The Washing Machine That Ate My Sari: Mistakes in Cross-Cultural Design is a fascinating article about making cross-culturally sensitive products for the Indian market. The title refers to how the Whirlpool company's introduction of the World Washer into India proved to be a financial disaster, because a millimeter gap between the washer's agitator and its drum ended up shredding most traditional Indian clothing. You can also read about how the Indian preference for warm milk at breakfast turned Kellogg's corn flakes into a big flop in India.
posted by jonp72 on Jan 7, 2009 - 43 comments

Ireland rated the most globalized country in the world. After calculating a globalization index that measures foreign travel, foreign investment, international political engagement, and Internet usage, Foreign Policy magazine declared Ireland the most global nation in the world, primarily due to the developing software industry in that country. The findings also show that Saudi Arabia had the greatest decrease in the 2002-2003 globalization rankings than any other country on the index. If Saudi Arabia is as closed off from the rest of the world as this index suggests, what does this suggest about the current "war on terrorism"?
posted by jonp72 on Jan 10, 2003 - 6 comments