從建立商務關系的角度對比中美商禮儀-商務英語畢業(yè)論文

商務英語畢業(yè)論文商務英語畢業(yè)論文從建立商務關系的角度對比中美商禮儀院（系）名稱：外語系專業(yè)名稱：英語

AcknowledgementsFirst,Imustexpresstheheartiestgratitudetomysupervisor,ProfessorXXXX.Herpatienthelpmakesitpossibleformetowritethepaperunderthistopic.Iamextremelygratefultoherpersistentguidanceandcorrectionalongthewritingprocess.Withoutherhelp,Icannotfinishthethesiscompletely.Secondly,mygratitudegoestotheForeignLanguagesDepartmentofXXXX,whichhasprovidedagoodstudyenvironmentthroughmycollegeyears.Theteachersherearealwaysreadytogiveheartyhelpandcare.IhavelearnedfromthemnotonlyknowledgeofEnglish,butalsothestrictandearneststudyspirit.Moreover,myspecialthanksareduetomyfriendsandclassmates.Theyhavebeenurgingmeintheprocessandourcommunicationhasbroughtmeunexpectedhelpwiththethesis.Lastbutnotleast,Iwanttothankmyparentswhohavebeenkindlyencouragingmealongthewritingprocess.Ifeelindebtedtotheirwholeheartedspiritualandeconomicalsupportformyhighereducation.AbstractWiththedevelopmentofeconomicglobalization,theSino-UScommerceactivitybecomesmoreandmorefrequentdaybyday.Thegoodutilizationofbusinessprotocolscannotonlyhelptheenterpriseinitiateagoodbusinessrelationships,butalsomakeaperfectfoundationforthefurthermorebusinessnegotiations.Therefore,ithasbecomeanimportantresearchtasktomakeacomparisonofSino-USbusinessprotocolsfromtheperspectiveofinitiatingbusinessrelationships.ThispapermakesacomparisonofSino-Usbusinessprotocolsfromtheperspectiveofinitiatingbusinessrelationships.ByusingtheculturalvaluestoanalyzethereasonsofsomeSino-Usbusinessprotocols’differencesfromtheperspectiveofappointmentseeking,greetingbehaviorandgivinggifts,thispapergivessomepiecesofadvicetotheSino-Usbusinessnegotiatorssothattheycanadjustthebusinessprotocolutilizationstrategyintime,andfinallyinitiateagoodbusinessrelationship.Theresearchofthispaperhasitspracticalsignificance,hopingthatthiswillbehelpfultotheSino-Usbusinessnegotiators.Keywords:values;interculturalcommunication;businessprotocols;initiatingbusinessrelationships摘要隨著經(jīng)濟全球化的發(fā)展，中美之間的商務往來日益頻繁。成功運用商務禮儀不但可以幫助企業(yè)建立良好商務關系，而且可以為企業(yè)和公司進行進一步的商務談判打下良好的基礎。因此，從建立商務關系的角度對比中美商務禮儀已成為了一項重要的研究課題。本文通過從建立商務關系的角度對比中美商務禮儀，用價值觀理論分析了中美商務禮儀在尋求會晤、問候方式、贈送禮物等方面存在差異的原因，進而針對中美商務談判者分別給出了建議，以便及時調(diào)整商務禮儀運用的策略，最終建立良好的商務關系。本文的研究有一定的現(xiàn)實意義，希望能對中美商務談判人員有所幫助。關鍵詞：價值觀;跨文化交際;商務禮儀；建立商務關系ContentsTOC\o"1-3"I.Introduction I.IntroductionEachcountryhasitsownhistoryandculture.Therearealotofdifferencesinthehabitofconductsandtheceremony,especiallybetweenChinaandtheUSA--thebiggestdevelopingcountryandthetopdevelopedcountry.Withthecontinuousenlargementofthesetwogiants’communicationinthefieldofeconomyandculture,tounderstandthedifferentbusinessprotocolsbetweenChineseandAmericanhasbecomeamusttobuildbusinesscooperation.AgoodapplicationofthedifferentbusinessprotocolsbetweenChineseandAmericancanmakethebusinesscooperationgowell;otherwise,theparticipantswillhaveapoorimpressiononeachotherbecausetheyregardthemasimpolite.Overthepast,peopleusuallyownthefailureofthebusinesscooperationtothesefourelementstheeconomicelement,thesocialelement,thepoliticalelementandthereligiouselement.Thesefourtraditionalreasonscanwellexplainthefailureofthemid-termpartofthebusinesscooperationthenegotiationprocess,whiletheyareuselesstoexplainthefailureoftheearlypart—theinitiatingbusinessrelationshipsprocess.ThispaperaimstomakeacomparisonbetweenChineseandAmericanbusinessprotocolfromtheperspectiveofinitiatingbusinessrelationshipsbyusingsometheoryofculturalvaluessoastopromotetheSino-USbusinesscooperation.ThroughacomparisonbetweenChineseandAmericanbusinessprotocolfromtheperspectiveofculturalvalues,thispaperattemptstoserveasausefulreferenceforthefurtherresearchonthecomparisonbetweenChineseandAmericanbusinessprotocolandgivesomeadvisementsonhowtomakegooduseofbusinessprotocolssoastoinitiatebusinessrelationshipsmoreeasily.Thispaperwillbedividedintofourparts:(1)Introduction(ResearchingBackground,ResearchingSignificance,Researchingmethodandstructureofthepaperofbackground);(2)ComparisonofChineseandAmericanvalues（CollectivismandIndividualism，PowerinfluenceandRespectforHierarchyandEquality，PolychronicTimeOrientationandMonochronicTimeOrientation);(3)ComparisonofChineseandAmericanBusinessProtocolsfromthePerspectiveofInitiatingBusinessRelationships(AppointmentSeeking，GreetingBehaviorandGiftgiving)andgivenadvisementtomakegooduseofbusinessprotocolssoastoinitiatingbusinessrelationshipseasily;(4)Conclusion.II.CultureandValue2.1TheDefinitionofCultureandInterculturalCommunicationCultureconsistsofthosedeep,common,unstatedexperienceswhichmembersofagivencultureshare,whichtheycommunicatewithoutknowing,andwhichformthebackdropagainstwhichallothereventsarejudged(Hall).Itisacomplexframeofreferencethatconsistsofpatternsoftraditions,beliefs,values,norms,symbols,andmeaningsthataresharedtovaryingdegreesbyinteractingmembersofacommunity.Andvaluesarethecoreofculture.Interculturalcommunicationinitsmostbasicformreferstoanacademicfieldofstudyandresearch.Itseekstounderstandhowpeoplefromdifferentcountriesandculturesbehave,communicateandperceivetheworldaroundthem.Thefindingsofsuchacademicresearcharethenappliedto'reallife'situationssuchashowtocreateculturalsynergybetweenpeoplefromdifferentcultureswithinabusinessorhowpsychologistsunderstandtheirpatients.Thedefinitionofinterculturalcommunicationmustalsoincludestrandsofthefieldthatcontributetoitsuchas

anthropology,culturalstudies,psychologyandcommunication.2.2CulturalValuesCultureistheuniquecharacterofasocialgroup.Itencompassesthevaluesandnormssharedbymembersofthatgroup(胡文仲67).Itistheeconomic,social,political,andreligiousinstitutionsthatdirectandcontrolcurrentgroupmembersandsocializenewmembers(Lytleet.al.,167-214).Alloftheseelementsofculturecanaffectsocialinteractionssuchasnegotiations.Inexaminingtheinfluenceofcultureonnegotiation,thischapterwilldiscusstheroleofsomebasicculturalvaluesinnegotiations:(1)individualismversuscollectivism,(2)highpowerdistanceversuslowpowerdistance,(3)high-contextversuslow-contextcommunications,and(4)PolychronicTimeOrientationversusMonochronicTimeOrientation2.2.1IndividualismversusCollectivismIndividualism-collectivismisthemajordimensionofculturalvariabilityusedtoexplaincross-culturaldifferencesandsimilaritiesincommunicationacrosscultures(Gudykunst,55).Individualismversuscollectivismreferstotheextenttowhichasocietytreatsindividualsasautonomous,orasembeddedintheirsocialgroups(Schwartz,91).Inindividualisticcultures,normsandinstitutionspromotetheautonomyoftheindividual.Individualaccomplishmentsarerewardedandreveredbyeconomicandsocialinstitutions,andlegalinstitutionsprotectindividualrights.Incollectivistcultures,normsandinstitutionspromoteinterdependenceofindividualsthroughemphasisonsocialobligations.Sacrificeofpersonalneedsforthegreatergoodisrewarded,andlegalinstitutionsplacethegreatergoodofthecollectiveaboverightsoftheindividual.ThereisnodoubtthatindividualismishighlyprizedintheUnitedStates.Individualachievements,sovereignty,andfreedomarethevirtuesthataremostglorifiedandcanonized.ItisnotsurprisingthatthissamevaluedominatesAmericanbusinesspractices—includinghowtheynegotiate.TeamnegotiationsareunlikelyformostTheAmericans,unlessofcoursethe“negotiationisverycomplex”(Acuff,226).Chinesecultureisarathertypicalcollectivistculture,whichplacesemphasisonin-groupsolidarity,loyalty,andstrongperceivedinterdependenceamongindividuals.Relationshipsarebasedonmutualself-interestanddependentonthesuccessofthegroupthatisperceivedasaharmoniousgroup.Therefore,emphasisontheestablishmentofrelationshipinsociallifeismirroredwhenChinesenegotiatewiththeirAmericancounterparts.2.2.2HighPowerDistanceversusLowPowerDistanceHighpowerdistanceversuslowpowerdistancereferstotheextenttowhichaculture’ssocialstructureisflat(lowpowerdistance)versusdifferentiatedintoranks(highpowerdistance)(關世杰129).Inhighpowerdistancesocieties,interpersonalrelationshipsareverticalandsocialstatusimpliessocialpower.Socialsuperiorsaregrantedpowerandprivilege.Socialinferiorsareobligatedtodefertosocialsuperiorsandcomplywiththeirrequests.Inlowpowerdistancesocieties,interpersonalrelationsaretypicallyhorizontal,conductedbetweenpresumedequals.Whenapersonalconfrontationisrequiredbetweentwopersonsofdifferenthighpowerdistancelevels,thereisanimplicittendencytoestablishanatmosphereofequality.Negotiatorsfromlowpowerdistanceandhighpowerdistancesocietieshaveratherdifferentviewsofthebasesofpowerinnegotiations(Brett&Okumura,500).Consistentwiththetransitorynotionofsocialstructurethatischaracteristicoflowpowerdistancesocieties,powerinnegotiationsinlowpowerdistanceculturestendstobeevaluatedwithrespecttothesituationundernegotiationandthealternativesifnoagreementcanbereached.EverynegotiatorhasaBATNA(bestalternativetonegotiatedagreement)(Brett,303).Researchshowsthatnegotiatorsfromhighpowerdistanceculturesaremorelikelythannegotiatorsfromlowpowerdistanceculturestoendorseasnormativeandtousealltypesofpowerinnegotiation:status,BATNA,andpersuasion.2.2.3High-versusLow-contextCommunicationHigh-versuslow-contextcommunicationreferstothedegreetowhichwithinculturecommunicationsareindirectversusdirect(賈玉新72).Inhigh-contextcultureslittleinformationisinthemessageitself.Instead,thecontextofthecommunicationstimulatespreexistingknowledgeinthereceiver.Inhigh-contextculturesmeaningisinferredratherthandirectlyinterpretedfromthecommunication.Inlow-contextculturesinformationiscontainedinexplicitmessages,andmeaningisconveyedwithoutnuanceandiscontextfree.Communicationinlow-contextculturesisactionorientedandsolutionminded.Theimplicationsoftheinformationarelaidoutinfurtherdetailedcommunications.IntheWesternculturessuchasUS,peoplecommunicateinalow-contextstyleandexpressthemselvesexplicitlyanddirectly.“TheAmericansareidentifiedthroughouttheworldbytheirplainspeakinganddirectstyleofcommunication”(賈玉新72).SignsofthedirectstyleofNorthAmericannegotiatorsisthattheyoftenavoidsilence,tendtospeakloudly,interruptfrequently,andoftencompletesentencesforothers.IneasterncultureslikeChinaandJapan,memberscommunicateinahigh-contextstylethatinvolvesmoreimplicitmessagesembeddedinthecontext.