Business Etiquette Matters

Dear Sir,
An important part of doing business is handling oneself in a proper manner. Of course, the appropriate ways of conducting business and holding meetings vary from country to country and from culture to culture. In most countries around the world, when a time is set for a meeting, it means that both parties are to arrive on time to start the meeting. In other countries like Mexico, a scheduled meeting time is simply an approximation of when the people will meet. For example, if you expect to meet with your Mexican affiliates to set up a new layout for the distribution plant in Oaxaca at 1:00 pm, don’t expect your fellow co-workers to show up until 2 or 3 pm. Oh, and don’t take offense regarding their tardiness; that’s simply the way things are done down there. This is not the case in other countries like Japan, where time is taken very seriously. In other words, if you make plans to meet at 11:00 am for a meeting, then you should be there by 10:45 am to prepare. Of course, these slight country-specific characteristics can be very tricky and not so obvious. Hence, make sure you take keep these things in mind on your next business trip.

Yours sincerely,
Ashish Samant
Mumbai

Retiring Rooms At Airports

Dear Sir,
Please allow me to clarify a point made in a letter published in the Interactive section of the April 2002 issue of Express Business Traveller. Retiring rooms are available at Chennai airport, Mumbai (Santacruz airport) and Delhi airport (near the domestic terminal on the arrival side). Any passenger taking a domestic or international connection within 24 hours is eligible to avail of these facilities by producing an air ticket with confirmed bookings.

Regards,
K Bettaiah
Triway Travels Pvt Ltd
Bangalore

Live It Up In Singapore

Dear Sir,
This is with reference to the article ‘Singapore Musings’ in the May issue of Express Business Traveller. Singapore is an extremely popular destination on an Indian business traveller’s itinerary with a lot of regional headquarters of major multinationals based there. The article made good, light reading, at the same time provided valuable insight and tips to the reader about Singapore and its culture. A perfect way to round-off an interesting issue. With the Great Singapore Sale round the corner, I am sure there will be many Indians heading to Singapore. The incredible range of fashionable to functional items at value-for-money prices make the city a virtual shopper’s paradise.

Look forward to many more interesting and innovative articles in your forthcoming issues.

Yours sincerely,
Shruti Gupta
Chennai

Log on to www.businesstravellerindia.com or contact us at ehc@vsnl.com Tel: (022) 230 1020 Fax: (022) 230 1007