International business has immensely been affected by culture, especially by the negotiation between cultures in the sense that it takes place among different nations. Businesses interact with cultures in their endeavor to achieve their objectives.
This relationship differs from culture to culture because every culture has a unique effect on the process of running business. Negotiation between cultures often determines the strategy and operation of business because cultures set the background of business operation (Rai & Neelankavil, 2009).
Business activities do not take place in a vacuum; in fact, the most flourishing business ought to be aware of alterations in the cultures along with societies where they operate. As society changes along with culture, commercial entities must adjust to survive, stay relevant and counter competition in the market. Therefore, it is obvious that businesses operate in societies which are governed by culture.
Culture determines how a society operates and has a wide impact on the operations of any business enterprise. Businesses must learn how to operate in the cultural contexts of their areas; yet these environments change making the businesses vulnerable to several challenges that can threaten their survival and operation.
To thrive and gain advantage over their competitors, businesses require adjusting to the cultural changes in societies and regions that they run in. Accordingly, business organizations have to shift from one cultural setting to another in their pursuit of the set business objectives.
Such a movement requires businesses to develop a technique through which they can operate in different cultures using different methods (Tuleja et al, 2008). This is referred to as negotiating with culture. Every business must negotiate with culture in order to successfully operate. Negotiating in a society which culture is consistently changing, businesses must adapt fast in order to compete in such an environment.
The second is the aspect of operating in different cultural setting where the businesses must negotiate with the different cultures. In all the spheres, negotiating with culture affects international business in a significant way, more particularly, through influencing the activities and mode of operation of the businesses in distinct cultural settings.
Owing to the fact that international business is all about operating beyond national boundaries, it is obvious that international companies should transverse numerous cultural settings in their endeavor to do business.
Negotiations between cultures involve an endeavor by organizations to run business within different cultural settings by taking cognizance of the underlying cultural parameters that influence how it is done and develops a mechanism of overcoming any obstacles involved. The issues influenced by cultural negotiations include marketing, advertisement, business strategy and communication (Mitchel, 2000).
These are the prime factors that determine the way a business operates in numerous cultural settings. Additionally, the tastes, needs and requirements of customers change from culture to culture making it possible for a business to properly understand culture in their places of operation.
Culture is of profound implication to the existence and operation of business organization and a clear appreciation of culture along with its underlying parameters which are crucial for the success of businesses operating in the international market.
Negotiation between cultures is a process through which businesses constructively interact with different cultures or the shifting nature of the same culture in the course of business activities. In essence, the way of negotiating with culture is different from one culture to another and has an immense influence on the process of conducting international business.
Reference List
Mitchel, C. (2000). A short course on international business culture. New York: World Trade Press.
Rai, A. & Neelankavil, J. (2009). Basics of international business. Washington: ME sharp.
Tuleja et al. (2008). Intercultural communication for business. Washington: Cengage Learning.