Transitivity Study-Material Process in Business Negotiation

时代教育NO.8TIME EDUCATIONAugustTransitivity Study-Material Process in Business Negotiation刘茜Abstract: Since China entered into the World Trade Organization and became a member of this institution, business negotiation hasbecome the important implement in communicating and information exchanging in business market. Compared with the past time, more andmore companies involve in the business negotiation at present. This paper uses Halliday’s transitivity theory- material process as its theoreticalframework to analyze business negotiation. As soon as reading this thesis totally, English teacher, especially business English teachers should addthe awareness on considering unconscious points of business negotiation. They should be led to hold the deep cognition and language choice.Moreover, it is hoped for negotiators to have the understanding for choosing the better words and structure in order to make an agreement inbusiness negotiation.Key words: Business negotiation; Transitivity theory; Material process中图分类号:G642.41文献标识码:C DOI: 10.3969/j_ssn.1672-8181.2013.15.092Business negotiationchange, negotiators illustrate the fact that they do some survey orimportant role in international trade. Business negotation is a con-market-.. We are just looking into the possibility. We are finding thesultative process between governments, trade organizations, multi-substantial sized orders." Besides, in this part, each side is likely tonational enterprises, private business firms and between buyers andexchange the information that they did, such as seller' s action andsellers in relation to investments, imports and exports of products,buyer' s receiving. Looking the following example:machinery and equipments and technology (国际商务谈判理论案例You reeived the company literature I sent to your office last week.分析及实践，2007: 4). The process of negotiation involves threeAnd some negotiations even ilustrate their next step on certainphases, that is, pre-negotiation, face to face negotiation and post-ne-issue like:“we are planning on an order of 3000 gross for a start, withgotiation. Here, we discuss the material process in these three stages.more to follow." To sum up, the actions which both sides did play an2 Material Processimportant role for the final agreement.Material processes are process of‘ doing’(Halliday, 2000). This.2 The discussion of material processes in the second stage oftype of processes represents the concept that some entity ' does'business negotiationsomething or may be done‘to’some other entity. Hence we can ex-①You can either take the air transportation option, and we willplore such processes like: what did the entity do? What did the onegive you a slight discount of about 3% on your order, or we will sendyour order by land with the full 15% discount.3 Material processes in three stages of business negotiation②With the ground transport, you can ship the merchandise to usMost of the material processes are action processes. According towithin two months of the production date.Halliday: “Material processes are the processes of‘ doing’. They③You can pay the initial 75% of your order in two installments.④Can you offer anything a ltte more competitive'?done‘ to’some other entity." The following paragraphs mainly show⑤Our supplier now is giving us S19.50 per gross.some examples of material processes and give the further discussion.Through examples above, negotiators use material processes toDuring analysis, italics are used to emphasize the material process.express tangible action which is likely to be acceptable and believable3.1 The dscussion of material processes in the first stage of businessby two sides in the stage of persuasion. Moreover, one party of ne-negotiationgotiation is able to propose another choice if the first proposal is re-①We have done a ltte research into the Asian markt--We arejected, such as, “how about this--you can either take the air trans-just looking into the possibility.portation option, and we will give you a slight discount of about 3% on②We are finding the substantial sized orders.your order, or we will send your order by land with the full 15% dis③You received the company literature I sent to your office lastcount." Another function of material process goes to arrange and en-week.sure the next action like:“with the ground transport, you can ship the④We are planning on an order of 3000 gross for a start, with moremerchandise to us within two months of the production date. You canto follow.pay the initial 75% of your order in two installments." In addition,⑤I have just come out of a meeting with our boss, and he hasnegotiators usually apply material processes to require another kind ofgiven us the command to start working on setting up our joint ventureteam.supplier now is giving us $I9.50 per gross." To sum up, in this stageFrom the typical clauses above, material processes usually de-of persuasion, negotiators of two parties utilize material processes toscribe the concrete entity or issue and show the process of doingexpress the concr中国煤化工"rto meet the require-things. In this stage, each side prepares to describe the action that theyment of two sidesYHCNMHG,in the final step.have done on their concerned issues. In the stage of information ex-3.3 The discussionGal stage of business(下转第120页).118-时代教育NO.8TIME EDUCATIONAugust研究热情高,成为历届学生本科毕业设计的选题热门。