East Asia

This week we looked in to the increasingly important region of East Asia, and its countries.
All thought I have always been passionate about this region and especially about China and Japans Culture I was still amazed by all the information that the lecturer team exposed.

This region represents a quarter of the total population of the world and its main constituents are:
• People's Republic of China (Including Hong Kong and Macau)
• Japan
• South Korea (Republic of Korea)
• North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea)
• Republic of China (Taiwan)
• Mongolia
• Siberia, Russia (considered either East Asia or North Asia)
The most predominant languages are Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Mongolian and the religions that the practice are Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion, Shinto, Shamanism and even Christianity.

All of these political entities join together and as a result create a unique, rare but yet exquisite way of life. And even though it's a big mixture, diversity is not so easily perceived, due to the fact that through out history, many of these East Asian societies where part of China and its cultural sphere. That's why these cultures are at the same time similar, unique and diverse.

Although several religions are fallowed and practiced; these societies have a strong tradition and legacy and they are all influenced by Confucianism, Daoism (or Taoism) and Buddhism.

Contrary to what the speakers said, these are not religions; there are philosophies that represent a set of moral and ethical values that people must comply.

Buddhism’s Six Principles of Harmony (amtfweb):
1. Sharing the same viewpoints or goals,
2. Abiding by the same precepts,
3. Living and practicing together harmoniously,
4. Not quarrelling,
5. Experiencing the inner peace and happiness from practicing together harmoniously and
6. Sharing benefits harmoniously.

Based on the suggested lecture of this week: Lee, Jangho, Thomas W. Roehl, & Soonkyoo Choe. 2000. What Makes Management Style Similar and Distinct Across Borders? Growth, Experience and Culture in Korean and Japanese Firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 31(4): 631-52.

The lecturers emphasized the presentation on Japan, Korea. They analyzed both countries management model of this country and compare it.

Letter on I started to think on the proper question to make in order to learn a little bit more and I found myself reading even more shocking information about this economies.

(Rashid 2008)As one looks over the many momentous events that took place in the 20th century, such as the two World Wars and the Cold War, one lesser noted event stands out sharply for its long-term significance. It is the lesson East Asia has taught the World--7% economic growth is possible. And this growth can extend for decades. First Japan, then Taiwan and South Korea, then China, all have shown that 7% is not a one-shot event but a real possibility.
Ten years on from the 1997 financial crisis, East Asia is wealthier, poverty rates are lower and growth is faster than ever before. According to the World Bank, developing economies in East Asia grew by an average of 9.5 per cent in 2006.

Low income countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Mongolia also grew at an impressive 8 to 10 per cent. According to World Bank estimates, in 2006 the number of people in East Asia living on less than US$2 a day fell to around 29 per cent of the population.


And this is only the top of the iceberg, I'm sure that this region will manage to keep surprising the world. (SinoCast 2008) In December of 2008 Leaders of China, Japan and South Korea agree to create a logistics system in East Asia that is seamlessly linked, environmental-friendly, safe and efficient, in a bid to promote the convenient mutual trade and economic growth. The three countries have reached consensus in starting trilateral cooperation in energy, logistics, customs, industries, and finance. The leaders expected a closer partnership would help them fight against the global financial turmoil triggered by the subprime debt crisis in the US.

The three sides will also strengthen the financial dialogue and cooperation among their finance ministries, central banks and other financial regulatory organs to concentrate effort on the stabilization of the regional financial market.


After doing all this readings I started to think on Confucianism and Daoism and realized that perhaps this influences and this "way of live" it's what has made these countries the miracles to watch and the role models to all poor economies and developing countries.

But the answer to this question had to be postponed because of the complexity of the research that had to be made. In juxtaposition I asked my self a simpler question.

Japan is the most evolved, solid economy of this region, what makes this country so different from others, what has this country made in order to become one of the most powerful countries of the world without having the richness of countries like Colombia? Is it some how the influence of Confucianism, Daoism and Buddhism?

Japan was the first country of this region to become a "miracle" without any comparative advantage, and with a lack of territory. After the war, and starting "with nothing", the country rebuild itself into an astonishing country and became to grow in to what is today, a role model for many countries.

(Beech 2008) Until recently, the idea of Japanese values conjured up little more than a picture of workaholic company drones. But throughout the world, the world's second largest economy has suddenly been thrust into the unfamiliar position of exemplar. Developing countries such as Vietnam are studying how Japan refashioned its war-ravaged economy into a technological powerhouse that still maintains its cultural identity. Industrializing nations are looking for ecological guidance from a place that has managed to become an economic giant while still embracing a conservationist ethos. Still others gravitate toward Japan because of its trendy comic books and, not least, for its generous checkbook.

