Boorishness has a familiar ring



We've all been there, stuck in a meeting with someone who spends more time tapping on their BlackBerry than listening to what is going on.

Is that the sign of a busy professional or a disrespectful boor who should know better?

The answer is not always clear-cut, but what is not in doubt is a growing backlash against the ubiquity of BlackBerrys and other communication devices.

"It is a very, very real problem," says Roger Brown, a consultant with Borderless Business, a consultancy based in Abu Dhabi. "This is going to get even worse, as phones keep getting smaller."

One survey released last week found that 19 per cent of adults in the US admit to poor mobile phone etiquette, but do not change their behaviour because everyone else is doing it. At the same time, more than 90 per cent agree that people should practice better etiquette while using a mobile phone in public areas.

"Smartphones, tablets and other mobile devices are really still in their infancy, so it's no surprise that people still struggle with how to best integrate these devices into their lives," says Genevieve Bell, the head of interaction and experience research of Intel Labs, part of Intel, which commissioned the survey.

This is hardly a US phenomenon, even if 65 per cent of adult Americans admitted in a separate survey that they sleep with a mobile in their bed or next to it. Experts in the Gulf, where consumers buy a mobile phone every 18 months, also share concerns about the lack of phone etiquette, especially in business circles.

Gloria Starr, an image, etiquette and communication coach who has consulted in the UAE and throughout the Middle East, recalled meeting a property agent who answered the phone four times during a conference. This is unacceptable in any profession.

"I walked away and selected another agent to deal with," she says. "Being a business person, I always want to respond to my phone calls in a timely fashion, but I always focus on the person in front of me as they are my highest priority."

So what is a busy person to do when their pocket starts buzzing with a call, text or e-mail just beckoning to be answered?

Experts say that while showing off your ability to multitask by sitting in a meeting and simultaneously thumbing away on tiny keys might impress some, it can certainly alienate others. Be especially careful with ringtones that may seem humorous to you but reveal an affinity for, say, bad bubblegum pop. "Put your phone on vibrate," Ms Starr recommends.

The rules are slightly more lax for in-house meetings and those with clients. For the latter, it pays to be stricter about checking e-mails and even more so about taking calls.

And the typing under the table trick? It rarely works. If the meeting has started and you are awaiting information that is relevant or a display lights up with the name of your baby's nanny, then by all means respond, experts say.

A quick explanation to the others that the call is important goes a long way to preventing feathers being ruffled.

Favourite things

Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery

Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount

University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China

Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai

Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China

Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs

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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE

When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.

'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap​​​​​​​
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal​​​​​​​
Rating: 3.5/5

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Which products are to be taxed?

To be taxed:

Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category

Not taxed

Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.

Products excluded from the ‘sweetened drink’ category would contain at least 75 per cent milk in a ready-to-drink form or as a milk substitute, baby formula, follow-up formula or baby food, beverages consumed for medicinal use and special dietary needs determined as per GCC Standardisation Organisation rules

Usain Bolt's World Championships record

2007 Osaka

200m Silver

4x100m relay Silver

 

2009 Berlin

100m Gold

200m Gold

4x100m relay Gold

 

2011 Daegu

100m Disqualified in final for false start

200m Gold

4x100m relay Gold

 

2013 Moscow

100m Gold

200m Gold

4x100m relay Gold

 

2015 Beijing

100m Gold

200m Gold

4x100m relay Gold

 

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
SQUADS

India
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma (vice-captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Mahendra Singh Dhoni (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shardul Thakur

New Zealand
Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, George Worker, Glenn Phillips, Matt Henry, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Adam Milne, Trent Boult