...religious beliefs, traditions, work ethic ( culture) The full name of Saudi Arabia is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Arabic is the official language. In the 7th century, the successor of the Mohammed who was the founder of Islam established Arab empire. The 8th century is a heyday for Saudi Arabia, and its territory crosses Europe, Asia and Africa. However, in the 16th century, Arab empire was ruled by the Ottoman Empire. In the 19th century, The Great Britain invaded into Arab, it was divided into two parts, Hejaz and Nejd. In 1924, the chief of Hejaz in Saudi Arabia merged Nejd and then gradually unified the Arabian Peninsula. Finally, in September 1932, he declared the establishment of Saudi Arabia kingdom. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam. Islam has become the world’s second large religion. The founder Muhammad established Islam approximately A.D 600 in Mecca; the sacred city of Islam is located in Saudi Arabia. Islam prospers in northwestern Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, Pakistan, and some Southeast cities. Religion strongly affects consumption behavior of Arabian. For example, Muslim consumers are not allowed to consume alcohol and pork, besides that, the nation is governed under the Law of Islamic. Muslim pray five times a day, the local people usually go to the mosque to do religious service. Women must wear black robes in that day. Some of the traditions and customs in Saudi Arabia are similar to the other countries, but some of them are not. Most...
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...Saudi Arabia has maintained a trade surplus since 1967 (when its trade statistics were first compiled in their current form). As the kingdom generates a majority of its revenue from petroleum exports, this surplus tends to rise and fall with the price and production of oil. After the oil embargo of 1973, when oil prices were high, the king-dom's trade surplus rose, increasing steadily until 1978. This trend continued after the Iranian revolution of 1979 when oil prices rose to new levels. Between 1978 and 1981 Saudi Arabia's trade surplus doubled, reaching a peak of US$82.5 billion. Trade (expressed in billions of US$): Saudi Arabia Exports Imports 1975 29.682 4.213 1980 109.083 30.166 1985 27.481 23.622 1990 44.417 24.069 1995 50.040 28.091 1998 N/A N/A SOURCE: International Monetary Fund. International Financial Statistics Yearbook 1999. The surplus declined steadily throughout the 1980s as export volume diminished and oil prices fell. By 1985, the balance of trade had fallen to just US$7 billion. In 1990, Iraq invaded Kuwait, prompting the United Nations to place an embargo on Iraqi oil. The cut in supply sent prices back up, and as Saudi Arabia heightened production to meet world demand (from 5.1 million b/d in 1989 to 8.2 million b/d in 1991), export revenues increased and the trade surplus rose once again. In 1996, export revenues exceeded import expenditures by US$35.3 billion. In 1998, the world economy slowed. At the...
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...advertisements accordingly. This can pose a real challenge, even for large multinationals, as we will see throughout the remainder of the report. Additionally, regulations found in one Islamic nation can vary greatly in comparison to the advertising styles in another. Each country is different and although many nations are Muslim-majority, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Indonesia, they all have varying practices and rules and cannot be treated as one in regards to advertising. A firm must tailor their marketing style to each individual nation while respecting and acknowledging their religious practices. As far as recommendations for marketers, they will need to be tailored to each country individually, but in general it is important to embrace the Islamic religion and integrate the brand into Muslims’ everyday life while taking care to respect their beliefs and practices. Islamic nations are said to be “the next frontier” of advertising, so it is essential that large firms and their agencies take note of these norms and regulations and use research and knowledge to their advantage when marketing to Muslim-majority nations. Introduction As a foreign brand, advertising in Islamic nations has been a constant struggle. No brand or company, regardless of size or popularity is immune to potential pitfalls of advertising in a culture vastly different than your home market. For example, in 1996 Nike released a pair of shoes with a logo on the sole that...
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...Migration, Immigration and Their Effects on Religion, Women, and Minorities in Saudi Arabia Written By: Bill Cook HUMN305-Q3FF Professor: Barry Adams An Overview of Migration / Immigration in Saudi Arabia 1970’s - Today Although foreign workers have been a presence in the Saudi labor force since the beginnings of the oil boom in the 1930’s, large inflows of migrant workers began to flow into Saudi Arabia in the late 1970’s during the “oil crunch”. Saudi development of its infrastructure demanded both skilled and unskilled labor. Employers, finding it difficult to meet the labor demands with the local populace began to bring in workers from Southern Asia. “Migration of Asian workers was especially encouraged as it was thought that, compared to Arab foreign workers, they would be less likely to settle, less likely to organize, and hence more easy to control.” (Pakkiasamy, Divya; Migration Policy Institute, 2004) Saudi Arabia has nearly seven million migrant workers helping to build and maintain it’s infrastructure. Involuntary Servitude of Foreign Workers The treatment of migrant workers is widely overlooked by the international community. According to reports from many workers inside Saudi companies, foreign employees are “overworked, dehumanized and denied many basic rights” (Mekay, 2007) Many migrant workers enter Saudi Arabia on a service visa sponsored by a Saudi-based company or individual. These work visa’s are being held over the heads of the migrant...
