Chapter 6 Culture and styles of management The bargaining process began and, quite disconcertingly, Mr. Haider's sons joined in. Was he hoping to get the upper hand through force of numbers? Could I trust his sons to honour the confidentiality aspect of the negotiation? I was concerned details would leak out to the predators from the international press. After an hour we had reached an impasse, but I couldn't really understand why. Mr. Haider refused to provide me with a bank guarantee with respect to my client's salary and signing-on fee. In fact, Mr. Haider persistently refused to go into financial matters. These could be discussed the next day, he insisted, since they would not be a problem as far as he was concerned. But for me they were the problem. And that was why we had reached a stalemate. Questions 1 What is the significance of the title of this case? 2. How would you define the problem from your perspective? 3. What do you think has caused the so-called stalemate? Refer to the cultural values outlined in this chapter that have had an impact on the way the agent handled his encounter with Mr. Haider. Mention, in particular, issues relating to: - time focus; - competitiveness; - activity; - space; - communication; and - structure 4. How do you think Wilhelm can rescue the deal? 5. How can Wilhelm best prepare for any future negotiations in the Middle East on behalf of his football clients