<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Teacher Ackie]]></title><description><![CDATA[Articles]]></description><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/</link><copyright><![CDATA[Copyright Teacher Ackie]]></copyright><generator>sNews CMS</generator><item><title><![CDATA[Japanese M&amp;A: Beating the Galapagos Syndrome]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  
      


  
  


            
      Thomas the Tank. Engine helps Tomy Co. join other Japanese companies fight the “Galapagos Syndrome” and take off in overseas markets        ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2012 11:54:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/level-c/japanese-ma-beating-the-galapagos-syndrome/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/level-c/japanese-ma-beating-the-galapagos-syndrome/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Chinese Consumers Get &#039;Cool Japan&#039; Exposure]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  
      


  
  


            


BEIJING — In an effort to expand Japan's share of the growing Chinese market, the government is organizing a promotional event in Beijing this week to show off services that exemplify the "Cool Japan" image.    
"This exhibition shows good features of Japan in what can be described as friendliness, cleanliness and 'omotenashi,' or hospitality, as part of Cool Japan," Mitsuyoshi Yanagisawa, a senior vice minister of economy, said at a trade fair.     
"I would like . . . the people in China, to know and experience Japanese services," Yanagisawa told reporters.     
Nineteen Japanese companies and organizations in fields such as tourism, health, transport, education and entertainment have exhibits in the Japan Pavilion at the Beijing International Fair for Trade in Services.     
They include All Nippon Airways Co., the Japan Association of Music Enterprises, Nippon Express Co., the Kansai Economic Federation, an Osaka-based business lobby, and Ukai Co., which operates 11 high-end restaurants in Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture.     
The Japan Pavilion measures about 330 sq. meters, the biggest of all the participating countries. Specials promotional events are scheduled for "Japan Day" on Wednesday.     
At the opening ceremony, Premier Wen Jiabao vowed to increase the opening of the country's service sector, saying China would actively expand imports to bring advanced technology and management experience from abroad.     
"Fostering growth in the service sector is the main direction for China's economic transformation and restructuring, as well as an internal call to improve people's living standards," Wen was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.     
China's service trade has been surging in recent years, with volume totaling $419.1 billion in 2011, up from $66 billion in 2000, according to Xinhua. China ranks fourth in the world in terms of service trade volume.     
Commerce Minister Chen Deming said China is expected to become the world's largest consumer market in 2015.     





    
Adapted from:  
The Japan Times     
      


     Let's Discuss!         



  
  
  
    ]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2012 11:27:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/level-c/chinese-consumers-get-cool-japan-exposure/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/level-c/chinese-consumers-get-cool-japan-exposure/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Man Cooks &amp; Serves Own Genitals ]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  
      


  
  


            



TOKYO — A Japanese artist cooked his own genitals and served them to five paying diners in Tokyo to cover the medical costs, in a bizarre act to raise awareness about sexual minorities.    
Mao Sugiyama had his penis and testicles surgically removed in March and kept them frozen for two months before dishing them out—seasoned and braised—to customers at an event hall on May 13, according to postings on his Twitter account and local police.    
Diners paid 20,000 yen for the plate with a portion of genitals. Pictures published on a website appeared to show the meal came complete with mushrooms and a parsley garnish.    
The painter, who is reportedly 22, said on Twitter the organ had been removed by a physician and certified to be free of infections.    
The meal was prepared under the supervision of a certified cook and diners were required to sign a waiver indemnifying Sugiyama and event organizers.    
In May 18 tweets, the artist said steps were taken so the act met all relevant laws, including a ban on organ sales, processing of medical waste and even food sanitation requirements.    
“I receive questions from some women and men… asking ‘Will there be a next time? Please host it again.’ But there is only one set of male organ,” he tweeted on May 16.    
“Unfortunately, I have no plan for the next time.”    
Sugiyama, who considers himself “asexual,” that is without gender, initially thought about eating the genitals himself, but decided to solicit paying customers to help pay his hospital bills for the surgery.    
In an email to AFP, he confirmed the event had taken place and said it was organized to raise awareness about “sexual minorities, x-gender, asexual people.” He said he was readying to publish an official account of the day.    
Police in Tokyo said they knew of the episode, but added that it had not broken the law as cannibalism was not illegal in Japan.    
“We are aware of the case. There was nothing (criminal) to it. It does not violate any detailed rules. There is nothing to take action about,” an officer at Suginami police station told AFP.    




    
Adapted from:  
Japan Today     
      


     Let's Discuss!         



  
  
  
   
 ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 27 May 2012 17:07:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/news/man-cooks-serves-own-genitals-/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/news/man-cooks-serves-own-genitals-/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[Reinforcing: 5 Tips for Better Business Emails]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  
      


  
  


             


 These days, business emails are an important platform for projecting that image. When you think about 'company image', you probably think in terms of how the company is marketed, the quality of the product or service on offer, and the general perceptions held by existing and potential customers. Rarely is thought given to business writing. It is an established fact that emails are full of errors in English grammar, punctuation and spelling. Yet, many businesses rely heavily on email to communicate with their existing and potential customer base, as well as partners and traders.     

