Developing a Theory of Negotiations in Latin America: A Study of the Integrative and Distributive Theory of Negotiations

This paper is aimed at testing the validity of negotiation theory developed in the United States in a Latin American environment. We distinguished two negotiation strategies: the distributive and the integrative. Questionnaire data were used for finding the different classes of negotiators found by 104 foreign residents doing business in Costa Rica. Latent Class Analysis was used for the analysis of data. The results show a pattern of negotiation similar to the one prevalent in the theory of negotiations. Cultural values and emotions are also found to be significant.