07/27/2005 - 07/28/2005

word of the day: kismet

kismet \KIZ-met; -mit\, noun:
Destiny; fate.

It's pure kismet when these two find each other. --Janet Maslin, "'The Mighty': Talents to Make Buddies -- Walking and Wisecracking," New York Times, October 9, 1998

Winning wasn't essential, though it seemed kismet that Cone, for a second straight year, came back from injury to pitch in a game that clinched a bit of postseason bliss. --Claire Smith, "Cone Puts the Yankees' Minds at Ease," New York Times, September 21, 1997

doing business in egypt

For today’s business traveller, doing business abroad happens a lot more frequently and involves visiting a much more diverse range of countries. In today’s world, cross cultural communication skills are critical to ensuring success on the international stage. Understanding a country's working practices, communication styles, business culture, protocol and etiquette is important in establishing good business relationships and maximising your potential for success.

Our new guide to doing business in Egypt offers some very basic pointers on some of the above mentioned areas such as business culture and etiquette. It is not intended to summarise all ‘doing business tips’ nor meant to stereotype the Egyptians. Within all societies, cultures, religions and cultures people will differ. The guide simply highlights some key areas for consideration when doing business in Egypt.

malaysian airlines take intercultural approach to inflight shopping

Temptations, Malaysia Airlines’ inflight shopping brand has infused innovative and vibrant thematic approaches in its lifestyle magazine type catalogue this year. The themes are Asian which was in the January to March 2005 issue, African in the April to June 2005 and Middle Eastern for the current quarter.

Assistant General Manager Marketing Support, YM Raja Nordiana Zainal Shah said, “These themes further mirror the vast network the national carrier has and is meant to appeal to the broad spectrum of customers who fly with Malaysia Airlines.“In order to do this, we have taken a great deal of effort and time to analyse what our customers around the globe want by understanding their behavioural, cultural and spending patterns when they fly with Malaysia Airlines.

minister pushes for greater diversity in police force

The government has told the police service to step up its drive to encourage the recruitment of ethnic minorities and women into the force.

At a National Diversity conference held jointly by the Home Office and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) last week, the government launched the Positive Action Toolkit, a good practice guide for police forces on running positive action events for police recruitment.

Policing minister, Hazel Blears, said the recent terror attacks in London showed how important it was for the police to recruit as diverse a group of officers as possible. "Whether we are disabled, gay or lesbian, young or old, Muslim or Jewish, we all have a contribution to make to policing either as members of staff or members of the community, and we need to recognise the real benefits that diversity can bring to our society,� Blears said.

British Council to teach English to Bengali techies

In a clear admission that students in West Bengal need better communication skills in English than what they can boast of now, the West Bengal University of Technology (WBUT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British Council at the Council’s library in Kolkata this morning.

The MoU envisages the introduction of the Business English Communication (BEC) programme for the benefit of the students of the university.

The pilot project, which is expected to start off with at least 70 students, will be a test of the feasibility of the programme’s application. ‘‘We are trying to take a fresh look at how education can be imparted. Though the finer points of the application of this programme by the university is yet to be decided upon, the pilot project should provide valuable pointers,’’ said Dr Ashoke Ranjan Thakur, vice chancellor of the WBUT.

tanzania tourism industry targets chinese visitors

In a move to lure more Chinese tourists, Tanzania has placed itself in the Chinese website to advertise its tourist attractions.

The Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB), the country’s official tourism marketing and promotional entity, has launched its official Chinese language website on “China Wide Web.� The site, which has been designed as an online marketing media, will be disseminating Tanzania’s tourist information to the Chinese people in their home language and tell them where to visit while in Tanzania, the available attractions and visitor services offered.

zunch launches chinese website

As Chinese businesses strive to gain more prominent positions online, many in that booming market are turning to established Western companies to assist them. In anticipation of the opening opportunities, Zunch Communications, Inc. officially launched the Chinese version of its website today.

Terrence Ou, APAC Business Director and Search Engine Optimization Specialist for Zunch, developed the website. He says a Chinese language website is a must for any business hoping to gain access to the Chinese market.

"While the population of China as a whole, and the technical community in particular, are very well-versed in English, it is always better if you can speak to a prospect in their native tongue," said Ou, author of the first book on search engine optimization in Chinese.

word of the day: volte-face

volte-face \vawlt-FAHS; vawl-tuh-\, noun:
An about-face; a reversal, as in policy or opinion.

I was eventually eased out of the organisation, but not before British policy had performed a volte-face on Cyprus, the colony had gained independence, and yesterday's political wisdoms had suddenly been repudiated. --George Urban, Radio Free Europe and the Pursuit of Democracy

In a sudden volte-face, he seemed to accept the agreement; then, when the besieged forces came out to embark, he had their barges held in port. --Richard Eder, "Just Wild About Horatio," New York Times, November 7, 1999