Why do cultures clash? Culture clashes occur when we judge the behaviour of a person from another culture using our own values. For example, a British approach to time may be that there is never enough and so we use it carefully and make sure we don't waste it. Another culture may see time as something they don't need to control so strictly and see a flexible response to things as more useful. These two different approaches can quickly lead to clashes in a business setting.

In Israel's capital yesterday, Mitt Romney "added one more flat note to the image of the Republican presidential hopeful's gaffe-prone international foray," the Christian Science Monitor claims. In the New York Times account, Romney "offended Palestinian leaders . . ., thrusting himself again into a volatile issue while on his high-profile overseas trip."

Anyone with doubts about the importance of workplace culture only had to read Greg Smith's stinging resignation letter to Goldman Sachs to be reminded, in quite a visceral way, of the critical role it plays.

There is little doubt that, in a considerably short period of time, the Internet has grown enormously in both its applications and number of users.

Protests against an American-made online video mocking the Prophet Muhammad have sparked discussions about free speech. Guest host Steve Roberts and his guests discuss clashing cultural norms and efforts to define and regulate hate speech across the globe.

Because of the internet, clashes between the sensibilities of different societies will only increase. Offended parties will press publishers to keep offensive communications off the network. However, if people only publish what's acceptable to most everyone in the world, then the internet will be a far less effective tool for social and political change than it might otherwise be.

An old attitude that makes it difficult to create harmony between the old generations and the new is the behavior of more experienced users towards `newbies' on the net. In the past, one could expect other users to be somewhat familiar with computing environment. People who asked too many `stupid' questions were ostracized and `flamed.' Now the net must handle a gigantic influx of users with less computer experience, who will ask thousands of questions in their exploration of the obscure operations of the Internet.

In these cultural clashes, advertisers compare the Internet to magazines and newspapers (where most people expect ads) while Internet diehards compare the Internet to telephones and interpersonal conversations (where ads would be considered intrusive). In fact, Internet areas such as Usenet are areas of two-way communication where, unlike newspapers and magazines, anyone can post messages and contribute equally to the content. Yet, unlike telephone conversations, these areas are disseminated widely, which is what attracts those interested in advertising