Negotiating with Sub-Saharan Africans: The role of time, communication and relationship.

In Africa, by 2050, experts project the population will be around 2.4 billion (World Population Prospects, 2015) suggesting a potential market of around two billion consumers. In this respect, it is anticipated that the trade flows between Africa and the rest of the world will increase considerably (Bickersteth, 2015). Additionally, increased trade flows suggest a need for a deeper understanding of the negotiating style(s) unique to Africans by the rest of the world and vice versa. Nevertheless, studies examining the negotiation styles and patterns of Africans seem to have been ignored (for exceptions, see Lebaron, 2003) and Zartman, 2000). In the current research, we focus on the countries that comprise the sub-Saharan region to explore their negotiation patterns. Specifically, the study aims at examining the impact of sub-Saharan African culture (e.g. time, communication and relationship) on their negotiation styles and patterns in the international context.