One key principle is an ability to modernize without losing its roots. "The history of Japan in modern times," says Kazuo Ogoura, president of the Japan Foundation, "is to have achieved advanced economic progress and democratic maturity without having abandoned cultural identity and traditions." Environmental protection is another cherished value in a country that is home to the Kyoto Protocol. "The leaders of Japanese industry are aware that climate change is an important issue, so they are very focused on energy efficiency," says Takashi Hongo, a special adviser to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, which provides financing for poorer nations. "We can help developing countries enjoy the good life but to do so in a sustainable way."

Bybliography

China, Japan, South Korea to Smooth Trilateral Logistics. (2008, December 15). SinoCast China Business Daily News. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from ProQuest Asian Business and Reference database. (Document ID: 1612601351).

Hannah Beech. (2008, December). Japan Reaches Out. Time International, 172(21), 30. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from Research Library Core database. (Document ID: 1602001031).

Matthew Rees. (2008, December). Friends or Foes? Review of Finance & Development, 45(4), 51. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1622189741).

Robert Madsen, Richard Katz. (2009). Comparing Crises. Foreign Affairs, 88(3), 159-166. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1688945331).

Salim Rashid. (2009). The Magic of 7% Per Capita Growth. Society, 46(2), 108. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from Research Library Core database. (Document ID: 1679788101).

Tianbo Li and Gillian Owen Moreira (2005). The Influence of Confucianism and Buddhism on Chinese Business: the Case of Aveiro, Portugal. University of Aveiro
Portugal. Retrieved March 22, 2009, from www.immi.se/intercultural/nr19/tianbo

Kejun Xu, Illinois Institute of Technology. The Implications of Confucian and Daoist Values for Multinationals in Intercultural Business Communication

Henry Suen Sai-On Cheung, Reuben Mondejar. Managing ethical behaviour in construction organizations in Asia:How do the teachings of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhismand Globalization influence ethics management?

http://www.amtfweb.org/english/understandhtml/english-artistic.htm

All Images Where Taken from: http://www.shutterstock.com/

Film review: Paraiso Travel

Paraiso Travel talks about Latin Americans illegal migration to the US and throw Mexico. The movie chronicles the difficult and dramatic journey of immigrants as they make their way to America with the hope of reaching the American dream.

Even though the movie evolves around the story of a Colombian young couple, the Colombian director, Simon Brand, captures the traumatic path that Latin American immigrants go throw when swimming across the Rio Grande and walking across the Texas desert to finally get to America, as if it was the "promised land", only to become "mojados".

Mojados is a derogatory term for a person of Hispanic descent who has immigrated illegally to the United States. Commonly referring to Mexicans, although applicable to all Latinos, who have crossed the border illegally, the term originated with those who entered Texas from Mexico by crossing the Rio Grande, presumably by swimming or wading across and getting his or her back wet in the process. (www.answers.com/topic/wetback)

The movie takes place in Colombia and New York; its stars in Medellin with Reina, a teenager that like many others, is obsess with the idea of living the American dream. Reina hopes to find fortune in New York City. Marlon, her boyfriend, who is madly in love with her and entangled in her web of fantasies follows her will to reach their dreamland.

Unfortunately, the young couple doesn't have paper or sufficient money to reach their goal; so "they are forced" to take the horrible migration across Mexico. The journey that is no less than an expedition, where women are raped, men are shot and the main companions are fear, hunger, intimidation and sadness.
When the Colombian couple completes the illegal crossing, they start to experience all the troubles that include being illegal or a mojado, in the United States.

After arriving to the "big city" (NY) they got separated, and Marlon gets lost and looses all track of Reina. Luckily he meets and receives help from other immigrants. Stimulated by the idea of finding his love, goes through a nightmare and has to work in all sorts of thing in order to survive.

Shortly he realizes that he left behind his own dreams and gave up a simple life in Medellin, for a cruel and lonely reality. And that the reward for suffering all the way to America is only the promise of a little money and many long days soaked with sweat.

"Paraiso Travel" shows the harsh struggles Colombian immigrants have to endure as they make their way to the United States. As well as conquering the physical elements some face different problems, as in the case of Marlon. A young Colombian whose love is put to the test when he losses his girlfriend in New York City after a small run in with the police. The movie shows us how a small group of immigrants make their way from Colombia to Texas. The story was interesting and makes you realize the struggles of the immigrant. The movie gets it's point across by showing you the mental anguish of Marlon, a small fish in a big lake. (B. Cárdenas Cinevolver).





