Jordan: Prosperous Entertaining - Part 1

From ExecutivePlanet.com

Entertaining for business success

In the relationship based culture of Jordan, entertaining plays an important role. You should expect it to be part of a solid business relationship. However, there are a couple of perspectives on entertaining that you will need to understand first.

In traditional Jordanian society, you are always going to be the guest and never the host. However, as the relationship between you and your Jordanian counterparts matures over a period of time, there may be times when you are honoured and permitted to be the host. On the other hand, in the more westernized segments of the population, where the traditional values are less tightly held, there is also more opportunity and sometimes more expectation that you will be host.

There are Muslim religious regulations concerning food. Of course, this is not an issue for the 10% of Jordanian businessmen that are Christians. However, it does mean that the practicing Muslims among your business associates may be quite uncomfortable to eat any food prepared by a non-practicing Muslim.

Non-practicing Muslims in Jordan have an incredibly wide variety of opinions and perspectives on food and drink. But, it is rare for them to be offended by a foreigner who upholds traditional values. Rather, most non-practicing Muslims admire and honour foreign guests who adhere to traditional values. Nevertheless, there are segments of Jordanian society that are trying so hard to appear westernized that they may feel reproached by a foreign guest that is trying to adhere to traditional Jordanian values.

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