【正文】 nd the Asia/Pacific region where business people get things done through intricate works of personal contacts. They prefer to deal with friends and persons or groups who are well known to them and can be trusted. They are unfortable doing business with strangers, especially strangers who also happen to be foreigners. Likewise, relationshiporiented firms typically want to know their prospective business partners very well before talking business with them. In contrast, the dealfocused approach is mon in only a small part of the world. Strongly dealfocused cultures are found in northern Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand, where people are relatively open to doing business with strangers. Moderately dealfocused cultured could be found in Great Britain, South Africa, Latin Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, Chile, southern Brazil, northern Mexico, and Singapore. This ―Great Divide ‖ between the world’s cultures affects the way of business conducted from the beginning to the end of any mercial relationship. For starters, the way the first approach is made to potential buyers or partners depends upon whether they are in dealfocused or relationshipfocused cultures. In dealfocused cultures, people are relatively open to dealing with strangers. The marketer 8 can make initial contact with the prospective buyer without any previous relationship or connection. Having an introduction or referral is helpful but not essential. Let’s take the united states as an example. Perhaps because they are raised in a highly mobile immigrant society, most Americans are open to discussing business possibilities with people they don’t know. Each year Americans buy over $300 billion dollars worth of goods and services from total strangers, and half of it is businesstobusiness selling. In relationshipfocused cultures, firms do not do business with strangers. The proper way to approach someone who isn’t yet known is to arrange for the right person or organization to make an introduction. A third party introduction bridges the relationship gap between one and the person or pany one wants to talk to. The ideal introducer is a highstatus person or organization known to both parties. Embassy officials tend to be accorded high status in relationshiporiented cultured, and of course it is part of their job to promote exports. Chambers of merce and trade associations are other potential customer or partner, whether via a trade show, a trade mission or a thirdparty introduction. 正式的文化傾向于有組織的等級制度，在地位和權(quán)力方面有主要影響。 當(dāng)一個來擁有非正式文化的談判人員遇到一個擁有更正式文化的同行時，很多重要的談判失敗了，因為那些文化差異已經(jīng)被搬到了談判桌上。另一方面，那些擁有非正式文化的談判者可能會覺得那些正式的同行沉悶、疏遠、自負、或者傲慢。 如果都能意識到不同的商業(yè)談判行為都是不同價值觀的結(jié)果，而不是個人特性引起的，那么，這樣的誤會就可以避免。 正式文化的地區(qū)有：歐亞的大多數(shù)地區(qū)， 地中海地區(qū)和阿拉伯世界 ,拉丁美洲。軟性時間文化有著明顯的差別，人們很少嚴厲地強調(diào)守時從而好多事情都沒有在預(yù)定的期限內(nèi)完成。 硬性時間文化的國家有： 北歐和日耳曼歐洲、北美、日本。 D. Formal vs Informal Business Cultures Formal cultures tend to be organized with hierarchies which reflect major differences in status and power. In contrast, informal cultures value more egalitarian organizations with smaller differences in status and power. Many promising international deals have fallen through when a negotiator from an informal culture confronts counterparts from more formal cultures because these contrasting values conflict at the conference table. Business people from formal, hierarchical cultures may be offended by the breezy familiarity of counterparts from informal, relatively egalitarian societies. On the other hand those from informal culture may see their formal counterparts as stuffy, distant, pompous or arrogant. Informal cultures are supposed to value status equality, formal cultures value hierarchies and status differences. Ignorance of this distinction can cause serious problems across the bargaining table. Such misunderstandings can be avoided if both sides are aware that differing business behaviors are the result of differing cultural values rather than individual idiosyncracies Informal culture: Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Iceland. Formal culture: Most of Europe and Asia, the Mediterranean Region and the Arab World, Latin America. E. Rigid –time vs Fluidtime Cultures People look at time and scheduling differently in different parts of the world. In rigidtime societies, punctuality is critical, schedules are set in stone, agendas are fixed and business 10 meetings are rarely interrupted. In direct contrast are fluidtime culture. People has less emphasis on strict punctuality and are not obsessed with deadlines. Conflict arises because some rigidtime visitors regard their fluidtime partners as lazy, undisciplined while the latter often regard the former as arrogant martis enslaved by arbitrary deadlines. Rigidtime business culture: Nordic and Germanic Europe, North America, Japan. Fluidtime culture: Australia/New Zealand, Russia and most of EastCentral Europe, Southeast Asia. 正式的文化傾向于有組織的等級制度，在地位和權(quán)力方面有主要影響。 當(dāng)一個來擁有非正式文化的談判人員遇到一個擁有更正式文化的同行時，很多重要的談判失敗了，因為那些文化差異已經(jīng)被搬到了談判桌上。另一方面，那些擁有非正式文化的談判者可能會覺得那些正式的同行沉悶、疏遠、自負、或者傲慢。 如果都能意識到不同的商業(yè)談判行為都是不同價值觀的結(jié)果，而不是個人特性引起的，那么，這樣的誤會就可以避免。 正式文化的地區(qū)有：歐亞的大多數(shù)地區(qū)， 地中海地區(qū)和阿拉伯世界 ,拉丁美洲。軟性時間文化有著明顯的差別，人們很少嚴厲地強調(diào)守時從而好多事情都沒有在預(yù)定的期限內(nèi)完成。 硬性時間文化的國家有： 北歐和日耳曼歐洲、北美、日本。 F. Expressive vs Reserved Cultures Expressive people municate in radically different ways from their more reserved counterparts. Expressive people tend to be unfortable with more than a second or two of silence during a conversation. In contrast , people from reserved cultures feel at ease with much longer silences. Japanese negotiators, for example, often sit without speaking for what seems like an eternity voluble Mexicans. After three or four seconds the latter feel pelled to say something, anything to fill the awful silence. Unfortunately the loquacity of expressive people tends to irritate the r