Sensitivity to negotiating in an international context is a valuable skill. An international business negotiation involves style and timing, as well as procedure and substance. Procedure is the ingredient which is frequently under planned but is most often an outcome determinative. Negotiating styles differ from culture to culture and person to person. It is always essential to understand the cultural back-ground of negotiating opposites and the potential for cross-cultural misunderstandings. Most cultures and foreign enterprises involve hierarchies which must be understood so as to properly evaluate the rank and power of negotiating opposites.