The perception of Americans by many Arabs is that we are arrogant and have the answers to everything. They believe that Americans do not respect their culture or their customs and that Americans try to impose their way on everyone else (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014). This is not an uncommon sentiment as many believed that the arrogance stemmed from the refusal to even consider other’s cultures (Peshwaria, 2012). This has and will continue to cause issues with international business in the Middle East and other Islamic countries. It is important for American businesses to understand other cultures and to develop a global mindset. To do so requires educating themselves and their employees which can be expensive and time consuming. One program in the U.S. is helping with this education through the development of a student exchange program that can help Americans understand other cultures with a focus on Muslims.
Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014) offer the example of an MBA student who was a female Muslim MBA candidate who questioned her desire to go into business because of the focus on self-interests in successful economic endeavors. These go against the Islamic rules for doing business that focuses on the welfare of all those involved in the transactions. Her original desire may have stemmed from the sheer opportunities that exist for economic growth in the Middle East. When fears of economic decline surfaced as a result of the gulf war, they were quickly squelched with economic success and growth. Some companies export revenues jumped thirty percent and the All-Arab Index jumped fifty percent in 2003 (Donboli & Kashefi, 2005).
Eager to take advantage of this boom, the Middle East has seen an influx of many foreigners including Americans. The Bush Administration began opening up free trade talks with countries other than Israel and Jordan with the hopes of getting other countries to join the World Trade Organization (WTO). It is the hope of many that building up the economy and welfare of the Middle East, that peace will prevail (Donboli & Kashefi, 2005). Another step the U.S. took was to target general Americans and the American youth population with the hopes that they will be more culturally aware and less afraid of Muslims. After 911, the U.S. was weary, and rightfully so, that American Muslims would be attacked. In an effort to educate both Muslims and Americans on the cultural differences, congress established the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program in October, 2002 with the goal of introducing American youth and their families to individual students from predominately Muslim countries (YES, n.d.).
There are currently thirty-nine countries participating in the program. I personally have had the pleasure of hosting two students on two different years. One from Macedonia which is formally known as the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) and one from Morocco. I have spent quite a bit of time with others from Philippines, Kazakhstan, and Albania. Our friends and family quickly learned within group differences which are more personality differences and between group differences which are more culturally defined (PSU WC L1, 2017). The differences within was the eye-opening discovery that not all Muslims practice the same rituals or customs. Some of them were stricter in their practice and others more relaxed. Some came from a more village-type environment where multiple generations of the family unit lived together or within close proximity to those raised in their capital cities.
In all cases, without exception, they were all warm, engaging, welcoming, open, and humorous. It was relief to know that not only were they willing to discuss the issues surrounding Islam and terrorism, but were able to joke about it as well. I can vouch that the NSA is not listening to phone calls or reading texts. If they were, I would have had many knocks on my door. Our first student that we had back in 2011 is now married with a child and is a marketing representative in their home country. They have mentioned many times that their year in America has enabled them to bridge gaps even between local companies with whom they do business. Our second student who was here for 2012-2013 is now at University studying international business and wants to move to the U.S. to help other companies do business in their home country. I have included their pictures below. Alejna is the girl on the right in the first picture, Yasser is in the second picture. My children have both gained from these experiences as well and helped my son overcome his fears of travel and interacting with different cultures. The last picture is my son at the top of Mount Vesuvius with Naples behind him.
Technology is helping to shrink our world and helping us see beyond ourselves and experience other cultures. American businesses who wish to trade or set up a facility in the Middle East can learn about the traditions and customs of this region and become very successful. Understanding the informal is the easiest part as I have shown with the exchange students. However, things become very formal with business negotiations and they take time. Most countries in the Middle East want to develop trust through building a relationship over time (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014). Patience is an acquired skill but necessary for corporations to hone and develop.
References
Donboli, J. H. & Kashefi, F. (2005). Doing business in the Middle East: A primer for U.S. companies. Cornell International Law Journal, 38(2), 414-458. Retrieved from http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1643&context=cilj
Introduction to Leadership in a Global Context. (n.d.). Differences within groups versus differences between groups – OLEAD 410 Lesson 1. . Online Course Lesson. Penn State University World Campus. The Pennsylvania State University. Retrieved from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654073
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. New York, NY: Routledge.
Peshwaria, R. (2012, July 31). The arrogance of growth. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/rajeevpeshawaria/2012/07/31/the-arrogance-of-growth/#352177272eb7
Youth Exchange and Study (n.d.). About us. Retrieved from http://www.yesprograms.org/about/about-us