International Business Negotiations A Turn-Key Project

The article describes and analyses the negotiation process between a Swedish supplier and an African customer. Although the literature on international business negotiations is very poor, it is reviewed; a model for international business negotiations is developed and then utilised to describe and analyse a case-study. The factors influencing the negotiation process are identified and conclusions are drawn; the process took a very long time, more than two years, and a number of unexpected issues caused interference in the process. The differences in cultural background and the atmosphere between the parties strongly affected their chances of reaching a mutually satisfactory agreement.