Business and Social Etiquette 101: A Look at the Saudi Arabian Culture
Know Before You Go to Avoid Cultural Collisions
To get a better understanding of Muslim names, the format is the following: personal name + Al + father's personal name + Al + grandfather's personal name + Al + surname.
Saudi families are large and tight-knit. They put strong emphasis on family and togetherness.
Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of the Islamic religion. They take their religion very seriously so visitors should not disrespect their cherished beliefs. Everyday you can find the exact times of prayer in the local newspaper--one during dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset and evening. During these prayer times, meetings are allowed to be interrupted. Saudi Arabia's (and most Muslim countries) weekends are Thursdays and Fridays, with Friday as the Holy Day. Stores and businesses are closed on Fridays and some chose to close on Thursdays. During, Ramadan, the month-long fast, visitors should not eat or drink in public. In this Islamic country, women are required to wear an abaya or long loose black robes. Wearing a headscarf is optional, but is suggested to avoid attention. For example, a blonde woman would most likely choose to wear the headscarf so she would not attract unwanted attention. Men wear long white thobes to business meetings but foreign males are expected to be in a business suit. Men should not have excessively long hair, as it is frowned upon. Remember, they emphasize dressing conservatively.
When greeting, men shake hands. If they are friends they would shake hands and kiss on the cheek. Women hug and kiss close friends on the cheek as well. Men and women would not greet each other in public unless they are from the same family.
Like most Islamic cultures, women mostly socialize amongst themselves and not in the public. During dinners, sometimes, men and women are separated in different rooms. If you have to give a gift to a female for business, do not give it directly. Say that it's from a female relative, wishing them well.
If you are invited to a dinner at a Saudi's home, remember to observe the following. Shoes are removed in most cases, depending on the family; so look at your host for indication. At the dinner table, meals are served family-style with the guest first, than the oldest member of the family. Remember to eat with your right hand. When you are done eating, leave some food on your plate, otherwise, the host will serve you more. When the host stands, he indicates that the dinner is over. Dinner is over rather quickly as small talks are usually done before a dinner starts.
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3 Comments
Post a CommentI have contacted the Security Company to confirm the deposit and to establish ownership.
Due to the death of my Mother and the return of peace in Sierra-Leone, I have decided to look for the participation of an honest God fearing and trustworthy person or company that will assist me in investing the fund and become in partnership with me . The security company doesn't know the content of the box; they believe that it is an African artifacts. As contained in trunk box. Unfortunately, I cannot do it alone due to my present social status and total ignorance of the business world.
I shall also give you 20% of the funds for your assistance to relocate this fund to your country and for re-investment. Since my country is not save for investment due to war and crisis. If you are interested contact me immediately with 0088216555888217. You must maintain absolute confidentiality to ensure success. Please indicate your personal phone/fax numbers when replying by email.
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I have contacted the Security Company to confirm the deposit and to establish ownership.
Due to the death of my Mother and the return of peace in Sierra-Leone, I have decided to look for the participation of an honest God fearing and trustworthy person or company that will assist me in investing the fund and become in partnership with me . The security company doesn't know the content of the box; they believe that it is an African artifacts. As contained in trunk box. Unfortunately, I cannot do it alone due to my present social status and total ignorance of the business world.
I shall also give you 20% of the funds for your assistance to relocate this fund to your country and for re-investment. Since my country is not save for investment due to war and crisis. If you are interested contact me immediately with 0088216555888217. You must maintain absolute confidentiality to ensure success. Please indicate your personal phone/fax numbers when replying by email.
G
OSAGIE SULE
0088216555888217
GHANA__ACCRA
Dear SIR
My name is Osagie Sule, the son of late Chief Abraham Osagie (the former deputy minister of finance under the ousted civilian government who was killed and mutilated by the military junta led by major, General Paul Koroma after overthrowing the elected government of president Ahmed KabaTijan. The pressure of war drove my mother and I out of Sierra -Leone into exile in Ghana where we have been living under political asylum.
Sadly my mother died of hypertension and was buried in Ghana . Before her death, she handed to me a certificate meant for a secret deposit, which my father made in a security company in Accra - Ghana (West Africa) the deposit that worth US$10,000,000 ( ten million U.S dollars). This was money paid to his corporation by its overseas customers in the heat of the conflict. He made the deposit in his name with the hope of converting it to his personal use at the end of the war but was killed w