Arabia Saudita En Los Negocios Internacionales

The cultural environments facing business
Saudi Arabia, a land of contrasts and paradoxes, can be perplexing to foreign managers as they try to exercise acceptable personal and business behavior. This is because of Saudi Arabia’s mixture of strict religious convictions, ancient social customs, and governmental moves to modernize and grow the country economically. The result includes laws andcustoms –sometimes shifting with little advanced notice- that varies by industry and region as dominant forces evolve.
A little history and background
In the past, the land was divided and under the control of invaders. Nevertheless, the inhabitants have shared a common language (Arabic) and religion (Islam), while being the birthplace of Islam and location of its two holiest cities, Mecca andMedina. In 1745, the Wahabi movement swept across and united most of the peninsula by calling for the purification of Islam through a literal view of the Koran. When the King Ibn Saud took power in 1902, merged independent areas, created an entity that was both political and religious, and legitimized his monarchy and succession by being the defender of Islamic holy areas, beliefs, and values.
Thegrowing importance of oil revenue in Saudi Arabia, particularly since the 1970s, has led to rapid urbanization and has given the government means to offer social services such as free education. Since 1980, the rural population has decreased from over 80 percent to less than 20 percent and the cities have also modernized physically.
Modernization has been controversial in Saudi Arabia. On one handthere is a liberal group supported by an alite segment that has traveled abroad, wants the trappings from economic growth, and fancies greater choices in products and lifestyles. On the other hand there is a conservative group supported by religious leaders and people fearful that modernization will upset traditional values and viewpoints. The government has sometimes made tradeoffs to appeasethe conflicting groups, such as requiring women to wear longer robes in exchange for increasing women’s education.
The religious factor
Religious proscriptions prohibit the sale or use of pork products and alcohol, and restaurants ensure that customers do not bring their own black market alcohol. Also, during the holy period of Ramadan, when people fast during the day, restaurants serve only inthe evenings and also many have converted revenue-generating space into prayer areas, since the Muslim men are called to prayer five times a day.
There are regional differences, however. In the capital, women traditionally wear garhas that cover their faces; in the port city of Jeddah, dress codes are more relaxed and fewer women wear them. Nevertheless, merchants routinely remove the heads andhands of mannequins and keep them properly clad to prevent public objections.
Rules of behavior may also be hard to comprehend because of the ways in which religious and legal rules have been adapted to contemporary situations. Islamic law, for instance, forbids charging interest and selling accident insurance because strict doctrine holds that there are no accidents, only preordained acts of God).Traditional Factors
Some of Saudi Arabian traditions are probably the outgrowth of a tribal and nomadic past. Given the trust factor, most Saudi businesses have historically been family owned and operated. However these companies have lately seen the need to partner with foreign companies to gain expertise, yet the process is lengthy because Saudi take time to know the foreigners well andare reluctant to make full financial disclosures outside the family. Saudis prefer to get to know you well, perhaps inviting you into their homes and developing a certain level of friendship, before ever turning to business details.
Saudis’ preference to deal with people they know has led to a system known as wasta, that roughly translates as “connections”.

Gender Roles

Based largely on a...