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Apr 21

Beating the ‘No-Fly’ Order with Virtual Communication

Communication Skills Training, Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

The eruption last week of Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull volcano has caused major disruption to air travel throughout Europe.  As this took place during school Easter holidays, many UK families have been stranded abroad, unable to return to school or work.  Business travellers have also been affected and many meetings have been postponed and projects put on hold.  The disruption that this has caused to business has been immense and the impact of people being unable to travel is as yet incalculable.

In this situation, unprecedented in recent times, virtual communication comes into its own.  Companies that are equipped with video and teleconferencing technologies are likely to suffer far less of an impact than those companies that rely on face-to-face contact between colleagues in different locations.

Business Woman on laptop 2 quavondo i Beating the ‘No Fly’ Order with Virtual Communication

© istockphoto.com/quavondo

 

While email and telephone usage is ubiquitous in today’s business environment, video and teleconferencing technologies enable companies to interact internally and externally anywhere in the world. This can not only save a great deal of money but allows global organisations to be responsive to business needs and to avert disruption in situations like the current no-fly order.

Savvy companies realise that communication via virtual platforms is most successful when they are aware of the obstacles and know how to overcome them. Cross cultural differences, the absence of non-verbal communication and working in different time zones are all issues that need to be handled sensitively when working virtually across cultures.

Communicaid’s Managing Virtual Teams cross cultural awareness training course is specifically designed to address these obstacles and equip managers with the knowledge and skills they need to communicate effectively with their teams through virtual means.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 20

Challenges of Doing Business in the UAE

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »
Dubai shao weiwei i Challenges of Doing Business in the UAE

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Combining the strengths of seven individual states, the United Arab Emirates takes each state’s unique histories and identities to form an innovative, modern and vibrant state. The UAE balances its commitment to forward thinking and modernisation with a strong Islamic tradition, however this can often present challenges for those doing business in the United Arab Emirates without an understanding of the culture.

Cross Cultural Training Middle East programmes such as Doing Business in the UAE will help employees in your organisation raise their level of awareness and understanding of the differences and challenges of doing business in the UAE. The following are some of the major challenges of doing business in the UAE.

Communication Style
Communication styles vary across the world, from country to country and region to region. This can be challenging for organisations operating outside their home country. Organisations doing business in the UAE must be aware of some of the communication differences they will come across. For instance, the multiple meanings of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ may differ greatly from their own cultures. The level of formality and directness in the United Arab Emirates may also be hard to adapt to.

Islam
While the UAE is an increasingly modern state, especially in relation to its Gulf State neighbours, religion still stands at the centre of Emirati culture and society. Islam plays a crucial role in people’s everyday lives, in the office and outside. Islamic customs should be observed and the effects of the Islamic religion on business interactions must be respected when doing business in the UAE.

Attitude to time
In comparison with Europe and the US, timekeeping is viewed with a far more relaxed attitude in the UAE. Meetings, for instance, will often run over, start late or be cancelled at the last minute without any warning. Another important difference in business culture in the United Arab Emirates is that the working week is different from that of Christian countries, running from Saturday to Wednesday, with the ‘weekend’ covering the Muslim Sabbath.

Hierarchy
Hierarchy remains a very important concept that you should consider when doing business in the UAE. It is essential to respect people’s titles and position in society. Most businesses have a top-down hierarchy, with one important individual making most of the decisions.

The UAE is modernising rapidly but traditional Muslim practices are still at the heart of Emirati society. Organisations doing business there must understand the balance between the new and the old. Participating in a cross cultural training programme for business management such as Communicaid’s Doing Business in the UAE will help you develop strategies for operating effectively in the UAE thereby enhancing your organisation’s success.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 17

Measuring the Benefits of Cross Cultural Awareness Training

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

Respondents to the 2008 Global Relocation Trends Survey Report conducted by GMAC rated cultural awareness training as the third most important initiative to increase ROI of international assignments. Despite these findings, many international companies are reluctant to provide cross cultural awareness training to their employees prior to relocating overseas, working across cultures, negotiating with foreign companies or employing international staff.

