Negotiations are a frequent part of international business. Parties involved in a negotiation face different problems in reaching a successful outcome. When the parties have different cultural backgrounds the faced problems become more complex. The study provides for an understanding of the negotiation and influencing factors in head office subsidiary relationship. The relationship is complex since the head office and the regional subsidiaries have different cultural backgrounds. One case study is performed between a global Dutch company and two of their local subsidiaries in Japan and Korea. A framework for the analysis is developed and the factors that influence the negotiation are identified. The data were compiled from interviews from the Dutch side. The study reveals that the negotiation between the head office and their subsidiaries is complex. Culture is not the only barrier but the cultural awareness becomes critical. Other major influences between the head office and the subsidiaries are the organisation itself, status of the atmosphere and the relationship.

Il existe encore peu de recherches qui se penchent sur l’échec de projets internationaux, notamment sur une période de plusieurs années, depuis la décision initiale, jusqu’au départ du pays après une présence de deux années. En partant d’une synthèse de la littérature existante sur l’internationalisation des entreprises et sur le management interculturel, nous nous sommes intéressés à l’implantation en Russie d’un équipementier automobile de taille moyenne, pour qui ce projet revêtait pourtant un caractère stratégique. Notre objectif a été d’identifier, de comprendre et d’évaluer les différents facteurs qui ont pu être à l’origine de l’échec du projet, en nous fondant sur l’interview des acteurs russes et occidentaux, sur un certain nombre de documents édités lors de la phase préparatoire et sur l’entretien de plusieurs responsables d’entreprises du même secteur, bien implantés en Russie. Nous montrons que malgré une forte motivation, l’équipe n’a pas pu répondre aux nombreuses contraintes locales, en grande partie parce qu’elle n’a pas su créer une coopération efficace avec ses collègues et partenaires russes. Nous concluons sur plusieurs pistes de réflexion et de conseils concrets pour mieux aborder des projets similaires. / Little research look at failures of international projects, especially over a period of several years, from the original decision to country departure, after a two years’ presence. Based on analysis of the existing literature on company internationalization and intercultural management, we examine the Russian deployment of a middle-size automotive subcontractor, for whom the project was strategic. Our aim is to identify, understand and evaluate the impact of the different factors, which led to the failure, using interviews of the Western and Russian participants, documents issued during the preparation phase, as well as interviews of managers of automotive companies well established in Russia. We show that despite strong personal investment, the team was not able to respond to the numerous constraints of the Russian market because of a lack of efficient cooperation with their Russian colleagues and partners. We conclude with a certain number of major considerations and advice to face similar projects more efficiently.