European vs. Arab Business Cultures

Introduction

People from different regions have different cultures. The culture in which a person comes from determines how they interact with people, and also conduct businesses. It is the view of many that the European and Arab business cultures are different. The Arabs do like to hurt other individual's self-esteem and also would not like them to be uneasy during their interaction unlike the Europeans who are more talkative. Arabs mostly use non-verbal communication to pass a message. On the contrary, the Europeans are not highly concerned with the non-verbal communication. Despite the differences between the said business cultures, they also have some similarities.

Differences between European and Arab Business Cultures

The European and Arab business cultures have their own differences. First, on one hand, the Europeans have audacity during business and they tend to talk more. Arabs on the other hand talk less and are more reserved (Randlesome, 2016). They do not like to hurt other individual's self-esteem and also would not like them to be uneasy during their interaction. Therefore, they take their time to think whether or not their talk would hurt the other party. Secondly, the Arabs do not like to be stressed by anything during business meetings. Religion also plays a major part in conducting business in the Arab world. However, this is not the case with the Europeans, where religion has nothing to do with business (Gesteland, 2013).

Additionally, Arabs mostly use non-verbal communication to pass a message. They are very concerned with the language that is expressed by the body. On the contrary, the Europeans are not highly concerned with the non-verbal communication, and stand not too close to the individuals they talk to unlike the Arabs. The Arabs can also get offended by the food that one orders for during business meeting. They do not entertain liquor and they may feel insulted if one ordered that during the meetings (Hristova, Dragicevic, Sesic & Duxbury, 2015).

Similarities between European and Arab Business Cultures

Despite the differences explained above, the European and Arab business cultures also have some similarities. Both the Europeans and the Arabs have embraced good negotiation skills (Gesteland, 2013). They are able to convince the other party to get into a contract with them. Also, they can express and articulate issues very well. Additionally, they both have embraced banks. They transact through the banks and it is a major step towards opening up more business opportunities. The use of the internet has also been embraced by both cultures (Ṣabrī, 2008). They have been using the internet to transact and also for their business research. This has made both parties gain more knowledge for their businesses.

Conclusion

The European as well as the Arab business cultures are different. The Europeans tend to talk more while the Arabs talk less and are more reserved. Religion plays a major part in conducting businesses by the Arabs, but it is not the case with the Europeans. However, they also have similarities since they both have embraced the use of the internet and transactions through the banks.

References

Gesteland, R. R. (2013). Cross-cultural business behaviour: A guide for global management. Copenhagen: Copenhagen Business School Press

Hristova, S., Dragicevic Sesic, M., & Duxbury, N. (2015). Culture and sustainability in European cities. London: Routledge.

Randlesome, C. (2016). Business cultures in Europe. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann.

Ṣabrī, N. R. (2008). Financial markets and institutions in the Arab economy. New York: Nova Science Publishers