England produced a polished all-round display to beat India by seven wickets and clinch their one-day series 4-3. [via BBC.com]
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( 2.8 / 13 )
Bush's much touted "No Child Left Behind" program sure seem to have left Ms. Teen South Carolina behind as a child. Click on the image to see her utterly incoherent response to a question in the Miss Teen USA pageant.
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( 2.9 / 29 )
Some people get easily offended. (In pure Telugu: vaalaku Sri Rama ante boothu). Then again, it may be deeply rooted in their culture. In this age of globalization, we will end of meeting with many people with many different backgrounds and cultures. Be careful in being yourself or purely true to your own culture. You may endup offending not just that person but the whole culture. Richard Gere’s infamous kiss to Shipa Shetty is a good example of this cross-cultural “misunderstanding.” Savvy garu, one of the regular listeners of my show Mohana Muralee GaanaLahari on TeluguOne Radio, e-mailed me some interesting and useful information in this regard. I want to share this article from USA Today with readers of this blog. (Many thanks Savvy garu). Here are some quotes from this article.
Many American business travelers also commit faux pas, making, in many cases, already-challenging deals all the more elusive.
Robert Burns, the American owner of CC Bloom's Hotel in Phuket, Thailand, says he's inadvertently insulted or embarrassed Thais several times. During his first business meetings in Thailand a few years ago, he started the gatherings by talking about business.
"That's a no-no," he says. "I quickly figured out that I was creating problems by talking business before eating lunch and by initiating the talks."
…..
San Francisco-based etiquette consultant Syndi Seid says a client, a company in Seattle, lost a big business deal in the 1990s because it did not understand a Japanese company's business culture. During negotiations, the U.S. company, which Seid didn't identify, invited the Japanese company to Seattle, but for months, officials of the foreign company had trouble obtaining visas. The impatient U.S. company sent high-level executives to Japan to close the deal.
It backfired because the Japanese executives were eager to visit the USA and were was turned off by the Americans' lack of patience in building a rapport between the companies.
Seid says another unidentified client, a Silicon Valley company, nearly lost a business deal five years ago when a top executive of a French company arrived in California on an evening flight. The U.S. company sent a limo to pick up the client at 7:30 p.m., but no staff member went along. The company thought the Frenchman might want to relax at a hotel after a long flight and planned to pick him up the next morning. But the Frenchman was offended because no top official met him at the airport.
…….
FOREIGN ETIQUETTE TIPS
The following advice by Sue Fox, author of Business Etiquette for Dummies, may help business travelers avoid an embarrassing gaffe abroad.
Argentina: It is rude to ask people what they do for a living. Wait until they offer the information.
Bahrain: Never show signs of impatience, because it is considered an insult. If tea is offered, always accept.
Cambodia: Never touch or pass something over the head of a Cambodian, because the head is considered sacred.
China: As in most Asian cultures, avoid waving or pointing chopsticks, putting them vertically in a rice bowl or tapping them on the bowl. These actions are considered extremely rude.
Dominican Republic: When speaking to someone, failure to maintain good eye contact may be interpreted as losing interest in the conversation.
France: Always remain calm, polite and courteous during business meetings. Never appear overly friendly, because this could be construed as suspicious. Never ask personal questions.
Greece: If you need to signal a taxi, holding up five fingers is considered an offensive gesture if the palm faces outward. Face your palm inward with closed fingers.
Egypt: Showing the sole of your foot or crossing your legs when sitting is an insult. Never use the thumbs-up sign, because it is considered an obscene gesture.
India: Avoid giving gifts made from leather, because many Hindus are vegetarian and consider cows sacred. Keep this in mind when taking Indian clients to restaurants. Don't wink, because it is seen as a sexual gesture.
Japan: Never write on a business card or shove the card into your back pocket when you are with the giver. This is considered disrespectful. Hold the card with both hands and read it carefully. It's considered polite to make frequent apologies in general conversation.
Malaysia: If you receive an invitation from a business associate from Malaysia, always respond in writing. Avoid using your left hand because it is considered unclean.
Mexico: If visiting a business associate's home, do not bring up business unless the associate does.
Philippines: Never refer to a female hosting an event as the "hostess," which translates to prostitute.
Singapore: If you plan to give a gift, always give it to the company. A gift to one person is considered a bribe.
Spain: Always request your check when dining out in Spain. It is considered rude for wait staff to bring your bill beforehand.
Vietnam: Shake hands only with someone of the same sex who initiates it. Physical contact between men and women in public is frowned upon.
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( 3.2 / 28 )
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