Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Doing Business in Korea

 Doing Business in Korea
Doing Business in Korea
At first glance, Korea appears to be "just like any other nation."  Its capital city, Seoul, is a modern, thriving metropolis with all of the latest technology the world has to offer.  All over Korea, you'll find first-class telecommunications, the requisite five-star hotels, Western restaurants, modern transport systems (including very efficient subway networks in Seoul and Busan), innovative architecture, and so forth. Nonetheless, it is still very Korean and it is imperative that any American doing business in Korea realizes that Seoul is not Los Angeles (even though the latter, in fact, has a sizeable Korean community).  Every year Korea becomes more and more modern, but it is important to recognize that modern does not equal Western.  Koreans will not expect you to be an expert on the nuances of their culture, but they will appreciate a show of interest in matters that are important to them.  Koreans generally appreciate a foreigner's effort in expressing a thank you (gam-sa-ham-ni-da) or a hello (an-yong-ha-say-yo) in the Korean language.


Though Koreans have transitioned greatly into Western society, the traditional ways of thinking in many areas are still practiced.  Koreans have a great respect for the family and hierarchy.  Extended families (i.e., parents living with middle-aged married “children” and their grandchildren) are still commonplace, although this is rapidly changing.  Among the older generation, the father is the primary wage earner, while the mother stays at home.  Due to changing social mores and economic pressures, the necessity for families to have double incomes is rapidly growing in Korea.  Although fathers are the primary income earners, in the majority of cases, salaries are entrusted to their wives and most day-to-day consumption decisions are at the discretion of the female spouse.  US companies may wish to take into consideration these traditional family roles when marketing to Korean consumers.

Even though there are incremental changes in Korean attitudes and women are making progress, women professionals at the highest levels are still very rare.  In Korean companies, the majority of working women, many with top university degrees, are still relegated to secretarial jobs, accounting or educational work. Many qualified women welcome the opportunity to work as a professional with a foreign company whose attitudes toward gender equality and professional respect and responsibility prevail.
Koreans still have a great respect for anyone senior in age, and intuitively establish their hierarchical position relative to others based on age.  Indeed, one of the fundamental principles of the Korean language is based on the plethora of verb endings, which indicate the level of respect accorded to another person.  In addition, a man generally receives more respect in the business world than a woman, though foreign businesswomen (especially, non-Asian looking women) are accorded almost an equal amount of respect as foreign businessmen.  Single women generally receive less -respect than married women whose ties to their husband oftentimes establish their position in society.  The American businessperson, as a foreigner, is generally exempt from the above societal classification system, although one should be prepared to answer questions that Koreans may regard as common to establish societal hierarchy but which foreigners may regard as personal, such as questions about age and marital status.

Americans should be ready to mix business with social life as the Koreans base their business relationships on personal ones.  The heavy drinking of the Korean alcohol, Soju, beer, scotch, or other liquor is commonplace in establishing a personal, business relationship.  Also commonplace is the "no-rae-bang" where a group of businesspeople go to an establishment to drink and sing along to a video machine playing music.  As most no-rae-bang machines come equipped with songs in English, a businessperson may want to be prepared to sing at least one song in order to gain social favor with their Korean counterpart.  Although not as common as the no-rae-bang, businessmen should also be aware of  “room salons” where Korean women serve food and drink to their patrons.
When doing business, Americans should be sensitive to Korea's historical relationship with Japan, which made a virtual colony of the Korean peninsula.  Because of the Japanese colonial period, Koreans have an emotionally intense reaction at times to things Japanese, though there is an admiration for Japanese business acumen.  A businessperson should show great respect towards Korean society.  Any comparative mention of Japan versus Korea, where Japan has the upper edge may harm a business deal.
Korea still observes Confucian ethics based on strong ties to a group.  Whereas an American may think in individual terms, (i.e., what is in my best interest?), a Korean frequently thinks in group terms, (i.e., what is in the best interests of the group and how can I help to maintain harmony within the group?)  For this reason, the majority of Koreans are intensely patriotic, calling Korea by the term, "oo-ri-na-ra", ("our" country).  In order to close a deal when negotiating, the benefits for the group, whether for the company or country, should be emphasized.
For Koreans, relationships are all important.  "Cold calls" don't work and introductions are crucial.  Koreans want to do business with people with whom they have formed a personal connection or whereby a mutual intermediary has made an introduction.  As alumni contacts are a major source of networking in Korea, a particularly well-connected Korean will have attended a prestigious Korean university such as Seoul National University, Yonsei University, Korea University or Ehwa Women’s University.

