Manual for Azerbaijan companies Rena Safaralieva
Yüklə 0,5 Mb. Pdf görüntüsü
|
- Bu səhifədəki naviqasiya:
- Etiquette as a tool of conflict settlement
into class to look at. Parents demand that sales of such materials be prohibited at the kiosk, due to its proximity to the school. The owner of kiosk disagrees, as he cannot afford to lose his main source of income and he’s not in violation of the law.
(a) Is the school principal right? (b)
(c)
Could this problem be solved to satisfy both the parents and the kiosk owner? 4. A company manager is considering several applications for financial support. The company is ready to spend a total of $5,000. Which project would you prefer? Please give arguments for and against each applicant.
(a)
A 9-year-old child diagnosed with a congenital heart defect needs a critical operation. An operation in Israel will cost about $20 thousand and you can fund only a part of it. (b)
A young and gifted violin player received an invitation to participate in a prestigious international competition and requests funds for travel and accommodation for herself and her mother. Professors claim that she is talented and her prospects to win are high. (c)
Unfortunately, construction had to be suspended due to lack of funds. Your company's business is not related to this village, but this is where you have your summer house and you personally know many locals. (d)
A boarding house for mentally retarded children organized a children’s theatre. Performances are designed to enhance the children’s social adaptation, as plays teach them how to behave in the every-day life situations they will encounter upon finishing school, such as buying bread or crossing the street on their own. The school principal asks for funds to purchase costumes, decorations and equipment (a piano and music center). (e)
studies rather well, but creates many problems for his teachers and parents. Every now and then he breaks a window with a ball, or fights with some other boys. The school principal threatens to expel the boy, but hints that the matter can be settled, if the company repairs the school roof and yard.
Vagif Gaziev CHAPTER VIII. INTERNATIONAL NEGOTIATIONS. ETIQUETTE AND PROTOCOL What is etiquette and protocol Etiquette is a set of fixed norms of behavior or amenities, accepted by a society or a certain group of people. In the last century, the Vienna International Congress adopted a protocol – a set of rules, traditions and conventions to be followed by governments, foreign offices, public agencies. This international code is universally accepted by all countries and followed everywhere in a more or less similar way. Etiquette rules are not mandatory, but, as demonstrated by international experience, people having international contacts try to follow these rules. 59
Politeness, tactfulness and affability form the core of etiquette. In Azerbaijan, people say that a sweet tongue will make a snake creep out of its hole. Etiquette regulates people’s behavior in their private lives and workplaces, in public places and in the street, at various kinds of official events: receptions, ceremonies, negotiations. Business etiquette is more formal compared to every day etiquette.
People used to believe that the main provisions of etiquette are universal. Increasingly, the integration of more and more peoples into business and international relations necessitates introduction of amendments to rules of etiquette. Sometimes even well-brought up people find themselves in a predicament when they are expected to be well versed in rules of international and,
59 G. N. Smirnov, Ethics In Business and Social relations, Moscow, URAO Publishing House, 2001 more often, local etiquette. Communication with representatives of many nationalities is not limited to knowledge of foreign languages, but also requires familiarization with various political views and rituals, national traditions and psychology, ways and habits, life and culture of the country being visited on a business or diplomatic trip. 60 National politesse represents a very intricate combination of national traditions and international etiquette.
Knowledge of etiquette may help to find a way out of many difficult private life and business predicaments. According to Leo Tolstoy, “It does not really matter if you are clever or stupid, but you must be tactful”. 61
It is very important to put yourself into the position of your partner. Whatever course a discussion may take, it is highly recommended to exercise self-control and abstain from all kinds of ruses, which is widely considered to be tactless and thus may undermine your company’s reputation. Sometimes negotiations may come to an impasse. When such a situation emerges among compatriots, sharing the same culture, parties usually resort to a tested expedient, which will allow them to retreat with honor. A dead end may be overcome by replacing negotiators or changing negotiation venue, announcing a recess or “reframing” agreements reached.
Arabs might take a break for a communal prayer and come back in a peaceful state of mind. Japanese people might involve senior management into negotiations, while Swedes and Russians might share a drink, where a Finnish person would go to a sauna.
Such methods are not always applicable in international negotiations. Moreover, the nature of an impasse might be interpreted wrongly by both parties, for example, when the French persist in a logic, which is not shared by Japanese. Anglo-Saxons would normally resort to a compromise. Scandinavians also share the English ways, while American readiness for a compromise is expressed in their tactics of mutual concessions, based on the “take and give” principle, originating from traditional barter deals so important in American business history.
Other cultures, however, do not see compromise in such a favorable light and are not convinced of irrefutable advantages of this tactics. The French believe that “’give and take” is the English way to do business and believe it to be rough and uncouth. The Japanese view compromise during negotiations as a retreat from the consensus, achieved within their own company. They will generally ask for a deferment. Romanic people do not share the same approach towards a compromise. Italians and French with their respect for logic and concept of irrational world are proud of their flexibility. Their views are shared by Portuguese who have studied the Anglo-Saxon ways rather well during their long history of trade with Britain. Spaniards, obsessed with the idea of self-dignity, find it very difficult to compromise without a grave reason. Latin Americans also see a compromise as a threat to their sense of dignity and in some countries, for example, Argentina, Panama and Mexico, people persist in their unwillingness to compromise. 62
It should be counted that many people, who live in the post-Soviet space were exposed to the Soviet ideology, which encouraged interfering into other people’s private affairs, as well as required categorical denunciation of other ways and habits. When encountering seemingly tactless behavior of ex-Soviets, do not rush to judge too strictly. However, we would claim that Azerbaijan people are more flexible than many other post-Soviets, partially due to their consistent business practices, even if in the shadow sector of economy, and thanks, to a certain degree, to their Islamic heritage. Compromise can be defined as a pursuit for the “happy medium”. According to a beautiful quotation by Henry Ford, “If there is a secret of success, it is an ability to understand other person’s point of view and see things from your and his point of view” 63 . 60 Ibidem, p. 13 61 E.A.Utkin,, Business Ethics, Moscow, Zertsalo Publishing House, 2000, p. 152 62 R.D. Lewis, Business Cultures In International Business, Moscow, Delo Publishing House, 2001, p. 81 63 E.A.Utkin, Business ethics, Moscow, Zertsalo publishing house, 2000, p. 152 Yüklə 0,5 Mb. Dostları ilə paylaş:
|