Work Culture Around the World

To those who have been working in the corporate world, especially MNCs, you would probably know that every country have their own work culture and in order for your work to go smoothly, you need to have a good understanding of your foreign counterparts. I myself have been working for an MNC for some time now and I have learnt that it is so true that people on the other side of the world do work differently than us Malaysians...


Here's are some observations and personal experiences I gathered about my clients/counterparts I worked with.....


Hong Kong
This was the first international client I worked with and the thing about Hongkees are...well actually they are not that different than us, most of them work late nights just like we do over here but one thing they have that we dont is the "Hong kong accent" and the fancy names....Seriously, some of them have the funniest names ever! I am not going to mention names here but some more common examples are names like Apple or Pinky...you can start imagining the less common names now :D

India
Okay, the thing about my company is we work with Indians (from India) alot. The thing about Indians (apart from their Indian accent which needs some time to get used to) is their English grammar. Now, although most of them are familiar and can speak English fluently, English taught in schools is slightly different in India. Sometimes words they use just make you go "what the heck is he trying to say?!" For example: this is a high decibel project. Huh? The project has...sounds? No, the person is just trying to say that this is a high priority project. Another VERY COMMON word that Indians use is "the same". They love that word alot. Here's how you use the word "the same" in Indian context.

I have made some revisions in the proposal. Please find the same attached.

OR

Are you going to send the document? Would expect the same soon.

Yup, if you see someone using "the same" like above, he/she is most likely from India. Please expect the same when you converse with them...

Africa
I was one of the few "lucky" people who get to work with Africans from Africa itself. One major disadvantage is the time difference which is 4 hours. Now, time differences of 4-6 hours is the worst kind of time difference to have. This is because the only time you can properly talk to them is most likely going to be after (Malaysian) work hours, around 6-7pm. I've had a hard time trying to get hold of my African counterparts..for starters, they may not be most technologically advance country. In my case, my counterpart did not have a call conferencing line and we always get problems dialling their direct line. So most of the time, we call their mobile. #sidetrack To those who don't know, most Africans actually own a mobile phone, and they actually put them to more use, because they can use their mobile phone credit to purchase things! Including bus tickets and what not...Fun fact! #sidetrack end.

Anyway, back to their work culture, besides not having sufficient technology, they are also very laidback in a sense that they do not reply your emails in a timely manner, you can't call them because the phone line is shitty and they are always offline on their IM. Hence, the biggest challenge is to get hold of them....the second challenge after getting hold of them...is understanding their accent. So good luck to you! I'm so glad the project is over...

Japanese
Now now, most people know this already. Japs are the most hardworking people in the world! They have mass exercise sessions before they start work in the office and they work all through the night. MAD! If you have Japanese clients, be prepared to receive emails in the middle of the night. On top of that, they love emailling in a row...which means, they send one mail after another requesting for this and that. To make matters worst, they expect an instant reply, if you do not reply them after an hour, they will send you another mail to remind you....and another one few hours later....if they still do not hear from you, they will call your phone and bug you. Best part is, they cannot really speak proper English so good luck trying to understand what they are trying to tell you. Last but not least, Japs pay extreme attention to detail, so if you missed out a comma in your document or made a typo that is not supposed to be there...you WILL get an email asking you to fix that. But there is something good about the Japs though, they always give you alot of time in your projects..in fact sometimes, they give TOO much time and they plan things WAY too early which makes it hard for you to plan your resources so in advance (as opposed to Malaysian culture). Oh one more thing! Despite all the bugging and correcting your work, they are actually very very polite when they talk to you or write to you. They always end with a Thank You and finding more than one Thank You in an email from them is nothing out of the ordinary...


Koreans
Fellow neighbours of the Japs. They are hardworking too, but not as extreme as the Japs. Just like the Japs, they can't really speak proper English but the difference between Koreans and Japs are...they try too hard to use BOMBASTIC words in their communication, so bombastic that we cannot even figure out what they are trying to imply. True story. We concluded that they probably google translated those Korean words into English that when put in a sentence made no sense at all. Oh, although Koreans also love to bug others all the time with emails and calls just like the Japs, the difference is they are not as polite as their neighbours!

