01/05/2005 - 01/06/2005

Franchise Website Expands to Meet Global Demand

Following the rising demand for franchise consultancy services and requests from potential franchisees for specific franchise opportunities, Franchiseek has founded The Franchiseek Global Alliance Network to meet this demand on a regional basis. The alliance currently offers, franchise development, franchise recruitment and franchise law in 12 countries worldwide including Australia, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Beijing, India, Greece, Middle East regions, UK, USA, Canada and Brazil with further expansion expected in the coming months.

Canadian Muslims

2004 went down in a history as the year that saw Canadian Muslims gaining prominence in the public sphere, as a result of greater activism, coinciding with a host of contentious issues that attracted global attention.

There were signs of a political awakening as Canadian Muslims became actively engaged in the federal electoral process, sending the first Members of Parliament to the House of Commons.

Mergers and Acquisitions for 2005

Japan’s bankers expect more merger and acquisition deals this year after the country’s M&A activity rose 42 percent in 2004, including a landmark tussle between two Japanese lenders to create the world’s biggest bank.

Teaching Good Manners

Teaching good manners and etiquette has been taken one step forward in the USA. TAdopleDreams.org have launched a new etiquette training program for children. The interactive and one-of-a-kind curriculum and handbook include lessons on interview skills, telephone manners, cell and e-mail etiquette, thank you notes, proper introductions, table manners, host and guest skills, polite conversation and how to behave in the classroom, cafeteria and school assemblies.

Delta cuts fares for travel in U.S.

Delta Air Lines Inc. cut its fares yesterday by up to 50 percent for travel in the continental United States, prompting fears of a new price war and sending airline stocks sharply lower.

Cross Cultural Card Games

An Italian intercultural trainer has stumbled across a great need for American expats in Italy - teaching them how to play cards Italian style.

Giuseppe del Giacco tutors a band of five every Tuesday morning in how to play “Scopa�, an Italian card game that rivals poker in popularity in the United States.

Intercultural Training - the USA

Kwintessential have now added a new intercultural training course to their range of already successful cross cultural courses.

Recognising that cross cultural communication breakdowns can and do occur between both sides of the Atlantic, we are now able to offer an intercultural training course focusing on the USA.

Like our other courses its will aim to encourage interpersonal cross cultural synergy for business personnel. Courses will cover a number of areas including building relationships, communication styles, linguistic differences, business protocol and etiquette, cross cultural management, intercultural team building and expatriate training.

Bouncebackability

A new word is being chanted at Selhurst Park, home of Crystal Palace F.C. 'Bouncebackability'. The word was first coined by ex-footballer Iain Dowie, now manager at Crystal Palace, who famously described his team as showing ‘… great bouncebackability’.

The word is of course formed from suffixation of the phrasal verb bounce back with -ability, a suffix which is usually used with adjectives ending in ‘able’ to form nouns which indicate a particular quality, such as dependable – dependability, suitable – suitability.

The term has reached such popularity that there is now an on-line petition for the word to be included in the Oxford English Dictionary. UK bookies are offering odds of 5 to one that a football term will be granted an entry.

Kwintessential MD on BBC Radio 5 Live

Neil Payne, Kwintessential's founder and MD, appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live's 'Wake Up to Money' programme this morning.

Neil was interviewed about the cultural differences in handshakes across the world.

Culture and Website Localization

Having a website prepared for a foreign audience is not as easy as just translating the content. For sites 'going global' it is critical that proper consideration is made as to how the new culture and society will react to the site.

This article offer some basic insights into the main areas of concern for those considering and/or undertaking website localization projects.

Understanding the Costs Associated with Individual Relocations

As the relocation process continues to become increasingly complex, companies more frequently opt to fully outsource their programs. Not only does keeping all relocation activities under an outsourced management umbrella ensure that there’s always a dedicated watchful eye on the entire process, but it also frees up a company’s internal HR resources to concentrate fully on core business issues.

Dora the Explorer Inspires Kids with Bilingual Adventures

Hispanic parents no longer need to worry that their children will lose their affinity for the Spanish language when going to school or watching English television. These days, kids are embracing Spanish even more due to the widely popular star of Nick Jr. series Dora the Explorer. With her best friends Boots, Backpack and Map, Dora, a seven-year-old Latina heroine enthralls kids of different ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. In a short time, she has helped show kids the power and pride in their own culture and language.

Expedia(R) Corporate Travel Features Multiple Airport Searching Within a Single Flight Search

In an effort to help its customers save time and money, Expedia(R) Corporate Travel has unveiled new unique technology that allows, within a single flight search, business travelers to search multiple airports, beyond just airports that are naturally in the same metropolitan area. Business travelers can view a list of additional alternative airports and can easily select up to four options, per leg, that they wish to consider in their search results.

Doing Business in Lithuania

We have added a new country to our Country Profiles page - Lithuania.

A new member of the of both NATO and the EU in 2004, Lithuania has gone through a radical transformation following its independence in the early 1990's. Now, more than 80% of enterprises have been privatized. Foreign government and business support have helped in the transition from the old command economy to a market economy.

Our country profile provides interesting insights into Lithuanian culture, language, social and business etiquette.

Germans head overseas for jobs

More and more Germans are turning their backs on the economic problems plaguing their homeland in the hope of better pay and working conditions in foreign countries.

In 2003, the German government registered 127,000 cases of Germans moving abroad, though many more just left without informing the authorities.

"It's always the strongest, the most mobile, and those most open to risk-taking that go," summarized Klaus Bade, professor at the Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies (IMIS) in Osnabrück. "And the tendency is rising."

Aid workers need intercultural skills

While relief workers rushing to Asia to help deal with the aftermath of the tsunamis will have little time to interact with locals, aid workers who spend more time abroad require special intercultural skills.

Niger, Laos, Belize - they're not classic tourist destinations, though they do attract those in search of adventure. And development workers, who've prepared to work in places where nothing is like it is at home.

Top 10 Trends In South Korea For 2005

Samsung Economic Research Institute, a leading private think tank, Wednesday published its forecast of 10 top trends in South Korea this year.

Among them are 1)Low Economic Growth, 2)Widening Earning Disparities Among Industries and 3) New Technologies, New Industries.

Word of the day: vituperation

vituperation \vy-too-puh-RAY-shuhn, -tyoo-\, noun:
1. The act or an instance of speaking abusively to or about.
2. Sustained and severely abusive language.

It was a bitter attack on those who had sneered at his father, an astonishingly poised performance for a twenty-six-year-old, and an early demonstration of Bron's gift for vituperation. --Geoffrey Wheatcroft, "Bron and His 'Affec. Papa,'" The Atlantic, May 2001.

Everybody was very nice except the Liberal women -- who have a repertoire of vituperation that I cannot believe to be equalled anywhere. --Bonnie Kime Scott (Editor), Selected Letters of Rebecca West.