German-Irish Sales Negotiation: Theory, Practice and Pedagogical Implications

This book explores the construct ‘negotiation’ from a linguistic, cultural and organisational perspective in order to understand how a more integrated pedagogical approach to the teaching of L2 negotiation skills to Hiberno-English-speaking adult learners of German might be conceived. On the basis of a corpus of twelve simulated intercultural and intracultural sales negotiations, together with thirty-four qualitative interviews with Irish exporters and a review of sales training, the book investigates the structural and interactional differences and similarities in the conduct of German and Irish sales negotiation and the types of strategic, linguistic and/or cultural problems encountered by Irish sellers negotiating in the L2. The research findings underline the need for increased interdisciplinary collaboration and for a balanced approach to skills development which does not see culture as the sole source of critical incidents in intercultural negotiation.