Knowledge of successful Business English as a lingua franca (BELF) has been recognized to be an essential element in overall business know-how (Kankaanranta & Louhiala-Salminen, 2010). In line with this notion, research has found that professionals use BELF and exploit a variety of discourse and pragmatic strategies that aid the process of cooperation and agreement so that mutual understanding can be reached (Firth, 1996; Kankaanranta & Planken, 2010; Pitzl, 2005). However, research has reported situations where business negotiators need to handle discord while maintaining a working rapport with the opposing party (e.g. Bjørge, 2012), indicating that the ability to produce the appropriate expression of disagreement is an imperative skill. Nonetheless, while there is now a better understanding of how business professionals establish common ground through using BELF, little work has been carried out on the subject on how professionals express disagreement in the same aspect (but see e.g. Bjørge, 2012; Stalpers, 1995). The present study aims to address this gap and expand the current knowledge on how business professionals express and handle disagreement in naturally-occurring face-to-face negotiations. The collected material consists of approximately 4 hours of BELF discourse recorded at a business convention in Germany. Fifteen disagreement episodes were identified, transcribed and analyzed using Conversation Analytic (CA) procedures. The present paper seeks to explore two aspects of the current topic, namely how business professionals (using BELF) express disagreement during business negotiations, and whether mitigation strategies are used when disagreement is expressed. The findings suggest that disagreements are solely content-related and are expressed in a variety of ways as they are coupled with a varied use of mitigation devices (i.e. delay and added support). Furthermore, there were instances of unmitigated expressions in the form of blunt contradictions. It is suggested that disagreements in BELF negotiations are required actions and may serve a dual purpose. The main goal of expressing disagreement is to increase clarity in cases where essential information may be misinterpreted or misguided; additionally, it indicates the speaker’s stance in the argument. Lastly, as there is a need for better knowledge of successful BELF, the present study is likely to be of interest for those who are engaged in the global business discourse community as well as researchers studying international business settings.

The main task of the thesis is to characterize the German business practices, which are influenced mainly by cultural characteristics and standards. This work take stand for empirical research based on the experience of Czech companies with German partners. The main objective is to find out, whether the theory is in line with the practice of Czech companies. In the first part of my paper I write about local characteristic of the Federal Republic of Germany. The second chapter characterizes tendencies in behavior of the German and Czech business partners. I analyze differences between Czech and German cultural standards in international trade relations. The third chapter is about process and forms of business negotiations with Germans. In the last part of my work I mention my personal knowledge learned from personal interviews, conducted with representatives of Czech companies trading in the German market and also from my questionary research.

The most important target of this diploma thesis is to point out opportunities and threats for Czech enterpreneurs especially in the territory of tourism. The thesis contains definitions of: entrepreneurial environment, negotiation strategy and tactics. The thesis includes SWOT analysis of the entrepreneurial environment of Thailand and the environment in the area of tourism.

The main task of the thesis is to describe intercultural differences among the Czech republic, Germany and Austria. The goal is to characterize not only the differences in behaviour of each country, but also to understand and to apply it in business negotiations. There is also included the research of Geert Hofstede and his dimensions. After that is research compared to the praxis and real experiences from business area. First part speaks about communication. Second part is about culture, cultural dimensions and standards. Third part is dedicated to business negotiations, their phases and traditions in all three countries. Fourth part shows results of Hofstede's research in Czech republic, Germany and Austria. Fifth part belongs to the interview with HR Manager of german developing company in Czech republic.

