Java: United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabian Culture Essay

International business and information technology are two important aspects of globalization. We live in a world that requires culture awareness, which is also the first step in doing international business. In the case The Java Lounge – Adjusting to Saudi Arabian Culture, the business has been successful because its entrepreneurs spent time and money to research their expectation that enough Saudis had become sufficiently westernized and affluent to frequent the restaurant. Its entrepreneurs have maintained strong culture awareness and had put them into actions. The Java Lounge had gone through culture collisions. Foreigners often find Saudi laws and customs at odds with their own value systems. For example, Saudi culture limits male-female interaction. That explains why the city of Jeddah was chosen to locate the Java Lounge – it was a port and it enjoyed more contact with foreigners and was less conservative than much of the rest of the country. The dress codes are more relaxed thus more acceptable to foreigners. If the location was chosen to be in a traditional place, it would not have been this successful. The culture collision would be so huge that it is hard for other cultures to digest and get close to. Thus when a company such as the Java Lounge implements practices, they would be less effective. Also, the employees as well as gusts would encounter difficulties in accepting or adjusting to foreign behaviors, which would cause unnecessary confusions and conflicts. Religion plays a key role in Saudi’s culture and religion is a cultural stabilizer. As the book says, many strong values are the result of a dominant religion. A good religion would make the nation united and its people strong. What is more, religion plays a part in business. In Saudi, religious proscriptions prohibit pork products, alcohol, and live music at the Lava Lounge. In the holy period of Ramadan, when people fast during the day, the restaurant serves customers only in the evening. When doing business in Saudi Arabia, one has to be careful in adjusting to the religious culture of Saudi Arabia because religion could also be a taboo sometimes. For example, when Muslim men are called to prayer, McDonald’s dims its lights, closes its doors, and suspend service during the five times per day. It is very important to respect one culture no matter how odd it looks to you. Behavioral practices are also affecting business. The term ascribed group memberships refer to the case that at the Lava Lounge, the entire staff is male. Even though laws and rules were signed to abolish discrimination against women, women in Saudi Arabia cannot work in some profession. There are rigid rules about what women can and cannot do. A research shows that Saudi women only accounts for 7 percent of the total workforce. It is still a man-dominant world, but women are so important. However, in Saudi, affiliation is determined by birth. One needs to pay attention in the gender-based employment practices in Saudi Arabia. When doing business in other countries such as in the United States, this might not be a problem. To summarize, what we could learn from the case The Java Lounge are that firstly, as an international businessman or businesswoman, one has to develop culture awareness as a starting point. Secondly, culture shock would occur frequently when doing international business. When culture collisions occur, we do not need to be afraid. Learn about the other cultures you are involving in, respect other cultures, ask a native friend for help, and embrace the shocks. Thirdly, pay attention to religions and other special cultural rules, they will help you with your business.