Evaluating Intercultural Behavior(Post #4)

This incident happened a few years ago when I was having lunch with my friends Siti and Wendy. Both Siti and Wendy bought nasi lemak while I decided to order minced pork noodles. As there was a long queue for the noodles, both Siti and Wendy had started eating by the time I came back. Just then, Wendy commented that the noodles looked delicious and used her fork to taste some of the minced pork.

Upon seeing what Wendy had done, Siti was furious and reprimanded Wendy for being disrespectful of her culture. Siti pointed out that Wendy had contaminated the utensil from the Malay stall with pork which is strictly forbidden under the Islamic law. Realising her mistake, Wendy apologized and promised to be more sensitive in future.

Food is a tangible aspect of culture. In the case for Muslims, they have to abstain from food like pork. Many a times, we overlooked some cultural differences because we fail to put ourselves in others’ shoes. If Wendy had understood the importance of Islamic dietary law to the Muslims, such conflict would not have occurred. Hence, it dawned on me the need to be sensitive to other cultures even if we do not travel abroad as the differences exist in everyday life. Through empathy and understanding of cultural differences, we would be able to communicate better with people of different cultures, thereby creating a vibrant cosmopolitan society.

Business Correspondence Critique (Post #3)

Here is a letter that I had received from an insurance company which aimed at promoting a new package.

Lee Jia Hao
BLK550 #12-345
Ang Mo Kio Ave 6
Singapore 123456

Dear Valued Customer

Thank you for your strong support over the years. As Singapore’s largest local insurer, we at XXX Company truly care and understand your needs.

1.In view of the recent spate of dengue cases, house break-ins and residential fire incidents, we are pleased to extend an irresistible offer specially for you and your loved ones, the Smart Saver Package.

2.Our Smart Saver Package consists of 3 innovative plans:
a) Personal Accident + Infectious Diseases (PA+ID) Plan
b) Enhanced Home Insurance Plan

3. The PA+ID plan is specially designed to cover all forms of accident with the added advantage of protection against infectious diseases such as Dengue fever, Bird flu, Hand, foot & mouth disease, etc.

4.Our Enhanced Home Insurance offers the most comprehensive range of benefits in the market to ensure that your precious home, valuables and contents are fully covered against common perils.

5. Sign up for any 2 or more policies (any combination of insurance plan is allowed) now to enjoy great savings in addition to 15% discount when you take up our 3-year plans. On top of that, stand a chance to win a trip to California, Greece or Japan when you sign up now!

Don’t miss this Super Offer…

Find out how Smart Saver can help you enjoy these benefits and save on your insurance premiums at the same time! Simply call 6123 3456 or email us at xyz@smartsaver.com for a quote today!

Be a Smart Saver Now!

Yours Faithfully


Erika Ho
Head, Property & Casualty Department

In my opinion, this is a well-written business letter, which had met almost all of the 7Cs in writing.

1. Courtesy
By starting off the letter with ‘Valued Customer’, the letter is set in an appropriate tone and courteous way. Thanking and assuring the customer that his needs are cared for exemplifies the You-Attitude, which makes the customer feel valued and important.

2. Correctness
Formal English language and good grammar is used.

3. Conciseness
The letter is quite concise with a main point in each paragraph.

4. Clarity
It is easy to understand the letter as the ideas are expressed clearly. The first paragraph highlighted the need for this new package, then the 3 plans are introduced followed by a brief description of each plan. Finally, the last part entices the customer to sign up by emphasizing on attractive rewards and using short phrases like ‘Don’t miss this Super Offer…’ and ‘Be a Smart Saver Now!’.

5. Coherence and Cohesion
Enumeration is used which helps the reader gather the messages easily. Otherwise, conjunctions can be added to signify a new idea.

6. Concreteness
Under point 5, destinations of the holiday trips are stated which makes the prizes to be won more credible.

7. Completeness
Some contact details are given for customers to make enquiries. Then the letter ends off well with a reminder for the customer to sign up for the offer.

Feel free to share your ideas on this letter or my comments. Thank you =)