SECTION B INTERVIEW
# i- K4 b2 ~# G' x/ w1 l M: I'm talking to Janet Holmes who has spent many years negotiating fo r several well-known national and multi-national companies. Hello, Janet.2 S2 ]) k8 b1 ^5 d$ G' _
W: Hello.
% N+ K2 }. A. m( s! O M:Now Janet, you've experienced and observed the negotiation strategies used by people from different countries and speakers of different languages. So befor e we comment on the differences, could I ask you to comment, first of all, on what such encounters have in common?
: C) V: s) O2 g- V, w W:OK, well, I'm just going to focus on the situations where people are speakin g English in international business situations.; o2 a/ z) c- M6 a) d
M: I see. Now, not every one speaks to the same degree of proficiency. Maybe tha t affects the situation.5 n: s# ] g! V7 ]/ {
W: Yes, perhaps. But that is not always so significant. Well, because, I mean, n egotiations between business partners from different countries normally mean we have negotiations between individuals who belong to distinct cultural traditions" [3 ?/ v' Q! o U( i
M: Oh, I see.
. D# g. z. [3 _; Z6 P& | W: Well, every individual has a different way of performing various tasks in eve ryday life.# T/ c/ B) B/ S4 {8 h4 n
M: Yes, but, but isn't it the case that in the business negotiation, they must c ome together and work together to a certain extent. I mean, doesn't that level up the style of, the style of differences or somewhat?: J3 T1 }2 }" V5 y
W: Oh, I am not so sure. I mean there're people in the so-called Western World w ho say that in the course of the past 30 or 40 years, there are a lot of things that have changed a great deal globally, and that as a consequence, national differences had diminished, giving way to some sort of international Amer icanized style.
; a7 w$ B% Q; f0 w+ l M: Yeah, I've heard that. Now some people say this Americanized style has acted as a model for local patterns.* O% L! k; F7 z! r+ L( {
W: Maybe it has, maybe it hasn't. Because on the one hand, there does appear to be a fairly unified even uniform style of doing business with certain basic pri nciples and preferences, you know, like "time is money", that sort of thing. B ut at the same time, it is very important to remember the way all retain aspects of national characteristics. But it is the actual behaviour that we will talk a bout here. We shouldn't be too quick to generalize that to national characteris tic and stylistic type. It doesn't help much.
% g/ `+ k2 W/ z i1 U- T3 a0 d M: Yeah. You mentioned Americanized style. What is particular about American st yle of business bargaining or negotiating?: I- b- d8 `: E6 L7 }
W: Well, I've noticed that, for example, when Americans negotiate with people f rom Brazil, the American negotiators make their points in a direct, sophistical way.
/ r0 }3 P% s" |6 ^ M: I see.0 G# ?4 h Z* G6 X1 J: X9 o
W: While Brazilians make their points in a more indirect way./ j6 D' e2 {& ^4 ]
M: How?, k. A" o* w# L5 B# j- {6 J$ `$ f4 T
W: Let me give you an example. Brazilian importers look at people they're talki n g to straight in the eyes a lot. They spend time on what some people thinks to b e background information. They seem to be more indirect.; C& b! N- p* x6 B
M: Then, what about the American negotiators?; D3 A0 ^9 |% S+ T2 J
W: American style of negotiating, on the other hand, is far more like that of po int-making; first point, second point, third point, and so on. Now of course, th is isn't the only way in which one can negotiate and there's absolutely no reason why t his should be considered as the best way to negotiate.
# m% Y# V8 B8 B# j M: Right. Americans seem to have a different style, say, even from the British, do n't they?7 z; t. y! }2 i. I8 x. w
W: Exactly, which just show how careful you must be about generalizing. I mean, how about asking you explain how the American negotiators are seen as informal, and so metimes much too open. For British eyes, Americans are too direct even blunt.5 I" z- I1 d1 U( g+ y
M: Is that so?
. ~2 ^3 y' t3 I; ?9 p0 _) J9 R W: Yeah, at the same time, the British too. German negotiators can appear direc t and uncompromising in the negotiations, and yet if you experience Germans and Americans negotiating together, it often is the Americans who are too blunt for the German negotiators.
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$ H% S2 R( h8 P9 S( } M: Fascinating! So people from different European countries use different styles , don't they? |