The basic tenets of business are the same between cultures. Each wants honest dealings with honest representatives, but Western and Arab approaches to accomplishing these ends can be very different. Many Arab businessmen understand that much of the West is unfamiliar with the traditions of Islam and are willing to overlook Westerners' ignorance of certain nuances, but there are some aspects of the religion that Arabs will not put aside. More liberal Arab nations such as Jordan, Oman and Morocco allow women to hold various positions in business; conservative Saudi Arabia still bans women from legally driving a car.

Arabs appear to be less forgiving of less obvious matters. It is seen as vulgar in nearly every Arab nation for a business meeting to open without at least several minutes of greeting and non-business conversation. While Arabs will forgive Wes

First I would like to start with facts about exports and imports between the West and Arab nations. I will use Saudi Arabia in this example, Saudi Arabia’s GDP is $241 billion. It’s imports are $29.7 billion which is relatively a large amount. It imports in machinery and chemicals, motor vehicles and textiles. The U.S is it’s #1 import partner which covers 21% of it’s imports, and after that Japan with 9.4% The United States exports $723 billion and Japan exports $383.3 billion. So clearly, it would be a good investment to export to Saudi Arabia where they depend a lot on foreign goods. (CIA, 2003)

"Keeping your distance" in conversing with an Arab businessman is a mark of insincerity or indicates that the Westerner finds the Arab offensive in some manner. The issue of personal space is very different among the Arabs, who tend to speak with more volume and animation than do Westerners, while they do it while being much closer to the person with whom they are conversing (Lewis, 1995). It can be disconcerting to one accustomed to maintaining several feet between people when holding a conversation, but this is one area in which most Arab businessmen are adamant.

Country specifics range from morning times being discouraged in Kuwait (Anonymous, 1998a) to many beverages being offered in Oman, none of which should be declined (Anonymous, 1998b). Prompt response to all communications of all types is of utmost importance in the United Emirates (Anonymous, 1999), where managers prefer a participative style of management rather than the consultative one favored by Westerners (Yousef, 1998). Regardless of the nation, all visitors are expected to be punctual; tardiness is seen as insulting.

It is safe to say that any expansion into an Arab nation needs to be centered in one of the more progressive ones in which women can take an active role if needed. Excluding women would result in excluding a significant portion of the managerial staff available for foreign work. Beyond that, it is recommended that the company further investigate progressive nations such as Kuwait, Oman and Morocco, choosing between progressive nations for a site to base Middle East operations. From that first site, the company can then expand operations into other Arab nations.

Some topics in this essay:
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