HOW DOES IT DIFFER FROM DOING BUSINESS IN OTHER ARAB COUNTRIES
K. P. DUDAREV
Orientalist, entrepreneur
Saudi Arabia Keywords:, Arab market, oil industry, business negotiations, competitive advantages
What are the qualities of an entrepreneur who is going to work in Saudi Arabia? Ideally, it is probably a manager who has serious professional experience, is fluent in English and Arabic, knows the traditions of Arab countries, their customs and customs, knows how to negotiate, etc. It is almost impossible to find such a person. Therefore, in most cases, company managers have to choose between a well-known experienced builder or a little-known diplomat, journalist, orientalist, translator, etc.
Both options are not perfect: a construction worker usually does not know the language and country, and, for example, a diplomat or journalist does not have professional knowledge of the construction worker. Therefore, at first glance, the best option is the joint work of specialists of both profiles. The disadvantage is the high price of the issue, as well as a very real problem of compatibility of two people with different mentalities, education, and life experience who are forced to work "in the same team".
The experience of large Russian companies with a large number of branches abroad has shown that at the first stage, the choice should be made in favor of an Orientalist who can quickly and successfully implement a complex procedure for bringing a Russian company to the market of a particular Arab country.
This article is part of K. P. Dudarev's forthcoming book "Saudi Arabia: The World Gas Station "or" Laboratory of Innovation and Excellence".
One example of an erroneous approach to appointing a representative in Saudi Arabia is the decision of a large Russian company to send a respected elderly employee who had the title of "Honored Builder of the USSR", but who did not speak English and did not work abroad before, to open a business in this country. Naturally, with all du ...
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