Planting Orange Trees in Twenty Cultures: The Practice of International Negotiations

Abstract

International commerce has always driven human progress. Its inherent cultural diversity has maximized the new ideas that improve consumers’ lives around the world. The best international business relationships are maintained over the long term and managed through inventive negotiation processes. Investments in time and money are required to build the trust and honest information exchange that allow for exploitation of mutually beneficial opportunities. This article provides a database and associated tools to help international negotiators understand the cultural differences that may impact buyer–seller relationships between parties from twenty countries and cultures including the United States and Iran.