Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Blogpost 4: Intercultural Differences
Having spent all my life in Singapore, the exchange program to Texas presented me with numerous cultural shocks and intercultural conflicts. I hereby share with you a light hearted intercultural conflict.
After the last day of spring semester, students from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) were required to move out of their respective dormitories. As I finished my exams early, I went over to Will and Tyler’s room to help them with their packing. Will is a fellow exchange student from NUS, whereas Tyler is a Texan who lives in El Paso, a few hundred miles east of UT.
Halfway through the packing, Tyler’s parents arrived to assist him in the transportation of his items. Tyler introduced them as David and Mary. I greeted them with “Hi, nice to meet you” and continued with the packing. Will, on the other hand greeted them with “ Hi uncle David, hi aunty Mary”. David and Mary appeared bemused and inquired about Will’s relationship with them. Will realized the cultural difference and cleared up the misunderstanding. However, he stood firm by his Asian roots and subsequently addressed them as “Mr and Mrs Williams” instead of “David and Mary”.
Growing up in an Asian society, we were taught to respect our elders when addressing them. Never were we allowed to address our elders by their first name only. We are required to either address them by their title followed by last name, or in more intimate instances, “uncle/aunty” followed by their first name. However, in the American society, it is not uncommon to address elders by solely their first name. During lectures in UT, I have heard fellow students address the lecturer by his first name.
In the case of Will and Tyler’s parents, the conflict was minor and the confusion was cleared swiftly. Deeper misunderstandings could occur in the event of a formal meeting between Americans and Asian elders. Thus, it is important to realize the intercultural differences and the potential conflicts that could result from them.
After the last day of spring semester, students from the University of Texas at Austin (UT) were required to move out of their respective dormitories. As I finished my exams early, I went over to Will and Tyler’s room to help them with their packing. Will is a fellow exchange student from NUS, whereas Tyler is a Texan who lives in El Paso, a few hundred miles east of UT.
Halfway through the packing, Tyler’s parents arrived to assist him in the transportation of his items. Tyler introduced them as David and Mary. I greeted them with “Hi, nice to meet you” and continued with the packing. Will, on the other hand greeted them with “ Hi uncle David, hi aunty Mary”. David and Mary appeared bemused and inquired about Will’s relationship with them. Will realized the cultural difference and cleared up the misunderstanding. However, he stood firm by his Asian roots and subsequently addressed them as “Mr and Mrs Williams” instead of “David and Mary”.
Growing up in an Asian society, we were taught to respect our elders when addressing them. Never were we allowed to address our elders by their first name only. We are required to either address them by their title followed by last name, or in more intimate instances, “uncle/aunty” followed by their first name. However, in the American society, it is not uncommon to address elders by solely their first name. During lectures in UT, I have heard fellow students address the lecturer by his first name.
In the case of Will and Tyler’s parents, the conflict was minor and the confusion was cleared swiftly. Deeper misunderstandings could occur in the event of a formal meeting between Americans and Asian elders. Thus, it is important to realize the intercultural differences and the potential conflicts that could result from them.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Letter Critique
From:
Credit Suisse (donotreply@gtios.com) on behalf of graduate.recruitment@credit-suisse.com
Sent:17 November 2008 14: 04PM
Subject:Your Application
To: Berbetov84@hotmail.com
Dear Jeremy,
Thank you for taking the time to participate in the Credit Suisse Superday Assessment for an Analyst position within the Operations Division.
I am sure you can appreciate that the competition across our assessment days was strong and this always make these decisions very difficult. After further discussion of your application, we regrettably must confirm that we will not be extending you an offer to join the Operations Analyst Program.. We hope you will not be too disappointed and that you still found the experience worthwhile and enjoyable. This decision should in no way be viewed as a reflection on your own undoubted abilities and skills
If you would like to obtain some high level feedback on your performance at the assessment, then please call Carolyne Phillips at 6214 8767 for a short discussion. Leave a voicemail for her on this number if she is not available at the time you call and she will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please monitor our positions on our careers website at: http://www.credit-suisse.com/careers.