(Paraisotravelmovie.com) Adapted from Jorge Franco's acclaimed novel of the same title, PARAISO TRAVEL (which has broken box-office records in Colombia) is the story of Marlon Cruz (Aldemar Correa), a young Colombian man who, motivated by his girlfriend Reina (Angélica Blandón) leaves his comfortable life in Medellín and flees with her through Guatemala and Mexico, across the borders, illegally into the United States. Marlon's journey, which takes him through seedy strip clubs, dance halls, homeless hostels, and the streets of Jackson Heights ultimately takes him to a place he could not have predicted. Directed by Simon Brand with a screenplay by Jorge Franco and Juan Rendón, PARAISO TRAVEL also stars John Leguizamo, Margarita Rosa de Francisco, and Ana de la Reguera.

Paraíso Travel takes place in Colombia and New York and is spoken in Spanish, with English subtitles.
Paraiso Travel transcends a micro-understanding of Colombian immigration and assimilation into the United States and tells a larger human story of Latin American identity, all the while staying true to specific Colombian characteristics. Brand addresses why the film is not only for the Colombian and Latin public but for the American and European public as well, he says it is "because of its quality in every sense. A film like Paraíso Travel is relevant everywhere, above all in the United States, where in New York alone there are over a million Colombians and three million Latin people. It is a large community, decisive, and with growing power."

(Padgett 2008) "I wanted to make a film that makes Latin Americans think twice about traveling to the U.S. illegally," says its Colombian-born director, Simon Brand, "but one that also makes Americans think twice about how these people are treated once they get here." He scores on both counts.

The movie is very touching and emotional, but I decided to look to real cases and I found that reality it's not so different from the film, and in some occasions it can be even more crude and terrifying than the movie.

In June 2003, Robert C. Bonner, the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Operation Desert Safeguard, made the following statement: In the past 5 years, more than 2,000 people have died attempting to cross the border between Mexico into the United States. Over 320 people died last year alone. And one of the most treacherous and dangerous areas to cross is the Sonora desert that extends from Mexico's State of Sonora into the State of Arizona, west of Nogales.

To wrap up, I wanted to share some reviews and parts of Tommy Davis, documentary "Mojados: Through the Night" taken from (mojadosmovie.com/press/):

When Tommy Davis told people he wanted to accompany a group of migrants traveling illegally from Mexico into the United States so he could film a documentary, they told him there was no way he could pull it off.

The result is "Mojados: Through the Night," a 65-minute documentary about a group of Mexicans who hope to cross the border to find jobs so they can send money to their families back home.

Guapo nicknamed "Handsome" just wants to use his carpentry skills to export his hand-crafted furniture to the United States. Oso, they call him "The Bear," in his 50s is the oldest of the group traveling illegally to the United States using the money he earns to buy land back in Mexico. Yet, another traveler is Tigre who spends most of his time each year picking vegetables in the US returning home for Christmas with money and gifts for his family. Finally, Viejo also known as "Old Man" decides to make the grueling trip across the Rio Grande and the dangerous desert even though in the past he has resisted due to an injured leg.

Davis tracks the progress of Hansome, The Bear, Tigre, and Old Man, step for step starting in Mexico where four are shown with their impoverished families. The depiction appears to be honest revealing that jobs in Mexico are scarce and those that are available don't provide the opportunities that even the lowest paying jobs offer in America. The risk associated with the walk seems worth the trouble at first, but as the hours and the days pass, we learn quickly why some 2000 people die each year attempting to make the hike.

In shooting Mojados: Through the Night, Davis ate what the four men ate (increasingly green tortillas, while they lasted), drank what they drank (water scavenged from cattle tubs, when they could find it), slept among the cacti, and schlepped 80 pounds of gear.

Nevertheless, he managed to keep his spirits up, at least most of the time.

"At one point, I knew we were walking in a circle, but I didn't have a compass to prove it," Davis recalls. "Finally I just sat down on the ground and told them I needed a break."

"Oso" was the veteran of several trips north, and he made Davis prove his grit by climbing a mountain with him. He also taught Davis the rules of the desert. "You can't take a knife or anything that might be used against you," he explains. "And if anyone gets hurt and can't go on, they're left behind."

"It just shows we have no clue what people will do for a job," Davis says. He recalls meeting a 12-year-old who had made it to Arizona but lost his family in the process. "I asked where he was going, and he said, 'Florida,'" Davis says. "It was 110 degrees that day, and he was ready to just start walking."

Bibliography

Tim Padgett. (2008, March 11). An Honest Look at Illegal Immigration. Time Magazine. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from www.time.com/time/arts/article. (Document ID: 0,8599,1721458,00).

U.S Customs and Border Protection. (2003, June 3). Statement Of Robert C. Bonner Commissioner, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Operation Desert Safeguard. Retrieved March 15, 2009, from www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/commissioner/speeches_statements/archives/2003/jun032003.xml
http://www.paraisotravelmovie.com/

http://www.mojadosmovie.com/press/

http://www.flixster.com/movie/paraiso-travel/reviews/Cinevolver?lsrc=MD-ANON-TP-REV-MORE

An approach to Reality: Expatriates and migrant workers

This week's topic touches one of the most "talked" international issues in our present time and is perhaps, till now, the most "near" topic to our country and reality; Expatriates and Migration Workers.

