

Don't they know it's Friday?
A guide to doing business with Arabs
Self paced
tutorials
tests
ASSIGNMENTS
This 3-hour course is designed to guide you through the essential dos and don'ts of business life in the Arab world. The course opens with an overview of 8 units to help you navigate the content. You can tackle each section in sequence or dip into the areas you feel are most relevant to you. You can test your knowledge up front in the Pre-course Culture Test before launching into the material.
8 units are divided into a series of short, narrated presentations where you can explore the etiquette, geography, society, religion, business culture and dress of the Gulf Arab world. 30 short presentations (between 3-10 minutes each) over the 8 units together provide a course total of more than 3 hours of training material. Each unit concludes with a short recall test and you can try the Culture Test again in the final unit to see how far you've come. The course is supported by the book Don't they know it's Friday? - the acclaimed guide to doing business with Arabs by Jeremy Williams OBE. You can download the Kindle version of Jeremy's book at the end of the course.
Course Aims:
To help develop a good level of understanding with Arab colleagues, clients and counterparts and achieve the business outcomes you desire.
To help prepare for business trips to - or life in - Arab countries (especially the Gulf countries of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE and Oman) and to explain some of those baffling cultural differences you may have observed.
Target Audience: The course is aimed at anyone who is interested in improving their understanding of doing business with Gulf Arabs. It is suitable for both newcomers and those more familiar with the Arab world. You do not need to be an expert or qualified in any particular field to prepare for this course. In addition, Jeremy will respond to your questions and is happy to help with any queries you may have that are not covered by this course. You can post a comment on this site. Feedback is welcome, but we support a policy of decent, fair commentary.
Language of instruction: English
- A brief overview of doing business with Gulf Arabs
- 8 easy to follow units covering a range of different topics
- The know-how you need to navigate business etiquette in the Gulf
- Free Kindle download of "Don't they know it's Friday?"
- Suitable for learners of all abilities
Jeremy Williams’ experience of Gulf Arabs and Arab business practice spans some 40 years. He was the Defence, Naval, Military and Air Attaché in the British Embassies of Abu Dhabi and Bahrain at the times of both the Iran/Iraq (the Tanker) war and the Gulf (Kuwait) War. In an Army and diplomatic career of 35 years he lived for eleven years in five Gulf locations: Sharjah, Dubai, Riyadh, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, and has visited most Arab countries particularly Kuwait, Qatar and Oman. He remains in contact with many government and commercial organisations and personalities throughout the Arab world.
Handshaikh is a British training company that operates globally (whether onsite or online) to provide customised business seminars, briefings and induction training for Western and other organisations wishing to improve cross-cultural communication with their Arab colleagues, clients and counterparts. We can advise on the Arab world generally and more specifically on the Gulf countries of Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and the Sultanate of Oman.
Schedule & Syllabus
