Business Etiquette in Japanese Negotiations

Gina Blair and Daniel Trent cooperate and collaborate to achieve a common objective throughout their negotiation. A cooperative negotiation style is demonstrated as they combine their points of view regarding their clients concerns with outcomes to effectively solve the issues raised. The main focus of the negotiation is to reach an agreement rather than a continuous dispute. Accordingly, the conflicting objectives were resolved by compromises and solutions but forward by both Gina and Daniel. The negotiation style used between Gina and Daniel is described as principled negotiation where both parties jointly attack the problems arising to achieve a compromise.

This essay aims to provide more information in regards to the differences between the Australian and Japanese cultures, as well as fundamental insights into Japanese business etiquette and highlight important steps for effective communication when making business in a foreign country. As the Australian entrepreneur and owner of ‘The Aromatic Condiment Shop’ Emily is looking to expand her business deals in Japan it is paramount to make a favourable first impression and understand key points to better navigate cultural differences and grow her business.

The cultural behaviors of the “American” or “Japanese” in the video do not accurately reflect business behaviors in these countries so please do not generalize based on the video. The video is meant as a classroom exercise to analyze a specific cultural encounter. Total 20 points.

Cultural differences are present wherever you travel to, you will come across cultural differences, and these can vary quite a bit, such as the language people use e.g. English people say "Chips" compared to Americans who say "Fries”. A businessman may find himself in the middle of cultural differences quite often and thus, will have to devise methods as to how to make sure no one is offended or that he is fully understood. Certain methods he would use to overcome such issues are greeting people on a last name basis. Also refraining on using most signed gestures, as they can vary in meaning quite greatly, for example, the English gesture to say

For example, employee loyalty can be described and improved by reciprocating favors. Developing business relationships are expected to take more time in the Chinese culture as opposed to how they are developed in the united States. In the U.S., businesses and clients typically meet in a formal setting and focus on the business requirements and solutions whereas, in China, first, second and even third meetings might be in informal settings where business is not expected to even be discussed.

In a business perspective, the oriental and western cultures remain a huge difference. Low-context societies such as American egalitarian culture, they emphasize on logic and facts, verbal messages are more direct and concise, individualism and extremely tolerant to changes. However, high-context societies such as Chinese hierarchy culture, they prefer non-verbal methods to express meaningful communications, group-oriented, and pay more attention to interpersonal relationships during business interactions. For example, a successful business interaction will count on interpersonal relationships among businesses and government. On the other hand, business dealings can be completely transactional with Americans, without building relationships to do so.

Therefore, it is important to increase our knowledge of Asian cultures, languages, negotiation styles, and business practices to further develop business relations that are favorable to the continued growth and development of our own country and the global marketplace. The Asia countries make a massive impact on global economics and trade relations which also affects the political aspects related to international relationships.

The first important custom to understand when conducting business with Japan is bowing. In Japan bowing represents respect and can be very instrumental in making a positive initial impression (Nevison, 2009). There are many incidents when bowing should be conducted and they are, introducing oneself, as a welcome, as a form of gratitude, and to express remorse (Custom of Bowing, n.d.). Japan’s business culture is very inclusive. According to Japanese Business Customs (2011, para.3) “group decision-making is important in Japan and has been generally described as a “bottom up” exercise rather than “top down.” The fact that Japan conducts business with this approach can make the process time consuming. It is important to be aware that developing connections with Japan will/do not happen overnight. Another custom of Japan is gift giving. According to Japanese Business Customs (2011, para.4) “gift giving is expected on many business occasions in Japan.” It is imperative to note that the value of the gift is not as important as the essence of the gift. Exchanging business cards are another very important aspect of conducting business with Japan. According to Nevison (2009, para.5), “business cards should be printed on both sides, with your first language on one side and the other party’s language on the other." Physical contact like hand shaking, hugging and even

The Negotiation Checklist is a list that helps to prepare you for negotiation. The list consists of four parts: you (the negotiator), the other party (them), the situation or environment, and the relationship between the parties. According to Tripp, “The well prepared negotiator knows the playing field and the players, is seldom surprised, and can promptly capitalize on opportunities.”

The topic for my real world negotiation is to come to an agreement with my supervisor for a promotion as well as an increased salary. I currently work as a student assistant at the student services Planning, Enrollment Management, and Student Affairs (PEMSA) department. My goal is to increase my hourly pay from $10.15 to $12.70, a 25% increase. Having worked in this department for three years, I have taken on tasks not part of my job description such as processing return mail, data entry, and supervision.

In this negotiation, we learned that it is important to research your opponent, to understand their culture, not only of their country or backgrounds, but also their company culture. When we are able to understand our opponent’s way of thinking about business and doing business we can then understand how to approach a negotiation situation with them. In this exercise, we learned that it is difficult for us to adjust when it involves breaking or acting in a way opposite of what we are accustomed to. We also learned that although my classmates live in the same country as we do, their upbringings may have similarities to their origin country and will therefore help them to communicate and adjust to that country’s norms and standards. We were surprised how we were able to stay in character although it was hard and it was surprising how people responded when they were unaware of your intentions and strategies. If we had to do this exercise again, what we can do is do more research on our opponents so that we would have an idea of what to expect in the negotiation table.

One of the most important facets for a successful business in the twenty-first century is how it communicates with their customers, partners, suppliers and governments from different countries and cultures from around the world. For a business to operate with any modicum of success in Japan, you must possess a basic understand of how their society functions. As a result of learning about the geography, climate, history, religion, cultural rituals, politics, education system, and the role of the family; it will allow a business or business person the insight needed to understand how society functions and the method in which business is conducted.

When Anne Burns, an American expatriate, moved to Jordan with her husband to promote female entrepreneurship through the non-profit organization ExportJordan, she had no idea that her American style of communication and negotiation would clash so severely with the Jordanian culture. As she settled into her new office aided by a western educated female employee named Hayat, she quickly ran into a number of minor differences such as men not shaking her hand. Major issues soon started happening, as evidenced by her less than warm welcome by Jafar, a male employee who warned her about her attitude and actions with cryptic phrases and obvious disapproval.

Both societies, moreover, have developed the art of business and commerce, of buying and selling, of advertising and mass producing, to the highest levels. Few sights are more reassuring to people from the United States than the tens of thousands of busy stores in Japan,

Negotiating is something that has been around since the beginning of mankind. We all start off negotiating as little kids, even for little things such as candy and toys. When we grow up, negotiating becomes sort of the norm. We negotiate consciously and subconsciously every single day. When you think about it, negotiation takes up most of our lives. We are always trying to see what we can get as a benefit without giving up much. It always comes down to the pie, how big is the pie and who can get the biggest slice. As we become adults with careers, there are ever some that become flat our ‘Negotiators’. This means that all they do for a living is negotiate. They are master negotiators and are praised for being so. When it comes to negotiation, persuasion is also within that talent. You have to be able to get what you want from people without them feeling like they are being taken advantage of and that they are also getting just as big a piece of the pie as you are getting, although in reality they are not.