The exchange of business cards is very important and a means by which Koreans learn about the name, position and status of the other person.  Koreans observe a very strict hierarchical code whereby Koreans will generally meet to discuss business with persons of the same, parallel rank.  Businesspersons should always have their (preferably bilingual) business cards ready and should treat the exchange of a Korean counterpart's card with respect. (It is a sign of respect to receive and present items with both hands, followed in business etiquette by passing and receiving a card with the right hand.  One should never give a card, or anything else for that matter, with the left hand as it shows disrespect).  For historical reasons, Chinese characters, which Koreans can generally understand, are regarded as more sophisticated.  As such, a business card written in Chinese characters can serve for a business trip to Korea, China, and Japan.
Negotiating style is particularly important.  Koreans can prove subtle and effective negotiators, and a commitment to a rigid negotiating stance early on may work to the American's disadvantage.  Your offer may include the best price, technology and profit potential but still be turned down because the Korean customer does not like your style.
An important point to keep in mind concerns the nature of reaching an agreement with a Korean firm.  Westerners attach great importance to a written contract that specifies each detail of the business relationship.  Koreans, on the other hand, value a contract as a loosely structured consensus statement that broadly defines what has been negotiated, but leaves sufficient room to permit flexibility and adjustment.  The Korean Government has attempted to address this dual perception by formulating "model" contracts for licensing technology and other arrangements.  Both parties must be assured that the obligations spelled out in a negotiated contract are fully understood.
Most Koreans have three names.  These names usually follow the Chinese pattern of a surname followed by two given names.  In a Korean household, all brothers and sisters have the same last name and a common given name; the only distinguishing mark is the remaining given name.  In addressing Koreans, foreigners should observe the use of surnames (e.g., Mr. Kim; Ms. Lee), using formal titles if possible (e.g. Dr. Yoo; Director Song). The most common last names are Kim, Lee, and Park.  In the use of formal titles as appropriate, one should always be familiar with the complete name, including the two given names, for identification purposes, as there may be several Mr. Park's or Dr. Lee's in the same company and even the same work space

Sunday, March 27, 2011

sony technology internet tv full hd 3d tv

sony technology internet tv full hd 3d tv
sony technology internet tv full hd 3d tv
If you're interested in being an early adopter of Google TV, for now you can choose a separate passthrough box like the Logitech Revue or Sony's Blu-ray player, or plop the whole experience into the display with Sony's new Internet TV line. We spent some time with the Sony Internet TV NSX-32GT1, and we're a bit surprised to find that it could feature the best implementation of the Google TV experience of them all. But is that enough? After you've digested our impressions of the platform as a whole, check out our review of the Internet TV to find out

This review is primarily of the Sony Internet TV hardware -- make sure you read our full Google TV review to get a feel for the platform itself!
Strictly as a display, the appearance of the Internet TV is different from most HDTVs on the market, with a white curved back and rather unique stand. Ultimately they're just aesthetic differences, though, and getting it set up wasn't terribly complicated, although the power cord's winding entrance into the back of the TV reduced its length to something slightly shorter than we were accustomed to. Despite packing the Google TV-standard 1.2GHz Intel processor, it's not noticeably deeper or heavier than a standard 32-inch LCD using CCFL backlighting, but relatively chunky compare to an edge-lit LED TV. We didn't pick up on any fan noise, and while there's some warmth at the upper left rear of the unit, we don't anticipate keeping things cool to be problem. As far as what you have to actually look at, the display performance is about average, with good colors and decent black levels.
We didn't notice a lot of the bloom or uneven backlighting that can occur in edge-lit units, but negatives included relatively shallow horizontal viewing angles left and a very shiny, glossy, reflective finish. Even though it's a 60Hz display and not 120Hz like many newer TVs, we didn't notice any motion blur issues while watching sports or playing games. In general, the 32-inch Internet TV performs about where it's priced as a mid-range HDTV option, although it's frustrating that buyers who want more features in their HDTV -- faster displays, 3D -- can't get them from the Internet TV line.
Our Internet TV came equipped with four HDMI inputs, four USB ports, two IR blaster ports, optical audio out, integrated WiFi, and an Ethernet jack, plus a couple of elements unique to this hardware from other Google TV implementations: component ins and coaxial cable jack with an integrated QAM tuner. One of the HDMI jacks includes HDMI 1.4's Audio Return Channel so you can pipe sound back down to a connected receiver while the integrated speakers continue the "adequate, not outstanding" theme. The included IR blaster used easily stuck onto our Comcast-provided DVR unit, but it's not intended to cover the input, so it simply hung over the top of the box, and performed its function adequately. Two of the HDMI jacks and all four USB ports are side mounted for easy access, along with a button for syncing the RF remote and a headphone jack. One notable quirk of this TV is the lack of hardware volume or input buttons on the unit itself. It's a minor omission,


