SAUDI ARABIAN AND JAPANESE BUSINESS VALUES 1

Differentiating Business Values between the Saudi Arabia and Japan

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Differentiating Business Values between the Saudi Arabia and Japan

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Knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, values and religion are among the key factors that shape a

culture. Saudi Arabia and Japanese cultures are a stark contrast largely shaped by religion,

beliefs and attitudes. While Saudi Arabia and Japan have a similar education system, religion,

beliefs, and the governance system are the key differentiating factors and which have shaped the

daily lives of the people in both countries. Both countries have undertaken a paradigm shift

aimed at realizing robust economic growth through comprehensive growth agendas. This

research paper takes an in-depth analysis of how these elements of culture have differentiated the

business values and practices across the two countries.

Saudi Arabia and Japan are among the planet’s most affluent countries. The affluence is

as a result of thriving business and trade with both counties having made major steps forward

within the last two decades. While both countries have opened up to the world for business,

Saudi Arabia’s business culture has remained stubbornly regressive. The business values and

practices across the two countries vary in terms of work ethic, leadership, work hours, work

days, work force, and the overall relationship between buyers and sellers. As a result of religion,

in Saudi Arabia, 5 times everyday activities stop as the Muslim faithful pray as well as Friday

being the holy day, it thus implies That the weekend starts on Thursday and ends on Saturday.

The religion element is crucial to the business system because it impacts among other sectors, the

banking sector which is key facilitator of business. Japan is largely a Buddhist country. The

Japanese words Ganbaru, Gaman and Konjou are essential pillars of the Japanese business and

work culture. The words, translated as Persistence, endurance and willpower can be credited with

giving rise to the Japanese innovation largely driven by Japan being an isolated country and with

inhospitable landscapes (Law, 2019).

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The Saudi Arabian business system, values and etiquette are heavily influenced by

loyalty. Priority is given to those they consider as neighbors. Neighbors are within the immediate

sphere of influence and are subject to friendliness, loyalty and hospitality. Often, the Saudi’s

prefer dealing with those that they know (Siddique, Khan, & Zia, 2016). In these regard, the

Saudis prefer conducting their businesses face to face although this element has changed with the

new paradigm shift being undertaken in the country. Building long term relationships is a key

element of the Saudi Arabian business culture. They demand politeness and dignity as a

reflection of their status and reputation. Islamic practices are evident in the business dealings

such as the application of interest on loans by banks. Banking is purely sharia differentiating

from the conventional banking system in most parts of the world.

The Japanese value system focuses on relationship building, punctuality, flexibility,

striving for perfection, self-discipline, cooperation, adaptability, social norms and the importance

of circumstances among other factors. The standout differentiating values between the Japanese

and Saudi Arabian business values are the importance of relationships, striving for perfection and

punctuality (Hofstede & Usunier, 2003). The business practice of Toyota, one of the largest

Japanese corporations is a good example of the exemplification of these Japanese values on how

it conducts its business. Building long term relationships with its customers, adapting to

technological changes, avoiding business rivalry, fulfilling customer orders in time, making

massive product recalls in cases of suspected defaults and complying with the different social

norms and practices in the many countries they operate in.

The Saudi Arabia and Japanese cultures are a key factor in the success of business across

the two countries. The cooperation between Japan and Saudi Arabian on Saudi Arabia’s vision
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2030 is an indicator of the new paradigm shift. Religion remains the key influence on culture and

the differentiating factor between the two countries.

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References

Hofstede, G., & Usunier, J. C. (2003). Hofstede’s dimensions of culture and their influence on

international business negotiations. International business negotiation, 137-153.

Siddique, M., Khan, A., & Zia, K. (2016). The influence of Religion and Culture on HR

practices: A Comparative study of Saudi Arabia and Iran. Business & Economic

Review, 8(2), 35-54.

Law, R. W. (2019). Transnational Nazism: Ideology and Culture in German-Japanese Relations,

1919–1936. Cambridge University Press.