在研究过实验室的新建工作,热工基础实验室建成及投入使用必将为学生程中,大大加深学生对《工程热力学》知识的理解,在此基础上指提供《:工程热力学》实验平台,缩短抽象概念和具体工程应用之间导教师与学生共同撰写并发表了相关学术论文。既强化了学生的距离;为学生提供实践和自主创新的场所,使工程热力学的教的创新能力,又促进了教师科研学术水平的提高。学质量再上一个新的台阶。5重视教学全过程,提高教学质量课程组监管教学全过程,旨在全方位提高工程热力学教学质参考文献:量。①教学准备:在教研室的指导和帮评下,主讲教师认真备课、[1]华自强张忠进高青等编.工程热力学(第四版)[M].北京高等教撰写教案,进行课前实讲。②课堂教学:教学采用理论授课、讨育出版社,2009.论.观看工程及实验录像、动手实验等多种教学形式,灵活采用研[2]周丽萍,蔡康旭.关于《工程热力学》课程教学改革之浅见[J].时讨式、启发式等多种教学方法,按基本概念理论分析、工程应用代教育(教育教学版),2009,(1):191.的顺序进行。教研室组织听课帮评加强对教学过程的监控管理[3]李文杰,余晓平,彭宣伟.工程热力学课程教学现状与改革思考和全程评价。③课后总结:在课堂授课后及时将本次授课的经验一以重庆科技 学院工程热力学课程为例[].重庆科技学院学报得失进行总结。④课程考核:采取平时学习表现与期终考试相结(社会科学版),2012,(13):350.合的考核方法。⑤问卷调查:对学生进行不记名问卷调查,对调[4]艾春安、《工程热力学与传热学》第二炮兵优质课程建设评审材查结果进行总结分析,对照反思,有针对性地改进,力求本课程的料(内部资料)[Z].2011.教学水平达到新高。6结束语作者简介:李红霞(1979-),女,博士,讲师,主要从事工程热力学《工程热力学》经过近五年的建设,课堂教学质量和教师教学教学工作,研究方向为含能材料合成性能分析和模拟计算,第二水平得到明显提高,在学校有很高的教学评价。工程热力学先后炮兵工程大学601室,陕西西安710025在学校第五批重点课程建设和第.二炮兵首批优质课程建设中评艾春安,第二炮兵工程大学601室,陕西西安710025 .为优秀。宁超，第二炮兵工程大学601室,陝西西安710025针对我校没有工程热力学实验室的现状,在学校领导和课程王学仁，第二炮兵工程大学601室,陕西西安710025组的共同努力下.“2110”三期建设规划在今年正式启动热工基础(. 上接第118页)negotiation4 Conclusion①I will start the transportation paperwork right away.②We can give you initial quotation for a standard order and goit involves three aspects: what is happening, the nature of the socialfrom there.activity and what is describing. Field of discourse as the concept of the③I will also throw in a discount of 25% on your upfront deposit.social activity is categorized into action-based and reflection-based.④I will send the prepared contract to you next week.And action-based and reflection-based sub-categories are further an-⑤No problem, I will make the changes and get a new contract to .alyzed into specialized and non-specialized in light of semantic do-you right away.main. From the perspective of social activity, the business negotiationThe function of material processes is attributed to show the fol-belongs to the reflection-based category, which the activity becomeslowing actions as soon as making an agreement, such as:“I will startmaterially visible only through language. Moreover, we can find thatthe transportation paperwork right away." Furthermore, the negotiatorscarry on material processes to restate their action in order to reach thebusiness transaction. We can conclude that business negotiation be-agreement. For example:“we can put together a compilation of ....longs to specialized category in terms of semantic domain. Besides, thewe can give you initial quotation for a standard order and go fromnegotiators can introduce to the potential cooperator what the repre-ter....”. we can see this kind of phenomenon more clearly in thesentative company can do or will do to the potential partner. Hence thefollowing example:application of material processes in business negotiation reflects this“A: I will also throw in a discount of 25% on your upfront de-sort of field.posit."“B: D.....”.References:[1]Eggins, s. An Introduction to Systermic Functional Linguistics [M].From above analysis, material processes make up 30.9% in theLondon: Continuum, 2003.first stage of business negotiation. In the second stage, material pro-[2]Thomas, B. & Meriel, B. The Functional Analysis of English: Acesses increase steadily from 30.9% to 33.7%. By comparison withHallidayan Approach [M]. London: Edward Arnold Limited,? 2001.these two stages, there is a slight decrease in material processes, which[3]Thompson, G. Introducing Functional Grammar [M]. Beiing;take up 31.1% in the final stage. The reason for the increase in theForeign Language Teaching and Research Press, 2000.second stage is that negotiators utilize more and more material pro-[4]白远,国际商务谈判理论案例分析及实践[M]北京:中国人民大学.cesses to ilustrate the clear and necessary actions in the persuasion出版社2007.stage. As for the last stage of business negotiation, one may think of[5]鞠玉梅.英语报刊体育新闻英语及物性研究[M].北京:外语教学与the slight change in the final stage as a result of less usage of material研究出版社2004中国煤化工processes. We should admit that material processes are merely used to作者简介:刘茜(THCNMHGdemonstrate the actions after signing the contract in final stage, which9方向为语言学,长are less than the persuasion stage.安大学外国语学院，陕西西安710064