We wish you every personal and professional success with your job search and in the future. Thank you for your interest in Credit Suisse.
Kind regards
Campus RecruitingCredit Suisse
Your personal data will be retained by Credit Suisse for future recruitment and administrative purposes.
We will not disclose this information to any other external organization without obtaining your prior consent. If you do not wish for your personal data to be retained or would like it to be updated, please inform us by sending an e-mail to graduate.recruitment@credit-suisse.
Critique:
I would like to start off by highlighting the positives of this letter. Firstly, an appropriate tone coupled with the usage of subjunctive mood enhanced the image of the company. The message was concise without any spelling nor grammatical errors. More importantly, an appropriate indirect approach for rejection was used.
The letter started off with a buffer by explaining the situation before stating the bad news in a positive way. It closed off with a positive tone by mentioning that the decision was in no way a reflection of the recipient’s undoubted abilities. This would ensure that the recipient remains positive about seeking employment in other similar companies within the industry. Suggestions that the recipient might want to undertake were also highlighted.
With regards to the negative, firstly, the subject title was vague as it did not contain the company’s name. It could be improved by a simple alteration of the subject to “Your Credit Suisse Analyst Application” instead of a mere “Your Application”. Also, the statement “ Please monitor our positions….” had a tinge of bluntness tagged to it. A more appropriate way to start the sentence would be “We encourage you to monitor our positions…”
It would also be more appropriate to invite the recipient to email Ms Phillips instead of calling her for feedback so as to avoid awkwardness.
Credit Suisse (donotreply@gtios.com) on behalf of graduate.recruitment@credit-suisse.com
Sent:17 November 2008 14: 04PM
Subject:Your Application
To: Berbetov84@hotmail.com
Dear Jeremy,
Thank you for taking the time to participate in the Credit Suisse Superday Assessment for an Analyst position within the Operations Division.
I am sure you can appreciate that the competition across our assessment days was strong and this always make these decisions very difficult. After further discussion of your application, we regrettably must confirm that we will not be extending you an offer to join the Operations Analyst Program.. We hope you will not be too disappointed and that you still found the experience worthwhile and enjoyable. This decision should in no way be viewed as a reflection on your own undoubted abilities and skills
If you would like to obtain some high level feedback on your performance at the assessment, then please call Carolyne Phillips at 6214 8767 for a short discussion. Leave a voicemail for her on this number if she is not available at the time you call and she will get back to you as soon as possible.
Please monitor our positions on our careers website at: http://www.credit-suisse.com/careers.
We wish you every personal and professional success with your job search and in the future. Thank you for your interest in Credit Suisse.
Kind regards
Campus RecruitingCredit Suisse
Your personal data will be retained by Credit Suisse for future recruitment and administrative purposes.
We will not disclose this information to any other external organization without obtaining your prior consent. If you do not wish for your personal data to be retained or would like it to be updated, please inform us by sending an e-mail to graduate.recruitment@credit-suisse.
Critique:
I would like to start off by highlighting the positives of this letter. Firstly, an appropriate tone coupled with the usage of subjunctive mood enhanced the image of the company. The message was concise without any spelling nor grammatical errors. More importantly, an appropriate indirect approach for rejection was used.
The letter started off with a buffer by explaining the situation before stating the bad news in a positive way. It closed off with a positive tone by mentioning that the decision was in no way a reflection of the recipient’s undoubted abilities. This would ensure that the recipient remains positive about seeking employment in other similar companies within the industry. Suggestions that the recipient might want to undertake were also highlighted.
With regards to the negative, firstly, the subject title was vague as it did not contain the company’s name. It could be improved by a simple alteration of the subject to “Your Credit Suisse Analyst Application” instead of a mere “Your Application”. Also, the statement “ Please monitor our positions….” had a tinge of bluntness tagged to it. A more appropriate way to start the sentence would be “We encourage you to monitor our positions…”
It would also be more appropriate to invite the recipient to email Ms Phillips instead of calling her for feedback so as to avoid awkwardness.
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