According to the presenters in charge; Migration is the movement of people from one place in the world to another for the purpose of taking up permanent or semi-permanent residence, usually across a political boundary, and an expatriate, is a person who lives or works outside of his or her own home country on a non-permanent basis.

The phenomenon of Migration is influenced by "Push" or "Pull" factors; these factors are the ones that make this "movement" hard or easy.

In developing countries such as our country, the decision to migrate is most of the times taken based on the ideas and believes of finding a better quality of life, having job opportunities, education, security and other welfare conditions and privileges. But sometimes these migrations are forced because of violence and discrimination on the native country.

Ernest Ravenstein, an English geographer that is widely regarded as the earliest migration theorist, established the principal reasons ("laws") that cause migration. "Laws of Migration" (1889). Other important migration theorist is Oded Stark, he suggests that the opportunity for emigration can have the opposite effect – that is, improve the welfare of those left behind.

It's important to clarify that migration can have both positive and negative consequences on the host country as well as on the mother country.

Internal, External, Emigration, Immigration, Population transfer, Impelled migration, Step Migration, Chain, Return or circular migration and Seasonal movement, are the 10 types of migration and possible movements. Depending on the type of migration people are classify as emigrant, immigrant, refugee, internally displaced person or migration stream.

Due to its growing history and its present magnitude, governments like the United State's government, had to create immigration policies.

Unlike most migrant workers, Expatriates know what to expect in their experience abroad. Expatriates can be classified according to their working setting; 1) Parent Country Nationals: A parent-country national is a person working in a country other than their country of origin. 2) Host Country Nationals: A host-country national is an employee who is a citizen of a country in which an organization's branch or plant is located, but the organization is headquartered in another country. 3) Third Country Nationals: A third country national is an employee who is not a citizen of the home or host countries.

Expatriate failure it not very common, but sometimes it can happens due to a Culture shock.

In addition to the social and political impact that the expatriation and migratory situation has globally, an important economic impact is also held by the expatriates and migrant workers in their home country as well as the host country.

This economic impact is formed by the remittances: Remittances are the transfers of money by immigrants to their home countries. For the native country the impact is a positive one, because the "beneficiaries" (commonly the workers family), spend this money on the national market and increases consumption. The increase of consumption increases the need of companies to produce, which reflects in the need for more labor force. (Fifield & Saleh 2009) Cash transfers to families in the home country help to alleviate poverty, fuel demand for real estate and provide national economies with an additional source of foreign currency.

In the other hand, the foreign country has a money outflow.

At the end of the presentation the team asked; how will the Crisis affect developing countries in the long term? When searching for the answer to this question I read an article of Heba Saleh and Anna Fifield where they wrote; Cash transfers from nationals living abroad that boost regional economies are under threat.

I thought this affirmation while crude was very realistic; the truth is that the financial crisis that began last year in the United States has spread all over the world and has send many developed economies to recession, such as Spain. This recession means fewer jobs for migrants, so following this trend, remittance levels will obviously drop as a result of the financial deceleration.

In this post I aim to answer this question and confirm "the growing threat" by "revealing" some remittances numbers to date and some world economist analysis and government data.

(Schuman 2009) Remittances from overseas workers--small dollops of cash sent home by workers to sustain families--add up to a major source of income for tens of millions of the world's poor. The World Bank estimates remittances to developing countries totaled $305 billion in 2008, triple the amount of development aid provided to poor nations. Remittances, however, are projected to shrink at least 5% this year.

(Business and Finance 2008) Almost 10% of the Philippines' 90 million people work abroad, many having left frustrated by few economic opportunities in their corruption-riddled, impoverished homeland. The country is world's fourth-largest recipient of remittances, after China, India and Mexico.
This vital cash flow could slow, of course, if the global economic outlook continues to deteriorate and Filipino expatriate workers lose their jobs. But for now, the Southeast Asian nation appears well-positioned to ride out the current storm. Unlike some countries that are heavily dependent on remittances, the Philippines' expatriates are more likely to be filling professional roles in the fields of education and health care, which economists see as less vulnerable to layoffs during a recession.

In contrast, the World Bank said in a recent report that the slowing U.S. construction sector, which employs many migrant workers from Central and South America, was cutting the flow of remittances to many of those countries, especially Mexico. Remittances to Mexico, mostly from workers in the U.S., dropped 6.5% in the third quarter from the same period last year.
"Countries whose migrants are employed in cyclically sensitive sectors such as construction may be relatively more vulnerable to downturns," the World Bank said.

