A Stormy Trip
In 1980, Harry Jones and Sally Smith co-founded a company called Diagnostica, specializing in the
production of electronic devices for the medical field. The company’s business flourished, exceeding the
expectations of its founders. By 1990, the company had built a nationwide sales network across the United
States, with annual revenues reaching USD 35 million.
At that time, the company had the opportunity to enter the international market when a Saudi Arabian
government agency invited it to negotiate a contract to supply diagnostic equipment for the country’s
healthcare system. Valued at more than USD 30 million, winning this contract would place Diagnostica
among the leading companies in the field of diagnostic electronic devices. The company sent product
samples and a quotation to Saudi Arabia. Weeks later, Harry and Sally were thrilled to hear that
Diagnostica had been selected as one of the two final candidates for the contract. They quickly prepared for
a trip to Riyadh, the Saudi capital, to negotiate the contract terms. Neither had ever been to Saudi Arabia
before, so they were excited about the journey.
According to their plan, they would fly out on Monday morning, arrive in Riyadh on Tuesday evening after
a 20-hour flight, spend Wednesday and Thursday negotiating, and fly back on Friday. The trip began
smoothly—the flight from the U.S. to London departed and landed on time. But trouble started in London
when their connecting flight to Riyadh was delayed for several hours. As a result, they only arrived in
Riyadh at 4 a.m. on Wednesday. It took them two and a half hours to complete immigration and customs
procedures. Their first meeting was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., so they decided not to go to the hotel but
directly to the Ministry of Health. In the airport restroom, they quickly changed into business attire. Sally
wore a knee-length dress she had bought specifically for this trip. Once ready, they stepped out into the
scorching heat of nearly 40°C.
Harry hailed a taxi. “Please take us to the Ministry of Health,” he politely asked in English. The driver
looked confused and gestured that he did not understand. Harry repeated slowly, “To the Ministry of
Health.” The driver smiled, nodded, and drove off. After 45 minutes, they arrived at a large building.
“Finally, we’re here,” Sally sighed, drenched in sweat (the taxi had no air conditioning). Harry paid the
fare, and they entered—only to realize they were at the Ministry of Military! They only discovered this
after asking to meet Mr. Muhumad Oman, the Saudi representative. “There is no one here by that name,”
said the receptionist, glaring disapprovingly at Sally.
Ten minutes later, they caught another taxi and traveled across the city in the opposite direction to reach
the Ministry of Health. By then, it was 8 a.m.—30 minutes late. At the reception desk, they requested to
meet Mr. Muhumad Oman. The receptionist made a 10-minute phone call in Arabic before announcing,
“Mr. Oman will see you, Mr. Jones.” Then, turning to Sally: “But you must wait here in the lounge.”
Shocked, Sally protested: “But according to the agenda, I am also supposed to meet Mr. Oman.” “I’m
sorry,” the receptionist replied politely but firmly, “Women are not allowed to attend business meetings.”
Furious, Sally stormed out and took a taxi back to the hotel.
Meanwhile, Harry entered Oman’s office. The man spoke perfect English and dressed elegantly in Western
style. “Sorry for being late, our flight from London was delayed,” Harry explained. “No problem,” Oman
replied, “Would you like some coffee before we begin?” “Thank you, but I don’t drink coffee—and
caffeine may not be good for you either,” Harry responded. Oman frowned in surprise but said, “Very well,
let’s begin.”
The four-hour negotiation with Oman and his four colleagues was exhausting. Harry was hungry and tired,
and Oman’s communication style frustrated him. Oman never answered questions directly. Accustomed to
a straightforward style, Harry was baffled. The discussion seemed to go nowhere. At 1 p.m., Oman ended
the session: “We need to consider your proposals. Let’s meet again tomorrow at 8 a.m.”
On the way back to the hotel, Harry puzzled over Oman’s words—since he hadn’t presented any proposals
yet. Starving, he stopped at a roadside eatery. The food was acceptable but very spicy. Back at the hotel at
2 p.m., he found Sally upset by her exclusion from the meeting. She wanted to swim but learned the pool
was reserved for women only two hours later. “I’ll just watch CNN instead,” she sighed. Harry planned to
nap for an hour but slept until 11 p.m. When he awoke, he felt nauseated and vomited violently. He was
sick all night and couldn’t sleep again. “At this rate, I won’t be fit to negotiate tomorrow,” he worried—
and he was right.
The second day was equally difficult, compounded by frequent bathroom breaks. After three fruitless
hours, Harry proposed, “Perhaps we should set a deadline for finalizing prices—say 3 p.m.—then move on
to service contracts.” Oman and his colleagues exchanged glances. “Mr. Jones,” Oman replied, “Setting
deadlines is inappropriate. Remember, we are your customer.” Harry realized he had blundered, though he
wasn’t sure how. “Fine,” he yawned, “As you wish.” By 5 p.m., they finally reached a price agreement, but
it heavily favored the Saudis. Exhausted, Harry gave in. “Tomorrow we can discuss the service contract,”
he suggested. Oman and his team were shocked. “Mr. Jones, tomorrow is the Sabbath—the holy day of
Allah, not a workday. We will meet again on Saturday.” “But we planned to return to the U.S. on
Saturday,” Harry explained. “Then you must change your plans,” Oman replied irritably.
Harry and Sally rescheduled their flight. But that did not help. Over the next two days, Harry remained
unwell, and Sally grew increasingly resentful of the local gender restrictions. Finally, late Sunday
afternoon, one of Oman’s colleagues politely informed Harry that Diagnostica’s terms were unattractive,
and the contract had been awarded to a British firm.
Disappointed and discouraged, Harry and Sally boarded a plane home on Monday—but it took them two
weeks to return. Their plane was hijacked by terrorists, who demanded the Italian government release
imprisoned comrades. Harry and Sally, along with all passengers, were held hostage before finally being
freed.
Questions:
1.
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4.
Why did Harry and Sally travel to Riyadh? Did they achieve their goal?
What factors prevented them from achieving their goal?
Could these factors have been predicted or controlled?
How did Harry and Sally react to the situations they encountered in Riyadh?