Chapter 1
INTRODOCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Taiwan’s foreign trade was on an upswing due to the growth of imports and exports in
the 1970s and 1980s. Furthermore (Recently), the Monthly Customs Statistics on Exports
and Imports issued by the Department of Statistics of the Ministry of Finance showed that
Taiwan’s trade growth in December 2009 was over 50% compared with December last year
(http://eweb.trade.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=18962&ctNode=893&mp=2, Retrieved June 24,
2010); in May 2010 surged 63.9% compared with May last year
(http://eweb.trade.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=20057&ctNode=893&mp=2, Retrieved June 24,
2010). As a result, the combination of business and foreign language courses as curriculum
had long been run in Taiwan’s tertiary education. In the last two decades the International
Trade Institute has been offering on-the-job training courses and pre-career training
programs in English international business negotiation for businesspeople in Taiwan
(http://61.30.87.110/riki1/riki3.php?CID=1, Retrieved February 10, 2010). Afterwards,
English negotiation has been seen a required competence of businesspeople in Taiwan in a
decade. Chiao Wen Jen, former marketing director of 104 Job Bank (Taiwan’s largest online
job site), commented on The Great Negotiator that “…. Office employees should increase
English negotiation skills and presentation skills in advance. Don’t let the inadequacy of
capability restrict your career development (Philip & Reynolds, 2006).” It seems to become a
popular belief that English negotiation competence is essential to businesspeople more than
business related undergraduate students. However, this belief may have ignored that not
only businesspeople need the competence on the job, but business related graduates also
require the competence for a career in international trade.
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According to the course running statistics on negotiation course searched from
Technological and Vocational Education Course Resource website (whose statistics are
referred from the Department of Statistics), over 60% of Taiwan’s total universities and
colleges ran courses titled ‘negotiation in international business’ or ‘English for business
negotiation’ to business related majors in 2008 and 2009 academic years (see Figure 1.1).
Also, Taiwan’s negotiation courses offered to business related majors (mostly are in the
departments of international business, business administration, and applied English, etc.) in
universities of technology reached a high of 88%, better than Universities’ 66% (see Figure
1.2). English negotiation in international business is a regular elective in Taiwan’s
universities and colleges, and more than half those majors take advanced negotiation
electives. The reality is that business related graduates in Taiwan have very probable chances of
English negotiation when they go into international business. However, relatively few
English negotiating teachers so far seem to have considered (consider) whether their
students’ English negotiation competence meets the demand of the Taiwan’s business
community.
Figure 1.1. Percentage of Taiwan’s total universities and colleges running negotiation
courses, 2008 - 2009 academic years.
66%
65%
64%
63%
62%
61%
60%
negotiation
course
2008 Acdemic
Year
2009 Acdemic
Year
65%
62%
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Figure 1.2. Percentage of each Taiwan’s university system running negotiation courses,
2009 academic year.
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
negotiation course
University
66%
University of
Technology
88%
College
Junior College
48%
13%
1.2 Purpose of the Study
This research aims to find what English negotiation competencies are required for business
related graduates of Taiwan’s technological universities are, due to the fact that those
graduates get into two common situations when they work for international business in
companies. For one thing, every company exists in a web of relationships. Those graduates
will spend their time in negotiation activities. For international business, they will negotiate
official business with supervisors, subordinates and colleagues in different departments;
purchasing and outsourcing contracts with suppliers; contents of product and service with
customers; and marketing arrangements with distributors and unions; and product
development pacts with joint-venture partners (The Society for Human Resource
Management, 2005; Ertel, 1999). This is illustrated by Figure 1.3. They also face a
challenge of creating long-term cooperative relationships among these people. For another,
those graduates as businesspeople have responsibility to reach business agreements with
foreign partners (those who mostly speak English), and English negotiation is one of the
main requirements to business agreements (Huang, 2009). As Vicent Hong (general counsel
of ASUSTeK Computer Inc.) mentions (ed), businesspeople should use precise words in
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English international business negotiation in order to acquire best interests for their
company. The use of words (languge is) related completely to an ability of cross-language
and cross-culture. Any selection of words is likely to greatly influence company’s future
rights and interests (http://www.businessweekly.com.tw/article.php?id=28422&p=2,
Retrieved June 24, 2010).