“Inhigh-contextculturessuchasJapanandChina,peopleexpectthepersontowhomtheyaretalkingtoknowwhatisontheirmind.Theygivetheotherpersonallthenecessaryinformationexceptthecrucialpiece”(賈玉新265).2.2.4PolychronicTimeOrientationversusMonochronicTimeOrientationAmongallthedimensionsofculturewhichhaveasignificantbutalmostinvisibleimpactonbusinessprotocols,timepatternsareprobablythestrongest.Time-basedmisunderstandingsininternationalbusinessisaclassictopicwhichhasdrawnmuchattentionandgivenrisetolotsofanecdotes,mostofthemrelatingtoappointments,punctuality,andthediverseconceptsoftime-relatedcourtesyacrosscultures.Culturesobserveandexperiencetimedifferently.Anthropologistshavelonginsistedthathowaculturethinksoftimeandmanagesitiscluetothemeaningsitsmembersfindinlifeandthesupposednatureofhumanexistence.Althoughpeoplecannotholdorseetime,theyrespondtoitasifithadcommandovertheirlives.Becausetimeissuchapersonalphenomenon,peopleperceiveandtreatitinamannerthatexpressestheircharacter.Ifbusinessnegotiatorsarrivethirtyminuteslateforanimportantappointmentandoffernoapology,theysendacertainmessageaboutthemselves.Tellingsomeonehowguiltytheyfeelabouttheirbelatedarrivalalsosendsamessage.Aculture'suseoftimecanalsoprovidevaluablecluestohowmembersofthatculturevalueandrespondtotime.IntheUnitedStates,peopleoftensay,"Timeismoney"and"Hewhohesitatesislost".AbasicassumptionofAmerican-stylebusinessvaluesisthatthefasterthatmoneyorgoodschangehands,thegreatertheincreaseinValueandthelargertheprofits.TimeinChinaisalifetimecommitment,andnolong-termorshort-termerrorswillbemadethroughhastyandhurrieddecisions.AllChineseknowtheConfucianproverb"Thinkthreetimesbeforeyouact".Thesesayingsreflectthedifferenttimeorientations.TotheAmericans,timeisscaresource;totheChinese,timeisjustaholisticelement.Inaword,theAmericanshaveahighertimesensitivitythantheChinese.III.ComparisonofSino-USBusinessProtocolsUsedtoInitiateBusinessRelationships3.1ThePre-negotiationPhase:InitiatingBusinessRelationshipsThefirstphaseofbusinessnegotiationcanbedescribedasestablishingabusinessrelationshiporgettingtoknowoneanothersocially.Itisoftenmoreimportantininterculturalbusinessnegotiationsbecausedifferentculturesareinvolved.Goodrelationshipdevelopedatthisphasecanbeofgreathelp.Becauseanyinformationorissuerelatedtothecorecontentofnegotiationisnotconsidered.Socialandinformalrelationshipsdevelopedbetweennegotiatorsatthisstagecanbeofgreatvalue,too.Greetingsandsmalltalksaboutsportsandclimateareusuallyencouragedatthisstage.Sometimes,smallgiftsarepresentedtoenhancetherelationship.Trustandconfidencegainedfromtheserelationshipsincreasethechancesofagreement.Usuallynegotiatorswithouttrustdonotgetfar.Thepurposeofthefirstphaseistocreateafriendlyatmosphere,andtoshowcredibilitytoconductbusinesswiththeotherside.3.2TheComparisonofSino-USBusinessProtocolsAccordingtoDifferentCulturalValues3.2.1TheComparisonofAppointmentSeekingProtocolTheprotocolfororchestratinganinitialcontactandappointmenttoconductbusinesscanrangefrommakingatelephonecalltousinga“go-between”oranemissary.Themannerinwhichtheinitialbusinesscontactismadeandtheamountofadvancenoticebetweenthecontactandappointmentarekeyfactorstoconsiderwhendoingbusinesswithanotherculture.Anexamplewillclarifythispoint：Jack:Iwouldappreciateitverymuchifyoucouldarrangeformeameetingwithyourdelegationleaders.Yousee,it'smysinceredesiretoestablishbusinessrelationswiththesecorporations.