(Castillo 2009) The money Mexicans living abroad sent home fell 3 percent in February (2009) compared to the same month last year, the central bank's president said Wednesday. Even so, the drop was less than in January, when remittances were down 12 percent compared to January 2008, Guillermo Ortiz said during a news conference.
Remittances have been dropping for two reasons: the U.S. recession and a crackdown on illegal immigration that has stemmed migrant flows.
Last year was the first time remittances -- Mexico's second-largest foreign income source -- have fallen year-to-year since the bank started tracking the money 13 years ago.

(BBC 2009) Konstantin Romodanovskiy, head of the Federal Migration Service [FMS] of Russia, says that because of the crisis the number of labour migrants has fallen by 13 per cent in the first six months of this year. He described the moving of labour migration to the Far East region as a positive trend. "We have exhausted our four-month quota for migrants by 25 percent, we are using the quota sparingly, in order to provide jobs for our citizens in the time of crisis"

(Kathleen Moore 2008) The global economic downturn is likely to cut the amount of cash sent by millions of migrants worldwide to their families back home, the UN and other agencies have warned, and the impact is likely to be felt keenly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

"A number of our countries -- Tajikistan, Moldova, for example -- have very, very high dependence on remittances," says Pradeep Mitra, the World Bank's chief economist for Europe and Central Asia. "Therefore, as the world economy slows, as we expect it will -- there will be a slowdown in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine -- the poorer countries are going to be hit because the flow of remittances is going to go down."

Finally, here are some enlightening parts and quotes of different persons taken from the article of Anna Fifield and Heba Saleh; Tide of migrant income set to fall:

With one or two exceptions, the Arab countries of the Middle East fall neatly into two categories; those that export hydrocarbons and those that export labour. While the first group now faces the threat of a prolonged period of low oil prices, the second has to grapple with the prospect of a decline in remittance flows from expatriates, whether they work in the wealthier oil-producing parts of the region or elsewhere in the world.

The World Bank expects remittance flows in the Middle East and North Africa to decline by 6.7 per cent in 2009, and to plunge even lower if the global crisis turns out to be worse than expected.

"Remittances are hugely important, not only in terms of gross domestic product, but also in terms of domestic consumption," says Simon Kitchen, economist at EFG-Hermes the private investment bank "Any drop will affect consumption. A remittance from a worker might support five people or more, and a lot of the money sent home is used to consume. If it is invested, it goes into real estate."

"Growth since 2000 has been driven by a new wave of immigrants who went to Europe and the US," says one investment banker. "These are mainly skilled people like engineers and IT specialists. But we are now seeing Moroccan investment bankers considering returning home. Everyday we see resumes sent by them."

"Remittances are important to Jordan because they help narrow the current account deficit," says Farouk Sousa, sovereign ratings director at Standard & Poor's. "The external balance, which is already weak, would be even weaker if it weren't for remittances."

"It is very difficult to assess the impact," says Nassib Ghobril, head of research at Byblos Bank. "But there are indicators that show there will be a decline, such as the slowdown in outflows from the Gulf and the US."

Bibliography

Anna Fifield, Heba Saleh. (2009, January 6). Tide of migrant income set to fall. Financial Times,11. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1622348781).

Business and Finance. (2008, December 8). World News: Manila Banks on Its Expats. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. A.1. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1608410891).

E EDUARDO CASTILLO. (2009, April 2). Money sent back to Mexico falls. Tulsa World,E.4. Retrieved May 2, 2009, from Business Dateline database. (Document ID: 1672416031).

James Hookway. (2008, December 8). World News: Manila Banks on Its Expats. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. A.13. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database. (Document ID: 1608410741).

Kathleen Moore. (2008, November 208).
Financial Crisis Puts Squeeze On Migrants' Remittances. Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty. Retrieved March 12, 2009, from www.rferl.org/content. (Document ID: 1351195)

Less demand for homes, cars means less remittances in 2009. (2009, April 6). The Manila Times. Retrieved May 2, 2009, from Business Dateline database. (Document ID: 1673971781).

Michael Schuman. (2009, April). On the Road Again. Time International, 173(16), 16. Retrieved May 2, 2009, from Research Library Core database. (Document ID: 1683982621).

Number of migrant workers down 13 per cent in Russia - Migration Service. (2009, May). BBC Monitoring Former Soviet Union. Retrieved May 10, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Trade & Industry database. (Document ID: 1707855761).

Penagos, A. M. & Sierra, D. & Peñaranda, S. & Piedrahíta, M.A. 2009. Presentation "Migration and expatriates, An insight outlook" Organization and Cultures Subject, Universidad EAFIT.

Thalif Deen. (20 April). Financial crisis is threatening to claim another casualty :[Source: NoticiasFinancieras]. NoticiasFinancieras. Retrieved May 2, 2009, from NoticiasFinancieras database. (Document ID: 1682300761).

Images where taken from "Google images".

Managing Diversity

This week module was managing diversity.

