Internet news

Citation

Mann, S. (2000), "Internet news", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 21 No. 8. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj.2000.02221hag.001

Internet news

Keywords International business, E-mail, Women

http://www/econ.state.or.us/OregonTrade/travl&et-htm

International business etiquette, "netiquette" and sites of special interest to business women (and men!)

Before you, or your staff, embark on that next business trip to the Far East, Middle East or even to Eastern Europe, take a few minutes while checking your travel documents to check out this international business etiquette site. It consists of a business etiquette briefing country by country, so you can quickly check out your intended destination for any hintson how to behave in business meetings, social events and during introductions. For instance, in China, you are advised not to "try to become too friendly too soon" by trying to get on first-name terms with your client – and that includes not insisting that they call you by your first name. The Chinese way of greeting, we are warned, might be a nod or bow, but when interacting with westerners, they generally do shake hands. It is also worth noting that in China the first person who enters a room is assumed to be the head of the group, and westerners are advised by this site to follow this custom to avoid confusion. Even receiving business cards in China can lead to misunderstandings; it is considered rude to put a card in your pocket without studying it first and it is also considered impolite to write on someone's card.

If these words of advice have not put you off your impending trip, you might want to stock up on one or two suitable gifts for your Chinese hosts. As long as you avoid clocks, handkerchiefs, white flowers or sharp objects and do not wrap it in black and white paper, you should be OK. And, just in case you are still worried, the site includes a list of some common Chinese phrases with which to impress.

Other highlights of this US-based site include an up-to-date list of travel warnings (including traffic regulations, health information, medical facilities, etc.) and FAQs.

http://www.yorkshirebiznet.co.uk/topics/dobusabroad.htm

A UK-based site gives similar information and is worth checking out for some extra little tips. This site is less organised, with more of a mishmash of information, rather than country by country – forinstance, we are told in one paragraph not to plan business meetings on a Friday in Muslim countries, on a Saturday with Jewish people and on a Sunday in Christian countries, whilst being advised that the Japanese start work at 6 a.m. while in Italy everything closes for a siesta. Just for good measure the paragraph ends with some advice about Japanese business cards.

http://pubinfo.d.umn.edu/itss/email/netiquette.html

While on the subject of etiquette, what about that all important "netiquette"? I thought it would be fairly easy to find good sites on this topic on the Internet, but it was surprisingly difficult. One reasonable site is run by the University of Minnesota although it is most useful to people rather new to the world of e-mail. For instance, it advises on always using the subject line (many people get dozens of messages a day), being careful about replying to multiple recipient messages (so that your personal reply is not broadcast all over the world) and avoiding chain mail. One interesting point the site makes is with regards to those clever hoax mails that tend to do the rounds (e.g. drinking Product X is harmful etc.) and even links to a Web page that discusses these hoaxes and allows you to suss out whether you should pass dire warnings on or bin them (tip: do not bother checking the site – just bin them!).

The e-mail hoaxes Web site is:ciac.Ilnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.html

http://www.womenconnect.lycos.com/LocLink/JOBC/CARTOOL/YOURSKILLS?LAFCodeOverride=Lycos

Finally, a reasonable site aimed at business women. Most such sites are rather patronising, but this is a site (run by Lycos Careers) that contains a good mix of useful information (to men too), interesting material and helpful guides. For instance, in the "interesting" category there areprofiles of women in business and scales with which to compare your salary on, whilst in the "useful" category I would put its pages and pages of short articles on topics ranging from "laptop theft", "business lunches", and "business travel". One word of warning – some of the sites are little more than scaremongering anecdotes (e.g. of how vulnerable women business travellers can be) so you will have to sift through these to glean the useful stuff. In the "helpful guides" category, there are pages on aspects such as "starting a business","business toolbox" and "franchising" – all of which are written from a woman's perspective but are just as relevant to business men.

In all, while not an essential site, it is of interest especially to US-based women looking for networking opportunities, advice or just interesting reading.

Sandi MannUniversity of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK