THE INFLUENCE OF CULTURE ON THE NEGOTIATION STYLES OF BRITISH STUDENTS JALAL ALI BELSHEK Abstract In this study, the argument is that British students whose major subject is politics are very tough and direct in their negotiation, but they lack the understanding of the many cultural factors that should be taken into account when negotiating with others from different backgrounds. So, the main purpose of this study is to describe the understanding of British politics students of negotiation in intercultural settings. First, the concepts of culture and negotiation processes in general are explained, and then cultural influences on negotiation are discussed. A questionnaire was used to collect the data, which revealed that the British students are noticeably influenced by their cultural values. The results show that the respondents lacked an understanding of negotiation and that certain cultural factors may hinder the negotiation process. Keywords: Cross-cultural communication, Negotiation, Cultural values, Hofstede’s dimensions, British cultural values. Introduction Negotiation is a very common phenomenon. It is a process that takes place in everyday life when two or more people have conflicting interests and they want to reach a common solution that benefits them both. In a globalized world, the amount of negotiation in business, education, and political settings is increasing steadily, and every day more and more different negotiations take place between people from different 1cultures. In order to achieve success in these negotiations, there are many cultural factors that should be taken into account (Brett 2000). There is a perception that the researcher has come across during his studies that English stud...
