Market Intelligence and Managerial Negotiation Strategy: Swedish Managers’ Price Bargaining in Relationship-Oriented Latin American Markets

Cross-border price bargaining remains a persistent managerial challenge in culturally distant, relationship-oriented markets. This study examines how perceived cultural distance and relationship orientation shape negotiation strategy and pricing outcomes when Swedish managers negotiate business-to-business (B2B) projects with counterparts in Latin America. Framed through a market intelligence lens, the article focuses on how managers interpret, mobilize, and time information-such as technical documentation, service scope, contractual terms, and long-term support commitments-to steer bargaining processes and protect price integrity. The study adopts a qualitative case study design based on semi-structured interviews with Sweden-based managers who have negotiated with partners in Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay, complemented by negotiation-related documents (e.g., proposals, contracts, and process records). Thematic analysis reveals that relationship-building and trust formation typically precede substantive price discussions, influencing bargaining rhythms, concession patterns, and assessments of price flexibility. Cultural differences in communication style, time orientation, and conflict management further condition how market intelligence is interpreted and deployed across negotiation phases. Findings also show that documentation and scope framing operate as critical negotiation levers: when introduced and positioned strategically, they safeguard pricing; when delayed or ambiguously framed, they intensify price pressure. The study contributes to international negotiation and pricing research by integrating cultural distance, relationship orientation, and intelligence use into a unified explanation of process-level price bargaining mechanisms. It also offers actionable guidance for managers on sequencing relational investments and intelligence-driven framing to improve cross-border negotiation outcomes.