Cultural tendencies in negotiation between Mexico und USA: How to communicate and negotiate successfully

Seminar paper from the year 2014 in the subject Politics - International Politics - Topic: International Organisations, grade: 2,0, University of Applied Sciences Fulda (Sozial-und Kulturwissenschaften), course: Intercultural Negotiations, language: English, abstract: As a result of globalization we are no longer dependent of distance or borders and where we do business. Due to a huge increase in global trade, learning more about how to do international business successfully is becoming more and more important. Therefore, intercultural communication and negotiation are significant for success in a globalized workplace. Becoming confident with different languages, communication styles, negotiation tactics, decisionmaking and cultural differences is the key factor for a good business relationship with other countries. As a neighboring country and member of NAFTA, Mexico and his market had become very attractive for Americans. Although they are neighboring countries, there are big cultural differences between them which leads to misunderstanding and misinterpreting in private life as well as but in business contexts. The purpose of this paper is in which areas of contact most commonly cause misunderstanding in intercultural communication between USA and Mexico. International negotiations deals not only with crossing borders, also with crossing cultures. Culture profoundly influences how people communicate, think and behave in business situations. Therefore the main questions in this paper are: How cultural aspects affect business communication between Mexico and the United States? How can business people profit from cultural awareness? Which rules do they have to follow for a successful negotiation?