• Are you or your company planning to do business in the Middle East?
• Do you have or do you plan to manage projects or negotiate with clients from or in the Middle East?
• Do you want to gain an in-depth understanding of the business environment in the region and its culture?
• Does your company plan to station expatriate staff in the Middle East?

This continuing education course is a practically oriented training solution tailored to your needs. We support you and/or your company in operating effectively and successfully in the Middle East.

The course aims to

• allow you to understand the environment in the region from different perspectives.
• provide theoretical and practical knowledge needed to develop and conduct business in the Middle East.
• help to develop the business skills needed to succeed in this particular cultural environment.

Our core competencies lie in the following areas:

• Cross-cultural excellence
• Islamic finance for wealth management
• International project management in the Middle East
• Intercultural negotiation techniques
• Human Resource Management in the Middle East

Furthermore, participants will have the opportunity to experience an Arabic after-work invitation (to be defined) to complete immersion in this culture.

Cultural Awareness/ Cultural Training

• Introduction and framework, characteristics of doing business in the region
• Key elements of cultural identity, differences between the regions e.g., with regards to consumer behavior.
• Communication, establishing relations and networking, building teams, decision-making, negotiation skills, and conflict resolution.

Islamic Wealth Management

• Basic principles of Islamic jurisprudence, wealth and ownership, contracting, Islamic financial tools and instruments, funds, waqfs, governance, working in a mixed environment

Project Management

• Elements and phases of project management from a cross-cultural perspective, stakeholder management and implementation of projects in the Middle East.

Different forms of teaching and learning with innovative training methods are used:

• Classroom instruction, group work, exercises
• Case studies
• Business simulation
• Virtual reality training and simulation
• Real Arabic after-work invitation

This is a customized offer, which can be tailored to your individual needs. We will be happy to advise you personally.

We work with Swiss institutions and their members who are or want to be active in the MEA market - be it as network partners, intermediaries, academic partners or consultants. We are continuously expanding and intensifying our network in the MEA region (international, national or local). Our cooperation partners are:

• Switzerland Global Enterprise: SGE
  Contact exchange / member / academic partner for courses and events
• Swiss Arab Network: SAN
  Board seat / member / contact exchange / academic partner at courses and events
• Swiss African Business Circle: SABC
  Contact exchange / academic partner for courses and events
• Zurich Chamber of Commerce: ZHK
  Contact exchange / academic partner for courses and events
• Chamber of Commerce Winterthur and surrounding area: HAW
  (member) / contact exchange / academic partner for courses and events
• Location Promotion Winterthur Region
  Member / contact exchange / academic partner for courses and events
• Arab-Swiss Chamber of Commerce and Industry: CASCI
  Member / contact exchange
• Swiss Indian Chamber of Commerce: SICC
  Member / contact exchange
• Arab Thought Forum Jordan
  Member

Basic management skills, business knowledge and experience.
Depending on the specific course requirements: project management experience  and/or financial wealth management experience required.