Question

One of the leading company selling footwear wants to start business in Oman, explain the company Any ten characteristics of culture to be considered to do business in Oman, support your answer with

examples.

Answer 1

Here are the ten cultural characteristics that must be considered by the footwear company entering Oman as a market:

• It is important to understand that business meetings & negotiations must be planned in advance & the timing of the meeting should not coincide with the prayer time.
• Being punctual & greeting each other during meetings are important aspect & if the person is late it is considered to be disrespectful.
• Another important cultural factor is that most of the decision making happens from top-down & hence the overall flow of communication & processes will be slow. Business cards are not an important aspect of Oman Culture.
• It is important to understand that Oman business has its own business etiquette and dressing sense.
• Example - All the Omani men wear tradition full white robes & turbans & the internationals or foreigners are expected to wear conservative black or brown suits or formal attire. Women wear no jewellery.
• The eye contact and maintaining close distance is important to build trust & it is also symbolic of the mutual understanding & collaboration.
• Omanis take time to review & make the decision & hence the same approach should be used while reaching consensus.
• Oman Business Communication - It is important to know that most of the people in Oman are very soft-spoken & hence being loud & using gestures during speaking should be avoided.
• During the meetings phone calls are acceptable so taking a break should be normal.
• Example - During meetings person asking questions is considered less important & the ones who are silent & quiet make most of the decisions.
• It will be great to have communication & presentation both in English & Arabic and the topics for informal discussions involve sports, friends, family, growth in economy & leisure time planning.
• It is important to maintain cool & it is also normal if you are invited for home meals. It is important to not to refuse anything as it can be treated as an offence.
• Omanis are very religious & 85 % follow Islam and hence it is important to respect their beliefs as it plays a significant role in their lives.

Other aspects:

• If the meeting agenda goes in another direction should be treated normally & patience will be the key.
• If you are the managers or the leader it is expected that all instructions will have adhered and everything will be implemented in clear & precise manner.

Considering the Oman Smart city plans it is important to ensure that environmental protection and plans are given equal importance. The growth of the tourism sector, the risks associated with the oil & gas sector etc all factors should be considered by the environment revolution should be on the top list.

The citizens need to be motivated and encouraged to develop eco-friendly and overall environmental friendly solutions to make sure all stakeholders benefit and the vision 2040 is realised.

Hence as footwear company along with all cultural understanding, it is a must that business is also socially & culturally acceptable.

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