domingo, 24 de octubre de 2010

The corporation

This film showed a very dark side about corporations and their real intentions. Sometimes without any principle of ethics, the corporations pursuit economic goals without caring the most important element which is the consumer.
1. Should corporations be entitled to the same legal rights as individuals? Where the line should be drawn?
According to this film some corporations have interests that are not based in the development and the cooperation between people. Violating human rights and humiliating a specific geographic zone with its population. The interests are pointed to fulfill an economic interest, trying to get a large profit specially lowering the costs at the maximum level. Without caring a human being paying them low wages and making them perform hazardous and inhibited works. They shouldn’t be entitled to the same legal rights as individuals because the greed is involve in every action and strategy. They must be monitored by entities that can punish an inappropriate behavior.
2. How can we ensure corporations are held accountable for their actions?
There organizations that protect the rights of the people and also the wealth of the environment, but to ensure such actions is a very complicated task because there is an explicit objective that is covered by the ambition and make the corporations act in a selfish way in order to achieve those objectives. Disrespecting not only the population but the environment, fact that would affect all of us.
3. Should individuals bear any responsibility for the actions of a corporation? If so, to what degree?
Of course individuals have to bear the responsibility because each person contributes to an objective and all together work to achieve a goal. Each individual is implied especially the high positions or the people that has more decision power.
4. What are the benefits of the corporate form? Could an alternative model offer these as well?
There are some corporations that are making a lot of benefits to their consumers without exploiting and damaging the environment in the process of fabrication. This model is effective because it join many people to pursuit a common goal making the corporation very strong at the time of achieve the expectations.

sábado, 9 de octubre de 2010

WOMEN MIGRANT WORKERS

Migration is a social, economic, politic and cultural phenomenon. This is a decision made voluntarily by a person or a group of persons looking for better possibilities, for a better quality of life, escaping of poverty, social repression, discrimination, etc. Migration is considered one of the defining global issues of the early twenty-first century, as more and more people are on the move today than at any other point in human history. There are now about 192 million people living outside their place of birth, which is about three per cent of the world's population.
Women are a more vulnerable population, they migrate with their families and they need desperately a job. Employees that need persons in the manufacturing process take advantage of immigrants and make them work more hours for less money. This is what happens in Sri Lanka where immigrant women work many hours for little pay. Gender norms, lack of participation of women in politics and the division of labor are some aspects that bring as consequence the poor standards of work for women. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) through its gender mainstreaming policy is committed to ensuring that the particular needs of all migrant women are identified, taken into consideration and addressed by IOM projects and services.
IOM actively contributes to protecting women migrant workers from violence by implementing a range of activities in the following areas:
· Promotion of legal and safe migration for women migrant workers
· Promotion of policies that regulate the recruitment and deployment of women migrant workers
· Promotion and protection of women migrant workers’ human rights
· Counter-trafficking activities including capacity-building and direct assistance to victims
· Research and data collection on women and international labor migration
· Promotion of gender-sensitive international migration policies
· Fostering interstate dialogue and enhancing bilateral, regional, interregional and international cooperation.



Taken from:
(Gamburd R, Michele, Advocating Sri Lanka migrants workers, Critical Asian Studies, 41: 1 (2009), o61-088)
http://www.gemmaproject.eu/publicdocs/prevent_violence_against_wmw_2009.pdf
http://www.iom.int/jahia/Jahia/about-migration/lang/en


Image taken from:
http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/photos/womenssm/womens03.jpg

sábado, 25 de septiembre de 2010

UBUNTU

UBUNTU Is a philosophic system that can be defined as humaneness, a pervasive spirit of caring and community, harmony and hospitality, respect and responsiveness that individuals and groups display for one another; which most important attribute is the high degree of harmony and continuity throughout the system.
Several South African companies have begun to embrace the guidelines of Ubuntu and to introduce them in their corporate practice with notable success. The guidelines are meant to provide a good starting point for managers wishing to incorporate the principles of Ubuntu in their organizations.
· Treat others with dignity and respect, everything hinges on this canon, including an emphasis on humility, harmony, and valuing diversity.
· Be willing to negotiate in good faith, being acknowledgment is a very important first step toward agreement and cooperation. Transparency and trust replace suspicion and hostility.
· Provide opportunities for self expression, honoring achievement, self-fulfillment, and affirmation of values are all important aspects of creating good will among employees.
· Understand the beliefs and practices of indigenous people, implementing strategies that can lead the company to success.
· Honor seniority, especially in leadership choices, seniority adds value trough experience, connections and the wisdom that older employees have form their record of past experiences.
· Promote equity in the work place; fairness is a value that is upheld in most cultures.
· Be flexible and accommodative, a carefully balanced blending, with flexibility and accommodation, holds the promise of greater value added to corporate performance.





taken from: http://www.usafricaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Nelson-Mandela-World-Cup2010.jpg

(Mangaliso, P. Mzamo, (2001) Building competitive advantage from ubuntu: Management lessons from South Africa, Academy of Management Executive, vol 15 no 3, pag 24)

lunes, 6 de septiembre de 2010

If a Diamond could have a smell... how would it be?

This metaphor is a strategy to internationalize a Colombian perfume for men throughout the world. The metaphor uses a diamond which is one of the most valuable objects in the world, these precious rocks have incredible high prices, and some of them don’t even have a monetary value. Comparing the majesty of the diamond that lack of a possible smell with a identity that the perfume can bring or represent for the essence. The perfume represents the fragrance of a diamond and the conception of value and elegance that the people have respecting this jewel. The perfume is produced in Colombia with elements that are only obtainable in this area, getting a very unique and special essence.

The marketing represent a very important factor in the success when commercializing a product anywhere. For this case the company is expecting to expand markets throughout the most recognized cities in the world. The strategies include visual publicity with influential people such as sportspeople, actors and music singers, creating a culture in the people that admire those personalities and follow them in terms of style.


image taken from: "http://www.vanitatis.com/fotos/noticias/2007120415perfume_int1.jpg"


domingo, 29 de agosto de 2010

THE PYGMALION EFFECT

The pygmalion effect is a phenomenon that acts in the workplace, the school, social and familiar leves in an individual. making it more productive or less productive as well. Acting in the mind of an individual making it believe the facility to reach any goal.
  • A person reaches the goal that was previously implanted because of his believes and the idea of being able to reach it, totally convinced of achieved it.
  • "When teachers expect students to do well and show intellectual growth, they do; when teachers do not have such expectations, performance and growth are not so encouraged and may in fact be discouraged in a variety of ways." (Rosenthal y Jacobson).

Possitive Effect: It has a possitive effect if the person increases its self - confidence and has as results good conclutions and solutions.

Negative Effect: It has a negative effect if the person decreases its Self- confidence and develop bad results and a weak solution.

pic taken from:(http://e.elcomercio.pe/66/ima/0/0/1/7/8/178571.jpg)

viernes, 6 de agosto de 2010

Organizational Behaviour

INDIVIDUALISM VS COLLECTIVISM

There are two topics in witch many cultures are defined by their level of collectivism or individualism. This topics are totally different and each one have their own characteristics. In individualist cultures, people are expected to develop and display their individual personalities and to choose their own affiliations. In collectivist cultures, people are defined and act mostly as a member of a long-term group, such as the family, a religious group, an age cohort, a town, or a profession, among others.

The nations who are more individual, tend to be self- centered and their idea is to reach their personal goals. In order to their enviroment they prefer to use"i" such as the main individual to solve a problem. People in individualistic cultures emphasize their success/achievements in job or private wealth and aiming up to reach more and/or a better job position.

The nations that belong more to the collectivism characteristic, usually solve their problems having diferent opinions, forming a team. They prefer to use "we" in order to be more effective and productive. They are more willing to receive different points of view for any issue, their level of comprenhension and sharing with other people are higher.




pic taken from: (http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/images/073/individualism.gif)