When is a gift just a gift?

What may seem inappropriate in some cultures (being wined and dined by the agency, for example) is normal, if not expected, in others. It’s an especially touchy issue in the Middle East, where turning down a gift can be seen as a grave insult.

“I think it is a bit presumptuous for anyone to believe that an account will move because of lunch or dinner,” says Philip Jabbour, group director of marketing and new business development at Starcom Mediavest. The media buying agency says it doesn’t hand out gifts to clients or potential clients. “Such meals are casual, and at times necessary. What if a day meeting drags over lunch and you invite client for lunch?”

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What lies beneath

Credit cards are an essential part of Gulf life, and not just to finance designer clothes and flashy watches. Some bills are practically impossible to pay unless you have the requisite plastic and thus, until the advent of proper debit cards, most wallets held at least one card bearing a Visa or MasterCard logo. These days banks offer credit cards to new customers as a matter of course, and that includes Islamic banks. Yet unlike their mainstream counterparts, Islamic banks, to their chagrin, must field awkward questions about what lies beneath the stamp of Shari’ah compliance. Read More