Why are some people better than others? : Is it because of their cultural background, personal competence, or company’s influence?

Abstract: In the last few decades, due to the exponential rise in interconnectivity and globalization the importance of cross-cultural communication has been a hot topic to research more about. Due to this increase and more frequent interactions business individuals have started giving cross-cultural environments the attention it needs to address the challenges at hand. Keeping the complex nature of business practices, customs, and values of different cultures from around the world, it's necessary to adapt and equip yourself accordingly to deal with these complexities. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to examine and understand the different factors that contribute more or less to the success of business individuals engaging in cross-cultural interactions. At the same time with the help of prominent theoretical frameworks focus on the negotiations process when individuals from different cultures come together.   The empirical findings were obtained using a qualitative multiple case study of 5 different business individuals coming from different backgrounds which include Sweden, Turkey, and Pakistan. The process of the semi-structured interviews was done so that the findings can be analysed and discussed with the present literature identified in the theoretical framework.   The conclusion of this thesis shows that the personal competence factor turns out to be the most dominant aspect when it comes to the likelihood of success of a business individual in intercultural interactions. Although, at the same time the factors such as the influence of one’s culture and company do play a part in guiding and assisting business individuals in the process of cross-cultural communication. In regard to the negotiations process no certain conclusion can be drawn which determines the chances of a successful negotiations process but it was rightly identified that adaptability and prior training regarding specific cultures being dealt with could be a major factor in determining the outcome of the negotiation process.