Specifics of Chinese Business Negotiation Practices
Author:Jitka Odehnalov
JEL:F51
DOI:
Keywords:Culture, Negotiation, Cross-Cultural Negotiation, Confucianism,
Buddhism, Taoism, Chinese Stratagems
Abstract:
The new century is a turning point to the People’s Republic of China (further just
China), home to one fifth of the world population. This “golden age” is uniquely
characterized by a fast growing, internationalized market for products and services.
An increasing number of Western companies engage in negotiations with their
Asian business partners. These companies need to become familiar with the
process of building and maintaining good relations with their Asian business
partners. How to understand the Chinese way of negotiation? What are the key
elements of the Chinese business culture? What are the philosophical roots of the
Chinese negotiation strategy? What should managers and other businessmen know
in order to be successful? This paper is discussing to the basic cultural
determinants influencing the Chinese approach to business negotiations. This
article reviews and summarizes the existing research in the field of international
business negotiation with Chinese enterprises and suggests topics for further
research, in the hope that this knowledge will be found useful by scholars and
practitioners alike.