1、毕业论文 文客久久 本科 毕业论文 (设计 ) 题 目： The Application of Contextual Adaptability in International Business Negotiations 学 院： 学生姓名： 专 业： 英语 班 级： 指导教师： 起 止 日期： 毕业论文 Contents Abstract . 2 Introduction. 3 1. Introduction to Pragmatic Failures in International Business Negotiation . 3 1.1 Introduction to Internat
2、ional Business Negotiation .3 1.2 Pragmatic Failures in International Business Negotiation.4 2. Theoretical Framework: Verschuerens Contextual Adaptability Theory . 5 2.1 Introduction to Adaptation Theory .5 2.2 Making Linguistic Choices .5 2.3 Three Properties of Language.6 2.4 Four Angles of Inves
3、tigation of Language Use .6 3. Application of Contextual Adaptability in International Business Negotiation. 7 3.1 The Causes of Pragmatic Failure in International Business Negotiation .7 3.2 Adapting to Communicative Context .7 3.2.1 Adapting to Language Users. 9 3.2.2 Adapting to Mental World . 9
4、3.2.3 Adapting to Social World. 9 3.2.4 Adapting to Physical World .11 4. Strategies Taken to Reduce or Avoid Pragmatic Failure in International Business Negotiation.11 4.1 Raising Cultural Awareness . 11 4.2 Developing Cultural Adaptation . 12 4.3 Having a Good Command of a Foreign Language . 12 4.
5、4 Cultivating Pragmatic Competence . 13 Conclusion . 13 References . 15 毕业论文 1 摘要 国际商务谈判是一种基于语言使用的跨文化经济活动 ， 它的成功与否在很大程度上取决于语 用策略的应用。 国际商务谈判双方要进行成功的交际，除了要掌握必要的谈判技巧以外，还必须具备较强的语境顺应能力，懂得联系语境来准确地处理谈判中话语的隐含意义，调整自己的谈判策略，恰当地选择语言，确保谈判成功。 随着语境顺应理论的发展，越来越多的专家和学者开始关注语境顺应理论和国际商务谈判之间的关系，并从理论和实践上 进行了大量的研究 ，取得了一定的成
6、果。 本文试图探讨语境顺应理论和国际商务谈判之间的关系，强调把语境顺应理论应用于国际商务谈判 ，目的在于帮助来自不同文化背景的谈判者 避免 国际 商务谈判中的语用失误 ， 提高谈判者 的跨文化交际意识和能力 ,从而成功地完成谈判目的。 首先， 本文 对国内外关于国际商务谈判的相关研究成果进行了分类概括，并阐述了国际商务谈判中的语用失误 。然后，简要介绍 维索尔伦的语境顺应理论中的相关概念，为下文做好铺垫。其次，结合适应性的语境相关成分分析了目前国际商务谈判中产生语用失误的原因，并探讨了该理论在国际商务谈判中的应用。最后，本文将结合语境顺应理论提出一些适用于国际商务谈判的策略。 关键词 国际商务
7、谈判 ；语境顺应； 语用失误； 谈判策略 毕业论文 2 Abstract International business negotiation is a kind of intercultural economic activity based on using languages and application of pragmatic strategies. Both parties in an international business negotiation should master some necessary negotiation skills as well as stro
8、ng ability of contextual adaptability. In order to make the negotiation successful, they should deal with the implication meaning connected with context and adjust their own strategy, choose the words accordingly and make sure that negotiation will be successful. Along with the development of contex
9、tual adaptability theory, an increasing number of experts and scholars begin to pay attention to the relationship between contextual adaptability theory and international business negotiation. They have done a lot of researches and made some achievements. This paper attempts to explore the relations
10、hip between contextual adaptability theory and international business negotiation, aiming at helping negotiators with different cultural backgrounds avoid pragmatic failures in international business negotiation and improving their awareness and ability of intercultural communication. The emphasis h
11、as been laid on the application of contextual adaptability theory in international business negotiation. First of all, this paper introduces the researches on international business negotiation and pragmatic failure at home and abroad. Secondly, the paper briefly introduces some related conceptions
12、of Verschuerens Contextual Adaptability Theory, which will be the basis of the following parts. Thirdly, the paper discusses and analyzes the main causes of pragmatic failures that exist in current international business negotiation according to Verschuerens Contextual Adaptability Theory, and then
13、explores the application of contextual adaptability theory in international business negotiation from the perspective of contextual correlates of adaptability. Last but not least, the paper puts forward some effective strategies of international business negotiation according to the application of c
14、ontextual adaptability theory. Key Words international business negotiation; contextual adaptability; pragmatic failure; negotiation strategy 毕业论文 3 The Application of Contextual Adaptability in International Business Negotiations Introduction One of the famous scholars once said, “Negotiation is th
15、e process by which at least two parties with common (or conflicting) interests try to reach an agreement of mutual benefit (Raghu, 1987:10).” It is evident that international business negotiation has become one of the most significant parts of economic activities. Up till now, researchers and expert
