Saudis are also offended by the sight of the soles of shoes because in their culture, showing someone the sole of your shoe is roughly equivalent to giving someone the middle finger in the U.S. Therefore, you must be careful not to cross your legs in the "figure 4" posture that is common among males in the West (Hughes & Chesters, 2003

Important Cultural Expectations in Saudi Arabia

There are also important cultural differences that you should be aware of in Saudi Arabia. For example, women are prohibited from driving and they are expected to wear very conservative clothing (Hughes & Chesters, 2003). Therefore, having a Western female executive who shows up to an appointment in a business skirt that might be perfectly appropriate in the West could ruin your arrangements. Saudis are also very careful about any physical contact between the genders; therefore, Westerners should always wait and follow...
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