Question -1)What forces shaped Modern Saudi culture?

How similar or different are these forces from

those that shaped the culture of western nations?
Answer: Now we mentioned the forces which shaped Modern Saudi culture:
Language:Saudi people speak the Arabic language.

Social structure:Saudi Arabia has a conservative social structure.

Religion: In Saudi Arabia, people believe in Islam. An especially Wahhabi sect of Islam is more
prevalent in Saudi Arabia.

Political ideology:Saudi Arabia has a system of Absolute monarchy. And the king has to comply with the
rules of Sharia. There is no written constitution. And no political parties.

Follow Bedouin traditions: which include

1) Loyalty to family and friends

2) Trust and loyalty

3) Importance to status and prestige. It teaches that an individual should live their life fully.

How similar or different are these forces from those that shaped the culture of Western nations

Western countries have a different culture than Saudi Arabia because the forces that shaped Western
culture are different.

Language: Western countries speak different languages like Spanish, French, and other Latin languages,
but majorly English language is more popular among western nations.

Social structure: Society of Western nations is more liberal and broad-minded. Gender equal society
where men and women are treated equally, unlike Saudi Arabia, which is a patriarchal society.

Religion:Christianity is the most dominant religion in western countries. Most of the western countries
are secular, not orthodox about religion.

Political ideology: Most of the western countries are democratic, and provide human rights to their
citizens. There is no king to rule the country; instead, people rule the country through a democratic
system.
Protestantism tradition:
It includes protestant ethics

1) Hard work, wealth creation, and frugality

2) It teaches rather than indulging in world pleasure, invests in expanding the business.

So the forces which shaped the culture of Saudi Arabia are different than the forces which shaped the
culture of the western nation. The factors which form the culture are different in Western countries and
Middle-east countries like Saudi Arabia.
If neither of which has experience dealing with other
Question-2) What kinds of misunderstanding are like to arise between an American
company and a Saudi enterprise, if neither of which has experience dealing with other?

Business is very different than in the States. Here, your credentials serve you a trust worthy
company or not. Most often, big name companies get the jobs because of their reputation and not
their product. In the eastern culture one must sit down through several meeting to gain their trust.
I read in an article online that, Saudi’s prefer national product before even sitting down to
discuss a foreigner’s product. They rather have local product before even considering a
foreigner’s product. They also don’t like being rushed into business and will be resentful if a
company sends in their Jr. Executive rather than their Chief Executive. Also, an American
company may find it difficult to have a close door meeting because the Saudi’s maintain an
“open door” policy which traces back to the Bedouin tradition. Lastly, the Saudi’s a very family
oriented in a way we are not. They will consult with their families if a business opportunity is
right for them and will even listen to their families more than an expert whom they don’t know
as well as their own.

It is apparent that Saudi's like to take their time when involved in a business decision. and may
not always make the rational decision since they put more value into their friends and family's
opinion than a business consultant or advisor. The United States on the other hand thinks in the
terms ‘Time is Money’, and like to expedite and increase the efficiency of every process.
Furthermore, the U.S. would last: Inc business advice from people that are much more quaff-Rd
than 'friends and family'. 'These differences can cause a multitude of misunderstandings: Saudi's
taking family’s advice and voicing those decisions to the US businessmen may seem irrational or
useless to the US businessmen. while The US businessman's plea on making things faster and
quicker could come off as disrespect and untrusting to the Saudi.

Different cultures have different ways of doing business. In Saudi Arabia, family and friendship
plays a big role in career advancement whereas in the US individual success is more important.
Woman make up a share of the workforce but in Saudi Arabia women have little freedom. It is
important that both sides are sensitive to each other’s culture for effective business conduction.