Global business cultural analysis saudi arabia

Several definitions of culture concur on the belief that culture is shared, passed from one generation to the other, can be borrowed, is bound to change over time, and in most cases makes a particular group distinct in one way or another. In the last decades, culture is often referred to as a set of values adopted by a particular group that defines the lifestyle of that group; cultural values translated into norms, beliefs, morals, and are reflected in laws and practices of the society. These common practices and experiences of members of collectives bring about shared identities, beliefs, values, motives, and meanings. These are manifested as history, language, and ideological belief systems: religion and political one that is transmitted from across age generation.

Social scientists attribute these set of parameters of collectivities that differentiate the collectivities from each other in meaningful ways (DICKINSON, 2012). The rich history and culture of the UAE can be traced from 125,000 BCE. A lot of change shave taken place over time. For example, occupants such as the British have played a significant role in shaping the development of culture in the UAE. This paper presents an analysis of the UAE culture. It also investigates the impacts that the UAE culture ha son business (Mina, 2008). The role of entrepreneurs is to keep up with these cultural changes to ensure that they continue to remain relevant and competitive. UAE Culture Hierarchical Society The United Arab Emirates’ culture can be discussed in several dimensions.

Several cultural aspects can only be found within the UAE and its neighbors only, probably due to Islamic religion and sharing of ideas (Yagoub, 2018). In the United Arab Emirates, societal hierarchy is highly regarded as a means of respect and power. UAE residents accept a hierarchical order where every individual has a place and that there is no need for further justification. UAE residents accept the hierarchical style of leadership because they are accustomed to it and have been wrapping the community as early as the clan period. The United Arab Emirate society strongly believes in the relevance of absolute loyalty to a leader. There is a perceived hierarchy in the country’s organizational structure or the state of a class.

They also believe in the conclusive evidence on the presence of absolute and unpopular central power (Songsangyos, 2014). In this system, subordinates obey what is said because the nation’s president is the ideal figure who should be obeyed in all cases. The collectivistic nature of United Arab Emirates culture creates a society that fosters strong relationships in which everyone takes responsibility for other members of the group. In collectivist cultural systems offense leads to shame and probably loss of face, employer/employee connections are perceived in moral terms such as like a family link, promotion and hiring decisions takes into account the employee’s in-group, and that management is the management of groups. Food is another critical aspect of a particular culture.

Organizations interested in the food industry and other related business may find information of particular cultural foods essential. In the United Arab Emirates, the food industry has undergone several changes over time in order to keep up with ever emerging trends. Welcoming guests with fresh dates and coffee is normal. It is also common to see incense passed around guests so they can feel the fragrance in their headwear. However, a lot has changed, and the increase in immigration rates has led to the developments of restaurants that provide a variety of ethnic dishes. Basic income in the UAE is among the highest in the world. However, vast differences exist between the seven emirates. The growth of cities such as Dubai with multicultural features is an indication of how the UAE has absorbed so many foreigners into their territory.

However, there are some dominant features that form part of the UAE culture that interested investors should have in mind. New business organizations should have some awareness concerning the Arabic culture and ways of conducting their operations in the Arabian business environment; this is because UAE shares several cultural and business perspectives with the neighboring Arabian nations (Hatemi-J, 2015). Some considerations that these investors should have is that in most of the Arab world including the UAE, more than any part of the world, business is carried out based on relationships and to a lot of extents, trust is also valued. It is vitally critical that individuals build on these aspects. until 3. 00 p. m. This is unlike private operators who tend to work longer hours adopting either a split shift or straight shift.

Government offices work for 8 hours with a lunch break in between that could last for 30 to 60 minutes. There has been increased immigration from several parts of the world to provide both skilled and unskilled labor in the UAE. This explains the drastic increase in the population of Dubai in the last three decades. Therefore, for effective communication, English is widely considered (Hopkyns, 2014). Cultural Norms Some cultural norms in the United Arab Emirates are highly regarded and could set up possible business atmospheres. Courtesy and good manners are prized attributes. It is also arguable that some of the states such as Dubai are considered to be more Liberal in their approach towards clothing when compared to others. One evident feature is that the higher the number of immigrants, the more a state is likely to be liberal.

Despite such differences, these states also share some common features; thus an analysis of commonalities of these states can be used for the analysis of UAE business culture. Every organization planning to invest in the UAE should know that it is a cosmopolitan region with more than 80ercent residents being non-locals. Thus the chances of dealing with an expatriate in Dubai for a business deal are higher than that of a local. However, the US is a large country try, and this makes it possible that there exist regional differences and also state-wide attitudes that are considered worth understanding and may make business operations of an individual more successful. Comparing the United Arab Emirates and the United States of America’s business and cultural environment may not be a simple task considering the fact that the United States is a much larger, more comprehensive, and several times much more populated than the United Arab Emirates.

