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Jul 21

Going on an International Assignment? Cultural Insensitivity Can Bring You Home Early

Cross Cultural Training, Cultural training for Relocation, Culture, Culture training for Business & Management, Culture training for Human Resources, Culture training for the Public sector 1 Comment »

Living and working in another country can be an exciting and welcome opportunity for many business professionals as it offers them a unique chance to put into practice their skills and expertise of doing business, yet in a completely different setting. However, this opportunity also means stepping out of your comfort zone and being confronted with entirely different people and their specific perceptions about things like time, hierarchy, ways of doing business and communication styles. Living and working in another country should not be taken lightly or seen as an extended break.

Globe Kasia i Going on an International Assignment? Cultural Insensitivity Can Bring You Home Early

Whether you are going to another country for business or pleasure, the fact remains that the way you present yourself will reflect your country as a whole. For example, the behaviour of many Britons abroad has resulted in many negative perceptions of British nationals by other countries around the world which impacts business relationships.

A recent article suggested that one of the most irritating habits of Britons abroad seems to be their cultural insensitivity. There have been numerous cases of horror stories of the antics of Britons abroad, most of them of people on holiday who drink too much. Recently, a Latvian MP branded British tourists as ‘savages’ since the Latvian capital, Riga, became the top destination for British stag parties. Unruly Britons seem to like relieving themselves on Riga’s Freedom Monument, which in Latvia is considered an important symbol of the freedom, independence and sovereignty of the country, honouring soldiers killed while fighting for independence between1918-20.

Cultural insensitivities are not always purely on a social scale like this example. Mishaps also occur at the other end of the spectrum, with business professionals on international assignments also guilty of failing to do their research concerning the local culture and traditions of their target country and therefore find themselves in trouble.

One of the latest high-profile cases of cultural insensitivity by business professionals was that of the British couple who were sentenced to jail and fined £200 in March 2010 for allegedly drinking alcohol and kissing in public while dining in a trendy restaurant in Dubai. Although the male defendant, marketing executive Ayman Najafi, is of Muslim background, he has lived in the UK his entire life and was not aware of Dubai’s strict rules. Both were held on bail for a month and were unable to leave Dubai as their passports were taken away.

This is an interesting example since Dubai has a very modern atmosphere compared to many other Arabic cities, with state-of-the-art architecture and a fairly progressive approach to doing business. Yet the United Arab Emirates, of which Dubai is one of seven members, is still quite a conservative state. Many Western expatriates therefore wrongly assume that by being Western the rules do not apply to them, or they are simply unaware of the strict protocol they are required to follow in public.

Cross cultural awareness training courses like Living and Working in the UAE can provide companies and their employees with all the information necessary to make their transition and business experience abroad as smooth and successful as possible. By giving employees an awareness of how to do business in a different culture and an understanding of the wider social and cultural traditions, companies can make sure that their employees do not jeopardise business deals or even their own careers by their lack of cultural sensitivity and awareness.

© Communicaid Group Ltd. 2010

Tagged with: challenges of international assignments • Courses - Cultural Training • Cross Cultural Training • Cross cultural training UAE • cultural insensitivity • Culture • intercultural training • Living and Working in the UAE • Working effectively across cultures

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 »

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

Tagged with: Courses - Cultural Training • Cross cultural training Middle East • Cross cultural training UAE • cross-cultural challenges • doing business in the Middle East • doing business in the UAE • Intercultural training Middle East • Intercultural training UAE • UAE business culture • United Arab Emirates • Working in the UAE

Mar 19

Benefits of Doing Business in the UAE

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

The United Arab Emirates is located on the edge of the Arabian Peninsula and is made up of a number of diverse sheikdoms. The country itself is at the forefront of modernity and twenty-first century innovation. Since the discovery of oil in the 1930s, the UAE has become one of the wealthiest states in the region.

In recent years tourism and a diverse economy have made the UAE a regional hub and an attractive country for foreign investors. Doing business in the United Arab Emirates has never been more rewarding. Here are some of the key benefits of doing business in the UAE.

Access to a Diversified Economy

The UAE’s economy has seen a great deal of diversification in the past few years. Whilst the petroleum industry is still very important to the country’s economic success, the United Arab Emirates has seen sustained growth in tourism, science and technology. On top of this, the Emirati government has recently allotted $13.4 billion to the development and expansion of non-oil related industries, a sizeable proportion of which will be dedicated to the virtual technologies sector.

A Central Point for World Trade and Commerce

The UAE is located at the centre of some of the world’s most important trade and commerce routes. Historically this has always been true and remains very much so today, making it a world class trading hub. By establishing your business operations in the United Arab Emirates, you will have access to the markets of Asia, Africa, Southern and Eastern Europe and the Middle East. The country has the necessary facilities to accommodate international trade, with state-of-the-art air and maritime ports, making doing business in the UAE an attractive endeavour.

Low Taxes

The UAE’s government offers attractive tax incentives to businesses doing business in the country. There are currently no foreign exchange controls, trade barriers and no personal or corporate taxes which can help take a significant financial and administrative burden off of international businesses.

A Vast Array of Twenty-First Century Technological Solutions

Over the past decade, the United Arab Emirates has made a name for itself as a place of excellence for telecommunications and IT. With the most modern facilities and infrastructure, such as the Dubai Media City, the country is the perfect place to advance your operations.

Companies that have operations in the United Arab Emirates will gain enormously from Communicaid’s cross cultural training programme Doing business in the UAE. Knowledge of the local culture and national business culture is absolutely vital in order to operate successfully abroad. Equipping your employees with this information prior to their secondment will help international assignees work efficiently and successfully with their Emirati counterparts. Both can be achieved by cross cultural training programmes provided by Communicaid, tailored to the specific characteristics of UAE business culture.