Product Description

First in a new series on WORKING WITH OTHER CULTURES "The ability to relate quickly and effectively with colleagues and clients in a new country is very important to long term success." - Produced in association with Farnham Castle International Briefing & Conference Centre, widely acknowledged as the world's leading provider of intercultural management training and briefing

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #395109 in Books
• Published on: 2003-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Review
"An essential guide to understanding what makes Arabs tick and how to develop successful business relationships in this challenging culture." Jeff Toms, Marketing Director, Farnham Castle

About the Author
Dr Jehad Al-Omari, an experienced Cross-cultural Management Consultant, had been training Western executives on Arab affairs and cross-cultural issues since 1986. A regular lecturer and speaker with international institutions such as Farnham Castle, Cranfield School of Management and the Netherlands Institute of MBA Studies, he also holds consultancy posts with numerous multinational firms operating in the Arab World. Dr Al-Omari currently runs training programmes in Europe and the Arab World and is engaged in a number of expatriation and repatriation studies in the Middle East. He is based both in London and Abu Dhabi.

Excerpted from The Arab Way: How to Work More Effectively with Arab Cultures (Working with Other Cultures) by Jehad Al-Omari. Copyright © 2003. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Extract:
'Hospitality in the Arab culture can be described as the mother of all virtues, the cornerstone of all social interactions. To describe someone as being generous is truly the highest praise you can pay to that person. To the Arab mind, hospitality is not a luxury, or something that we can extend selectively but it is a must, whether the guest is a friend or foe, whether they arrive announced or suddenly, early or late.'

Customer Reviews

Practical, useful, relevant and business-like
If you want a comprehensive and intensely practical guide to doing business in the Arab world, the Arab Way is it. Dr Al Omari's advice emerges from almost every page with admirable candour and bolstered by what comes across as a wealth of experience. The burnt-in clarity of explanation must come from having had to explain his culture to others many times.

I reckon it's pretty hard to stand outside your own culture looking in. Dr Al Omari achieves this feat really well - he himself expresses unease but doesn't shrink from examining controversial issues like the gender question. Here, in particular, the reader gets (I get)the feeling that he is seeking to explain rather than sell a line or take a view.

Most of all, though, this book is practical. If you're planning to do business in the Arab world or with Islamic countries, the concrete nature of the advice, the lists of questions to ask yourself and the reminders about your own cultural preconceptions all contribute to a pretty good preparation. Take it on the plane with you.