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...advertisements accordingly. This can pose a real challenge, even for large multinationals, as we will see throughout the remainder of the report. Additionally, regulations found in one Islamic nation can vary greatly in comparison to the advertising styles in another. Each country is different and although many nations are Muslim-majority, such as Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Indonesia, they all have varying practices and rules and cannot be treated as one in regards to advertising. A firm must tailor their marketing style to each individual nation while respecting and acknowledging their religious practices. As far as recommendations for marketers, they will need to be tailored to each country individually, but in general it is important to embrace the Islamic religion and integrate the brand into Muslims’ everyday life while taking care to respect their beliefs and practices. Islamic nations are said to be “the next frontier” of advertising, so it is essential that large firms and their agencies take note of these norms and regulations and use research and knowledge to their advantage when marketing to Muslim-majority nations. Introduction As a foreign brand, advertising in Islamic nations has been a constant struggle. No brand or company, regardless of size or popularity is immune to potential pitfalls of advertising in a culture vastly different than your home market. For example, in 1996 Nike released a pair of shoes with a logo on the sole that...
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...ECONOMICS II THE ACCESSION OF SAUDI ARABIA TO THE WTO ANALYSING THE FUTURE CHALLENGES SUBMITTED BY: AKANKSHA PRAKASH I.D.NO.: 1785 IIND YEAR B.A.LL.B. {HONS.} TABLE OF CONTENTS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY___________________________________________________________2 INTRODUCTION_________________________________________________________________________3 THE ACCESSION OF SAUDI ARABIA TO THE WTO: AN ANALYSIS OF THE FUTURE CHALLENGES____________________________________________________________________________4 • Objectives________________________________________________________________________4 Diversification of the economy______________________________________4 Development of modern infrastructure________________________________4 Access to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and modern technologies________4 Enhancement of purchase power of the population_______________________4 Employment Generation___________________________________________5 Maximization of competitive advantage in petrochemicals________________5 Open Access to international Market__________________________________5 Open Access to international Market__________________________________6 Integration of Saudi Arabia’s economy with the global economy____________6 • Reforms__________________________________________________________________________6 Foreign Investment_______________________________________________7 Trade in Goods___________________________________________________8 ...
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...Saudi arabia is the largest Arab state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab world (after Algeria). It is bordered by Jordan and Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded by Abdul-Aziz bin Saud (known for most of his career as Ibn Saud) in 1932, although the conquests which eventually led to the creation of the Kingdom began in 1902 when he captured Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud, referred to in Arabic as Al Saud. The Saudi Arabian government, which has been an absolute monarchy since its inception, refers to its system of government as Islamic. The kingdom is sometimes called "The Land of the Two Holy Mosques" in reference to Al-Masjid al-Haram (in Mecca), and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (in Medina), the two holiest places in Islam. Saudi Arabia has the world's second largest oil reserves which are concentrated largely in the Eastern Province and oil accounts for more than 95% of exports and 70% of government revenue. This facilitates the creation of a welfare state although the share of the non-oil economy is growing recently. It has also the world's sixth largest natural gas reserves. The new kingdom was one of the poorest countries in the world, reliant on limited agriculture and pilgrimage revenues.However, in 1938 vast reserves of oil...
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...The Impact of multinational companies A case study of the energy industry in Saudi Arabia Abstract Contents 1. Introduction 4 1.1. Rationale of the Research 6 1.2. Aims & Objectives of the Research 7 1.3. Key Research Questions 7 2. Literature Review 9 3. Research Methodology 13 4. Key Findings & Discussion 13 5. Conclusion 16 6. References 16 7. Appendices 16 1. Introduction In this era of globalization, there has been a fundamental change in the way international business is being done. Due to the ease of communication and advances in the sophisticated communication systems more and more companies are becoming global and expanding their operations and creating production facilities away from their home countries. This trend has given rise to today’s Multinational Corporations (MNCs) whose role in the international scene is increasing rapidly. With increased international development and cooperation, the MNCs have been able to create such a network that their budgets, organizational structure and influence on the world trade stage rivals many nations [ (UN Conference Proceedings, 2006) ]. With their immense economic power and strong political connections and the fact that globalization is seen as a “Business driving phenomenon”, MNCs are in a strong position to influence the economies of the countries...
