FEEDBACK

I really think this course was a whole new experience for me in every sigle way. i never thought i was going to create a blog that allows me to express my oun opinions and to know other opinions.
The course of ORGANIZATIONS AND CULTURES makes me realized how important cultures are and how those cultures affect our identity and our customs, but principally how affected those cultures are by this globalization phenomenon.
I really enjoy it and i really learn a lot, specially by doing this blog.

THE BEST BOBs

for me the best and the most entertainment BOBs was the Spanish one call MALVIVIENDO, because the fact that it was a kind of reality series of a normal, typical neighborhood that actually became famous by this media was amazing!!! They have had offers to broadcast their series by TV but right now they are being loyal to Blog media.

image: http://www.lapropaladora.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/the-bobs.jpg

COLOMBIA ES PASION

“Colombia is passion” born because of the necessity of creating a strategy that allows us to change the negative image that our nation has, and that has affected our economic and social develop, towards a more positive image that shows the rest of the world the true reality that this country is facing today and that is a lot different from what it uses to be. Necessity of creating our own brand that in a future becomes a tool for showing these new changes to the world.

That’s why in august of 2005 was created the brand’s country that would represent the scent of our country while it also becomes in the advantage factor that differentiate this nation from the image created before. By research, people found that the common factor between Colombian citizens was passion for everything they do, due to the fact that, even though there were difficult times this feeling will remain the same. Its because of this that the image adopting by this organization it’s a hearth which represents that specifically feeling, passion for Colombia.

Country’s image is the name of the project that through the brand Colombia is passion want to show to the rest of the world a country with a stable economy, privilege geography, great natural resources, but specially its warm, friendly and passionate people.

Personally I think this kind of organizations must exists especially for a country like Colombia whom is being judge for actions and situations lived in the past and not in the amazing changes that’s facing nowadays. This organization not only highlights the best of Colombian and its citizens but also helps this country to evolve in economic and social issues. This type of organizations is the one that Colombia needs in order to get closer international relations and for future progress.
http://www.colombiaespasion.com/es/colombia-es-pasion

image: http://www.freewebs.com/aerotravelcol/Colombia%20es%20pasion.JPG

MAPUCHE TRIBE VS BENETTON

I want to use this space to talk about a conflict between an indigenous tribe call Mapuche. Located at the Argentinean-Chilean Patagonia and the Italian fashion brand Benetton.

The conflict has its roots in the XIX century, with the fight between the Argentinean Government and the Mapuche community at the Dessert War, in which thousands of Mapuches lost their lives. But in the 1980s the renaissance of the Mapuche community started in Argentina and Chile. The Mapuches had to abandon their land. When the Mapuche people tried to come back to their original land, the land had been sold to the multinational clothing company: Benetton. The occupation of the land started a judicial process in which the state gave the right on the land to the multinational and left the Mapuches without their motherland. However in the process the Mapuches and Benetton have tried to carry out an agreement in which the mapuches leaders have traveled to Italy where they have met with the Benetton executives. This agreement have not been accepted by the mapuches because Benetton is offering only a portion of the land, and this portion, as the Mapuche leader had said, is the most unproductive land of the lot. The Mapuche tribe wants his land back, because of its deep relation along history with this.

I think we keep seen discrimination in some kind of way because, for example what regards to these case, for me these lands belongs to the tribe. However they are being discriminated due to the fact that the multinational has the means and off course the money to pull their things off. Personally, I think that Benetton by giving some land wanted to appear as the good one, however their action was more pity than social concern what clearly demonstrates and highlights the growing problems regarding minorities and the minor effort for the government to support them
http://www.mapuche.info/lumaco/Benetton.html
http://www.choike.org/nuevo/informes/1782.html
http://www.mapuche.nl/english/benetton.htm

image:http://www.mapuche.info/lumaco/antibenetton_fs.jpg

TRADE UNIONS

Trade unions exist because an individual worker has very little power to influence decisions that are made about his or her job. By joining together with other workers, there is more chance of having a voice and influence.
A trade union is an organisation made up of members (a membership-based organisation), mainly workers that aims to protect and advance the interests of its members in the workplace. They also campaign for laws and policies which will benefit working people.
For what I said before trade unions play very important roles in the working society, due to the fact that they give workers benefits such as: Obtaining satisfactory rates of pay. Research has shown that workers belonging to unions have better levels of wages, Protecting workers jobs, as it has been shown that union members are less likely to be dismissed, Securing adequate work facilities, Ensuring satisfactory work conditions, this can include areas such as health and safety and equal opportunities, Negotiating bonuses for achieving targets, Negotiating employment conditions and job descriptions
Trade unions may also represent their members' interests outside the workplace. For example, trade unions may actively lobby the government, public bodies, the European Union (EU) or others for policies which promote their objectives.

