Intercultural Negotiation: A Case Study

Going back to the second research question “How does cultural intelligence affect the businessmen in Cameroon behavior during intercultural negotiations?”. Cultural intelligence defined as a person’s capability to successfully adapt to new settings (Earley & Ang, 2003), is likely a more powerful indicator to intercultural negotiations (Imai & Gelfand, 2010). The cultural intelligence, according to the result of this study, has an influence on the negotiator’s behavior and plays a role in the success of the negotiation process. This point is also supported by the prominent scholar’s work such as Imai and Gelfand (2010). The findings indicate that cultural intelligence seems to have a certain impact on the negotiators’ behaviors.
The study

To me this was not good at all, he should have taken us to the restaurant, after knowing we left the airport and came straight to the factory” Njieforbi

“I personally, don’t like the French. I am skeptical when doing business with them…… I am aware of the historical link between France and Cameroon…. Just look at what is happening now in Cameroon, all under the influence of France……” Unknown.

Besides the above-mentioned points, one interviewee added a point linked to racism. To him, he was minimized and treated badly by some business partners and he acclaimed this to racism. The interviewee pointed out that, he was looked upon as not been qualified to do business with the Europeans (Holland). This made him feel bad and doesn’t think he can do business again with the said company.
As a result of the study, all of the interviewees have some certain negative perceptions or impressions towards their European partners even though some of them did not mention it during the interview directly. For example, in Abondie’s case, he mentioned that there is nothing about her European partners that makes him unhappy.

4.3.3

This is partly due to the cultural difference between the Western and West/Central Africa. An understanding of the conditioning effect of culture on perception and its subsequent effect on cognition can help explain cross cultural behavior (Kastanakis, & Voyer, 2014). All interviewees perceived their Europeans counterparts to be task oriented and straight forward. So, while negotiating business deals, they try to emulate this same character in order for deals to be successful. People in Western cultures hold a dominant independent self-construal, which “involves a conception of the self as an autonomous, independent person” (Markus & Kitayama, 1991, p. 226). Westerners focus mainly on self-related goals and needs, and their self-perception primarily comprises unique personal traits and attributes, with others de-emphasized (Kastanakis, & Voyer, 2014) on like the