 but that'll be missed when you can't locate the remote and a commercial starts blasting. The display settings app appears to be fully featured and integrated with Google TV -- it's accessible through the menu or through a function key shortcut on the control pad, and it also allows for the glowing "Sony" logo on the front to be disabled at will Oh and the remote, that many keyed monstrosity that has so been derided as 80s-ish, a Jaguar design reject, too complicated, too useless? It's actually pretty easy to get used to. One-handed or two-handed, it's light and well-balanced for a good feel in-hand, and features mostly familiar controls. We're still not in love with the optical trackpad at the upper right -- although we got better at using it to mouse around after a few days, we never got 100% accurate or experienced the level of responsiveness we'd like to see. As a universal remote controlling the cable box via IR blaster, it was still effective, however.

The playback keys mapped naturally to the DVR and were very responsive, but we did find a few things that will probably prevent it from being your one and only remote on the living room table: jumping back to a previous channel was confusingly and unintuitively mapped to the Tab key, and while it was easy to use once we found it, there's no indication of what button does what during setup. We also were unable to find a way to replace certain functions of our cable TV remote, like paging up and down through the guide, so it's possible you'll need to keep that around for the time being. The keyboard itself had a quality,

 responsive feel and we were able to fly though text input when necessary. Unfortunately there's no support at this time for programmable or learning functions, so you're stuck with what it's capable of out of the box. There are no remote apps available currently, so we couldn't test out what control from a phone would be like

from - http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/29/sony-internet-tv-with-google-tv-review/

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

how do you think women divorce

how do you think women divorce
how do you think women divorce
- I'm talking about any women not just a divorceee.
There does seem to be a lot of changes in the recent past- I do know of a friend who didn't want to marry and her parents supported her and she is doing very well - she is well educated, in a hi-fly job. Imagine the same girl without support from parents then her life would be a little difficult. whether educated or not so educated, the minute the society knows a woman is alone, her life is always under speculation.
Also, as a human, we are social animals and we can't live alone - we do need someone to share ourselves with. one has to be toooooooooooooooooo content not to expect or share herself. If one is good within with good thoughts and deeds I'm sure she'll find someone worth to share her life with. divorce isn't the end of the world but it's indeed a new beginning for many

- I guess divorce after kids is something ladies can cope up with .....Just imaginge divorce even before having kids ..
One of my friend got married and had lot of issues with her hubby within few months of her marriage ...now she is living alone and also she doesnt have any sibling ...only father ...who also lives in a town.
We are all worried of her plight after her father ....and she is strong in her decision of not getting married again....she has lost her trust in the marriage relationship...
I dont know how many other women are like her ....

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Most Popular Food in Beijing

Most Popular Food in Beijing
Most Popular Food in Beijing
As a heaven of food, Beijing has so many kinds of snacks which have attracted a lot of people from home and abroad. The most popular food are the following.
As a heaven of food, Beijing has so many kinds of snacks which have attracted a lot of people from home and abroad. The most popular food are the following.
 
Clay Oven Roll (Shaobing)
Shaobing or Huoshao are baked layered flatbread with sesame on top. They are usually made in two flavors: savoury or sweet. According to Mandarin cuisine, Shaobing are served with hot pot in winter.
 
Fried Bread Stick (Youtiao)
Youtiao sometimes called fried bread stick, is a long, golden-brown, deep fried strip of dough in Chinese cuisine and is usually eaten for breakfast. It is also known as (Guozi) in northern China. It is also a popular breakfast food in Myanmar (Burma), where it is called e kya kway.
 
Steamed Bun (Mantou)
Mantou sometimes known as Chinese steamed bun, is a kind of steamed bun originating from China. It is typically served in Chinese cuisine. Made with milled wheat flour, water and leavening agents, they are similar in nutrition and eating qualities to the white bread of the West.
 