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...The Nixon Doctrine of 1969 Kerri Richards POL 300 November 11, 2012 Revision made 12/9/12 The Nixon Doctrine was an American foreign policy set forth by President Nixon in 1969. It was also known as the Guam Doctrine for the country in which it was announced. The strategy of the Nixon Doctrine allowed Nixon to devise a way for the United States to exit that very unpopular conflict, the Vietnam War. It also stated that the United States would provide aid to its allies in times of need. A reassessment of American foreign policy, and a move to the era of negotiation was a must. Nixon needed to first extricate the country’s forces from Vietnam. Secondly, the country needed to ease the overall tension in Berlin and the Middle East. Thirdly, according to domestic ideological demands, and due to the increasingly threatening possibility of a surprise attack, nuclear arms controls had to be carried out. Removing these problems would remedy the damage done in such a period. The problem was to figure out how. The existent schools of diplomacy did not suggest a favorable method. Nixon’s foreign policy advisors decided not to stick on preceding principles or theories, but adhere to only one basic priority, National Interest. This doctrine tried to adjust the degree of U.S. intervention in various regions by adopting three criteria in its diplomatic decision: - The United States would keep its treaty commitments - The United States would "provide a shield if a nuclear power...
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...relevant paper in the first instance or email copyright@brunel.ac.uk with details of your request. The Impact of Saudi Culture on Recruitment and Selection Practices in the Privet Sector in Saudi Arabia By Rajeh T. Albugamy Submitted to BBS Doctoral Symposium Brunel University 4th & 5th March, 2010 -2- Abstract The ultimate goal of recruitment and selection is to hire or get the right people for the right positions, i.e. qualifications; skills and merit are the criteria that should determine who would occupy the job rather than nepotism, favouritism or any other cultural elements (Alghailani, 2005). In Saudi Arabia like the other Arab countries , wasta for example, an Arabic term which means using connections for personal gains, is deeply rooted in the culture and having a big influence on people’s life and business among that obtaining a job depending on the strength of wasta (Hutchings and Weir, 2006). Employees in Saudi Arabia with strong family and tribal connections are often got promoted to higher positions (Mellahi, 2006). According to Al-Awaji (1971), the Saudi social-value system is based on three major subsystems: (1) Religion which is Islam for all Saudis, (2) Family and kinship, (3) Traditions. This research aims to explore the impact of the Saudi cultural factors on the recruitment and selection practices in the privet sector in Saudi Arabia...
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...This offers a shallow and an inadequate position. It is evident that Americans of Jewish descent are at times represented by lobbyists. However, such direct efforts to influence the policy making process are but a small part of the lobby’s ability to shape policy, (Bard, 2004). According to Teitelbaum, (2010), the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is a registered lobby being one of the organized groups that try to influence legislation. Other groups like B’nai B’rith and Hadassah do not engage in direct lobbying. However, they disseminate information while encouraging their members to become more involved in political processes. Most times they specifically attempt to lobby on specific issues though they have rarely influenced policy. The Israel lobby grew significantly in the 1980s, but controversy arose from opponents of the lobby and supporters. This was due to the proposed sale of the AWACS warning and command system in 1981 to Saudi Arabia, (Teitelbaum, 2010). This angered many Israeli supporters in the United States. The sale was intended to appease Arab nations in an attempt to promote stability...
