Here is also a video that shows in a funny way how any kind of organization need to learn and sometimes relearned to become better and achieve all the goals.
Video: “Organizational learning group project --- Learn, Unlearn, Relearn” taken from:
WHAT WOULD BE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CROSS CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS AND ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING STRATEGIES?
As we have seen before, cross cultural environments is a very important aspect for any company, because they represent the diverse forms of viewing the different aspects of life according to the culture or place where it is located.
According to the organizational learning strategies, it is important for organizations to collect new information from all around the world (cross cultural environments) to transfer it into action and be able to succeed by adapting their selves accordingly to the place where they want to enter, because competence is nowadays so strong that the company who stays in the same point, without learning or adapting from the market, will probably disappear.
The big conclusion for all of the above, is at the end, the answer to the question, an organization that wants to compete and wants to be successful in the market, needs to think all the time in the different points of view and differences among people so they can obtain more information from all of them to be able to create new learning and adapt to all the possible changes and markets.
How not to be sure that the relationship between those two topics represents the capacity of the organization to survive or not in the market, we cannot forget that the entire life is a process of learning and change, we should be able to see our past and get information from it, to live our present and build our future.
HOW DO ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERS SHOULD BEHAVE IN CROSS CULTURAL ENVIRONMENTS?
Because leaders are the people in charge of the organization, are humans that have some kind of power to be recognized by others, they should always know that cultural differences are very important so they should act like diplomats to be able to interact with people from different parts of the world and still have the capacity of being recognized for them as leaders to guide them in the correct way.
Here I found a good video of how important is now to teach kids that they are leaders, that each person can be a leader no matter the culture, color, appearance. Etc.
It is important also to know that even though there are leaders all around the world, they also have different cultures, so it is necessary to accept the differences between each other and learn from them to be able to continue being leaders no matter the place, situation, followers and so on.
HOW CAN MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS INCULCATE ETHICAL CORE VALUES THROUGHOUT THEIR ORGANIZATION?
As I already posted in the values topic, this kind of ways are the ones used by the MNC’s to inculcate to its workers the core values of the enterprise. They also use some ways as corporate parties for the employees, new year’s reunions, establishing a kind of “club” for the employees with some gifts as gym, restaurants and so on where all the workers can interact and recognized themselves as part of that company and as followers of those values created on the interaction spaces.
To understand an excellent way to inculcate ethical core values, here is a video from one of the most important and bigger corporations in the world “GOOGLE”and how the employees know its core values without even knowing that Google game them only with their regulations at work time.
1. What does the statement "all capitalism is crony capitalism" is referring to? Do you agree with this statement or not? Give an example.
The term capitalism can be considered as crony capitalism when corporations try to establish good relationships with media in order to have total control of the information and take advantage of it. Now that main actors of capitalism are corporations whose principal goal as capitalists is to receive profits, they make public relations to obtain power over information, creating a kind of indirect manipulation.
I agree with the statement of the article, in my opinion each time that any person needs to report something to someone, that person is going to say everything viewed from an specific perspective and the commentary will change according to the perspective that one decides to use.
As an example of what I just said is when we watch a football match in fox sport, we will see that everything is related with the Argentina’s group or players from Argentina, this is because fox sport commentators have being thought to see only the important things related with Argentineans, if one change the channel to see the match in other channel, may be the story is going to change.
2. What is a Banana Republic? Why the author is comparing India with a Banana Republic?
A Banana Republic is a concept that was developed to describe one nation that do not have power, which has a lot of corruption and unstable governments structure and that also depends a lot on agriculture which helps the population to survive only with certain non significant products; that has looked big corporations as the possibility to resolve all the those threats so the corporation can come with possible solutions as job offers, food, etc, but the nation loose autonomy an gives power to the MNC.
The author compares India with a Banana Republic due to the fact that this country has shown high levels of corruption, problems with the media and enterprises that shows how this business have big power to control and manipulate the information as they really need and want. All of the above are characteristics of a Banana Republics.
3. Why is it problematic that in the business world "The Media" becomes a corporation?
Give to a corporation the ability to control the media, is give it the capacity to achieve personal and egoistic interests by creating strategies where the information transferred is full only of things that they thinks are right. This strategies and actions taken by the company would probably be focused on achieve needs that will only benefit the enterprise and not the population as a hole.
Because of that, if the media becomes a corporation what would happen is that all the information given by it would be shown in other to convince people to believe on it and support it, and not to show the reality of what can be happening. That media corporation will be looking for achieving as much economical opportunities as they want, not matter the norms or people they must “erase” to obtain them. In short, the media company will probably follow, what hundreds of people say, the end justify the means.
4. In this situation, what behaviors are considered unethical for corporations, journalist and the state?
Lack of honesty from journalists
State giving permission to people to act the way they want, by not paying attention to real events, this can be seen as a kind of corruption supported by the state.
Lack of neutrality at the time of giving information
Corruption inside and among companies where they create partnerships in order to get profits for not telling internal problems or scandals of hard situations
Ability to hide what is not convenient and show the things according to their personal interests
5. What can Media, Corporations and the States do in order to behave ethically and in the benefit of the people and not their own interest. Give at least 5 good ideas.
There are many good ideas of what these actors can in order to behave ethically and control their personal interest and think a little bit more in others’ needs. The problem is that humans’ nature won’t let them act in that way because we are individuals that pretend to have all the time what is best to us, in this case profits, power, support, etc.
Some possible options to change this situation are:
1.They should respect the independence of each of the institutions and don’t try to manipulate them to maintain power, profits and so on.
2.Create some kind of institution in charge of regulate this actors’ behaves; therefore the actions taken by them will be more ethical and correct. In order to prevent corruption, the best option is to have people from outside the country.
3.The media would better have participation of people from all around the world so the information will be seen from different points of view.
4.Corporations should try to maintain distance from the events that are not related directly with its principal operations in any country.
5.Established educational institutions with strong regulations and different points of view, to inculcate the right ways to behave and act without being unethical.
6.Create some norms to regulate all this actors, to be able to punish them in case they need it.
What DoesMultinational Corporation – MNCMean? It iscorporation that has its facilities and other assets in at least one country other than its home country. Such companies have offices and/or factories in different countries and usually have a centralized head office where they co-ordinate global management. Very large multinationals have budgets that exceed those of many small countries. It is sometimes referred to as a "transnational corporation".
Nearly all major multinationals are American, Japanese or Western European, such as Nike, Coca-Cola, Wal-Mart, AOL, Toshiba, Honda and BMW. Advocates of multinationals say they create jobs and wealth and improve technology in countries that are in need of such development. On the other hand, critics say multinationals can have undue political influence over governments, can exploit developing nations as well as create job losses in their own home countries.(INVESTOPIDIA NEWS AND ARTICLES s.f.)
THE CORPORATION MOVIE
1.How can we ensure corporations are held accountable for their actions "legally" and "ethically"?
Although there are some institutions in charge of “taking care” of corporations’ behaviour, according to the movie, it becomes more difficult in the real life, because sometimes the power of different corporations is higher that the power of the states, this represents a kind of lost of autonomy and a higher participation of this big enterprises, in the decision taken in all states.
Nowadays, corporations are able to take decisions that before where only states’ decisions; they look for the ways to increase their incomes, without taking into account terms as “legally” and “ethically” because sometimes those terms made them lost a lot of money.
In conclusion, corporations are “free” to do whatever they want because they have enough power to decide over other institutions. They control and create the modifications they want, to human rights only in order obtain more and more but not thinking a hole world but as an individual giant who is becoming bigger thanks to others’ efforts.
2.Should individuals (directors, employees, shareholders) bear any responsibility for the actions of a corporation? If so, on what degree?
In my opinion the answer would be yes. If one works for a company, he/she has some influence in the company’s decisions or behaviours and of course that influence is according to the job position inside it.
The directors who are the ones taking decisions, are going to be more influential at the time of supporting or not a wrong or unethical decision taken by the corporation, also employees can influence by creating “labour unions” (sindicatos) to be listened and give their opinions according to any specific decision, finally stakeholder are as well important because they have economic support for it, without that support the company won’t be able to maintain its operations anywhere.