5 Tips for Better Business Emails    
Nowadays, people exchange business emails more than they do business letters.  However, writing business emails leaves room for some questions. For example, should you write in a formal business tone or in a casual tone? If you want to know how to write better business emails, then read these five tips.     

•	1. Provide an Informative and Short Subject Line  
The subject line is important because it alerts your reader as to what your email is about, so make sure you write a short but informative subject line. Never write a long sentence as your subject line; a few words describing your email content or purpose will do. And never leave the subject line blank either.     

•	2. Make Your Email Brief and Get Straight to the Point  
You don’t need to write a novel. Long emails can be cumbersome to read. Just write a brief and concise text explaining your purpose. If you need to elicit a response from your reader, formulate questions that need short answers like “yes” and “no”.     

•	3. Write in a Conversational Tone  
Business emails can have a conversational tone that is less formal than a normal business letter. However, be careful not to make your tone too casual or too familiar. You should also write in proper business English as much as possible.     

•	4. Limit Your Use of Emoticons  
Some business emails may allow the use of emoticons, but this is usually done when the people exchanging emails have already established a business relationship. Generally, you should limit or avoid the use of emoticons because they will make your email look unprofessional. Using emoticons in your cover letter as you apply for a job, for example, is unacceptable.     

•	5. Proofread Your Email and Run a Spell Check and Grammar Check  
Check if your email has grammatical and typographical errors.     



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Exercise: Spot the Not    
  Can you edit this e-mail and make it look formal and correct?       
  
  Joan Doe,   

thanks for your interest in a trading with partnership Ray International. But we are mainly looking for trading partners in europe, so we are unsure about how to make the right fit with your offer at present. U can call me in a month to talk further about possibl deals..     


later,   
robert ceo  
ray International      

  


    
Adapted from:  
WhiteSmoke.com     
      


     Let's Discuss!         



  
  
  
    ]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 27 May 2012 11:52:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/others/reinforcing-5-tips-for-better-business-emails/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/others/reinforcing-5-tips-for-better-business-emails/</guid></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Recession&#039;s Gender Factor]]></title><description><![CDATA[  
  
  
      


  
  


        
  
    
Okabayashi Kazumi, an employee of Toto Ltd., leaves her office in Kitakyushu earlier than her co-workers.  
Okabayashi is working under the company’s program that allows reduced working hours for employees so that they can take care of their children
         

It's the Year of the Dragon and time to face our fears. But Japanese men, it seems, are already faced with plenty. An unemployment "man-cession" could be in the making as recession threatens and the weak economy limps onward. In a new twist on the employment gender gap, Japanese women are now gaining more jobs than men -- but at lower salaries.     
Male-dominated industries such as manufacturing and construction are shrinking as Japan moves from "monozukuri," or making things, to services such as nursing and health care where female employment has been steadily increasing.     
The health-care industry, called the "future of Japan," is now 74 percent female, and will increase its workforce 32 percent from 2010 to 2020. Jobs catering to the country's 29 million seniors over 64 will remain female focused. Women employees are also the gender of choice for the growing education, research, restaurant and real estate sectors.     
Companies like Resona Holdings Inc. are also aiming to hire more women, but at higher paying managerial and executive levels. A research group survey found that some 74 percent of highly qualified women in Japan voluntarily quit their jobs compared to 31 percent in the U.S. and 35 percent in Germany. Childcare is often cited as the reason. Resona wants to keep smart, hard-working women on their payroll as they climb the company ladder along with maternity leave and time for childcare needs.     
This new employment trend, though, is producing a "Catch- 22" of new social trends, for both men and women -- a cycle of co-dependent good and bad results. One example is marriage, now trending on the back burner. With money to spend, women are enjoying the freedoms of single life. As the new family breadwinner, they're spending less. This means fewer consumers spending, making it harder for the world's third-largest economy to pull out of its decade of deflation. For many men, marriage means supporting a family. Without a job, their marriage prospects are slim.     
For both, delaying marriage means delaying starting a family, a sure formula for worsening Japan's falling birthrate. More babies -- more people -- are needed to support Japan's burgeoning social security costs as the population goes grayer.     
Even having a boyfriend or girlfriend is not necessarily a priority. A poll last June by the National Institute of Population and Social Security revealed that 61.4 percent -- a record high -- of unmarried men between 18 and 34 had no girlfriend. This is 9.2 percentage points higher than the poll taken in 2005. A record high also applied to women: 49.5 percent had no boyfriend, up 4.8 percentage points.     
Despite the exorbitant recovery costs, the March 11 disasters will hopefully offer a needed economic boost. Jobs in the construction industry are expected to increase. Will this reverse the man-cession? Japan could certainly use a confidence-building "he-covery." (By Lucy Birmingham)     



    



    
Adapted from:  
Mainichi Japan    
      


     Let's Discuss!         



  
  
  
    ]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 25 May 2012 12:37:00 +0000</pubDate><link>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/level-c/the-recessions-gender-factor/</link><guid>http://tx.english-ch.com/teacher/ackie/level-c/the-recessions-gender-factor/</guid></item></channel></rss>