16、s in growing numbers have paid much attention to international business negotiation, and they have achieved much progress in this area, especially in the study of intercultural pragmatic failures. Despite these achievements, there is still a new approach to doing the research in this area, i.e. to s
17、tudy the pragmatic failure in international business negotiation from the perspective of Verschuerens Contextual Adaptability Theory. Nowadays, the most successful firms will be those whose employees not only have a good knowledge of global economics, but also have the excellent ability to communica
18、te with foreign counterparts. To be specific, whether a negotiation will succeed or not relies on the negotiators intercultural awareness and sensitivity. However, current international business negotiation results are far from satisfaction. Both negotiation parties may suffer negotiation breakdowns
19、 because of pragmatic failures caused by cultural differences. Most negotiators are lack of intercultural awareness and effective strategies of negotiation, which become the obstacles to achieve expected goals, and they can not make appropriate adaptation to a foreign culture. Although many scholars
20、 and experts have done researches on business negotiation, most of these articles are written only about negotiating strategies, or the comparison between different cultures. Therefore, how to improve the effect of international business negotiation has great significance to study. In order to help
21、negotiators overcome the obstacles in business negotiation, this paper will explore the application of contextual adaptability theory in international business negotiation. The emphasis has been laid on the strategies taken to reduce or avoid pragmatic failure in international business negotiation.
22、1. Introduction to Pragmatic Failures in International Business Negotiation 1.1 Introduction to International Business Negotiation Negotiation is the process by which at least two parties with common (or conflicting) interests try to reach an agreement of mutual benefit (Raghu, 1987:10). Generally s
23、peaking, negotiation is a common human activity as well as a process that people undertake everyday to manage their relationship. Negotiation means to 毕业论文 4 communicate with others in order to arrive at the settlement which is acceptable to both parties. Therefore, negotiation is some kind of commu
24、nication. Business negotiation plays a crucial role in the business activities. “Business negotiations often involve one party attempting to influence another to make a particular decision or sign a contract”(Garrison, 1996:210). It refers to the negotiation that takes place in business world, espec
25、ially between firms or economic organizations and copes with business relationship. In a business relationship, the parties negotiate because they have common business interests. It is a process of problem-solving and decision-making, in which the parties have to find a solution that is beneficial a
26、nd can be accepted by both parties. Therefore, business negotiation is usually interpreted as a win-win situation. International business negotiation occurs when negotiating parties are of different nationalities. It refers to the process in which different firms from different countries come to dis
27、cuss about some business terms for mutual interests. With the rapid development of the economic globalization, most companies are becoming more and more culturally sensitive and globally minded. Meanwhile, international business negotiation is also becoming a significant economic activity in global
28、business. In international business negotiations, negotiators of two parties are separated from each other not only by different cultural backgrounds, physical and mental world, but also by different views of the world, the ways to express feeling and thinking. 1.2 Pragmatic Failures in Internationa
29、l Business Negotiation It is the English linguist Jenny Thomas who has first put forward the notion of “Pragmatic Failure” in her Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure in 1983. She defines pragmatic failure as “the inability to understand what is meant by what is said” and she points out that “pragmatic
30、failure has occurred on any occasion on which the hearer perceives the forces of the speakers utterances as other than the speaker intended he or she should perceive it”.(Jenny, 1983:91-94). Simply speaking, her opinion is that pragmatic failure occurs when the hearer misunderstands the speakers utt
