At a workshop held at the Trinidad and Tobago Manufacturers’ Association, Project Leader, Dr. Beverly-Anne Carter speaks about the project entitled, Language and Competitiveness: Positioning Trinidad and Tobago for Sustainable Development. She also describes its five sub-projects. Her presentation highlights the need for greater awareness of the importance of foreign languages and knowledge of foreign cultures in promoting sustainable, economic development in Trinidad and Tobago.
Project Leader, Dr. Beverly-Anne Carter sets the stage for her presentation by opening with a video produced by the World Economic Forum, which establishes what competitiveness is and how it impacts on policy-making at every level of the society. This presentation is followed by an abridged version of a presentation by Professor Michael E. Porter, Professor at Harvard Business School’s Institute for Strategy and Competitiveness, in which he identifies the stakeholders that should be involved in revitalizing a country’s economy. Finally, Mrs. Indera Sagewan-Ali, Executive Director of the Caribbean Centre for Competitiveness speaks to the role of SMEs in increasing country competitiveness.
Dr. Michele Reis, an Independent Consultant on the Language Audit sub-project, speaks to the social implications of the presence of speakers of languages other than English in Trinidad and Tobago. She describes Trinidad and Tobago as a ‘pays d’acceuil’ meaning that foreigners have always been welcomed here, and yet regrettably the country has not sufficiently tapped into the skills and competencies of its foreign-born residents. She underscores the need for greater quantitative and qualitative studies and/or more strategic data collection practices by the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development.
Mrs. Chen Xi, a Chinese Language Instructor at the Confucius Institute presents the first of six topics, designed to give business persons an insight into culturally appropriate behavior when doing business with Chinese business persons. Her presentation is entitled, Meeting and Making Introductions. She underscores the need for local business persons to learn Chinese Mandarin, given that even though some Chinese-speakers know some English, many do not. She ends her presentation with a short pop-quiz on greetings.
Chinese sub-project Leader, Mrs. He Min, presents the second of six topics, designed to give business persons an insight into culturally appropriate behavior when doing business with Chinese business persons. Her presentation focuses on dining, which is a vital part of building relationships whether for business or social purposes. She identifies cultural nuances related to seating arrangements, toasting and the use of chopsticks. She ends her presentation with some useful phrases on the topic of dining.
Mrs. Chen Xi, a Chinese Language Instructor at the Confucius Institute presents the third of six topics, designed to give business persons an insight into culturally appropriate behavior when doing business with Chinese business persons. Her presentation is entitled, Drinking Etiquette in China. Like dining, drinking is also an important part of forging relationships in the Chinese business setting. She also demonstrates how toasts are made.
Chinese sub-project Leader, Mrs. He Min, presents the fourth of six topics, designed to give business persons an insight into culturally appropriate behavior when doing business with Chinese business persons. Her presentation focuses on presenting tokens. She provides specific guidelines that should be respected when presenting tokens of appreciation to Chinese business persons, for example: the color of giftwrapping paper and the number of items offered. She ends her presentation with some useful phrases on the topic of gift-giving.
Mrs. Chen Xi, a Chinese Language Instructor at the Confucius Institute presents the fifth of six topics, designed to give business persons an insight into culturally appropriate behavior when doing business with Chinese business persons. Her presentation is entitled, Business Negotiation. She invites a representative from Sacha Cosmetics to relate her company’s experience with doing business with Chinese suppliers. Chen Xi introduces the term ‘guanxi’ which is considered key to lasting business relationships and which must be developed over time, thus extending the negotiation phase.
Chinese sub-project Leader, Mrs. He Min, presents the fourth of six topics, designed to give business persons an insight into culturally appropriate behavior when doing business with Chinese business persons. Her presentation focuses on Chinese holidays, which are held in high esteem by Chinese people. She identifies the most important Chinese holidays and recommends a website to verify the dates of the various Chinese holidays, so as to ensure business meetings are not scheduled on those dates. She ends her presentation with some useful phrases on the topic of holidays.
At the end of the workshop entitled, Trading with China: Capitalizing on Language and Cultural Skills to Enhance Company Competitiveness, Project Leader, Dr. Beverly-Anne Carter opens the floor for a Question and Answer session. Questions raised treated with employability, foreign languages and the dissemination of information in the local context.
