There are several things that should have been done differently in order for the business deal to be sealed successfully. When conducting business meetings, Tim and fellow associates should have formalized and ritualized their greetings while in Japan, they need to show correct amount of respect and deference to individuals at Bonsai Company based upon their status and relative to that of the Canadians. Since they were foreigners in japan, they are expected to carry their business cards and while shaking hands, they should have a form of greeting where they bow. The level of which the Canadians will bow depends on the relationship present between Bonsai workers and the Canadians (Noma, 2009, p. 3).
Since few Japanese speak English, the Canadians will need an interpreter in carrying out contract negotiation; it is important to sit in dinners and meetings since seating protocols depends heavily on the relationship, location of the door at the meeting room and the objects present in the room; therefore, it is best for the Canadians to defer to the local customs of the Japanese. When presented with a business card, it is important to receive the card with two hands while pausing, reflecting on the business card and looking at the back of the card. Dress cord should also ne formal and especially with dark blue business suits, dark tie, polished black shoes and white shirts. The Canadians need to offer compliments on the Japanese country and their perception on Japan will favor business transactions with Bonsai. In addition to this, giving of gifts in japan is considered ritualistic and meaningful and a ceremony to mark the presentation of the gift is more important that the gift presented, the gift should not be opened when they are received.
The Canadian’s first impression will impact on the ability to persuade negotiation processes, there are various ways of crafting first impressions even though some may be difficult. There are some impressions that are obvious while others are not and the Canadians need to learn all the impressions to be done especially with people from different cultures. The Canadians, being supplier, may think they are not busy and hence may think they are not that important in the organization. Therefore, the Canadians should consider themselves important and they should not take threats as a later in the negotiation process because it is likely to seek out other individuals in the organization, especially individuals who have decision-making powers. Having good reception and greeting the hosts well upon arrival, and leading all the parties to a contract creates a good impression that all the parties are important; the perceptions made during these processes encourages all the parties to be more persuasive throughout the contract formation.
During negotiations with the Japanese, silence in the process of negotiation is common since it is a time taken by the Japanese to think and reflect; the Canadians should not view this as being blabbermouth, selfish or unpredictable. During negotiations, the Japanese speak in the form of asking question in order to reveal more information; this makes the process of negotiation with the Japanese quite difficult since it is difficult to disclose their main interest in the contract. Japan being bureaucratic society make decision making slow and most of the deals are not completed during the initial meetings since there has to be a consensus that requires negotiations will seek approval from the senior management. The Canadians should know that in Japan, the need to seek approval is a practice that is normal, and stalling is also a common negotiation tactic used when negotiating contracts (Teshigawara and Kinsui, 2011, p. 38).
The approaches used by the Japanese in business negotiations are different from those of other cultures which are less distinct and more compromising between other styles. The cultural differences experienced during negotiation processes apt to cause misunderstandings such as that witnessed between Tim and Mr. Kushushi. To improve efficiency and effectiveness during erosseutural commercial transactions requires one to become aware of the differences that occur especially in what is said and the process used in in sealing negotiations as well as the social context of the discussions made during the formation of a contract. The man goal should be avoidance of misinterpretation or over interpreting various overt and subtle signals that are sent by negotiating counterparts from the different countries.
The Japanese businessmen have different approaches of solving mutual problems regarding price negotiation and one of the partners may be based on the price of each specific product or try to figure out the entire profit. There are troubles experienced when making decisions on the Japanese personality and culture which causes delays in decision making, hence the differences that occur during contract formation are considered as differences by the Japanese while people from other nations consider these as individual motives and personalities done by the Japanese.
References
Noma, H. (2009). How unique is japanese culture? A critical review of the discourse in intercultural communication literature. Journal of International Education in Business, 2(2), 2-14.
Teshigawara, M., & Kinsui, S. (2011). Modern japanese 'role language' (yakuwarigo): Fictionalized orality in japanese literature and popular culture. Sociolinguistic Studies, 5(1), 37-58.