China
Might as well cover another Asian country since we are on a roll here. Once again, communication breakdown. It is really hard to understand their English..actually it is quite hard to understand their Mandarin too. I don't have much to say about them except that they love to RUSH you like mad and they sound quite rude as well but then again, could be a communication problem. What they love to do is get you to do this and that in a short period of time but when you need them to confirm something or get something done, they take their own sweet time. Talk about hypocracy.

USA
The good thing about USA is the people are very professional & they reply emails in a timely manner. Well of course there is that 12 hour time difference but contrary to popular belief, that time difference is a good thing (unless you need to talk to them). In terms of writing emails, you never have to rush to write to them because when it is day time here, they are asleep and vice versa. So what you do is, before you leave work you write them a mail, and when you reach office the next morning, you get all your mails replied! And best part is, you don't have to rush to reply the email because they will be sleeping anyway so you can take your own sweet time & gives you sufficient time to check on whatever info you need before replying back to them...Not sure about you, but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me! :)

Australia
Now I have nothing much to say about them except that if you are looking for a laidback lifestyle..that's the place you should aim to work at! At 5.30pm on the dot, the whole Australian working world dissapears and it is impossible to get hold of them...so make sure you get the time differences right otherwise it is really hard to get them! The logic here is that, if they are 3 hours ahead of you, and they leave at 5.30pm sharp, you only have up to 2.30pm Malaysian time to get hold of them. Anything after 2.30pm, you will have to wait the next day. Don't forget to account lost time on Friday happy hours when everyone hits the bar at 3pm!


So there you go! If you understand your foreign counterparts well enough then you will find out the "secret ways" of dealing with them ;) I have already given you some tips that you can't find in business textbooks but you can thank me later on in life when you finally realise how true these tips are!

Till then,

Goodnight.

The International Appeal

Here's a question, have you ever checked out the label on a product to see where it was made before deciding on purchasing a product? The answer, is most likely a yes. If you have not, I am sure at some point of your life you probably have heard things like "do not buy Malaysian products!" or "Indonesian products don't last long" or "China products can kill you!"

Having said that, it is a pretty obvious that consumers (well at least Asian consumers) judge a product from the country they were made. To Asians, European/Western products are ALWAYS better from their local products. I have to admit I have the same kind of mentality as well...many times I felt so accomplished finding an MNG sweater that says it is made in Germany or a Zara top that is made in Hungary or what not, eventhough I really do not know how much better the workmanship in Germany or Hungary compared to China but it is perceived to be better just cause it is European made. This my friend, is the "International Appeal".



The same reason above, is the reason why many local companies have incorporated this "International Appeal" in it's products, especially F&B outlets. No doubt, a western/european restaurant is much associated with class rather than a locally named restaurant. If I were to go out on a date, I would rather have my boyfriend bring me to some western restaurant than..say, Little Penang. Just cause, it feels more classy (eventhough the food in Little Penang may be better).



So, I have done some research on famous restaurants in Malaysia that has cleverly incorporated this "International Appeal" to it's customers. The easiest tactic : Name your shop after some town/city/country from the other side of the world.





Case No 1: The Manhattan Fish Market

"Manhattans seafood culinary delights" - Oh really? Well, not really. This outlet is in fact a Made-in-Malaysia product (show of hand - how many of you who did not know this fact just got turned off cause you just found out it is Malaysian made? Oh that's right, all of you). It is owned by Revenue Valley Sdn Bhd and is nowhere established in 1822 (another clever tactic, claim that your restaurant is damn old, because people associate old restaurants with traditional recipes with associates to better tasting food). Of course, there is a real Manhattan Fish Market which is a real fish market in America, and not a restaurant. So if you're wanting to look for this in Manhattan, you'll probably end up in a fish market...



While doing my google search on this outlet, I even came across people refering to this as an "American Restaurant". So, I must say, they've done a good job with the "International Appeal" tactic! Bravo!




Case No 2: San Francisco Steakhouse

Shocked??? Well, I was when I first found out this had nothing to do with San Francisco few years ago! In fact, they are established by our very own Tai Thong Group. Jeng jeng jeng!

Case No 3: San Francisco Coffee

What?! Another fake San Francisco outlet! Yes, that is right. No doubt their coffee is good but what helped them pick up business is probably their name. Coffee is usually associated with western countries and by using an American name, it helps them to be able to position themselves on the higher end market within the range of Starbucks, Coffee Bean and so on (which translates to higher profit margin).