Intercultural marketing is a constant process of marketing programs adaptation to the national or international target markets. Intercultural differences play an important role in the process of implementing marketing strategies, hence while doing marketing research, market segmentation and selection of suitable target groups, developing brand positioning and implementing marketing mix -- product, price, distribution and communication. The dissertation work of David Hrbek provides a reader with a complex of characteristics of cultural divergences in selected countries of European Union and Eastern Europe -- Germany, Austria, Italy, Poland, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus -- with a goal to define manners of behavior of industrial (B2B) subjects in these countries, to analyze business environment and to synthesize the main findings about the ways of leading business negotiations. Based on numerous practical examples the author comes to the conclusion that in spite of the fact business negotiations in B2B markets have been determined mostly by rational data - product description, services, price, terms of delivery, payment conditions, etc. - it more and more appears, that knowledge of cultural disparities of particular countries, selection of appropriate methods of business negotiation with a foreigner, and ability to adjust business habits and ethics in foreign environment, significantly influence results of the business transactions. Without knowledge of local environment, language, hierarchy of values, historical and cultural heritage, and at last but not least careful selection of strategy and tactics of business negotiation, it would be very difficult to realize large and organizationally complex business contracts. The work has a highly practical use due to extended collection and synoptic comparison of business environments in seven selected European countries. The author offers broad analysis of political, legislative and economic factors, and describes specific conditions for selling Czech goods into the above mentioned markets. These data, collected in close cooperation with the Czech embassies and commercial representation abroad, are universally applicable for Czech exporters and establish a frame for further analyses in the area of social-cultural environments and leading business negotiations with foreign partners.

In my work, I deal with the specifics of the business environment of Egypt with the possibility of doing business for Czech subjects there. The aim of this thesis is to describe the specifics of Egypt's business environment, identify promising sectors for Czech exporters and process useful information of companies and individuals who operate in this market. The second part deals with the evaluation of research experience of Czech companies operating in Egypt.

Focusing on the current reality in Czech Republic and Hong Kong, the paper deals with the process of business negotiation and other topics concerning products offered by international student organization AIESEC, offering a comparison of the given markets. AIESEC is presented in the introduction to the thesis, giving a general overview as well as a deeper insight into the Czech and Hong Kong reality in the area of services provided by AIESEC to their corporate partners. A characteristic of Hong Kong follows, describing the geographic, political, economic and cultural specifics of the territory. The focal point of the paper is the analysis of the selling process of AIESEC products, showing the specific characteristics of business negotiation in Hong Kong. The main aspects of the analysis are preparation for a business appointment, usage of presentation materials, participants and place of the appointment, the respective phases of the selling process as well as strategic and tactical issues. In the concluding part of the paper a comparison of the two given countries is drawn, in terms of the sales procedures while offering the specific AIESEC products. A quantitative overview is included, as well as an estimation of the market potential for selling international internships in the respective countries. Furthermore, customer relationship management and cultural specifics are discussed. A SWOT analysis follows, presenting the abovementioned learnings in a structured way.

This thesis aims to examine how Covid-19 affected international business negotiations. This paper uses empirical data collected from four international companies from different industries. The respondents from the companies have different roles, in this case, procurement managers, sales manager, and marketing manager. The findings show that the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated digitalization and the adoption of digital tools in international business negotiations. Furthermore, the increased digitalization as a result of Covid-19 normalized the use of digital tools in international business negotiations. Additionally, the findings show that the international business negotiation process is less divided and has a better flow with more frequent interactions as a result of the adoption of digital tools. The findings further show when conducting international business negotiations online the cultural differences are less evident due to the difficulties of body language and cultural customs in an online environment. According to the findings, maintaining international business relationships are now easier with the use of digital tools that allow more frequent meaningful communication. Lastly, the thesis concludes with the theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future research.

The aim of the thesis is to analyze mutual business cooperation between the Czech Republic and Finland considering culture and cultural differences as an aspect with a considerable influence. Special attention is paid to the process of business negotiations. These two countries are compared on the basis of cultural dimensions by Geert Hofstede as well as on the basis of research conducted in cooperation with native Finns.

This thesis aims to provide complex view of business negotiations with Chinese partners, particularly with regard to intercultural differences and characteristics of business protocol. The thesis is divided into four chapters, focused on China as a territory, distinctions in culture and business, as well as selected business dealings between Czech and Chinese company. Knowledge of Chinese "game rules" and sufficient preparation are two essential preconditions for long-term success in the Chinese scene.