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Planning on visiting or doing business with an Arab business? Here are few tips relating to Arab business and culture for visitors, exporters, and international traders to understand the culture, business culture, and how to do business with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, and other Middle East countries. Old-fashioned behavior: In public, Arabs behave conservatively. Display of affection between spouses is nonexistent. It is a private society and display of one's feelings is kept private. You can also observe that laughter and joking in public areas is toned down, which is not the case in private parties. Arguments between spouses, friends, and everyone in general are also kept private or conducted in a manner that guarantees no one else knows about it. Invitations: In case you are invited to dinner or lunch, you are not expected to bring food, drinks, or gifts. Upon getting into the house notice the guest room you are taken to. If shoes and sandals were left at the door by other guests, then take off your shoes. It is customary when entering guest's room or office to greet everybody there by saying Alsalamo-Alikom, meaning "peace be with you". The reply to this greeting is "Wa'alikom Alsalam". Once inside, people will stand up to greet you and shake your hand. Start out with the person standing on your right side or the one who is approaching you. Note that in both modern and traditional Arab guest rooms, attendants are seated in a circle to ensure no one is facing someone's else back. Also note that the soles of your feet should never point directly toward someone else. Always use your right hand when giving or receiving objects. Save Face concept: The Arab culture is a non-confrontational one which seeks the least conflict possible. A concept called "save face" is usually a way to solve conflicts and avoid humiliating or discomforting the parties involved. Saving someone's face or dignity involves employing techniques or holding one's reactions to give the other party a way to exit the situation with minimal discomfort or harm to their dignity. It calls for compromise, patience, and sensitivity. The "save face" principle is regarded as a behavior of high quality ethics and manners. The Arabian culture inspires individuals to act humbly and with sensitivity to a person's dignity, specifically when that person's dignity and self respect is endangered. This is a crucial tip for those who might be involved in managing companies in an Arab country. Family structure: In an Arab family, gender and age plays a big role in deciding obligations. The father is normally the head of the family and the provider for its needs, while the mother plays an essential role in raising children and handling the house. Although culture, traditions, and Islam strongly stress the value of women's roles in taking care of the house and raising children, it is a mistake to believe that Arab women are limited to this role. Before Islam there were many successful Arab businesswomen and they still exist throughout the Arab region, but because of cultural reasons, they conduct business in an inconspicuous way. A daughter lives at her family house provided that she is not married. Sons might move to their own houses when they marry, but at least one son will still live at the family house even if he is married in order to care for the parents. When a woman gets married there are no changes made to any part of her name. Business Meetings with Arab companies: Sometimes when you need to set up meeting dates with your Arab clients you will discover that their answer is something like "Whenever you are in the area give us a call". Don't interpret this as a sign of lack of interest in your business. It is equal to an answer that sets a specific date and time. Allow sufficient time for social chat with your Arab clients before you open any business discussions. Advertising and Marketing to the Arab Market: Your business Advertisement need to be conventional in content and appearance and does not present any social values or situations that contrast with the Arab culture or Islam. In almost all the Arab countries advertisement should not directly or explicitly contain comparison between two different brands for the same type of products. Message should place more focus on the quality and functionality of the product. The main advertisement outlet sources are newspapers, magazines and television. Khadijanet is the best Arabic magazine for Arab news and Arab women. All about Arab countries, Middle east news, Arabian sports, realign, economics, videos and more. Visit us www.khadijanet.com/.
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