Those in favour of cross cultural awareness training will say that a lack of the cultural sensitivity it provides can result in a number of challenges when dealing with other cultures. These may include miscommunication, misinterpretation and perceived misbehaviour in international working settings which can lead to breakdowns in negotiations or business relations, diminished performances or unsuccessful overseas operations. Those who believe in the value of intercultural training programmes will therefore argue that this helps employers and employees to acquire the necessary skills to ease and overcome challenges rooted in cultural differences.

On the other hand, those who doubt the benefits of cultural awareness training will argue that, while it naturally comes at a cost, its benefits are difficult to quantify in monetary units, thus making it an investment difficult to justify, particularly in the current economic climate. They may claim that while international business ventures’ success can and should be measured in terms of real costs and benefits, culture is something too abstract to be measured, and its impact too difficult to assess.

 

Globe Kasia i Measuring the Benefits of Cross Cultural Awareness Training

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As a global provider of cross cultural awareness training and consulting to major international organisations around the world, Communicaid has a good understanding of this challenge and has designed an approach that aims to make the outcome of cultural awareness training as tangible as possible to organisations.

Communicaid’s Impact Management process involves several key stages starting from before the training has even been delivered through to several weeks after training has been completed. Through a variety of questionnaires, assessments, interviews with delegates and line managers and action plans which can be integrated into personal development plans, Communicaid will design tailored options for every client based on what they need and the time they can realistically dedicate to evaluating the impact.

In an article about measuring the benefits of cultural awareness training programmes such as Communicaid’s Cross Cultural Training Middle East or Intercultural Training India programmes, John Schieman wrote, “Quantifying the business improvement from cross-cultural interventions is challenging, however it is clear that cross-cultural competence has the potential to make a significant contribution to top and bottom line results as well as individual performance.”

While pre and post-training impact evaluation cannot provide concrete monetary figures it does illustrate the importance of cultural awareness training and how it has helped to improve the corporate image and relationships with international counterparts. Companies doing business on a global scale must consider the high value of cultural awareness training to help reduce the risk of international business, saving them time and money in the long-run.

© Communicaid Group Ltd 2010

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Apr 14

Challenges of Doing Business in the Middle East

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »
Saudi Man Worldtrecker i Challenges of Doing Business in the Middle East

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The Middle East is a vast region, comprising a multitude of cultures, religions, nations and peoples. This complex mix can sometimes be hard for outsiders to comprehend. Any organisation planning to do business in the Middle East needs to have an in-depth understanding of these complexities.

Cross Cultural Training Middle East programmes such as Communicaid’s Doing Business in the Middle East training can help organisations and individuals acquire the cross cultural skills and knowledge to deal with culturally sensitive situations which might arise when doing business in the Middle East. Some of the key challenges of doing business in the Middle East include the following.

Hierarchy
The general business structure in the Middle East is very hierarchical, with a clear separation of levels, i.e. senior management, middle management and their teams. Respect for titles and seniority is crucial when doing business in the Middle East.

Religion
Religion is an ever-present issue in the Middle East. Whether your Middle Eastern counterparts are Jewish, Christian, Muslim or of another faith, religion will have some influence on their lives and your business dealings with them. An example of one such influencing factor is Sabbath days. In the Islamic Middle East, the Sabbath days (days when businesses tend to close) are Thursday to Saturday. In Israel, the Jewish Sabbath means that businesses close and no work is done on Fridays and Saturdays.

Restrictions
Restrictions on activities and operations vary across the Middle East. When setting up operations or sending international assignees to the Middle East, it is essential to make yourself or your international assignees aware of any culturally sensitive restrictions they are likely to encounter when doing business in the Middle East. Cross cultural awareness training programmes can help.

Attitudes towards Time
Punctuality is not as important to the communities of the Middle East as it is to Europeans or Americans. For this reason you should expect and be tolerant of time delays, late starts and meetings running over the agreed time limits.