Soybean milk
Soybean milk is a healthy alternative to cow's milk. Soybeans are composed of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, fiber, and a powerful array of phytonutrients, and have been known to help reduce blood cholesterol, thereby promoting cardiovascular wellness.
 
Eight Treasures Rice (Ba Bao Fan)
Ba Bao Fan is a traditional Chinese dessert with more than a thousand years of history. This dessert is made in all regions of China with their own local ingredients and recipes; however, all recipes are based upon the ingredients of sticky rice and eight different dried fruits. The most famous Ba Bao Fan recipe is from “Jiang Nan”, a southern area of China.
 
Boiled Dumpling
Jiaozi are believed to bring fortune and good luck to their eaters, perhaps because of their appearance as shoe-shaped gold or silver ingots. There is no doubt that Jiaozi will appear on most tables during any given Spring Festival. Generally, people prepare them before midnight on the last day of the previous year, before eating them after the New Year's bell is sounded
 
New-year’s Hard Rice Cake
This staple food is made of glutinous rice flour and comes in thumb sized nuggets. Its popularity during Spring Festival has come about since it has a homonym, which translates as "getting higher and higher year after year." This preserved food is therefore a must-eat in many parts of China, especially its southern provinces.
 
Full-moon Dumpling (Yuanxiao)
Yuanxiao is a special dumpling in China for the Lantern Festival (the 15th night of the 1st lunar month). It is a "ball" made of glutinous rice flour. As the 15th night of the New Year was later called "Shangyuan" and the "Yuanxiao" festival, so the dumplings came to be known by the name of the festival
 
from - http://news.at0086.com/China-fine-dining/Top-8-Most-Popular-Food-in-Beijing.html

Monday, March 14, 2011

The best food in Vietnam

The best food  in Vietnam

My favorite memory of Vietnam: Pho. It was offered at breakfast at every hotel I stayed at in Hanoi, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue and Saigon, so I enjoyed it every morning. Because I’m not a bacon, eggs or cereal type, it hit the spot.

The further south I went, the stronger the flavor got, even though the basic ingredients — noodles, bean sprouts, herbs and beef or chicken — were pretty much the same. It was the broth that got richer. I’m looking to duplicate what I found here in the Bay Area, so if you have suggestions, please let me know. The best I’ve found so far is at My Father’s Kitchen on Divisidero.
While lots of interesting foods can be found on the streets and in restaurants, here are my favorite dishes, beginning with the fish curry at Cha Ca La Vong in Hanoi (above). The restaurant has been in business more than 110 years. I went there 10 years ago when I was in Vietnam and it hasn’t changed a bit, although the city has considerably. You still walk up the impossibly steep, rickety stairs to get to the dining room. There’s only one dish offered, and that’s the whitefish,
 yellow from turmeric that’s sauteed tableside with scallions and dill tops, and served with a pile of cold rice noodles, peanuts, chiles, herbs, shrimp paste and fish sauce. There are many copycats in Hanoi — one day I tried the version at Cha Ca Thang Long, which was filled with locals, but I found the original was still the best.

In Hue, the fixed price menu at Y Thao Garden includes many elaborate presentations such as tiny crisp spring rolls stuck into pineapples and whole shrimp hanging artistically off the edge of a stemmed glass. Pate is wrapped in tofu skin and studded with green beans and other vegetables.

When it came to Bahn mi, I found Bahn Mi Phuong, a little cart set up opposite the market in Hoi An. The sandwich included gooey pate, fatty pork belly, herbs and what looked like an onion-studded sauce, all stuffed into a baguette with a crisp exterior and a tender interior. It cost the equivalent of about $1.
In Saigon, my friend Bobby Chinn took me to one of his favorite restaurants, Hoang Yen, where I had excellent sweet and sour seafood soup, claypot pork and chives with clams, but my favorite was the shrimp with pumpkin blossoms. The shrimp were fresh and sweet, but the pumpkin blossoms made the dish. They had the texture of wilted spinach and a flavor reminscent of okra, without the slime.

I could go on and list 10 more, but I’m adhering to advice from a good friend, who says five pictures of any vacation are more than enough. However, I will cheat a bit: Tomorrow I’ll share a few of my favorite food scene photos from the streets, rivers and markets of Vietnam.