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...In pre-Islamic times, apart from a small number of urban trading settlements (such as Mecca and Medina), most of what was to become Saudi Arabia was populated by nomadic tribal societies in the inhospitable desert.[38] The Islamic prophet, Muhammad, was born in Mecca in about 571 A.D. In the early 7th century, Muhammad united the various tribes of the peninsula and created a single Islamic religious polity. Following his death in 632, his followers rapidly expanded the territory under Muslim rule beyond Arabia, conquering huge swathes of territory (from the Iberian Peninsula in west to modern day Pakistan in east) in a matter of decades. In so doing, Arabia soon became a politically peripheral region of the Muslim world as the focus shifted to the more developed conquered lands.[39] From the 10th century to the early 20th century Mecca and Medina were under the control of a local Arab ruler known as the Sharif of Mecca, but at most times the Sharif owed allegiance to the ruler of one of the major Islamic empires based in Baghdad, Cairo or Istanbul. Most of the remainder of what became Saudi Arabia reverted to traditional tribal rule.[40][41] In the 16th century, the Ottomans added the Red Sea and Persian Gulf coast (the Hejaz, Asir and Al-Ahsa) to the Empire and claimed suzerainty over the interior. One reason was to thwart Portuguese attempts to attack the Red Sea (hence the Hejaz) and the Indian Ocean.[42] Ottoman degree of control over these lands varied over the next four...
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...Facing Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia is a developing country in the Arabian Gulf region that has been growing dramatically over the past two decades. Saudi Arabia's 2011 population has grown tremendously and is estimated to now be about 26.1 million, including about 5.6 million resident foreigners. Until the 1960s, most of the population was nomadic or semi-nomadic but now due to rapid economic and urban growth, more than 95% of the population is settled now. Out of that 26 million people in Saudi Arabia, is has been found that the annual per capita income is anywhere from $11,500 to 24,500. This sounds kind of ridiculous because the country is known to the world to be oil rich. At first glance, one would view economic statistical indicators and convey the fact Saudi Arabia is a developed nation. However, close analysis of political and social statistical indicators would suggest that their standard of living and individual freedoms are severely suppressed. Believe it or not, this 'developed' nation has abnormalities in its statistical indicators which are similar to those that characterize third world nations. As a person who was born into this culture and is originally of Saudi Arabian descent, I find these statistics hard to believe. During my time there I never witnessed despair or poverty. These indicators and information is why I chose to research this topic and see for myself what this once wealthy nation is in fact doing now. Economic Success Saudi Arabia was a...
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...What Underlies U.S.-Saudi Relations? America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier. By Robert Vitalis. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 2006. 353 pp. $29.95. Thicker than Oil: America's Uneasy Partnership with Saudi Arabia. By Rachel Bronson. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006. 353 pp. $28. National Security in Saudi Arabia: Threats, Responses, and Challenges. By Anthony H. Cordesman and Nawaf Obaid. Westport: Praeger Security International, 2005. 428 pp. $54.95. State of War: The Secret History of the CIA and the Bush Administration. By James Risen. New York. Simon & Schuster, 2006. 256 pp. $26. The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11. By Lawrence Wright. New York: Knopf, 2006. 470 pp. $27.95 Oil is interwoven into the modern history of the Middle East. University of Pennsylvania political scientist Robert Vitalis tackles the early history of Aramco in Saudi Arabia prior to that kingdom's 1980 nationalization of the industry in America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier. Vitalis's research demonstrates that while a security-for-oil understanding forms the basis of the U.S.-Saudi relationship, the origins of the bilateral relationship were private financial interests. He approaches his study with an academic's love for archives and declassified documents. He does not whitewash Saudi history with the happy, pre-9-11 narrative so popular among Saudi scholars. Instead, he talks about the racism that pervaded Aramco camps...
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...No. 1 2011 Technology Transfer in Context with Saudi Arabian Small-Medium Enterprises Walid Omar Awad Merdah Transmission Network Integration, Mobily, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Muhammad Asad Sadi College of Industrial Management King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals Dhahran, Saudi Arabia [Abstract] Technology transfer brings scientific advances to small and medium enterprises (SMEs). It enables them to be innovative and efficient. The objective of this study is to investigate empirically the key barriers that SMEs face when transferring technology in Saudi Arabia. Both descriptive and hypothesis testing have been used for data analysis. This study shows that SMEs in Saudi Arabia face lack of workforce skills, management capabilities, and effective legal and regulatory procedures. More than 56% predicted that the accession to WTO will have a positive impact on their businesses. Furthermore, 41% found licensing is the most preferred type of partnership agreement by SMEs to transfer technology. The study also found that most Saudi SMEs do not know fully the importance of franchising. [Keywords] technology transfer; small-medium enterprises; key barriers Introduction Technology transfer involves the acquisition and absorption of technology in order to introduce innovativeness and efficiency to gain competitive advantages. There are several channels through which technologies may be transferred, such as foreign direct investments (FDI), merger, acquisition, licensing...
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