemorecontactsofeconomyandtradewiththeUnitedStatesaremade,themorebusinessnegotiationswilloccurbetweenSino-USbusinessnegotiators.However,duetoenormousculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,membersofthesetwoculturesbehavequitedifferentlyandhavedifferentwaysofthinking.Thecommunicationbarriersandunnecessarymisunderstandings,evennegotiatingfailureswilloccurduringtheSino-USbusinessnegotiationprocessifSino-Americannegotiatorsdonotunderstandeachother’sculturesandhavenotenoughtheoreticalguidanceandthecorrelativeknowledgeofinterculturalcommunication.Therefore,thecomprehensionoftheotherside’sculturebeforeenteringintonegotiationsisbeneficialforbothpartiestoreachadesirableagreement.1.3TheObjectiveandMethodologyoftheStudyThisdissertation,fromthemacroviewandfromthecross-culturalperspective,incombinationwiththetheoriesofinterculturalcommunication,cross-culturalpragmaticsandtheconcretenegotiatingpracticebetweenSino-USbusinessnegotiations,creativelyanalyzestheinfluencesofcultures,culturalvaluesandpragmaticpolitenessorfaceprinciplesaffectedgreatlybyculturesontheinternationalbusinessnegotiation.ThisthesisalsolaysmorestressonthediscussionofcommunicationstyledifferencesbetweenChineseandAmericanbusinessnegotiatorsnegotiatingcross-culturallyandtheculturalreasonsresultinginthedifferences.Intheend,thethesispresentsrecommendationstoChinesebusinessnegotiatorsabouthowtoChapter1Introduction5developtheirowninterculturalcommunicationcompetence.Inauthor’sviewofthedissertation,apartfromthefundamentalandprofessionalknowledgeofbusinessnegotiation,Chinesebusinessnegotiatorsoughttohaveagoodcommandoftheknowledgeofinterculturalcommunicationandcross-culturalpragmatics.Theyneednotonlytobefamiliarwiththeirownculturesandthenegotiatingcommunicationstylesaffectedgreatlybytheirownculture,butalsotoknowwelltheircounterparts’cultureandcommunicationstylesinnegotiationaffectedbytheirownculture.Cultivatingculturalawarenessandsensibilityandthendevelopinginterculturalcommunicationcompetencearehelpfulfordomesticnegotiatorstoovercomethebarriersofcommunicationcausedbytheculturaldifferenceswhennegotiatinginternationallyandthentotransformthedifferentculturesofothercountriesinto“valuable”negotiatingsourcestobeappliedtotheinternationalbusinessnegotiations.Thisthesisusesetic①methodtoanalyzecommunicationstyledifferencesbetweenSino-USbusinessnegotiators.Incross-culturalstudies,theeticapproachusesculture-generalvariablesordimensionsofculturalvariability,suchasindividualismversuscollectivismandhigh-contextcommunicationversuslow-contextcommunicationtoexaminebehaviorpatternsinonecultureandcomparethemacrosscultures.AcomparativeapproachisalsousedtocomparethecommunicationstyledifferenceswhennegotiationsoccurbetweenSino-USnegotiators,whobelongrespectivelytohigh-contextculturesorlow-contextcultureswithdifferentculturalvalues(collectivisticorindividualistic,high-power-distanceorlow-power-distance,high-uncertainty-avoidanceorlow-uncertainty-avoidance,masculineorfeminine,andthelike)andhavedifferentfaceworksandcomplywithdifferentpolitenessprinciples.Chapter2LiteratureReview6Chapter2LiteratureReview2.1LiteratureReviewoftheTheoryofInternationalBusinessNegotiationsInternationalbusinessnegotiationisanindispensablesectorininternationalcommercialactivitiesandacrucialparttodeterminewhetherinternationalcommercialactivitiesaresuccessfulornot.Asthesayinggoes,“Onthebusinessnegotiationtablesaretheremuchmoney”(汤秀莲,2003:3).However,allthemoneyonthebusinessnegotiationtablesshouldbeacquiredreasonablyandlegallybynegotiatorswhocanmakethemostoftheirownwisdom,intelligenceandabilities.2.1.1Negotiation,BusinessNegotiationandInternationalBusinessNegotiationDefinedTherehavebeenresearcherswhoundertaketodefinenegotiation.Ikle,fromthewesternview,sumsupnegotiationlikethis:“Negotiationisaprocessinwhichexplicitproposalsareputforwardostensiblyforthepurposeofreachingagreementonanexchangeorontherealizationofacommoninterestwhereconflictinginterestsarepresent”(Ikle,1964:53).PutnamandRollof,takingacommunicationperspective,defineitas“aprocessbywhichpartiesattempttoreachanaccordthatspecifieshowtheywillacttowardoneanother”(PutnamandRollof,1992:4).Ghauriregardsnegotiationasakindofbasichumanactivity.Hedefinesnegotiationas“avoluntaryprocessofgiveandtakewherebothpartiesmodifytheiroffersandexpectationsinordertocomeclosertoeachother”(Ghauri,1996:3).RenQinglian(2000:5)definesnegotiationasthehumanbehaviorandprocesswherepeopleconcernesexchangeinformationandviewsinordertodetermine,change,developorterminatearelationshipaswellasgainbenefitsorprotecttheirrights.TangXiulian(2003:4)viewsnegotiationasabehavioralprocessbywhichpeople,foracertaindemand,exchangeinformationtoeachotheranddiscussissueswitheachotherinordertomediateeachother’srelationshipandtogainorprotecttheirowninterestsandrights.Chapter2LiteratureReview7Businessnegotiationisprobablythemostcommontypeofnegotiation.Althoughithasbeendefinedinvariousways,thereisonethingthedefinitionsshare:businessnegotiationisaprocessduringwhichbusinesspartnersinteractinordertoattainspecificexchangegoals.Businessnegotiation,accordingtoTangXiulian(2003:6),referstoabehavioralprocessbywhich,inthefieldofeconomy,bothpartieswithcorporatequalificationreachthegoaloftradingbyexchanginginformationtoeachotherandbydiscussingbusinessissueswitheachotherinordertomediateanddevelopeachother’srelationshipandtomeettheneedoftrade.Inabusinessrelationship,partiesnegotiatebecausetheyhavecommonbusinessinterestsandtheyexpecttogetabetterdealthroughnegotiatingthansimplyacceptingorrejectingwhattheotherpartyhasoffered.Whenbothpartiesofabusinessnegotiationarefromdifferentcountries,thisnegotiationissaidtobeinternationalorcross-cultural.Zouetal(2000:4)regardinternationalbusinessnegotiationorcross-culturalbusinessnegotiationasabehavioralprocessbywhichthepartiesfromdifferentcountriesorregionsnegotiateinordertoachieveacertaineconomicgoalandtoclearuptherelationsbetweeneachother’srightsandobligations.Thisdefinitioncoversfourconnotations:negotiatingpartiesshouldbefromdifferentcountries,whichhavedifferentcultures;thebehavioralobjectsshouldbebusinessaffairscomingfromdifferentcountries;themeansofbehaviorisbargainingandnegotiatingbetweenbothpartiesfortheirowninterests;andthebehavioraloutcomeistoclearuptherightsandobligationsbetweenbothparties.Fromaboveexplanationofinternationalbusinessnegotiation,aconclusioncanbemadethatinternationalbusinessnegotiationisaprocessofcross-culturalcommunication.AndSino-USbusinessnegotiation,whichbelongstointernationalbusinessnegotiations,isaprocessofcross-culturalcommunication.Thisthesisisgoingtoexploretheimpactsofculturalvaluesandface-workoninternationalbusinessnegotiationandthecommunicationstyledifferencesofSino-USbusinessnegotiationsfromacross-culturalperspectiveandfromamacroview.2.1.2TheComponentsandVariablesofInternationalBusinessNegotiationMoran&Strip(1991:89-92)createaframeworkforglobal/internationalbusinessnegotiations.Theframeworkdistinguishesfourcomponents,eachrepresentingakeyaspectofthenegotiationprocess.Theindividualcomponentiscomposedofoneormorevariables,Chapter2LiteratureReview8whichfurnishacomprehensiveandusefulchecklistoffactorsthatbusinessnegotiatorsshouldthinko