To conclude, it is very important to think that a company is nothing without its employees, shareholders and directors; and even though on the real life people do what is necessary to live without thinking in others, if all the persons mentioned before come together against the company’s unethical decisions, the only solution it has is give up to them and find a better solutions.
3.What are the benefits of the corporate form? Could an alternative model offer them as well?
·Be taken as "person" for the laws, so they are treated same way (more benefits for corporations)
·Power
·Gain more profits
·Be recognized in many parts around the world
To be honest, I don’t think there is any alternative model that can compete with those benefits without being as “bad” as the corporations is. I believe that the problem is not the corporation entity, it is the human’s ambitions on the top of the company, they are the ones who made the corporation behave in the way it does, and that won’t probably change, until a change of their conscious appear.
At the time when humans start to think in others as equals, and stop making anything to achieve individual’s goals, everything will change otherwise not matter the name, corporation, company, enterprise, etc; will be all the same.
4.Search for a foreign multinational corporation that has operations in Colombia. Research if they are run under Colombian rules or regulations or if they have special regulations?
Reid Collins & Associates Ltd./F. L. C. Reid & Associates Ltd. Cali, Colombia, this is a Canadian corporation that is creating in Colombia a forestry development plan which Under the aegis of the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the Institute for Development of the Renewable Natural Resources of Colombia (INDERENA), assisted with a major forestry development project in the Pacific Coast of Colombia. The project included: assessing the region's forest resources; developing forest management, wood harvesting and industrial development options; studying the domestic and international markets; completing a benefit/cost analysis and socio-economic impact study of the best options; and preparing a long-range forestry development plan for the region (GRYPHON RESOURCES BUSINESS SOLUTIONS s.f.)
5.Should economic efficiency (main argument for privatization) be primary concern for common and public services? Are there other criteria to determine who should own or operate them?
Economic efficiency is one of the most important things nowadays, but it is not the only concern that common and public services should take into account. We are experiencing now other threats related with other issues than the economic ones. Environment, Human rights, health, security, human wealth, are also new topics that even thought are not as “profitable” as the economical aspect, represent very important concerns from all of us because they are the ones who decide at the end how we are living the life.
It is important now to learn that money is not significant comparing with human rights, environment and so on.
GRYPHON RESOURCES BUSINESS SOLUTIONS . «GRYPHON RESOURCES BUSINESS SOLUTIONS .» SAMPLE PROJECTS. http://www.gryphonresources.com/projects.html (último acceso: 05 de 03 de 2011).
INVESTOPIDIA NEWS AND ARTICLES. «INVESTOPEDIA.» INVESTOPEDIA. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/multinationalcorporation.asp (último acceso: 3 de MARZO de 2011).
The Corporation - Film (Documentary) (Achbar, M - Abbott, J. 2003).
The best way I find to describe motivation, is when you feel something inside you that turns with all the energy to start doing something, that “THING” can be called motivation, and can be produced by many factors, according to the personality or believes of any person.
Motivation represents an important factor at the moment of taking any decision, because depending on your motivation, your desire of doing or not doing something is going to be reflected. For example, if one is selected to compete in a exchange program, and one has a strong motivation for it, because he/she really want to know new places, learn from new situations and so on; one is going to do all the things he can to achieve that goal. But, on the other hand, if one doesn’t really want to be part of that exchange program, he/she won’t do a thing to be chosen and to win the exchange program.
Our unconscious also have a lot to do with the motivation, this is because each person reacts in a different way and feels motivated due to different reasons. Some psychological studies have revealed that everybody motivation is an essential part of internal needs and external incentives. There are beliefs that some people are motivated by economic gain (Adam smith), others have shown the needed of some kind of punishment or tension (Stacy Adams).
Is it economic retribution enough to motivate employees? As we have seen, motivation factors change accordingly to people and they are not always based on economic benefits or incomes. Although sometimes is difficult to believe, some people works better when they have stressful situations or when they are threatened by their boss, because when they know they may be dismissed, they would do their best to maintained their job position. Therefore the answer to the question would be that although it is not enough, it is a good way to motivate SOME employees.
It is easier to understand these concepts inside a company when we see some real examples; therefore I’m going to show you two videos so you can understand how the attitudes are shown in an enterprise and how values are represented in the daily life.
You will also see that this topic has a lot in common with the personality topic and behaves from each person in the world.
WHY IS IMPORTANT FOR MANAGERS AND EMPLOYEES TO BE ABLE TO UNDERSTAND DIFFERENT TYPS OF PERSONALITY?
Every single person has a special way to behave in different situations of the life, this manner in how we see situations and respond to them are characterized by some special features that are part for our personality.
When we talk about a company, full of different people, it is important to take into account that not everybody works at the same rhythm, and not everybody like to do the same work, or react at the same manner at the others, here is the importance of knowing and recognising the different personalities, because it makes easier to implement the solutions to possible difficulties that can be present inside a company, family, school, friends’ environment and so on.
Particularly in the job environment, the understanding of different types of personality can represent a big advantage for managers and employees, because it can be seen as a fast way to resolve problems or do diverse tasks in a better way. For example, if a person’s personality shows that the best job option to he/she is to work in a commercial area but that person works inside the company; while some other person that works with the consumers has a personality that shows shyness and a better performance inside. Therefore a manager having discovered these characteristics can uses this knowledge as a tool, and he is going to be able to move both employees into the area at where they are good at.
Also employees can use this capacity to recognize different personalities, to be able to create solutions according to the way they see the others are going to react, or maybe if they have some issues at the job with any colleague, if they are able to see how that person is and the way in how she/he behaves, one can be resolve the difficulty in a easier and faster way than if one doesn’t know and try with others solutions that may increase the disagreement between the parties.
For all of the above, we have to have clear that personality is something that is going to be always present in our lives, and it is better to be able to recognize it because we are all different and you may love something that your best friend hates.
Here is an example of some personalities in a company that are not easy to handle but are essentially to understand
Video :” Dilbert: The Key to Happiness and Top Performer Video” taken from
DO YOU THINK CORPORATE CULTURE IS A WAY TO MANIPULATE EMPLOYEES?
Before answering the question, I believe is important to think that when we talk about corporate culture we are just having a look in a small part of an entire environment, which is full of people, believes, attitudes and so on. That is why to have a better idea of that specific topic; it is necessary first to identify the big meaning of being inside of an entire National culture. Many people believe, that according to the place where the corporation is located, the norms established inside it are going to change, due to the fact that behaviours inside are going to be reflected in accordance with the external environment.
The culture in each place of the world represents a big influential factor in any company because the way in how people take decisions, how we relate to each other, the way that we preferred to be organized inside the corporation and so on, are attitudes that were created thanks to a cultural base that was “injected” in our unconscious part. There are many ideas that came from something bigger than as, something that can be called the environment that surround us or the national culture that creates some ideas which lead us to have a specific conception of the world and therefore, at the end, make us act in the way we do.
If we put together, in a company, a group of people from diverse parts of the world, we will probably see that all of them have different behaviours for any situation, unless the existence of a strong CORPORATE CULTURE inside it.
What does it means to have a strong corporate culture? The corporate culture represents a group of assumptions, norms and practices that people in an organization adopt over time, but when it is too strong, all the differences that represents each person as individuals, disappear due to unconscious changes or just because of the wants and needs of the company to be in that way. In my opinion, and in an easiest way to explain this situation, and to solve the initial proposal, it can be call or be seen as a manipulation strategy of the company, where ad been too strong, it doesn’t respect the individual characters as a rich source of growth for the corporation.
As a conclusion, I think it is not bad when companies establish different rules that are needed to guide and control employees, rules that can become corporate cultural assumptions; but when those norms start to erase the differences among us, that are part of our personal believes or our “essence”, they become a way of manipulation, where at the end the only actor that takes advantage of it is the company while the employees are losing their selves.
