Abstract:Globalization of national economy and business has had a great impact on capital, technology and trade flows. It has also had a major impact on national values, beliefs and behaviors. However, no global strategy can be effective without a communication program that drives the global theme throughout the organization and into the marketplace. Therefore, intercultural communication becomes more significant. Owing to cultural differences, business negotiators can hardly avoid committing misunderstanding. Distance and time were once the biggest obstacles to doing business internationally. They are now among the least of concerns for any organization that has decided to go global. Today, international businessmen and businesswomen increasingly find themselves working in multi-cultural environments, dealing with real differences from communication styles to social etiquette to core values. While many international business travelers may not be able to give a definition of what constitutes culture. Therefore, a great number of communicative failures occur when they communicate with each other. In order to improve efficiency in doing business, it is necessary to conduct an in-depth analysis of intercultural barriers. This thesis mainly adopts the methods of classification and exemplification to investigate the categories and causes of cultural barriers. Firstly, the author tells the definitions of culture and intercultural communication. Meanwhile, the author list factors which can cause cultural barriers. Secondly, the author put a focus on cultural differences in doing business throughout the world. People from different countries have different values, and understanding the basics of etiquette is an important skill. It can instill an individual with confidence to handle almost any culture, allowing a businessperson to concentrate on the deal at hand rather than worrying about such peripheral distractions as which fork to use or which hand to use for passing food. At the same time, it is essential to understand the religions and languages in other countries and to be familiar with the business style of the foreign companies. People coming from different countries have different negotiation styles based on their cultural background, value and experience. During the process of negotiation, we need to take cultural sensitivities into consideration in order to enhance the chances of reaching an agreement and forming a business relationship.
Then building on the previous analysis, the author proposes some constructive suggestions as to how to avoid misunderstanding when doing business. At last, it comes to the conclusion that negotiators should raise their cultural awareness and respect different values, religions and behaviors.
Key words: Culture, cultural barriers, intercultural communication
