TABLE OF CONTENTS Stephen James, an American automobile spare parts dealer, wanted to expand his business to include the Middle East. He knew of several Ford dealership groups in the region and planned a trip to make presentations in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. His assistant made appointments for him with the procurement manager of each corporation, allowing for two days in each city.
James first flew to Cairo. He arrived on Sunday night and rested well for his confirmed appointment with Mr. Sallim, the procurement manager, at 9 a.m. on Monday. At 8 a.m. James called Sallim's office for directions, but was told by the secretary that Sallim was out of the office for a couple of hours. They would need to reschedule the appointment for later that afternoon.
James called after lunch to confirm the appointment and was told that Sallim had been called to an urgent meeting with the Ministry of Transportation that would last the rest of the day. The secretary rescheduled the meeting for 9 a.m. the next morning. Frustrated by the delay, James spent the rest of the day in the Hilton hotel bar sharing his concerns with other foreign businessmen.
Fearing another delay, James decided to go directly to Sallim's office the next day. He did, only to learn that Sallim had yet to arrive. The secretary offered him some coffee to cool him off. When Sallim did arrive, at 10, he was with two other American salesmen.