However, nowadays, the number of organizations regarding trade unions has decreased because the development of new technology is making every day lesser the necessity of labor. "The emphasis is shifting from a focus on knowledge acquisition to competence development.”[1]

Because of the high impact of these changes Trade unions in Europe are supporting their members through this time of change by helping them to acquire and develop important skills like: Problem solving skills, social skills, team working, adaptability, creative thinking and flexibility of response because in the future they are likely to be more valuable than factual knowledge or the ability to undertake repetitive skills.

Personally, I think both, European and Colombian trade unions play a common roll that is the protection of the labor conditions and the collective actions to achieve better benefits. In first place, European trade unions offer other things besides social dialogue and collective bargaining, such as constant update on labor issues to keep competitive on the current economic environment (innovation, added value, lifelong learning). On the other hand, the main concern of Colombian trade unions lay mainly on wage increase and social provision.
[1] http://www.andrewbibby.com/pdf/Employability%20report%20v1-en.pdf

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/TradeUnions/DG_10027544

image:http://laborbeat.org/3/efcrall.jpg

ISLAMIC BANKING SYSTEM

Islamic banking refers to a system of banking or banking activity that is consistent with the principles of the Shari'ah (Islamic rulings) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics[i]
The Islamic banking system compared to the one implemented in the western side varies a lot since the banking system regarding to middle east is rule by the principle of Islamism which prohibits usury, the collection and payment of interests, trading in financial risk (gambling) and investment in business that are against ethic principles. This system has wide universal appeal what made the Islamic system to innovate in order to replace such important things for other ones such as their managerial capabilities. However the future of Islamic banks will depend heavily in the development of accounting standards due to the fact that it will provide reliable information of the type that the Islamic banks would require for profit-sharing, rent-sharing or for cost-plus financing.
[i] http://www.islamic-banking.com/what_is_ibanking.aspx

image: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTNiGyMTQrCLsuhEsCPrFCIgr-znt3Dy_jm2zGsmLbBu54keqrv3NjjQujRsCobf7QYEXxzzV1XQu6qjDPAhx1EngZVTtfAQS20D_qD9MKWhK7VReis7U7o_jQnRxx1FkdKLOyDyWIZAI/s320/islamic+piggy+bank.jpg

THE AVERAGE SALESPERSON IN COLOMBIA

There are many determinants impacting sales performance that distinguish a Colombian sales person. Customers will choose a sales person on the basis of how well they present the product to them.

These salespeople possess personalities and abilities that best fit selling as an occupation. I personally think that Colombian sellers have the following characteristics:
high energy level, self-confidence, hunger for money, well-established habits of industry, the ability to see obstacles as challenges, persistence, Courage, Ability to improvise and last but not least, the important quality call empathy because those people really have the ability to relate to the costumers in a very effective way.
Colombian sellers are very attentive and very careful in fulfilling the costumer expectations. However, sometimes the pressure to sale and their persistence of please the costumer can be very annoying and unattractive.

What refers to organizational commitment, I think Colombian sellers sometimes undertake the organizational goals and values because they need the job and the salary to provide for their family and not because they really belief in those things. So I thing that factors that I mentioned before (salary, job) will determine the sales persons willingness to whether keep working in a company or not.

In leadership behavior I think we have been destructing the idea that employees are just that and now we are giving them the opportunity to overcome themselves by listening to their ideas and respecting them.

Referring to role stress, I think there is a little spaces for errors or that the workers lack information about their job because here, a lot of companies have a training week, where employees of the company explain the new ones how things work there and what they should do if they have any problem.

Finally, in the cultural part I think that in Colombia stand the team work rather than individualism because of the organization of companies. I think each sector needs the support of others. Also employees lack of leadership because most of them like to take orders from their superiors in order to please them.
image: http://www.nzcerttraining.com/NZCTImages/salesperson.jpg

BLOGS

the blog i liked the most was david perez's blog because it looked like he really knows about all these subject and he explained his point of view in a way we can all understand. its very organized and well structure

DIVERSITY

The Alligator River Story
There lived a woman named Abigail who was in love with a man named Gregory. Gregory lived on the oposite shore of the river where Abigail live. The river that separated the lovers was full of dangerous alligators andAbigail wanted to cross the river to be with Gregory so she went to ask Sinbad, a riverboat captain, to take her across. He said he would but undera condition: if she go to bed with him prior to the voyage. She promptly refused and went to a friend named Ivan to explain what was happening but Ivan didnt want to get involved in the situation. Abigail felt her only alternative was to accept Sinbad's terms. Sinbad fulfilled his promise to Abigail and delivered her into the arms of Gregory. When Abigail told Gregory about her amorous escapade in order to cross the river, Gregory cast her aside with disdain. Heartsick and rejected, Abigail turned to Slug with her tale of woe. Slug, feeling compassion for Abigail, sought out Gregory and beat him brutally. Abigail laugh because Gregory finally had received what he deserved.