The Middle East is a complex region for doing business due to the combination of history and tradition, the variety of different communities and cultures, and the current economic and political climates in the region. Now more than ever before it is imperative that any organisation doing business in the Middle East is properly prepared for what can be a minefield of cultural and practical challenges. Cross cultural awareness training programmes can ensure that organisations and individuals doing business in the Middle East have the required skills and knowledge to be successful.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 13

International Assignments – Understanding the Impact of Reverse Culture Shock

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector No Comments »

‘Culture shock’ is a widely tackled issue in cross cultural and intercultural training programs as it can have a huge impact on the international business community. In its broadest sense most people understand that culture shock can occur to an international assignee on their arrival in a new culture or to a short-term business traveller during their time in another culture. While culture shock is a widely understood concept, people tend to be less familiar with the concept of ‘reverse culture shock’, the condition which can affect international assignees or business travellers arriving back to their home culture after a prolonged period spent living and working in another culture.

When we think of returning home after time spent abroad, we don’t automatically think there might be problems or obstructions to our readjustment. We might not even think we’ll need to readjust at all – after all, we are returning back home!

Whilst abroad there is the tendency to think that life at home has stood still, that nothing has moved on and that our friends’ and family’s lives have carried on as usual. However, when we get back to our home culture, we often find the opposite has happened. Life has moved on, and we have missed it. Even seemingly trivial things such as television can have an impact on our mood and feelings.

What is more, there is often the expectation that when we return from an extended period abroad, people will want to sit and listen to our stories. This however is often not the case. People might take a passing interest, but the truth is that if they have never had a similar cross cultural experience they will not typically appreciate your situation and may be uninterested in what you did during your time away. This can cause you to either become frustrated, despondent or repress the memories of your time away.

Though you may not realise this, while things have changed at home, you too have changed over the course of your assignment so remember this. You have spent time away from what you know, from the familiar and have been transplanted into the unfamiliar. This will affect you on returning and readjustment to your home culture.

If you are preparing your return from an extended cross cultural experience living or working in another culture, here are some tips to help you deal with the effects of reverse culture shock:

  • Plan in advance and make sure you prepare for your homecoming in the same way you did for your departure.
  • Be aware that things will have moved on and will not have stayed exactly as you left them. If you are prepared for this, then you will not be so surprised by the reality of your return.
  • Find people with similar experiences of living abroad in the same or other culture, with whom you can share stories about your international assignment or travels.
  • Be aware that the business may not recognise or understand what skills you have developed or the knowledge you have gained while living or working abroad. Try to set up meetings with your manager or team to help them harness your new competencies and awareness.
  • If you have family, be aware of the impact your return can have on them. Be sure to set aside time when you can reminisce on your experiences together and talk about how the adjustment process is going.
  • Make occasional trips back to the other culture so you don’t lose touch with it.

While general tips like the above are useful, the effects of reverse culture shock can be as diverse and profound as your experience abroad. No person is the same and we all assimilate and react to different situations in our own way. Communicaid has long recognised this and developed a highly tailored and blended approach to intercultural and cross cultural training to help individuals deal with the complexity of reverse culture shock.

Communicaid’s cross cultural training programs for repatriation provide individuals returning from an extended international experience with skills and strategies to re-assimilate as effectively and smoothly to their home culture. Repatriation Training examines the potential cultural, social and work challenges of returning to your home culture. These cross cultural awareness training programs also provide practical information on recent home country changes and developments and strategies for reintegrating into the organisation. By providing repatriation training to your employees and their families, you can ensure a higher retention and satisfaction rate resulting in improved performance for the organisation.

©  Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 12

Benefits of Doing Business in Japan

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »

Towards the end of the 19th Century, Japan rapidly embraced western technological influences to become a centre of creativity and development. Following its defeat in WWII, Japan experienced tremendous economic expansion and growth and swiftly became the world’s most successful exporter.

JETRO – Japan External Trade Organisation reports that an increasing number of companies around the world are partnering with Japanese companies to develop products and services, create innovative technologies and create R&D projects. To this day, Japan remains one of the world’s leading industrial powers making doing business in Japan an excellent location for international companies. Some of the key benefits of doing business in Japan are outlined below.

