Kiss, Bow, or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries by Terri Morrison & Wayne A. Conaway

Author:Terri Morrison & Wayne A. Conaway
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Norms, Cultural, Protocol
Publisher: Getting Through Customs
Published: 2015-09-20T14:00:00+00:00

BUSINESS PRACTICES

Punctuality, Appointments, and Local Time

Punctuality was not traditionally considered a virtue in Kuwait. Your client may be late for an appointment or not show up at all. You, however, should endeavor to be prompt, particularly if your Kuwaiti contact was educated in the West. They will expect you to be on time.

It is standard practice to keep supplicants (including foreign businesspeople) waiting. Do not expect to be able to keep more than one appointment per day.

An appointment is rarely private. Expect your visit to be interrupted by phone calls and visits from your client’s friends and family. Westerners frequently find these distractions infuriating; try to maintain your equanimity.

Kuwaiti officials traditionally worked no more than six hours per day. Some may do more, but mornings are usually best for appointments.

Understand that government employment of Kuwaitis is often an aspect of the welfare system rather than a method of running an industrialized state. Kuwaiti officials may show up to work or not, as they please. The day-to-day work is done by foreigners, mainly non-Kuwaiti Arabs.

Of the several people present at Kuwaiti business meetings, the person who asks you the most questions is likely to be the least important (this is often a non-Kuwaiti professional). The real decision-maker is probably a silent, elderly Kuwaiti who watches everything but never speaks to you directly.

Because people wander in and out of meetings, you may be asked to repeat the entire presentation several times. Do so gracefully. Do not become angry, even if you are asked to repeat the presentation for an obviously unqualified, uncomprehending family member.

Kuwaitis try and maintain their calm in any and all circumstances, and you are expected to do the same.

Bring plenty of copies of promotional materials.

Friday is the Muslim holy day, and no business is conducted. Most people do not work on Thursdays, either. The work week runs from Saturday through Wednesday.

Paperwork should carry two dates, the Gregorian (Western) date and the Hijrah (Arabic) date.

For a list of the official holidays of Kuwait, visit www.kissboworshakehands.com.

Kuwait is three hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (G.M.T. + 3), or eight hours ahead of U.S. Eastern Standard Time (E.S.T. + 8).

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