从建立商务关系的角度对比中美商礼仪-商务英语毕业论文

商务英语毕业论文商务英语毕业论文从建立商务关系的角度对比中美商礼仪院（系）名称：外语系专业名称：英语

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摘要随着经济全球化的发展，中美之间的商务往来日益频繁。成功运用商务礼仪不但可以帮助企业建立良好商务关系，而且可以为企业和公司进行进一步的商务谈判打下良好的基础。因此，从建立商务关系的角度对比中美商务礼仪已成为了一项重要的研究课题。本文通过从建立商务关系的角度对比中美商务礼仪，用价值观理论分析了中美商务礼仪在寻求会晤、问候方式、赠送礼物等方面存在差异的原因，进而针对中美商务谈判者分别给出了建议，以便及时调整商务礼仪运用的策略，最终建立良好的商务关系。本文的研究有一定的现实意义，希望能对中美商务谈判人员有所帮助。关键词：价值观;跨文化交际;商务礼仪；建立商务关系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)(关世杰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(贾玉新72).Inhigh-contextcultureslittleinformationisinthemessageitself.Instead,thecontextofthecommunicationstimulatespreexistingknowledgeinthereceiver.Inhigh-contextculturesmeaningisinferredratherthandirectlyinterpretedfromthecommunication.Inlow-contextculturesinformationiscontainedinexplicitmessages,andmeaningisconveyedwithoutnuanceandiscontextfree.Communicationinlow-contextculturesisactionorientedandsolutionminded.Theimplicationsoftheinformationarelaidoutinfurtherdetailedcommunications.IntheWesternculturessuchasUS,peoplecommunicateinalow-contextstyleandexpressthemselvesexplicitlyanddirectly.“TheAmericansareidentifiedthroughouttheworldbytheirplainspeakinganddirectstyleofcommunication”(贾玉新72).SignsofthedirectstyleofNorthAmericannegotiatorsisthattheyoftenavoidsilence,tendtospeakloudly,interruptfrequently,andoftencompletesentencesforothers.IneasterncultureslikeChinaandJapan,memberscommunicateinahigh-contextstylethatinvolvesmoreimplicitmessagesembeddedinthecontext.“Inhigh-contextculturessuchasJapanandChina,peopleexpectthepersontowhomtheyaretalkingtoknowwhatisontheirmind.Theygivetheotherpersonallthenecessaryinformationexceptthecrucialpiece”(贾玉新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“leaders”tobehavelike“leaders”andtobetreatedlike“leaders”.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