You just can't make up stuff this good...

CNN Story

[ June 29, 2005, 07:29 AM: Message edited by: bobby78751 ]

Damned commie-pinko bastards! Can't trust 'em as far as you can spit. I wonder why he didn't speak up...something like hey, that's my ring, where are you going? Get your commie pinko ass back here and give me my ring back, you godless heathon you!

I can just see Putin now, moaning "my precious!!"

Kraft's office issued a statement that Mr Putin had admired the Ring, and Kraft gave it to him as a present.

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In most parts of E Europe, Asia, and Russia included, if someone admires something of yours and you hand it to them, then it is considered a gift. It is a very old, traditional, and very common custom; especially when two people meet for the first time.

It usually obligates the receiver to a large favor or a return of an even greater gift should the receiver loose 'face'.

Mr Putin may have been unprepared to receive a diamond incrusted gold ring worth over a million dollars. It may be a much bigger embarrassement to him personally than we would think it is in our culture.

If Mr Kraft had shown Mr. Putin the ring without handing it to him, there would be no problem or expectation.

The way affairs are conducted in E Europe and Asia. It is a DIFFERENT CULTURE, with DIFFERENT RULES. Your not in Kansas anymore.

I am surprised that this made the news without being run by a cultural expert. This is a non issue except as so far as outlining cultural differences.

Truthfully Americans Businessmen especially are often considered VERY Rude in the rest of the world because US law looks upon the giving of very expensive gifts as bribes. The rest of the world looks upon it as a show of friendship.

Don't knock foreign customs until you've traveled a bit and understand them.

Rob

[ June 30, 2005, 05:00 AM: Message edited by: ITJock ]

IT Jock is quite right about such customs, especially so in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. One would have thought that any business or political leader traveling aboroad would have had some input on cultural/ social customs before leaving the US. This news story will embarress Mr Putin and will not help Mr Kraft either.

When I worked for IBM’s Div 19 we were courting a European company for their technical support business. A large conference was set up. All the IBM participants were called into pre conference and told exactly how to sit, dress, and behave. The entire conference was scripted. Because IBM was trying to get away from the white shirt – solid color tie dress code and project a more youthful image they told the technical staff – including myself to wear IBM Polo shirts and Chino’s or Khakis. The Sr Staff would be wearing sports jackets.

I was not scheduled to go to the conference until the afternoon because I had another client.

Midway through the morning I ran into my heavily perspiring boss running down the corridor and managed to find out that the Europeans had not shown up. The company had elected to send a team from S America where the actual work would be done. None of the S Americans would even sit down to the table, they just stood around drinking coffee and talking. The meeting was going down in FLAMES. None of the S Americans would even start talking about business, they kept shifting the topic.

I hurried back to my office, got my other appointment changed with a quick apology, and quickly changed into a HSM suit, a new white dress shirt and tie and headed for the conference. I walked in, and the atmosphere changed immediately. I got glares from my bosses. The head of the S American team broke off talking to them and came over to me although we had never met.

I introduced myself in Spanish, and we exchanged business cards and a moment of pleasantries while everyone on the S American side headed for the table to the surprise of the IBM team.
I invited the man and his Sr staff to dinner that evening.

I was supposed to sit near the head of the table near my boss and his. Instead, I chose a position near the center, and the head of the S American delegation did the same. The conference got down to business immediately although I didn’t say another word that morning

If we had had some of the IBM Latin America team present on our side they could have told them that the S Americans were waiting for a serious senior person to show up. They defined that culturally as meaning someone who was wearing a suit and tie. No one who was a serious business person would show up in shirt sleeves or a sports jacket! To even remove a jacket and put it on the back of your chair in a business meting would be considered very rude. Even to wear a colored dress shirt would label you as someone who was 'blue collar' in their eyes.

In their culture – at that time - no one in real power would sit at the head of the table in a business conference; instead, they would sit in the middle of the table to allow their subordinates easier access to them.

I passed a note to my boss, who gave me a stare, and almost unbelievingly sick look.

After lunch all the Sr. Members of the team who could were wearing dress shirts and ties with their sports jackets if they hadn’t changed to suits completely.

The conference was successful and we got the business. I got a pat on the back and a thank you from one of the VP’s.

It is ALL cultural context. You have to think outside the box.

Rob

[ June 30, 2005, 10:53 AM: Message edited by: ITJock ]

My Dad was in the foreign service so we traveled around a lot to each posting. All foreign service people and their wives are given the low down on local customs/cultural behaviour before taking up a posting. He always joked about having to explain such things to visting Canadian business men and political delegations. I do rememeber that in the Middle East when a man sits you must never cross your legs because the soles of your feet could be seen by the person sitting opposite you and that this was considered offensive.

Putin quipped: "What I really want is an Eagles Super Bowl ring!" and the crowd laughed and laughed.

Good idea on Kraft's party. You know what happened to the last billionaire that crossed Putin . . .