Ashworth College EN120: Comparing and Contrasting Saudi Arabia and UK

This essay provides a comparative analysis of Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom, focusing on their cultural and societal differences. The author highlights similarities in their orientation towards productivity and success, as indicated by Hofstede's 'Masculinity' factor, and their spending on industries and technology. However, the essay primarily contrasts the two countries, emphasizing the divergent governance systems (monarchical vs. democratic), levels of individualism, power dynamics, and economic factors such as natural resources. Furthermore, the essay contrasts the climate of the two countries, with Saudi Arabia's desert climate being distinct from the UK's temperate maritime climate. The essay concludes by emphasizing the uniqueness of each country and their respective strengths within a globalized world.

Running head: CONTRAST AND COMPARE
CONTRAST AND COMPARE
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note:

1CONTRAST AND COMPARE
The objective of comparison and contrasting is to understand what are the differences
and similarities between any two selected subjects. While comprehending the various fields
of comparison and contrast it is possible to understand the different strengths and weaknesses
of the subjects. In this essay two countries are taken for comparison and contrast. These two
countries are Saudi Arabia and UK.
Saudi Arabia is a country in the Middle Eastern part of the globe and is rich because
of its natural resources, however the system of governance in the country is different from the
western democratic countries (Wilson & Graham, 2016). United Kingdom is a western
European developed country having a completely democratic system of administration in
every sphere. The two countries can be compared in the following fields. Both Saudi Arabia
and United Kingdom are similarly oriented towards productivity and success. The countries
are led by values such as achievement, competition and success in terms of money. In
Hofstede, country comparison this is known as the “Masculinity” factor (Hofstede, 2011).
The countries are spending a lot on industries and technology. It is imperative for a country to
be spending on industries and job creation to develop and grow.
In terms of indulgence the two countries are close enough with United Kingdom only
a little ahead. This indicates that the citizens of these countries prefer to live an indulgent life
and spend much on luxuries. The amount earned is spent liberally to improve the lifestyle of
the people.
However if the two countries are contrasted there are more differences than
similarities. The system of governance is completely different in both the countries. United
Kingdom follows a complete democratic system of administration whereas Saudi Arabia is
more or less having a monarchical government. In terms of individualism, United Kingdom is
a completely individualistic society whereas Saudi Arabia can be termed as a collective

2CONTRAST AND COMPARE
society where the decisions are taken by the social groups rather than endless freedom of the
individuals. Saudi Arabia scores high on power distance which reflects the hierarchical nature
of the society.
In terms of wealth, Saudi Arabia has plenty of fossil fuel stored as reserve natural
resource which is exported throughout the world making it possible for the country to earn
immensely from the transactions. United Kingdom is a technologically and industrially
powerful country but it does not have as much of reserved natural resources.
Saudi Arabia is a country with high temperature and desert climate, the days are very
hot and the nights are usually too cold (Almazroui, et al 2012). On the other hand United
Kingdom has a climate which is called temperature maritime. The temperature is balanced
and mild (Taylor, Bruin & Dessai, 2014).
Every country around the world are unique in terms of lifestyle, administration
technique and worldview. This comparison and contrast highlighted various points of
similarities and differences among the two countries. Both the countries have their own
strengths which help them to develop and grow. In a globalized economy and social system
the world is better connected now and a global brotherhood is forthcoming.

3CONTRAST AND COMPARE
Reference:
Almazroui, M., Nazrul Islam, M., Athar, H., Jones, P. D., & Rahman, M. A. (2012). Recent
climate change in the Arabian Peninsula: annual rainfall and temperature analysis of Saudi
Arabia for 1978–2009. International Journal of Climatology, 32(6), 953-966.
Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing cultures: The Hofstede model in context. Online
readings in psychology and culture, 2(1), 8.
Taylor, A., Bruin, W. B., & Dessai, S. (2014). Climate change beliefs and perceptions of
weather‐related changes in the United Kingdom. Risk Analysis, 34(11), 1995-2004.
Wilson, P. W., & Graham, D. F. (2016). Saudi Arabia: The Coming Storm: The Coming
Storm. Routledge.