Microsoft pays dear for insults through ignorance

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

___

Dave Farber  +1 412 726 9889



...... Forwarded Message .......
From: kenneth_cukier () harvard edu
To: dave () farber net
Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2004 13:27:06 -0400
Subj: Microsoft pays dear for insults through ignorance





Dave,

Hope your having a pleasant summer.

I thought this might interest you, from today's Guardian. A fresh look at
the geopolitics of IT....

Best,

KNC
____________________________

Thursday August 19, 2004
The Guardian

Microsoft pays dear for insults through ignorance
By Paul Brown

Insensitive computer programmers with little knowledge of geography have
cost the giant Microsoft company hundreds of millions of dollars in lost
business and led hapless company employees to be arrested by offended
governments.

The problem has damaged the company's reputation and the "trust rating,"
which is seen as key to keeping the company competitive, has dropped, a
senior Microsoft executive revealed yesterday at the International
Geographers Conference in Glasgow.

In a frank assessment of the company's problems in trying to be a global
player without offending local sensibilities, Tom Edwards, its senior
geopolitical strategist, said employees' lack of basic geography was to
blame.

[snip]

Online at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1286066,00.html


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