Abstract

     Time exists in each corner of the world and each culture. Different conceptions and attitudes in each culture are so different, which leads to the differences in temporal concept. Differences in social patterns, historical backgrounds, religious beliefs, values and other diverse aspects between Chinese and American culture have great influence on concept of time. Thus it is unavoidable that some misunderstandings and conflicts will happen in intercultural communication, especially in business negotiations. This thesis attempts to make a contrastive study on temporal concept between China and America, and analyzes its influence on business negotiation by quoting cases so as to find out the solutions of cultural conflicts and consequently improve the ability of intercultural communication.

Key words: temporal concept; business negotiation; cultural conflicts;  intercultural communication

摘要

时间存在于世界各个角落、各种文化中。不同文化对时间的观念和态度不尽相同，这便形成了时间观差异。中美文化在社会模式、历史背景、宗教信仰、价值观念等各方面的差异，都对其时间观念有所影响，因而在跨文化交际中尤其是在商务谈判过程中免不了有些误解与冲突。本文试图通过对比分析中美时间观念差异，并结合具体谈判案例探讨这些差异对商务谈判的影响，以此找出文化冲突的解决措施并提高我们的跨文化交际能力。

关键词：时间观；商务谈判；文化冲突；跨文化交际