31、erance. Thereafter, many Chinese scholars represented by He Ziran and Qian Guanlian began to study this issue and do many researches on it. These Chinese scholars find out some defects in Thomas theory and argue that pragmatic failure results from either the speakers or the hearers for the reason th
32、at both of them have the responsibility to ensure the success of communication. Therefore, pragmatic failure should be defined from two perspectives, the speakers and the hearers. According to Wang (2006:13), the definition of pragmatic failure in international business negotiation is as follows: it
33、 refers to the negotiating break-down or negotiating failure resulting from the international business negotiators inappropriate production and faulty interpretation of verbal and nonverbal messages in the negotiating process. As a result, both negotiating parties can not keep good trade relationshi
34、p and achieve the expected negotiating goal effectively and successfully. 毕业论文 5 2. Theoretical Framework: Verschuerens Contextual Adaptability Theory After having introduced pragmatic failure in international business negotiation, in chapter one, the author will make review of contextual adaptabili
35、ty theory, which provides theoretical background for analyzing the causes of pragmatic failure in international business negotiation in chapter three and putting forward strategies to reduce or avoid pragmatic failure in chapter four. 2.1 Introduction to Adaptation Theory Adaptation Theory is origin
36、ated from Jef Verschueren, the secretary-general of the International Pragmatic Association, in his book Pragmatics as a Theory of Linguistic Adaptation in 1987. And he further developed this theory in Understanding Pragmatics in 2000. In this book, Verschueren puts forward a completely new perspect
37、ive on language and defines pragmatics as a general cognitive, social and cultural perspective on linguistic phenomenon in relation to their usage in forms of behavior(Verschueren, 2000:7), which is different from the traditional component view of pragmatics. He argues that “there are definitely no
38、linguistic phenomena, at any level of structure, that a pragmatic perspective can afford to ignore (Verschueren, 2000:3). According to Verschueren, linguistic choices are generated in the correlation of mental, social and physical worlds and the utterers may make negotiable linguistic choices from a
39、 variable range of possibilities in such a way as to approach points of satisfaction for communicative needs (Verschueren, 2000:61). He claims that linguistic adaptation means adaptation to circumstances by language, or adaptation to language by circumstances, or mutual adaptation at the same time.
40、In the following sections, the author will introduce Verschuerens Contextual Adaptability Theory in detail, and such concepts as making linguistic choices, three properties of language, and four angles of investigation of language use will be discussed one by one. 2.2 Making Linguistic Choices Accor
41、ding to Verschueren, “language use must consist of the continuous making of linguistic choices, consciously or unconsciously, for language-internal (i.e. structure) and/or language-external reasons (Verschueren,2000:55-56). The following seven characteristics can make a further explanation for the p
42、rocess of choice making. First, choices are indeed made at every possible level of structure involving phonetics, intonation patterns, cognation, grammatical formations, genre, etc. Second, speakers do not only choose forms. They also choose strategies, and choosing a strategy of deference may requi
43、re specific choices to be made on a wide range of structure levels, such as language, style, terms of address, lexicon in general, and so on. Third, the process of making choices can show any degree of consciousness. Some are made very consciously while some are totally automatically. Fourth, choice
44、s are made both in producing and in interpreting an utterance, and both types of choice-making are of equal importance for the communication flow and the way in which meaning is 毕业论文 6 generated. Fifth, a language user has no freedom of choice between choosing and not choosing, except at the level where he or she can decide either to use language or to remain silent (the latter being as meaningful as the former und
