Divided by a Common Language

"England and America are two countries divided by a common language."

Nobody is really quite sure who said this.  Some say it was Winston Churchill, others attribute it to Oscar Wilde.  Most sources I've found give George Bernard Shaw credit, though there's no written documentation of Shaw's having said this.  But, he could have.

While looking this morning for background material on Egypt (which will be part 3 of the CIVETS series), I found an article on the BBC entitled "Britishisms and the Britishisation of American English."  That ended up as a lost hour......

One of the points of particular interest in this article is that, when Americans (USAians ?) use specific Britishisms ((such as "colour" for "color" or "centre" for "center"), that they don't come across as sophisticated, just pretentious.

Picture from Memphis Flyer


The BBC article linked to this page (Not One-Off Britishisms).  I thought I'd read the first few entries, but got totally sucked in.  The author here also skewers the pretentiousness of some US uses of British idioms, but makes an additional point, which is that language in the US is enriched by the addition of British words and phrases for which there is no specific American equivalent.  One I am particularly fond of is the verb "to vet," meaning "to look into," with the implications of determining a person's suitability for a position and of digging for the dirt before the opposition can do so.

Example #1
Example #2

Then, there's my new favourite British news source, The Guardian.  One of their columnists decided to tackle the subject of British English vs. US English. The article is interesting, but the comments are even better.  Some people take their language very seriously.  Other commenters drifted down the byways of Spanish Spanish vs. Cuban Spanish.....

Then, just to make things Even More Complicated, remember that it's not just US English and British English.

• "Hinglish: Not same, very different" (English with a Hindi flavour)
• "G' Day mate: A guide to Australian language" (from a British source)
• "South African English" (Bring on the  vuvuzelas.  And, for evidence that there are people with entirely too much time on their hands.... )

This is enough.

India has a new symbol for the rupee. Where do other currency symbols, like the dollar sign, come from? - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

India has a new symbol for the rupee. Where do other currency symbols, like the dollar sign, come from? - By Christopher Beam - Slate Magazine

Here's what it will look like.

Another indicator, if we needed one, where the world's economic center is moving to.

Of course, this means other folks will want a dedicated symbol:

Ukranian Hrvnia
Kazakh Tenge

Even more (see p. 3)

Why Skilled Immigrants Are Leaving the U.S.

Immigration, legal or illegal, has been a political hot button in recent years. Now, it seems, many immigrants are returning home -- unfortunately, these folks are the people that the US needs to keep.

There's no question but that innovation is the key to creating and sustaining competitive advantage, whether its on the level of the individual, the organization and the country (and if this doesn't compute, flip back in your notes to Michael Porter). What appears, though, to be happening, as described in this article, is that highly skilled individuals, often from India and China, are returning home and taking their skills with them. The article puts it quite simply:

The U.S. is no longer the only land of opportunity. If we don't want the immigrants who have fueled our innovation and economic growth, they now have options elsewhere.

So, where does this leave the US economy. Well, again, I think it's pretty simple. People such as:

• Vinod Khosla (one of the founders of Sun Microsystems)
• Arun Netravali (Bell Labs and Lucent)
• C.K Prahalad (Distingiushed Professor of Management at the University of Michigan)
• Roger Y. Tsien (2008 Nobel Prize winner in Chemistry and professor at the University of California - San Diego)

aren't the people that we need to pack up and leave the US.

Carrefour to Enter India (edited to add stuff)

Carrefour is looking to enter the Indian market:

Moneycontrol India :: News :: Carrefour to enter India soon :: :: Business :: Carrefour,Kamal Nath,Wadia,Britannia,Danone,WalMart,Bharti

This may be the deciding point for WalMart -- can they really make it in the international market. Of course, it's not only Carrefour they have to worry about; British chain Tesco is also planning on entering the Indian market.

Here's a big problem, though, for all of the Western chains. India has several big retail chains already. Also, distribution channels in India are nor the same. There seems to be much more reliance on smaller neighborhood / village stores and street vendors, something which the Indian chains seem to be able to accomodate. And, Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries Limited has no plans to roll over and play dead !

A second issue, and one that could keep all of these companies out, is the legal / political climate. Basically, India isn't very welcoming to foreign direct investment, despite 15 years of efforts by some (but not all) Indian political groups to make foreign investors welcome. Walmart isn't giving up, though, and they may be able to bring political pressure to bear from the US government.

Added:

Lejoyi has an interesting angle here.....(as well as an extra credit point)

As we talked about with culture, there definitely does seem to be an Islamic backlash against what's perceived as the encroachment of Western secular values -- Mecca Cola, the Islamic Barbie, and any number of retailers of modest clothing styled for Western sensibilities.

And as for WalMart [and we'll talk more about this when we get to marketing], they just don't seem to have really "gotten it" when they've gone international. Especially in Germany, it was failing to understand cultural differences that sunk them.

Out of curiosity, I googled WalMart and a handful of major Islamic countries. I did come up with a recent rumor that WalMart is planning on entering Malaysia. They're also beginning to establish ties with a lot of Turkish manufacturing firms. I'd think that Turkey would be a good place for Walmart to expand their retail presence, a thought I found some confirmation for (though Carrefour has been in Turkey since 1993, with 539 stores, so maybe it isn't such a good idea...).

As for India.....

While there is a significant Muslim minority in India (13.4%), it's going to be Hindu values and Indian customs that WalMart will have trouble with. For an example of a Western company having some success in India, see McDonald's, oddly enough.

China and Oil

Ok. The last question I asked you Monday night was this -- where is China going to get the oil needed to fuel (so to speak) its economic growth? They don't produce it themselves. There's oil in Iraq, there's oil in North Central Asia. But, there's lots of folks who want this oil -- the US and Europe, for one; India is also in the market.

China and India Vie for Kazakhstan Oil (8/16)
China Ups the Ante in Its Bid for Oil (8/22)
Uncertain Saudi Supplies Hold Key to China (8/23)

So, is everything gloom-and-doom? Not necessarily. One of the world's 5 most populous countries (China, India, Brazil, and the US being the others) has found an alternative.

Homegrown Fuel Supply Helps Brazil Breathe Easy (6/15)

Your thoughts ??????