Cultural Perspectives of Doing Business in UAE

Introduction2

Discussion3

About UAE6

Understanding New Cultures7

Dimensions of UAE Culture7

Religious Faith7

Communication & Time8

Values and Attitudes9

Family Dynamics & Social Structure11

Education12

Business Culture14

Comparison with US Culture17

Recommnedations21

Implications for Managers22

Conclusion23

References26

Cultural Perspectives of Doing Business in UAE

Introduction

With the passage of time understanding multicultural settings have gained significant importance as the business decisions are dependent on cultural factors. To promote and implement successful business expansion, it is important to gain awareness about the culture of country or region that is considered potential for business growth. Thus understanding diverse cultural backgrounds is important from perspectives of involved stakeholders. This lack of knowledge can have crucial negative impacts of conducting business activities in the international markets.

Limited research is done on the cultural comparison of Arab countries with the Western societies. It is found by Robertson (2001) that during the time period of 1990 to 1999 less than 1% studies involved Arab countries. The comparative study of cultures of East and West is carried out in this research paper which helps in understanding the cultural contrasts and similarities between UAE and America. The major necessity and challenge that relates to the long term business in a new country is the adaptability to the cultural differences. Thus, it is very important to understand the profile of UAE in terms of communication, decision making, negotiation and relationships. This will act as a practical and meaningful guidance for the business practices that encompass multiculturalism.

The purpose if this paper is to assess the key dimension of UAE culture in order to develop a better understanding for international managers. This also helps in analyzing the current Arab social environment. This is done by exploring the existing literature on the cultural dimensions of the region. The first and foremost question addressed is the potential role of religion, education, family and business values that influence the culture. Various approaches of UAE businessmen and employees towards dynamics of work and personal lives are discussed and uncovered. Then we move attention to the culture of USA in comparison to the cultural dimensions of USA. The impact of major issues that arise from cultures such as leadership and power is discussed. This research paper provides valuable implications for the international managers in light of the cultural and societal institutions that exist in UAE.

Discussion

Generally, cultures affect the different aspects of life. Businesses are one of the economic fields that are affected by cultures. Culture can be defined as the complex and multi models of the ways in which people live and behave as norms, customs, and habits that dominate a specific society. While the organizational culture is a set of basic assumptions developed by the organization, practiced and believed by all members of the organization, provided that such organizational culture compatible with the national culture (Edgar, 1984). The significance of cultural awareness increases when the business is done with international and distant partners. In such cases, understanding each other culture is the most important aspect that established, maintains and strengthens the relationship between two business ...