‘Blue-sky thinking’, ‘pinging emails’ and ‘drilling down’ have been named as some of the most annoying office phrases – according to a new poll.

Jargon clichés such as ‘running something up the flagpole’, ‘thinking outside the box’ and ‘taking something offline’, also featured prominently.

Nearly eight in ten, 79%, of office workers also confessed to using at least two examples of cringeworthy office jargon each day.

A client recently asked me: ‘Is it really necessary to know all that much about traditional values and etiquette and all that in Chinese business culture? After all, China is rapidly modernising and becoming more and more Westernised. We all do business in the same way. Soon the Chinese will be more or less like us.’

The deal for US company Beam has cost the Japanese company $16 billion and will result in the renaming of the company to Beam Suntory, thus creating the world’s third largest high-end spirits maker. Combined total sales of Beam and Suntory’s spirits business in 2013 amounted to $4.6 billion.

The Xbox One will go on sale in the country from September of this year after the lifting of a 14-year ban this past January. Microsoft will launch the console in collaboration with BesTV New Media Co, a subsidiary of Shanghai Media Group.

By offering voice, data and internet services over a single connection, Neotel has established itself as South Africa’s first converged telecommunications network operator. Founded in 2006 and backed up by the financial and technical clout of global communications company Tata Communications, Neotel has since become a major force within the country’s telecommunications sector.

Following reports that General Electric (GE) may wish to acquire Alstom, the maker of TGV high-speed trains, Siemens approach the board of the French company to signal what it called its “willingness to discuss future strategic opportunities".

It has since been reported in French newspapers that Siemens is offering Alstom half of its train-making business and some cash in return for Alstom’s business that makes turbines for the energy industry, according to the report.