BUSINESS CULTURE_ARAB

Business Culture

THE ARAB NEGOTIATOR
Group 3:


Outline
Introduction about Arab

Etiquette & Protocol characteristics
● Relationship-focused
● Formal
● Polychronic
● Expressive
Arab Negotiating Behavior


QUIZ
ABOUT
ARAB

tekhnologic

1

2

3

4

5

Lê Đặng Hoàng Điệp


How many Arab countries in
the Gulf Arabs?
Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi
Arabia and UAE.

A. 4

B. 5

C. 6


What body of water
in the Middle East has some of the
world’s largest oil reserves?

 
 
 

A. Dead sea
B. Persian Gulf
C. Red sea

What is the most popular
language in Arab world?

A.English B. Arabic C. French


What is the main religion of Arab world?

A.Buddhism
B.Islam
C.Christianity


How many currencies used in the Gulf
Arabs?
A. 4

B. 5

C. 6


Relationship-Focused
★ Building trust and rapport with your customer is important.
★ Face-to-face contact is necessary.
★ Your word is your bond.
★ The relationship is with the individual, not the corporation.


Relationship-Focused

What you should talk about first to start a
conservation with an Arab business partner?
A.

Weather

B.

Food

C.

Arab Entertainment

D.

All of them.


Hierarchy


Business protocol and etiquette



Arab orientation to time
- The Arab’s have a Polychronic cultural approach towards
time.

- Work days: Saturday-Wednesdays. No work during Islamic
prayer times observed five times a day.
- Pass - orientated because it values its traditions, history and
cultural roots.
- This is especially because of the strong sub-cultural
association.
- In Islam, man does not determine his future only God does.


ARAB’S EXPRESSIVE IN COMMUNICATION

Verbal language

Evasiveness,
Indirectness
Emotional
expressiveness
Space Behavior

Nonverbal language

Touch Behavior
Gaze Behavior
Gestures

Phạm Tuyết Xuân Huy

Taboos

DEFINITION
Verbal communication involves the use of
words or speech or auditory language to express
emotions or thoughts or exchange information.

Non-verbal communication involves the use of
visual or non-verbal cues such as facial
expressions, eye or body movements, gestures,
and many more without speaking


ARAB’S EXPRESSIVE IN COMMUNICATION
Verbal language
-

Evasiveness, Indirectness
Tending to say “no”.
Expressing unpleasant things in an indirect way.
“Yes” may not actually mean “Yes” unless repeated several times.


ARAB’S EXPRESSIVE IN COMMUNICATION
Verbal language
Emotional expressiveness
Similarly
Indirectness

East and Southeast Asians

Expressiveness

Latin European

-

Tending to speak in an emotionally expressive manner.
Leading Northern Europeans (Scandinavians) misunderstanding, those who communicate in a more
reserved way.
Using flowery language, elaborate, repetitious mode with frequent use of exaggeration, meanwhile,
giving wild promises and dire threats.
Saying several times which are really worth saying.


ARAB’S EXPRESSIVE IN COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal language
Space Behavior

❖ Standing closer to each
other than some foreigners.
❖ Trying not to move away,
since this would signal
coldness or hostility to your
local counterpart.
❖ Maintaining a respectfully
wide interpersonal distance
from each other.

Touch Behavior

❖ Engaging

in
frequent
touching among friends, but
until they know someone
well they usually confine
physical touching to a gentle
handshake.
❖ Back-slapping and elbowgrabbing are definitely out of
place.


ARAB’S EXPRESSIVE IN COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal language
Gaze Behavior
-

Expecting to look them in the eye during a
business or social discussion.
Glancing frequently away shows lack of
interest or worse, lack of respect to Arabs.
Making direct eye contact on the street
with a male, who would be likely to
interpret strong eye contact as a sexual
invitation should be avoided.


ARAB’S EXPRESSIVE IN COMMUNICATION
Nonverbal language
Gestures: Avoiding thumbs-up sign
Taboos:

- Considering the left hand as unclean, therefore, using the right hand for delivery things
to someone or eating. For example, using the right hand to offer a business card or a gift.
- Avoiding showing the soles of shoes or sandals.
- Tending “old-fashioned”, “outmoded” between generations. Changing culture does
happen, but slowly.


Arab Negotiating Behavior
❖
❖
❖
❖
❖

Making an appointment
Bargaining range and making concessions
Decision Making
Contracts
Maintain the relationship

Phạm Nguyễn Như Ngọc


Making an appointment
➢ Business guests should inform the Arab host about the plan and schedule, set
a time for a specific meeting.
➢ Traders should also be mindful of holy holidays such as Ramadan, Hajj and
prayer breaks before planning meetings.

Bargaining range and making concessions
➢ Saudi negotiators tend to be enthusiastic bargain-ers.
➢ Take care to make each concession with great reluctance and only on a strict
“if...then”
➢ Be sure to demand something equivalent in return for each concession in
price, terms or other issues.


Decision Making
➢ Negotiating in the Arab world tends to proceed at a leisurely pace.
➢ Cumbersome procedures just to increase the time spent thinking. So don't
use pressure as that will only backfire.

Contracts
➢ Saudi businessmen carefully prepare for each meeting and quickly grasp
important details surrounding the negotiations, relying more on memory
than on paper and notes.
➢ Get everything in writing to avoid future misunderstandings.