However, some of the evident aspects are that the United States has a richer history and earlier beginning, unlike the Emirates. The US has a history of industrialization that can explain the influx of immigrants from Europe and slave trade thus becoming a critical base of its culture. Time has passed, and several things have, and the United States seems to be more independent than it was when occupied by immigrates between the 15th-18th centuries. In the United States of America, personal space of two or three feet must be respected. It is important to keep eye contact when talking to another person, some of these may sound as disrespectful in the United Arab Emirates. In the USA lack of formality is very much evident when it comes to titles and names.

It is standard to call an individual by their first names in an America company. Some titles such as Mr, Miss, Dr, may be highly appreciated. This can be attributed to the type of message that the kind of dress says about an individual. When going to a business meeting, an individual should not forget the value of the first impression. Dress code is an important aspect that an individual can use to make an excellent first impression and could determine the future of the relationship. The critical aspect, in this case, is to sell an image, make it look attractive and competent as much as possible and appearance is part of that. To some extent, a formal dressing may win more deals than a casual dress code.

There are at times where American formal organizations despite having a formal business culture, may have a casual Friday where an individual may be allowed to put on a relaxed outfit. Communication Style A friendly communication style is the most dominant in the United States of America and usually straight to the point. Having a firm response in case of close-ended questions is appropriate. For instance, saying either yes or o is accepted, and there will be no need to read between the liens after getting a response. Polite self-expression is also a killer attribute and can open doors when done genuinely. In most cases, competency always carries the day. Such is different in The UAE where one needs connections to the major decision-makers when seeking a job.

Women Unlike in the United Arab Emirates, American women are likely to do or engage in business. Females play a critical role in US businesses and have been doing for several years. However, though men are more likely to advance than women, a large percentage of US executives are females. Also, the case in the United Arab Emirates is significantly different from the neighboring countries including Saudi Arabia where women have restricted opportunities (Abou-Bakr, 2013). There is a rising trend of local women venturing into business an implication that conditions have taken a different route compared to the past years decade. However, unlike the United States, some UAE men are likely to display overt gender bias. Unfortunately, it happens that most of these gender biased men happen to be the older and traditional me who are also the primary decision-makers in organizations.

There are more chances now that in the past of encountering women in UAE’s all sectors. The role of subordinates is UAE organizations are to implement the given instructions to the letter. Leaders who may not give directions in the UAE are likely to be considered as incompetent and to some extent is a sign of confusion. To visitors, this paternalistic leadership style may sound rude. UAE organizations may be seen similar to family structures where the father happens to be the boss and has to give directions to the children. The father apart from directing the children also care for them. Most of these actions have reformed their Islamic legal aspects to a certain degree since the seeds of globalization were rooted and the influx of western trade.

Several partnerships exist between US and UAE institutions in several fields including education, culture, media, energy, and business. These partnerships provide the United Arab Emirates with several financial benefits plus the enhancement of local capabilities. On the other hand, such partnerships enhance US institutions and organizations to expand. Major organizations in the two countries have catalyzed the creation of US-UAE business council in Washington, DC. Close to 7 million out of the total 9million people I UAE are immigrants. Majority of the immigrants originate from Asia particularly the Middle East and North African. They have dominated both low and semi-skilled positions in the UAE. However workers from United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada are largely concentrated in the country’s high-skilled sectors such as the banking, gas and oil industries.

UAE has more than 400,000 immigrant workers mainly from Asia. At worst cases, previous public-sector work experience for Emirati professionals is overlooked or not recognized when seeking an opportunity in the private-sector jobs. However, in the best situations they have to accept pay cuts or undergo occupational downgrade after a successful lateral shift. Also, United Arab Emirates professionals are considered to be lazy, incompetent, and also dependent, this negatively affects their competitiveness in the labor market. For most employers, high skilled expats are much better, and they chose to overlook high skilled UAE nationals thus causing economic competition between the two groups thus making Emirati professionals to be underutilized in the labor market. Despite the fact that the Emirati government facilitates equality when it comes to access to entry level job opportunities in the private, public, and quasi government sectors, there is no much follow up to evaluate Emirati nationals’ experiences within the labor market United States investors should be aware of cultural aspects of doing business in the United Arab Emirates.

US companies should also take into consideration Sharia laws, important holidays such as Ramadan, and should be ready to adjust to the work schedules in UAE which starts from Sunday to Friday. The influence of globalization is expected to bring a lot of cultural changes to UAE. the country is not as conservative as before, several ways of life have been abolished at the expense of western culture. Women are likely to have more opportunities in the future than at the moment. References Abou-Bakr, O. World Englishes, 31(3), 312-330. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1467-971x. x DICKINSON, F. Learning And Teaching In Higher Education: Gulf Perspectives, 11(2). doi: 10. 18538/lthe. v11. n2. v3. 276 Songsangyos, P. The Decision Support System for Hierarchical Portfolio Management. International Journal Of Information And Education Technology, 4(4), 328-331.