As we’ve seen last week diversity is the differences that exist within people; these differentiations are due to many facts and affect people’s values, perceptions, attitudes, characters, reactions, and many others.
We then made an exercise of exploring diversity; I explored my workplace and my area of work in both dimensions of diversity.
Although in my work place differences are most of the time easily notices or passed by, making this exercise I realized that they where more differences that the ones I already knew, and I really took a bigger look about the huge tolerance, respect and acceptance that had to have my coworkers in order to have a great environment.
This week we went beyond diversity and read about managing diversity, we made a “zoom” about my perception and conclusion of the exercise.
The Bibliographical reference was Chevrier, Sylvie. 2003. Cross-cultural management in multinational project groups Journal of World Business 38:141-149.
This paper studied 3 different international project groups in order to find the actual practices in managing diversity and be able to create a new and better strategy.
Three dominant strategies that where perceived in these cases, they where used by the leader in an implicit or explicit way.
1. Drawing upon individual tolerance & self control: this strategy is almost like a “no strategy” situation; managers don’t pay attention to the cross culture differences and expect self control, patient and some “obvious” special qualities of their team to “work in peace”.
2. Trial & error processes coupled with personals relationship: in this approach relationship is the key, getting to know and to communicate differently with the co-workers, would make the work easier. Learning what partners like and dislikes can create a better environment in the future.
3. Setting up transnational cultures: in order to join together the parts of the project, managers implement international cultures as a resource, such as professional or corporate culture. National habits are replaced by the habits directed by these cultures.

All thought these strategies are not totally satisfactory for managers the lack of better solution makes them use any type of possible solution. The article proposes a better a new strategy for managing diversity in the most proper way.
According to them there must be a cultural mediator in cross-cultural teams, bases on 2 basic assumptions.

1. Understanding the context of the team members is key to success.
2. Interaction results don’t come naturally.

The strategy is based on studying hypothetical situations in order to create collective solutions that transform in understanding and involvement.


The following questions where proposed by the teacher in order to help us make the proper analysis:
· How diversity is managed within organizations?

I think these answer is part answered by the article cases. However as the document highlights there is a lack of standardized, practical and effective solutions, and although I believe there proposal can be very useful and functional, it requires a lot of time which is not an “available resource” now days. Diversity must be managed, that not a lie, but Managers must create a “diverse friendly” environment within their organization even if the company doesn’t have diversity. Sooner or later that company will have to face globalization and obviously diversity.

In fact I can not assure anything but I will say that 80% of the companies are now facing a big grade of diversity, Chevrier article was written in 2003 and a lot has happened since. Now days rules and regulations demand diversity in companies and the 20% of possibility I left for non diversified companies is actually pretty big.


· What is the future of cultures? Are cultures being homogenized? Or are they falling apart?

Just a decade or so ago, sociologists and best-selling authors such as Benjamin Barber, author of Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and TribalismAre Reshaping the World (Ballantine 1996), were concerned about a homogenization of global culture dominated by the United States and its powerful entertainment industry. It was feared that Hollywood and Baywatch were taking over the global culture.
It turns out that local cultures are more robust than was thought. People are quite capable of taking the aspects of global culture they like, ignoring the rest, and holding tight to what they love about their native cultures. (Hines, October 2008)


Over the years these questions have been asked many times by many people and we still have different cultures and not a homogenized one. The constant interrogation about the future of culture owns its origin to globalization and technology. But even though these questions have many different answers the context is completely different. A decade ago globalization was not “the monster” that is today and technology didn’t believe it could reach the levels of today.

I think these questions are very subjective and all thought my answer it’s based on some data it’s constructed on my own experience.

Today the world is the total market of the companies, globalization and technology connects us every day a little more. Consumers are interacting with each other even if they don’t speak the same language or live in the same region. The flow of information is increasing in an exponential way.

People find their “equals” online; now it’s easy to find people with the same likes and dislikes and necessities to buy. It’s not rare to enter a blog and ask if someone has use, or uses a product, or talk about music, hobbies, etc. “the sky is the limit” and people can have “personal advisors” all over the world for anything they want, and they recommend anything to anyone.

Fashion trends are now global trends, products can be found in any place, any state, and any country. Consumers are more demanding and are becoming more “intelligent”, more rational. The same is happening with culture; people see different traditions, values and rituals every day, whether is in TV, Internet, in schools, Universities or workplace.

Since the “global world” started, nations have been able to keep their culture, because people took aspects of other cultures they like, but never took all of them, so till today, they have only modified their culture, but never homogenized it; till today we could positively say that cultures have evolved.

But then again, globalization and technology are growing every day, so does it mean that the future of these evolved cultures is hazy and unclear?