Train station sack i Benefits of Doing Business in Japan

© istockphoto.com/sack

 

Gateway to the Asian market
Not only does Japan offer a captive audience of 127 million citizens, it also offers an exciting yet stable business market open to trade and foreign investment. Globally competitive, especially in the fields of environment, healthcare, IT and automotives, Japan’s huge economy already boasts an established base of the world’s top companies. Doing business in Japan also has the added benefit of working in the showroom for the rest of Asia.

Highly educated workforce
The presence of over 600 universities in Japan means that university education is all but taken for granted. A result of this is a workplace where education is prized as an important quality. Prestigious university graduates are often given access to the most sought after jobs due to certain university names still being held in high regard. Other vital and valued qualities include experience, leadership, openness to new ideas and being hard working and personable. When doing business in Japan, foreign employees will often encounter high levels of expertise, knowledge and attention to detail.

Discerning consumers/customers
A highly educated and affluent population results in discerning consumers. The level of household expenditure, which is among the highest in developed nations, illustrates how Japan can act as a brilliant testing ground for new products. Lars Petersson, President and CEO of Ikea Japan states, “Japanese customers are very well educated, so they understand the difference between a product that’s high performance and low-cost, rather than the opposite.”

Strong work ethic
Japan is a predominantly collective society which places a huge emphasis on the group, meaning that each individual often feels a strong sense of belonging and responsibility towards their work place. Leadership is important, and a competent, hard working and personable superior is expected to be willing to sacrifice his personal time in order to listen to his staff and even tend to their personal matters. When doing business in Japan it is important to remember to address and consider the group rather than the individual. Existing relationships are valued so there is certainly worth spending time developing them initially.

Dedicated employees
In the Japanese corporate world, loyalty and cooperation are valued over aggressiveness and competitiveness. Japanese tend to take pride in their jobs and work long hours to demonstrate their dedication in hopes increasing their status in the company. This group of reliable employees, willing to work long shifts over unusual hours, is a huge benefit for international organisations doing business in Japan.

International organisations can profit immensely from the above benefits of doing business in Japan. Harnessing these benefits comes with the need to navigate the geographic, linguistic and cultural diversity of Japanese society. This requires a comprehensive understanding of Japanese business and social culture on all levels. International organisations employing people in Japan or working with Japanese on a regular basis should therefore have a series of Cross Cultural Awareness Training Japan programmes to ensure they develop the skills to successfully deal with the many cultural differences.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 10

Multilingualism: Advantages of Seeing the World from Different Cross Cultural and Linguistic Angles

Communication Skills Training, Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Language Training No Comments »

The Italian film director Federico Fellini once said “a different language is a different vision of life”. A person’s world can stretch out in front of them for miles and miles or it can be a box around them depending on who they can communicate with.

Learning another language can open up new worlds, broaden your horizons and bring you into contact with many new cultures. The language you speak can mould your world view and by association your experience of life. Opening up to new cultures can enrich your life and give you new opportunities. Taking part in a cross cultural training program or in a language training course can help you broaden both your mind and your world view, increasing your cross cultural competence and your ability to communicate across cultures.

Scripts catscandotcom i Multilingualism: Advantages of Seeing the World from Different Cross Cultural and Linguistic Angles

© istockphoto.com/catscandotcom

 

Many people think that learning a new language will be boring or too time consuming, but they are often surprised by the progress made even after the first few language training courses. Even a basic knowledge of a language allows you to communicate and interact with someone from another country. Being able to say something as simple as ‘¡Hola, buenos días!’ (Hello, good morning! in Spanish language) will improve the positive impression you make on your Spanish speaking counterparts while it will also help you to build the trust that is so vital when building international business relationships. Seeing that this secret code registers and gets a response from the native speaker can be very satisfying indeed. After a few more language training sessions this could follow onto a conversation – and from there who knows?