Wang:Certainly.Ithinkit'salsotheirhopetostartbusinesswithyou.

Jack:Thatsoundsencouraging.Whendoyouthinkyoucouldarrangethemeeting?Ifindmyselfabittooanxiousforit.

Wang:Don'tworry.Ishallcertainlydoittoyoursatisfaction.I'llfirstletthemknowofyourintention.AndthenI'llmakearrangementsforyoutomeeteachofthemseparately.

Jack:Thatwouldbeterrific.</news-103-17341.html>Inthisdialogue,therearethreeaspectsthattheAmericansdifferfromtheChinese.Firstly,theAmericanbusinessnegotiatorspeaksinadirectway,whiletheChinesebusinessnegotiator’swordsareindirectly.Secondly,theAmericanshaveahightimesensitivity,whiletheChinesehavealowtimesensitivity.Thirdly,theAmericansmakedecisionsindividually,whiletheChineseneedtotalkwiththeirleadersorcolleagues.Next,analysiswillbemadefromthesethreeaspectsaccordingtothetheoriesinchaptertwo.Accordingtodifferentvalues,analysisismadeasfollows.Firstly,Methodsofcommunicationvaryamongcultures.Salacuse’ssurveyrevealsthatChinesepeopleactuallydorelyheavilyonindirectandcomplexmethods,whiletheAmericansplaceemphasisondirectandsimplemethodsofcommunication.AccordingtoSalacuse,inaculturethatvaluesdirectnesssuchastheUS,onecanexpecttoreceiveaclearanddefiniteresponsetoproposalsandquestions.NegotiatorsfromNorthAmericaarelikelytobluntlyassertsuchthingsas“Thisisunacceptable,”“Thisisourfinalbiddingprice,”“Justlayitontheline,”and“Wehavebeenherelongenough,let’snetitout.”However,inculturesthatrelyonindirectcommunication,suchasChinese,reactiontoproposalsmaybegainedmostbyinterpretingseemlyindefinitecomments,gestures,andothersigns.Theindirectcommunicationpatternisclearlyillustratedintheway“no”iscommunicated.AnAmericancomplained:“HonestyinChinaisnotthesameasintheWest.TheChineseoftentellwhiteliesandwhencaughtindoingso,theystickouttheirtongueatyou”(Wang&Zhang,121).AnexpatriateinaSino-AmericanjointventurecommentedabouthisChinesesubordinates:“TheChinesearenottryingtobendtherules,buttheyignorethosetheydonotlike,orforgetthem.Theysayyesandignorethem”(Wang&Zhang,115).Fromacross-culturalanalysis,itisverylikelythatChinesepeoplehavenotreallylied.Itisjustthattheydidnotmeanwhattheysaid.Inotherwords,theforeignersmainlydependedonthewordsChinesepeoplesaidanddisregardedthecontext.Asaresult,theymistakenlyinterpretedthemessageconveyed.ButtheChinese,withtheirtendencytoprotectthefaceofeachsideandavoidopenconflict,avoidsaying“no”openlytotheotherparty’sface.Sotheyseektosendthesignalof“refusal”throughotherchannelsthatarecleartothem,butunfortunately,theirlow-contextpartnersarenot"programmed"todecodethissignal,somisunderstandingoftenoccur.Secondly,discussionsofnationalnegotiatingstylesinvariablyconsideraparticularculture’sattitudetowardtime(Salacuse,230).Salacuse’ssurveydatashowsthatTheAmericansaremoretime-sensitivethanChinese.Chinesenegotiatorsoftenspendmuchtimeinestablishingrapportandgettingtoknowtheirpartners.Producingasatisfactoryagreementinasshortatimeaspossiblemaybeoneoftheirleastconcerns.TotheAmericans,timeismoney,acommodityinlimitedsupply.TheUSAmightexpectameetingtobeginandendatacertaintime,withaseriesofimportantpointsdiscussedinbetween.Americancultureoftenmakesreferencetotimewhenplanningactivities,schedulingappointments,travelingfromonepointtoanother,meetingdeadlines,andfulfillingcommitments.Therefore,Americannegotiatorsexpecttheircounterpartstoadheretoschedulesandtoarrivepromptlyforappointmentsandmeetings.Delaysorpostponementscausethemtoexpresstheirirritation,bothverballyandnonverbally,andtheyquicklytakeactiontogetthingsbackonschedule.Inaddition,TheUSAplacegreatemphasisongettingthebestresultsinthequickesttime.Theyusuallyrespondtoemailsinnomorethanoneday.