Figure 1.3. A web of relationships between a graduate and others in a company
From Watkins, M. (2002). Breakthrough business negotiation: A toolbox for managers. San
Francisco: Jossey Bass.
1.3 Value of the Study
With the purpose in mind, the research results may help three types of people. First,
business related graduates of Taiwan’s universities of technology better meet the
requirement of English negotiation competencies. Second, English negotiating teachers of
Taiwan’s universities of technology further design a competency-based English negotiation
curriculum plan to equip those graduates for a career in international business. And finally,
Taiwan’s trading companies may examine whether college graduates are qualified to do the
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work in a particular position such as sales and marketing.
1.4 Definition of Terms
Definition of two main terms used in this research is defined here. They are:
1. Negotiation. It is the process of discussion and give-and-take between two or more
parties who work together to find a mutually acceptable resolution of one or more issues,
such as a commercial transaction, a contract, or a deal of any sort (Cohen, 2002).
In literature, sometimes ‘bargaining’ and ‘negotiation’ are used interchangeably. But in
our research, B (b)argaining is more like haggling, or is so-called competitive bargaining
or distributive bargaining, or refers to win-lose negotiation. Here, the objective of the
parties is to maximize their own benefit which is often at the expense of the other party.
Everybody wants to maximize his share of limited or fixed resources. Therefore, parties
are more competitive and opportunistic. On the other hand, negotiation is more like
problem-solving, is called integrative bargaining, or refers to win-win negotiation. Both
parties perceive negotiation is to find a solution to a common problem. Everybody
achieves their objectives and one party’s gain does not depend on the other party’s
concession. Parties therefore all win (Ghauri & Usunier, 2003).
2. Competencies. They are “behaviours that individuals demonstrate when undertaking
job-relevant tasks effectively within a given organizational context (Whiddett &
Hollyforde, 2003).”
Some dictionaries may present ‘competence’ and ‘competency’ interchangeably.
However, competence refers to a skill or the standard of performance reached from the
job or role while competency focuses manner of behavior observed in effective people
(Sanghi, 2004).
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1.5 Previous Research
In research on necessity of English negotiation competence, Liao (2006) has indicated
that a majority of applied English majors of Taiwan’s universities of technology consider it is
necessary to take English negotiation courses, for it helps them prepare for a career in
international business. Similarly, it is equally necessary to those who major in business.
Although growing numbers of researchers study the significance of negotiation
competencies in business, for example, Chiu’s (2006) negotiation competencies needed by
top managers of Taiwan’s trading companies, very little attention has been specifically paid
to business related graduates of Taiwan’s universities of technology, that is, those graduates’
English negotiation competencies. Besides, Chiu (2006) conducts (ed) a Delphi technique
in her study, while we use a modified Delphi technique in this research.
1.6 Research Questions
Following are the objectives of the research we will try to achieve.
1. What English negotiation competencies should business related graduates of Taiwan’s
universities of technology have?
2. Is there any significant difference between English negotiation competencies required for
Taiwan’s universities of technology and participants’ gender?
3. Is there any significant difference between English negotiation competencies required for
Taiwan’s universities of technology and participants’ negotiation experiences?
4. Is there any significant difference between English negotiation competencies required for
Taiwan’s universities of technology and participants’ English speaking ability?
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1.7 Hypothesis of the Study
We can deduce from the observed phenomenon that what English negotiation
competencies are required for business related graduates of Taiwan’s universities of
technology. To achieve this, we hypothesize that there is no significant difference in the
perspective on English negotiation competencies required for business related graduates of
Taiwan’s universities of technology between teachers and businesspeople. If the hypothesis
is tested true, the stability of the results is reached. Then we accept the research results
which are applicable to all business related graduates of Taiwan’s universities of
technology.
1.8 Limitations
Three possible limits of survey during Delphi process are as follows:
1. The panel of the experts is designed to half veteran teachers of Taiwan’s universities of
technology who teach English negotiation and half businesspeople in Taiwan who
masters in English negotiating (ion). These experts willing to participate are sampled by
qualified selection. Thus, the validity of the research results might decrease.
2. English negotiation competencies are required for business related graduates who
graduates only from Taiwan’s universities of technology, so the research results can not
generally apply to other schools.
3. The panel of the experts is only sampled in Taiwan, so the results are not generally
applicable to other trade-oriented countries.
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