Businesses can greatly benefit from building the cultural and linguistic skills of their employees. Speaking another language can open new markets up to you that were previously closed. Because English predominates as the ‘global language’ of trade and commerce, people often forget that the ability to conduct business with a non-English speaker in their own language, and with knowledge of their cultural values and norms, can build lasting bridges and forge links with that individual or company for many years to come. By taking part in Communicaid’s cross cultural training programs or in our language training courses, you or your staff can learn the language and culture skills needed to truly break any communication barriers and achieve global success.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 07

Challenges of Doing Business in Singapore

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources No Comments »
Asian Lantern espion i1 Challenges of Doing Business in Singapore

© istockphoto.com/espion

 

A top destination for business, Singapore is known worldwide as a prosperous, modern and efficient country. Regularly heralded for its thriving economy, high standards of management and ease for doing business, Singapore is rightly seen as an attractive area for investment. In fact, according to the Singapore Economic Development Board, Singapore is the easiest country in the world to do business.

It is clear that doing business in Singapore offers immense benefits for international organisations and it may therefore be easy to assume that doing business in Singapore comes without cultural challenges. However, there are a number of key cultural stumbling blocks that could result in huge costs to the organisation if overlooked.

Cross-cultural awareness training programmes such as Doing Business in Singapore help organisations ensure those working in Singapore understand the cultural challenges and develop a set of strategies for overcoming these differences. The following are five of the key cultural differences international organisations face when setting up or doing business in Singapore.

Relationships – Being heavily influenced by Asian philosophies, Singapore places emphasis on the importance of creating good relationships with others before doing business with them. This is often an unrushed process as Singaporeans are cautious and like to make sure they are doing business with someone they can trust. When doing business in Singapore remember that investing time in creating strong bonds initially is likely to benefit you in the long run. A Doing Business in Singapore cultural awareness programme will help organisations understand how to establish a good and genuine relationship with Singaporean counterparts to demonstrate capabilities and good character.

Harmony – Somewhat tied into Singaporean concepts of relationships, harmony refers to a value promoting the good of the group over that of the individual. At the core of this focus is the family, which is held in high regard in Singapore. Although the concept of harmony is quite a collectivist sentiment, Singapore is quite unique in the fact that it can also be quite individualistic in some ways, for example in its competitive nature.

Chinese businesswoman 6 zhudifeng i 200x300 Challenges of Doing Business in Singapore

© istockphoto.com/zhudifeng

East meets West – A relatively young country, Singapore draws influences from both East and West and is positioned well to do business equally successfully with both. The most developed country in Southeast Asia, it seamlessly strikes a balance between traditional and modern, Eastern philosophy and Western technology. Similarly, Singapore is quite unique in the way it embodies both collectivist and individualistic sentiments. It is at the same time deeply respectful of ancestors and fiercely competitive, direct in some ways, indirect in others. A Doing Business in Singapore cross cultural programme will help enlighten those unfamiliar with the intercultural influences as to how Singapore manages to maintain seemingly contradictory ideals.

Face – When communicating with Singaporeans, it is wise to pay attention to the protection of “face.” Face is closely linked with personal pride and forms the basis of an individual’s social status and reputation. In order to avoid losing face, Singaporeans control their behaviour and emotions in public and do not criticise directly. When doing business in Singapore, it is wise to remember that damaging face through overt confrontation or criticism can be destructive to hierarchy and disastrous for business relationships.

No common identity – Singapore’s diverse population is one of its strengths. Singaporeans are predominantly of Chinese, Malay or Indian ethnicity and due to an open immigration policy, one in three people living in Singapore have come from abroad. However, to be successful when doing business in Singapore, it is important to fully appreciate and understand the many different customs and traditions which impact Singaporean business culture and etiquette.

Recognising the cultural differences which exist when doing business in Singapore is only the first step. International organisations must also understand the what, why and how behind them to develop effective strategies for appreciating and benefiting from the ethnic and cultural diversity of the Singaporean society. A Doing Business in Singapore programme will help the organisation maximise the immense opportunities of doing business in Singapore and ensure they understand the subtleties of Singaporean business and social culture on all levels. Furthermore, the Doing Business in Singapore programme will also help develop an interculturally competent workforce, giving the organisation a huge advantage in this fiercely competitive global world.