“Everyemail,everyphonecallisbecausesomeonewantssomething–soeverythingispartof,oracompletenegotiation.”accordingtoEdBenjamin.ManyChinese,eventhosewithhighstatus,however,respondtoemailsinaverycasualway.Theyeitherleavetheemailsforseveraldaysorneverreply.Thereasontheymaygiveisthat,“Idon’tknowwhattosay.”Sometimes,areplywillcausealossoffaceforthesenderorrecipient.ButfromtheAmericanpointofview,atleasttheyshouldreplytoamessagethattheyhavereceivedtheemail.ThismajordifferenceincommunicationstylemakessomeTheUSAverydisappointed.Inaword,thefailureofefficientcommunicationmayeasilycausethefailureofbusinessnegotiation.Thirdly,inanyinternationalnegotiation,itisimportanttoknowhowtheothersideisorganizedandmakesdecisions.Cultureisoneimportantfactorthataffectsthewaygroupsareorganizedandthewayorganizationsfunction.Someculturesemphasizetheindividualwhileothersstressthegroup.Generally,thefinaldecisionmakerinaChinesecompanyisthemanatthetop.HewillgetinvolvedinissuesatalevellowerthanmostwesternCEO'swouldeverconsider.Usually,finalpositionsoftheChinesesideonanyproposalwillbereachedatprivatemeetingsandthenreturnedtothenegotiatingtablelater.Hence,theterm“we’llconsiderit”willbeheardfrequentlyandmeans“wemusttalktotheboss.”ThepeopleacrossthetableoraroundtheroomarebutthetipoftheicebergthatistheChinesenegotiatingside.Behindthemaremanymorecontrollingteamsandstakeholderswhodevisestrategyandcontroldecision-making(Blackman,192).InChineseculture,withtheemphasisonhierarchyalreadydiscussed,individualsareexpectedtofollowtheordersoftheirsuperiorsandthesuperiorsareexpectedtomakedecisionsintheinterestsoftheirfollowers.Communicationpatternsbyindividualsotherthanthecentralfigurearelessdecisive,lessaction-orientedorrisk-taking.Thetendencytowardgroupidentificationisapparentinthedecision-makingprocess.OftennosingleChineseiswillingtotakeresponsibilityforagivendecision.InAmericawhereindividualisticculturedominates,however,theroleoftheindividualisemphasizedandthesenseofpersonalfreedomisverystrong.Individualsarenotnecessarilyconstrainedtoaparticularsocialunitbybirth(exceptthefamily).Asaresult,individualsstrivetoachievepersonalgoals,seekpersonalautonomyandoftenprefertoactasindividualsratherthanamemberofagroup.Moreover,animportantruleofnegotiatinginwesternbusinessistomakesurethatoneisnegotiatingwiththepersonwhohastheauthoritytomakedecision.Thenegotiatingteamthereforetendstobesmall,specializedandgenerallyacertainindividualisfullyauthorizedfordecisionmaking.3.2.2TheComparisonofGreetingBehaviorProtocolOnceameetinghasbeenarranged,itisimportantthatthegreetingprotocolofthehostculturebeobserved.Chinesenegotiatorsgenerallyhaveaformalstyleofinteraction.InChina,honorifics,titles,andstatusareextremelyimportant.Duetohighpowerdistanceorientationoftheculture,Chinesepeopleexpect“l(fā)eaders”tobehavelike“l(fā)eaders”andtobetreatedlike“l(fā)eaders”.TheChineseaddresstheircounterpartsbytheirpropertitle.Theydonotbelieveinusingfirstnamesunlessitisbetweentheverybestofpersonalrelationships.FortheChinese,theuseofafirstnameatafirstmeetingisanactofdisrespectandgenerallyabadthing.Chinesepeopleexpecttobuildrelationshipsbasedontheacknowledgementofdifferences,onrespectforstatus,andondeferencetotitle.TheAmericans,comparativelyspeaking,haveamoreinformalstyle.TheAmericansoftenfeeluncomfortableinsituationsinwhichitisnecessarytofollowprescribedetiquetteanddecorum.TheAmericansareverycasualabouttheiruseoffirstnames.Mostprefertobeaddressedbytheirfirstnames,insteadofpropertitles.However,itistobenotedthatthoseseriousandsuccessfulAmericanbusinessmenmaydresscasually–butnotforimportantmeetings,firstmeetings,orhighprofilemeetings.Thisisnotanissueofformalityinestablishingasenseofprofessionalism.Atleast,oneneedstolooklikeabusinessman.Casualdressamongthisgroupisonlyamongfriendsandlongtimebusinessrelationshipswhereotherformsofcommunicationaremoreimportantandwellestablished.ThedifferencesintheemphasisofprotocolbetweenChineseandAmericannegotiatorscanbeillustratedbytheirownpower-distanceculture.AccordingtoSalacuse,Chineseculturewithhighpowerdistanceattachesmuchimportancetoetiquette,protocolandritualisticexchanges(231).Inthissense,Chinesetendtobelievethat“thereareproperorimproperwaystodothings.”TheUS,onthecontrary,isalowpower-distancecountrythatvaluestheabsenceofstrictprescriptionsforcommunicativebehaviorsandviewsetiquetteandprotocolasabarriertocommunicationandrelationshipbuilding.ThehorizontaldistributionofpowercontributestoAmericanpeople'sinformalbehavior.Socialconventionislowpowerdistance,anddifferencesbetweenpeople,groups,classes,ranksorsexesareacknowledgedbutnotemphasized.Theabsenceofclearrulesandguidelinesforconductisakeyfeatureofinformalenvironments.Thereisoftenasharedbeliefin“gettingridoftheredtape”or“beingoneself”,indicationsthataninformalcommunicationstyleisassociatedwithasenseofinterpersonalauthenticity.3.2.3TheComparisonofGiftGivingProtocolAnoldadageintheUnitedStatessays“BewareofGreeksbearinggifts.”MostAmericansviewgiftgivinginthebusinesssettingasaformofbribery,giftgivingisdiscouragedorlimitedbymanyUScompanies.Agraciouswrittennoteisalwaysappropriateandacceptable.Aninvitationforamealisusuallyacceptable.However,formanycultures,giftgivingisastandardpartofbusinessprotocol.Assuch,itisimportanttoknownotonlytheviewsconcerninggiftgiving,butalsowhatgiftsareappropriatefortheculturewithwhichyouwillbedoingbusiness.Accordingtodifferentvalues,analysisismadeasfollows.Differentculturesmayviewtheverypurposeofabusinessnegotiationdifferently.Peopleofanindividualistculturetendtobeself-oriented,action-oriented.Theydesireanoutcomeinaparticulartransactionwhichyieldsaresultmostpleasingtothemandhencegivesthemasenseofself-fulfillmentwithoutworryingaboutlong-termlinks.FormanyAmericanexecutives,thegoalofabusinessnegotiation,firstandforemost,istoarriveatasignedcontractbetweentheparties.TheAmericansconsiderasignedcontractasadefinitivesetofrightsanddutiesthatstrictlybindsthetwosidesanddeterminestheirinteractionthereafter.Chinesepeoplearelong-termoriented.Thisorientationisreflectedintheirattitudetowardthefamily,thinkingnotonlyofthenextgenerationbutalsoofgenerationsbeyond.Forthem,th