Mediation as a Tool for Overcoming Cultural Barriers in Negotiations. A Comparison between Germany, Brazil, France and Sweden

Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)

• Introduction
• Negotiations in a Cross-Cultural Context
• Influence of Culture on Business Life
• Culture as a Barrier to Negotiations - Some Introductory Examples
• Definitions
• Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions
• Power Distance
• Individualism versus Collectivism
• Masculinity versus Femininity
• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Long Term Orientation
• Other Researchers
• Hall: Different Time Notions and Communication Styles
• Monochronic and Polychronic Notions of Time
• Low and High Context Communication – Direct versus Indirect
• Trompenaars's Study on Management Styles
• Universalism versus Particularism
• Specific versus Diffuse Cultures
• Culture's Influence on Business Organizations
• Comparison of Negotiation Styles
• Finishing Negotiations: The Meaning of Contract in Different Cultures
• A Critical Examination of the Harvard Concept
• Overcoming Cultural Barriers Through Mediation
• Cultural Training as a Human Resources Development Tool

Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)

This work aims to analyze the impact of cultural differences on negotiations, specifically comparing Germany, Brazil, France, and Sweden. It explores how cultural barriers affect negotiation processes and investigates the potential of mediation as a tool to overcome these challenges.

• Influence of cultural dimensions on negotiation styles.
• Comparison of negotiation practices across different national cultures.
• The role of mediation in resolving cross-cultural conflicts.
• Effectiveness of mediation techniques in different cultural contexts.
• The importance of cultural training in improving cross-cultural negotiation skills.

Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)

The introduction lays out the scope and objectives of the study. The following chapters delve into the theoretical framework, examining Hofstede's cultural dimensions and the contributions of other researchers like Hall and Trompenaars, analyzing their relevance to negotiation styles. Subsequent chapters then present detailed comparisons of organizational cultures and negotiation styles in Germany, Brazil, France, and Sweden, highlighting key differences and similarities. The Harvard negotiation concept is critically examined, and the role of mediation in overcoming cultural barriers is thoroughly explored.

Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)

Cross-cultural negotiations, cultural barriers, mediation, Germany, Brazil, France, Sweden, Hofstede's cultural dimensions, negotiation styles, conflict resolution, cultural training, intercultural communication.