Same Same ? Thailand vs.Arabian business culture

[ub2yoo]

I've done a good deal of business in the Middle East. I just arrived now in Riyadh typing this since I stumpled across a "Do's & Don'ts" about doing business with Arabians and thought:

"Hey, that could be the same in Thailand very well !" Especially the last paraph about "Saying No" looks like the typical Thai Face issue to me ;-)

Time-keeping:

You must be patient & flexible as delays & postponements at short notice are common.
These are usually found out about after the meeting time as some people will not call
to rearrange giving the other person advance notice, they will just fail to turn up.
You, however, should always aim to be punctual and on time. Why? - For Muslims, God
alone controls the future (’inshallah‘ = if God wills it) so any attempt to dictate
what will happen in the future borders on blasphemy. Gulf Arabs have an absolute duty
towards their family and this comes before business situations. e.g: if a family member
needs to be seen, a business meeting will be cancelled as the family comes first.

Timing:

What is more important to Arabs is correct timing. They will usually wait until they or
the other person are ‘in the right mood’ to discuss certain issues. Waiting for the right
moment can result in delay, but it is more likely to get a favourable result if you wait
until the decision maker is in a good mood. Logically this makes sense!

Business meetings:

Be aware that business meetings tend to be more informal than in the West. Regular
interruptions are common and mobile phone calls may be answered in the middle of a meeting.

Decision making:

You must be patient & not rush people. This is true when trying to get a decision. There
is a difficulty of getting hold of the decision maker as some companies seem to be reluctant
to delegate even minor decisions. The Chairman or top person of a company usually is the only
person who can approve every decision, from what stationery to buy to multi-billion dirham contracts.
This can result in a delay as the sole decision maker is inevitably a very busy man! This is
especially true in the large Arabic-owned companies.
Due to the delay in getting a decision you will need to be patient. However, when a decision
is made be prepared to move quickly as impossible deadlines may have to be met. The more you
are aware of this way of doing business the less stressed you will be.

Saying ‘no:’

Due to the custom of Arab hospitality a proposal is unlikely to be rejected at a first meeting.
For some Arabs it is considered impolite to say ‘no’ or to deliver bad news. This can prove
frustrating & can waste time as you are constantly told ‘yes’ but closing the deal can take time.
Similarly if there is any bad news that must be told, Arabs consider it much more polite to let
the person down gently and slowly rather than to tell them bluntly.

This of cause only applies to the initial meeting phase. I'm very well aware that the execution and $$$ business perspective in the Middle East is in no-comparison to Thailand