Title: Interpretations of corruption in Intercultural bargaining

Authors: Ambika Zutshi, Andrew Creed, Heiko E.R. Rudolph

Addresses: Faculty of Business and Law, School of Management and Marketing, Deakin University, 70 Elgar Road, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia. ' Faculty of Business and Law, School of Management and Marketing, Deakin University, P.O. Box 423, Warrnambool, Victoria 3280, Australia. ' School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, RMIT University, Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia

Abstract: There is a fine line in business negotiations between being perceived as corrupt and having proper engagement with the natural tension and excitement of the business bargaining process. Combining literature review and experiential observation we provide a framework that will assist global business managers to more successfully negotiate cross-cultural business transactions. We identify some archetypal underpinnings of bargaining in a business context and question the established perceptions of corruption in intercultural business dealings. We conclude that different cultural systems produce variations of negotiating behaviour that need to be judged with a deeper local knowledge to avoid simply transferring inappropriate labels.

Keywords: corruption; intercultural bargaining; trust; business negotiations; global business managers; cross-cultural business transactions; local knowledge; culture; flirting; international business; business governance; business ethics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBGE.2010.033346

International Journal of Business Governance and Ethics, 2010 Vol.5 No.3, pp.196 - 213

Published online: 01 Jun 2010 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article