Businesspeople often have difficulty reaching agreement on the terms of contracts, proposals, and anything that involves bargaining. They have even more difficulty when the negotiators are from different cultures.

Your Task: Discuss the causes and implications of the following common mistakes made by North Americans in their negotiations with foreigners.

1. Assuming that a final agreement is set in stone

2. Lacking patience and insisting that matters progress more quickly than the pace preferred by the locals

3. Thinking that an interpreter is always completely accurate

4. Believing that individuals who speak English understand every nuance of your meaning

5. Ignoring or misunderstanding the significance of rank