Nobody's Grandfather Was a Merchant: Understanding the Soviet Commercial Negotiation Process and Style

Tolstoy Leo , War and Peace, book X, chapter 16.

Sloss Leon Davis Scott M. , “The Pursuit of Power and Influence through Negotiation,” in Binnendijk Hans , ed., National Negotiation Styles (Washington, D.C.: Center For The Study of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Service Institute, U.S. State Department, 1987); Von Czege Andreas , “Soviet Negotiating Tactics in Trade with the West,” Soviet and European Trade, 19 (Spring 1983): 32–54.

Beliaev Edward Mullen Thomas P. Punnett Betty Jane , “Understanding the Cultural Environment: U.S.-U.S.S.R. Trade Negotiations,” California Management Review (Winter 1985), pp. 100–112.

Pialka John J. , “Soviet Bottom Line Is That Few People Know What One Is,” Wall Street Journal, April 15, 1989, p. A13.

Gumbel Peter , “Western Money, Technology, Fall on Infertile Soviet Soil,” Wall Street Journal, December 1, 1989, p. A16.

“Soviet Market Reform Will Be Put to Voters,” Los Angeles Times, May 24, 1990, p. A1. The reader should note that languages adapt to reflect changing cultures. In Russian there has always been a word for a place where goods are bought and sold—rynok. However, its meaning is quite narrow compared to the English “market.” Indeed, the English term can be either a noun (as in a place) or a verb (as in an activity). Victorina Lefebvre tells us that only during the last year have the Soviets directly adopted the term “marketing” when they mean the activity in the Western sense.

Churchill Winston , radio broadcast, October 1, 1939.

Lefebvre Vladimir A. Lefebvre Victorina D. , Soviet Ways of Conflict Resolution and International Negotiations, vols. 1 and 2 (Irvine, CA: School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 1986); Lefebvre Victorina D. , Ethical Features of the Normative Hero in Soviet Children's Literature of the 1960s–70s Studies of Cognitive Sciences, 20, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine, CA, 1983.

Weigand Robert E. , “International Trade Without Money,” Harvard Business Review (November/December 1977), p. 28.

The reader will note that in their popular book on negotiation, Getting to Yes, Roger Fisher and William Ury specifically warn about Americans taking such approaches.

Lefebvre Lefebvre , op. cit.

Snowdon Sondra , The Global Edge: How Your Company Can Win In The International Marketplace (New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1986), p. 376.

Hays Laurie Gumbel Peter , “Soviet Concerns Falling Behind in Paying Bills,” Wall Street Journal, March 6, 1990, p. 1.

“Plan on Paying Overdue Bills Set by Soviets,” Wall Street Journal, May 23, 1990, p. A20.

Behrmann Neil , “Soviets Deposit Gold in Western Banks As Collateral for Easing Cash Squeeze,” Wall Street Journal, June 4, 1990, p. A3.

Yoffie David B. , “Profiting from Countertrade,” Harvard Business Review (May/June 1984), p. 9.

Brunner Theodore (Director of Thesaurus Linguae Graece, a data bank of ancient Greek texts at the University of California, Irvine) helped coin the term by combining the ancient Greek words allassein (to barter) and phobia (fear).

Burnstein Daniel , Los Angeles Times, December 3, 1989.

“A Loan from South Korea,” Wall Street Journal, June 1, 1990, p. A12; and Protzman Ferdinand , “Bonn to Prop Up Kremlin Reforms with $3 Billion Loan Guarantee,” New York Times, June 23, 1990, p. A1.

“Japanese Traders Informing Tokyo Soviet Bills Unpaid,” Wall Street Journal, May 2, 1990, p. A11.

Ibid.

Gorbachev Mikhail S. , “Remarks on U.S.-U.S.S.R. Trade,” Harvard Business Review (May/June 1986), p. 56.

Kipling Rudyard , “The Ballad of East and West,” 1889.