In the article Global Trends in Culture, Infrastructure, and Values. Andy Hines, shares some illustrating data: Just 19% of the global population is on the Internet, and half the world’s population has mobile phones… Add cultural multipolarity to media spread, and the result is cultural flow. In the coming years, expect to see new ideas, including products and services, coming from practically every corner of the planet. An early indicator may be the growing numbers of teens and young adults who think of themselves as global or planetary citizens. With so many communications options open to Gen Y, youths of today are making online friends around the world. My colleagues and I discovered this to be true when we conducted a study for MTV about the “Future of Happiness” with the Associated Press (AP). We came across an interesting quote from one of the five dozen 12- to 24-year-olds we interviewed, who said: “I’ve never met my best friend.” That is, the young Gen Yer had never met face-to-face with the person he has been communicating with for years by e-mail. Additionally, a survey conducted by AP of 1,280 youths found that 25% of Gen Yers surveyed made no distinction between online friends and the ones they saw every day. Although they reported that they do not see technology as a replacement for face to-face contact, they certainly see the Internet as means to access a greater range of friends and ideas.

I know that these figures are very overwhelming and can be a little shocking, but for me they show a reality that will become bigger but that as a result will only generate acceleration on the cultural flow. The fact that we Gen Yers consider our selves citizens of the world does not mean we will have the same culture.
Culture has many factors of influence besides interactions and connectivity. Factors like demography, natural resources, economic capacity and many more are key pillars of cultures. Its right to think that cultures will be quite similar in some aspects but the probability of having a single culture is almost cero.
Not even the European Union has managed to have a homogenized culture, it’s not easy to eliminate a history that weights that much.

Bibliography
Chevrier, Sylvie. 2003. Cross-cultural management in multinational project groups Journal of World Business 38:141-149.

Quoted Articles
Hines, A. (October 2008). Global Trends in Culture, Infrastructure, and Values. The Futurist , 18-24.

DIVERSITY: exploring my workplace and my working area

Exploring diversity on My Work

What are the similarities and differences between the two groups?
Basically the 2 groups are very similar, diversity is in the two groups and the principles and the values are very much alike. The difference is mostly in the fact that the marketing area is more connected with each other. Areas like sales or finances are very independent with their work and have only result reviews. Unlike Marketing that is always in touch not only within them but with the whole company.
P&G makes activities for all the company like the Christmas party, the beginning year party (our fiscal year stars in July) like any other company, but the market team has special activities only for them and much more than the average of the rest of the company. The pour pose of this marketing activities is to strengthen relationships among marketers and emphasize and create a bigger awareness of their roles interdependency.
The structure of marketing is mores horizontal; in other areas the structure is very vertical.In addition marketing has a lot of trainings unlike the company.

How does the degree of diversity in the workplace affect your learning & working experience?
having different points of view allows me to search always for new ideas, new solutions, forces me to work at peak and give a 100% all the time.
Dealing with different cultures can be difficult at first but then you learn that not everything means the same, that reactions are different, that believes and thought can interact and fusion to obtain better and more optimal ideas and solutions.
Tolerance, self control and acceptance are very important as well as caring to learn about others.

How does the degree of diversity in your area affect the work experience, and extracurricular activities? What are the advantages and disadvantages?
Marketing works as a natural group because they need to be constantly communicated, we are divided in MOTs, witch are responsible of an specific category. This MOTs are multifunctional teams that are composed by marketers (the number depends on the number of brands in the category), one contact of planning, supply and logistics and one contact of the sales area. The leader of each group is a marketer to.
Being part of this group gives me the opportunity of listening to different point of view, different forms of thinking, communicating, different styles, work habits, and many more, this complexity gives me the opportunity to improve, learn and become more competitive. In the extracurricular activities the marketing area is very united and likes to go out all the time, we make plans to eat, party and have a good time.
a very important advantages is that people from outside or new are easily adjust to de company, and I Don’t think there are disadvantages because even though some time different point are confronted, this generates debates and allows better results.

What could be done in terms of diversity to enrich your work experience?
I think that in terms of diversity my experience has been more than fulfilling.

Bibliography:
CULTURAL METAPHORS: APPLICATIONS AND EXERCISES by Martin J. Gannon
Images where taken from:
http://www.gettyimages.com
http://www.shutterstock.com
http://www.istockphoto.com

2nd Week: The Corporation movie Anlysis

WE HAVE CREATED A MONSTER!

