Doing Business in the Middle East

Why Doing Business in the Middle East? Stretching from Egypt to Iran, the Middle East comprises a diverse range of cultures and countries. Recent years have seen the region experience significant local and foreign investment in infrastructure, business, tourism and industry.  Many misconceptions and stereotypes exist to this day about the social and business cultures of the Middle East. By understanding your Middles Eastern counterpart’s true values, attitudes and motivations, you will be more successful on both a personal and professional level.

Communicaid’s Doing Business in the Middle East cultural awareness courses are ideal for professionals and teams who need to build more successful  business relationships with Middle Eastern colleagues,  suppliers and clients. A Doing Business in the Middle East course will help you establish an understanding of Middle Eastern business approaches and will assist you to develop your own strategies for either working or conducting business in the Middle East through a combination of in-depth background information and hands-on practical tips and solutions.

Benefits

Communicaid’s Doing Business in the Middle East courses will provide you with:

- A clear understanding of the key drivers that motivate Middle Eastern business counterparts

- Greater awareness of Middle Eastern business etiquette and culture

- Practical strategies for doing business more effectively with Middle Eastern counterparts

- Better understanding of the potential challenges and solutions involved in establishing or doing

   business in the Middle East

Who should attend

A Communicaid Doing Business in the Middle East course will be of benefit to you if you are:

- Considering setting up business in the Middle East

- Travelling regularly to the Middle East for business

- Experiencing the challenges of doing business in the Middle East

- Employing Middle Eastern nationals

Course content

All our Doing Business in the Middle East training courses are designed to meet the specific needs of our clients depending on their particular requirements and existing skills set.   A Doing Business in the Middle East course typically includes:

- An introduction to the Middle East including Arab culture, history, politics and religion

- Discussion of stereotypes and misrepresentations and their implication on building

  relationships

  and doing business in the Middle East

- Middle Eastern business culture and attitudes in the workplace: hierarchy, rules, time,

  relationships

- Management and business etiquette for doing business in the Middle East

- Communication and negotiation styles when doing business in the Middle East

- Challenges and practical solutions for doing business in the Middle East

Approach

Doing Business in the Middle East programmes are available seven days a week, 365 days a year, either at one of our  training centres in London, Paris, Frankfurt and New York or at your offices in any location worldwide.  We usually recommend a one or two day course but can also offer a more flexible format to suit your schedule.

Suitably tailored materials will be used throughout your course and your trainer will provide a balance of structured input and discussion of case studies and scenarios relevant to your own particular context.

The most appropriate training format, content and approach for your Doing Business in the Middle East course will be discussed during your diagnostic consultancy.

Doing Business in the Middle East Course Trainer

Your Doing Business in the Middle East trainer will be assigned to you following the results of your diagnostic consultancy according to your objectives and areas of focus.  Detailed below is the profile of a member of our Middle East culture training team.

JW

JW OBE was the Defence, Naval, Military and Air Attaché in the British Embassies of Abu Dhabi and Bahrain at the times of both the Iran/Iraq and the Gulf (Kuwait) Wars. In an Army career of 35 years he spent over 12 years in five Gulf locations, including Sharjah, Dubai, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. He was in contact with many government and commercial organisations throughout that time, both Western and Arab, particularly visiting or resident expatriates.

He is now Chief Executive of the Dubai Society in London and a member of the Saudi-British Society, the Middle East Association, and the Bahrain Society. He is Middle East consultant to the Portsmouth University Language Centre. He now works extensively delivering business seminars and negotiation training that focus on the cross-cultural aspects of life and doing business in the Middle East, for which he travels throughout the world and frequently to the Gulf. He has counselled over 300 companies and organisations.  In 1998 he published Don’t They Know It’s Friday, an essential guide for those doing business in the Middle East.  He has appeared on BBC News 24, Sky News, and CNBC New York to discuss Arab and Islamic matters.

JW has successfully delivered programmes, including Doing Business in the Middle East, to both groups and individuals at key Communicaid clients such as BASF, Rolls Royce and Westland.