Anonymous Student
BU204
Unit 1 Assignment
August 27th, 2012

Dear President Smith, Upon your request, I have finished my extensive research on the culture and customs of the country of Saudi Arabia. I have come across quite a few things that will not only be helpful to our business professionals over there, but also some that could be a necessity to their wellbeing. First and foremost, if one is not a Muslim, in order to leave Saudi Arabia, there has to be a granting of an exit permit. Anyone without Saudi citizenship that is involved in a business, labor, or employment dismissal dispute will not be allowed to leave the country until the dispute is resolved in a Saudi court. These cases are notorious for being dragged out, and can last anywhere from 3-18 months. Saudi citizens are known to have incredible leverage in these cases, and can block departure or future visitation and employment in the country. This is definitely something for our workers over there to keep in mind during any type of negotiation (travel.state.gov, 2012). While we want our employees to try to assimilate into and be a part of the culture as much as possible, they need to know to draw the line at wearing traditional Saudi clothing. Saudi’s oftentimes find it offensive when they see foreigners wearing traditional Saudi attire. Even though the heat can be overwhelming, it is important that all of our professionals attend meetings in a jacket and tie. They additionally need to try to steer clear of any excess jewelry, especially necklaces (Butler, 2012). When it comes to greetings, it is wise to simply follow the lead of your host. While often times, men simply shake hands with other men, it is quite common for a man to grasp the right hand of another man, place the left hand on the right shoulder, and give a kiss on each cheek. A customary verbal greeting is “salaam alaykum”. This is then followed by saying “kaif hal ak”. It is customary to remove one’s shoes upon entering a building. The thumbs up sign is considered an offensive gesture and should be avoided. When trying to create any kind of small talk, it is imperative to avoid bringing up anything about women. It is not even permitted to inquire as to how another man’s wife, mother, sister, or daughter is doing. It is also important to avoid speaking of anything involving Israel. If engaged in conversation, sports are a safe realm to discuss. Saudis are especially fond of soccer and cricket (Butler, 2012). The sooner we can get this information out to our professionals, the better, so that they can have this knowledge under their belts to try to avoid and cultural faux pas. If you have any other questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Jeren Seibel

MEMO TO ALL EMPLOYEES IN SAUDI ARABIA: * Remove your shoes upon entering any building. * Do not try to make conversation about anything that concerns women. * Your Saudi host may interrupt your meeting/conversation, leave the room, and not return for 15-20 minutes for the sake of partaking in prayer. * Men walking hand in hand is a sign of friendship. * Never refuse a gift, as this is a sign of great disrespect. * Alcohol and pork are illegal, and possession is a prosecutable crime.

Having knowledge of business etiquette in different countries is a valuable part of macroeconomics, because it helps a business person to better understand exactly how decisions are made on a day to day basis in that particular country. In order to get a better understanding of how the whole economy functions, one must possess a greater foundational knowledge of how the country runs. For instance, to understand they supply and demand in a particular country, one would have to have some sort of knowledge about the cultural wants and needs in said country.

References

Butler, P. (2012). Cyborlink. Retrieved from http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/saudi-arabia.htm Travel.state.gov. (2012, April 12). Retrieved from http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1012.html