In comparison, coffee brands associated with our own local name (ie: Old Town Kopitiam) has no choice but to charge a lower price because it is not associated as a premium product. If they ever do so, they will be losing their customers because people will start thinking "why should I pay so much for Malaysian made coffee, when I can get Starbucks for the same price?". So do take note, Old Town Kopitiam, I just offered you free marketing advice :D

Case No 4: Paddington House of Pancakes

I remember this being a big hit when it first launched in One Utama. Once again, this is not established in Paddington, UK. The recipes were however, from Paddington (according to their website) and the founders decided to open up an outlet in Asia since there is no specialty stores for pancakes in Asia at that point of time. I still have not found out who the founders are but my guess is, they are Malaysians, since their pioneer store started out in Malaysia.

Case no 5: Big Apple Donuts

To those (obviously living under a shell) who are clueless on how Big Apple is related to "International", well, Big Apple is actually a nickname for New York City. When someone says "I am going to the Big Apple!" it means they are going to New York. When someone says "I am going to Big Apple Donut!" means they are going to a donut parlour that originated from New York......NOT!

Yes, Big Apple is one of our very own made-in-Malaysia product as well. It was a big hit when it first launched because the business idea was so unique! (Besides, Dunkin Donuts which is quite crappy, no offence). Big Apple offered a wide variety of donuts in assorted flavours which made a perfect party favour! There were queues at every Big Apple outlet in Malaysia. It was happening....until, Indonesian donut brand J.Co came into Malaysia and there was a big argument between the two donut chains because Big Apple donuts look EXACTLY like J.Co donuts....Malaysia boleh (at copying that is)! I am not sure what happened between those two but they are both still around (though shorter queues these days). In fact, Krispy Creme also entered the market a couple years ago and now there's just too many donut stores around.

Case no 6: Ireland's Potato

This is a new player in the market, I was there just today and the food is pretty decent. What attracted me was it's name because well, I guess I am a sucker for the "International Appeal" and the fact that I am part Irish may contribute to that factor. Anyway, this is a local company and they made reference to how the Irish loves their potato so much in their stores...for example, they said there are two things you do not joke about in Ireland: Marriage and Potato. I have never heard of this saying but well, they do have a sense of humor and a pretty Irish appeal! It looks like it will do well with it's branding but perhaps, they need a revamping of their website #justsaying.

So there you go, those are just a few examples I managed to compile so far based on my observations. If you have other relevant examples, please feel free to contribute in the comment section. Thanks!

It's a PERIVOLUTION!

Quirky casual dining restaurant Nando's, has recently come out with a massive ad campaign leveraging on social media tools such as Facebook to get their message through. Their new ad campaign proves to be a very clever insult to their fast food competitor (in your face KFC). Check out this ad I found on The Star a couple weeks back.

"Our General beats your Colonel" - obvious reference to Colonel Sanders from KFC.

Will KFC come out with a comeback? What would their ad agency say about this...? hohum. [Edited: According to their ad agency, they got that Nando's ad removed from the papers]

On top of that, Nando's has also dedicated a whole Facebook page to their General Kenako, leader of the Perivolution (link here). I say they seem like they are on their way to success in the social media world, with 1251 likes in such a short period of time. Up to the smallest detail, they even have an info page about General Kenako:

General Kenako is the de facto leader of the Johannesburg, Paradiso of Peri. He is one of the most notorious personalities from the heart of fiery Africa.

Raised in a world full of music and passion he loves his food and is affable to the people around him. His magnetic personality has lead to a group of loyal followers who share the same passions as him.

Referred to as the “Papa of Peri”, he is a considerate father figure, who wants what’s best for the people around him.

In case you are wondering why they chose an African man to represent them? Well simply because the brand is originated in Africa. But then again, that is my assumption. How far will this African General take the brand? Well, you know what they say...African Generals are generally quite corrupt and notorious. So keep your eyes and ears open! This is going to be interesting. I'm hoping for a tongue-in-cheek comeback from KFC soon :)


p/s: I went and checked out Nando's recently, they have revamped their menu. More varieties but they've dropped some side dishes including my favourite Fresco Salad. Noo!