©  Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 06

To Speak or Not to Speak: Avoiding Awkward Silences in Cross Cultural Interactions

Communication Skills Training, Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Negotiation Skills 2 Comments »
 

Meeting Business Meeting 2 nyul i To Speak or Not to Speak: Avoiding Awkward Silences in Cross Cultural Interactions

© istockphoto.com/nyul

 

In an ever-increasing global working environment, the successful outcome of cross cultural business negotiations is often determined by our capacity to work effectively across cultures with international business partners. However, this capacity highly depends on the interaction process itself as much as on what is said during the negotiation. Turn taking strategies, or the way people structure their participation throughout the negotiation, are just one element of cross cultural negotiations that are crucial for success.

Have you ever thought to yourself, during a conversation, why isn’t he saying anything? Or have you found yourself getting frustrated that you can’t get a word in? Taking a turn is the precise moment in any interaction when the role of speaker is taken or given to another person. This can be shown through a pause, a change of intonation, decrease of volume or a gesture such as a head nod.

Methods of signalling that it is now someone else’s turn to communicate can vary significantly when working across cultures. For example, when doing business in Finland you may notice conversations are often filled with a series of pauses before the next person speaks. Conversely, doing business in Spain you will see that your Spanish counterparts often take their turn to speak before the other person finishes their sentence.

People unfamiliar with Finnish turn taking patterns may try to fill the silence while those communicating for the first time with Spanish counterparts may feel frustrated by their constant interruptions. Failing to understand when you can contribute to the conversation can have a negative impact on how you are perceived and the impact you make in cross-cultural business negotiations.

Such implicit rules of turn taking are deeply embedded in our communication style. A lack of awareness of how people pause or overlap in conversations can lead to misinterpretation, confusion and frustration. Participating in a cultural awareness training programme such as Managing International Teams or Doing Business in Finland will help you understand the cross cultural styles of turn taking and ensure you communicate more effectively when doing business with international counterparts.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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Apr 06

Benefits of Doing Business in Saudi Arabia

Cross Cultural Training, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources 1 Comment »

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the largest of all the Gulf States. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in its modern form dates back to 1932, when the states of Nejd and Hejaz united under the first king of Saudi Arabia, Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud. Oil is at the centre of Saudi Arabia’s wealth and accounts for around three quarters of the entire economy.

Saudi Arabia’s identity is intertwined with a devout and complete adherence to Islam. The Islamic religion has shaped Saudi culture and customs; in fact the Saudis are the custodians of Islam’s holiest cities, Mecca and Medina.

 

Arab businessman monkeybusinessimages i Benefits of Doing Business in Saudi Arabia

© istockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages

 

Organisations doing business in Saudi Arabia and individuals looking to invest in Saudi Arabia will be able to take advantage of a number of key benefits of doing business in Saudi Arabia. Maximising some of the key benefits outlined below requires a sound understanding of Saudi business and social culture, values and attitudes and communication styles which you can gain from a Doing Business in Saudi Arabia cross cultural training program.

Ease of Doing Business
According to the World Bank, Saudi Arabia was rated 13th out of 183 countries in terms of general ease of doing business in 2009. This is an encouraging sign for those organisations doing business in Saudi Arabia, the largest of the Gulf States.

A Shift Away from Nationalisation to Privatisation
In recent years, Saudi Arabia has experienced a shift in its national business model. There has been an increase in privatisation and the corporatisation of companies. This has created a positive environment for the import of consultancy services from abroad. The shift from a nationalised to privatised business model means that Saudi Arabia is rapidly becoming a profitable place for doing business and setting up operations.

A Reinvigorated Political System
In 1995, a consultative body was formed for the kingdom, known as the Council of Ministers. Moving towards a cabinet-style government, the Council is made up of ministers who are allocated specific responsibilities. Under the confines of the Sixth Development Plan, economic development has been split into key macroeconomic goals. This may, in time, lead to further liberalisation of the economy.

Saudi Arabian business culture is complex and influenced by age-old customs and traditions which have forged a nation out of the desert. Participating in a cultural awareness training program such as Communicaid’s Doing Business in Saudi Arabia will help your employees to understand local customs and business habits and give your organisation an advantage when doing business in Saudi Arabia.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

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