TASK DESCRIPTION
Mr. James White is from the UK, and he is planning to come to the UAE to start a new business. However, he doesn’t know much about the culture here and would like to get some information about it to help him avoid any cultural problems.
– Write a report of between 750-1250 words to give him for an overview of business customs in the UAE.
– You should interview a business person who works with people of different nationalities and include the interview questions in the report.
– You also need to look up books, eBooks, or websites to help you with your research. These should be in-text referenced using the APA reference system. A full bibliography should also be included.
– You will submit your report using Safe Assign
Some areas of the UAE business culture you may want to look at are:
• Greetings and business card exchange
• Dress code
• Gifts (Are gifts customary or not welcome? Are gifts exchanged?)
• Meetings (punctuality, seating arrangements, order of speaking, how do people address each other?)
• Business setting (Is business conducted in a formal setting or over lunch/dinner?)
• Meals (How does a person show that they enjoy the food? What should they do if they don’t want to eat something?)
• Body language. (Are there any gestures or behaviors considered offensive?)
• Gender (Are male and female business partners treated in the same way? What should a male businessman be aware of?)
• Conflict resolution ( How are disagreements dealt with?)
• Contract negotiation (Who does it and how long does it take? Is the contract agreement verbal or written, general or detailed? Who signs the contract?)
• Point out potential problems that clients/partners from other countries/cultures may experience when dealing with their UAE counterparts.
Aims of this research
English skills
To enhance all skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing.
Research skills
To enhance research skills:
• Writing questionnaires
• Interviewing
• Reviewing literature
Critical Thinking
1. Analyzing data
2. Evaluating and comparing information
3. Making recommendations
Knowledge
1. To increase your global knowledge
2. To increase your knowledge of cross-cultural issues in the UAE
RESOURCES:
Author
Williams,Jeremi.
Title
Don’t They Know It’s Friday? : cross-cultural considerations for business and life in the Gulf
Pub info
Dubai: Motivate Pub., 1998.
Author
Trip, Margaret.
Title
Culture Shock!: Success secrets to maximize business in the United Arab Emirates
Pub info
Portland, Ore.: Graphic Arts Center Publishing Company, c2002.
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
OVER
RATING
YEARS