The corporations is an awards winning Canadian documentary that talks, analyses and evaluates the evolution of The Corporation and evaluates its impacts in society.
The movie attributes the condition of The Modern Corporation as a dominant institution to the given status of legal person. Thanks to this legal decision Corporations have been gaining rights that where in the past rights only for human beings, for natural persons.
Following this idea the movie makes a challenging question that will resume the nature of this study; If corporations are legally human what kind of people are they?.
Using psychological criteria, such as the manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) the movie analyses the behavior of the corporation, it evaluates it, through various cases studies, like a specialist would analyze the mental health and conduct of a person.
The cases that are studied easily fill all the symptoms of a diagnosed psychopath that shows the corporation as a irresponsible, out of control, heartless, antisocial, dishonest, person with out any conscience at all. From this moment on the movie is an illustration of the corporation as a threat for our future and our society. In the end there are some solutions and some examples about what people should do to stop this destructive monster, this psychopath.
All thought the movie has good points, convincing arguments and “puts in evidence” some actions of the corporations that are some times forgotten or overlooked, it was also “hard to swallow” for me and not that quite convincing or revealing. And I think its more sensationalist than enlightening.
Unlike Frankenstein, The Corporation was built by men in a rational way; The Corporation was not a mistake, not an experiment. The rights the corporation obtained where given only by men, by the legal system that men created.
“The Corporation” is a person, is a legal person because our legal system defines it as one, but in fact is not a natural person; it’s a group of natural or juridical persons that have legal rights. Corporations can not be analyzed as a person, it has to be analyses as a business, as a business community.
Corporations are legal persons--they have legal rights and responsibilities and can sue and be sued… Corporations are artificial or nonnatural because they are the creations of the law.[1]

At the beginning of the movie Monks[2] says “A corporation is an externalizing machine in the same way that a shark is a killing machine. Each one is designed in a very efficient way, to accomplish particular objectives. In the achievement of those objectives, there isn’t any question of malevolence or of will, the enterprise has within it, and the shark has within it, those characteristics that enable it to do that for which it was designed” then again the one that design this machine, was men, and what are or witch are the characteristics that The Corporation has with in? Isn’t again man? Man are inside, within, the corporation and are the forces, the characteristics that control this externalizing machine, men are the ones that design these machine with some specific objectives, and they are not precisely the objectives of “The Corporation” they are the objectives of the men in the corporation.

It’s true that the organization has a personality, but this personality is created by the people within the Corporation. The Corporation does not have like any other person intelligence and a will, The Corporations acts are reduce to the decisions that are made by the stakeholders, the managers, and so on. The Corporations personality is only a reflection, a projected image of the people than manage it, control it and work inside it.
Why aren´t any strike toward the CEO of a corporation? Why, he is the one that controls the company. in order to continue this idea I have to clarify my self and say that I agree in this one with Gibara, when he says that it’s a thought decision for the CEO, the truth is its not only his decision, its also the stakeholders decision. As I said I agree with him in this part, but I don’t agree with Chomsky when he says that an individual is a monster in their institutional life because the company is a monster but in real life he is actually a caring person. What is he a moppet? So he is saying that he is not himself at work? That he is controlled by the monster where he works? Well excuse me, but I think that is a bunch of lies. If your mother and father died because of cigarettes, and you hate them would you work in a tobacco company? The CEO takes this decisions because he is incapable or he dose not what to argue about it. Maybe if we put some ethical guy that cares about the people we could make some change. Companies like Google Inc have shown that they do care about the society and the take good care of the employees in fact they have the 20/5 policy, if 20% of the users need a function they leave it and if 5% need it, they leave it in advanced functions, and in addition the company has the biggest corporative panel. So you see, the owners of this company are “good” people, so the company is a “good” legal person, a “good” corporation.
The corporation was created in the image and likeness of man, we are actually the Gods of the Modern Corporation, we are the creator, and we are inside our creation, witch we continuously modify towards our needs. And even if I force my self to see the corporation as a person then I would have to disagree again with Monk; The Corporation seen as a person it’s not different than us, it’s actually the same.

It is generally accepted that people help others because ultimately it benefits them in some way. Research has shown two main classes of egoistic behavior for helping: reward-seeking (such as gaining social approval and punishment-avoiding (we don’t want to feel guilty or generate negative feeling in others).[3]

Monks asks some questions while saying that the corporation is not like us, he asks; to whom do these companies owe loyalty? What does loyalty mean? And the answer to the first is simple, to them selves. They are as selfish as we are, as all man kind is. To answer the second I will base myself in the same argument that all persons are selfish, and I will first ask and answer this; when are men loyal, and in those moments, to whom are they loyal? Men are loyal when they need something and they are loyal to the person that helps them reach this goal. So, what does loyalty mean? It means you backing up some one no meter what in bad times as in good times, but then again for men is backing up some one as long as it benefits them.



[1] http://legaltheorylexicon.blogspot.com/2004/03/legal-theory-lexicon-027.html
[2] Robert Monks CEO LENS; Founder, Institutional Shareholder “Corporate governance is who is responsible for running the company, how do they function and to whom they are accountable."
[3] http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index=0&did=1625861051&SrchMode=1&sid=3&Fmt=6&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1233511916&clientId=65927