I rank the character from most offensive to least objectionable:

Sinbad - I think he should have done Abigail that favor for free or at leat ask for something less compromising. i think he wanted to cause trouble and he got away with it

Abigail - I think that sleep with simbad wasnt really necesary. she could have asked for someone else to take her to the other side because Simbad wasnt the only one who could. what respects to gregory i think she was eally meand because if she really loved him she wouldt sleep with Simbad and she would laugh at him.

Gregory - it think that if he really cared about abigale at least he could have done something for abigail to reach the shore or he could have visited her there. he dindt love her and treat her very bad

Slug - he dint have to get involve into Abigail business, or at least he wouldnt beat Gregory. if he really wanted to help her he would take her to the other side of the shore. thats not love, thats stupidity

Ivan - Didn't do anything. if he were a good friend he would have listened to her and help her to find a solution. maybe he was interested in her

image: http://das.okstate.edu/CADRE/Diversity-Posters.jpg

CORPORATIONS

Should corporations be entitled to the same legal rights as individuals? Wherethe line should be drawn?

I think corporation shouldn’t have the same rights as humans because as simple as that, they are no humans, they do not have feelings and neither moral nor altruistic goals…they are INMORTAL, so how is possible to compare a corporation with a human being? What we are supporting is not the growing of companies but the unmoral sense that a corporation’s wealth and power means rights.
They are institutions managed by people but is not a person; they are entities created with the only purpose of generate profits for its shareholders. They don’t care about destruct the planet or how to help the community because they let other people to be in charge or solve those kinds of problems, even thou they are the cause of those problems.
If we give to corporations the same rights that we have, we are basically given humans rights to superficial economic elements such as capital and property.
I think that the line should be drawn in rights; they could have a company’s right but no let them have rights as individuals. Obviously they should respond for their actions or at least make these people who manage the company responsible. They can’t impose us neither their thinking nor a certain lifestyle. They shouldn’t have total control of our lives.

http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=7110

image: http://api.ning.com/files/LTxGEXczDRFOTvauzYJAIh78Fre5l0rR5Ph4a308BJ40uXxLlqYpvaQoCr8EaoVsjdlqMUec6jjUBbjhXXSGpCaSckXhlTtN/Corporations.jpg

RELATION BETWEEN NATIONAL IDENTITY AND CORPORATE IDENTITY

In order to know the relationship bwteen these two, first of al we have to know the meaning of them:

CORPORATE IDENTITY
Is the set of values, beliefs, and relationships between individuals and functions that guide the decisions of the company in order to achieve its objectives. It results in behaviour that has been learned within a group or transferred between individuals over time.

www.quantum3.co.za/CI%20Glossary.htm

NATIONAL IDENTITY
Describe the attachment people feel to their nation. A national identity is supposed to include a common history, a set of shared values and state institutions as well as a common culture.

http://www.hf.ntnu.no/engelsk/courses/egw/114/british/bt.htm

Having said that, for me the the relationship between national identity and corporate identity is that both are learned by transferred information over the time, like for example: the beliefs in national identity and how people should dress in corporate identity. I think national identity have a lot of influence in the corporate identity because institutions and enterprises are managed by people that had born in certain place, which means that have certain costumes, values and beliefs and that is what going to defined how institutions and enterprises work or function, which will guide the decision making process of a company.
National identity will determine how thing are done in the enterprises of a certain country and how they manage their business. The rules of game.

image: http://wackywebwritings.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/identity-fraud1.jpg

WHAT IS CULTURE?

"Culture refers to the character of an organization, as it reflects deep patterns of values beliefs, and traditions that have been formed over the course of its development."

David Thenuwara Gamage (2006). Professional development for leaders and managers of self-governing schools

"By culture we mean all those historically created designs for living, explicit and implicit, rational, irrational, and nonrational, which exist at any given time as potential guides for the behavior of men."

Kluckhohn, C., & Kelly, W.H. (1945). The concept of culture. In R. Linton (Ed.). The Science of Man in the World Culture.

"A culture is a configuration of learned behaviors and results of behavior whose component elements are shared and transmitted by the members of a particular society"

Linton, R. (1945). The Cultural Background of Personality.

image: http://www.jhr.ca/ben/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/culture-is-not-a-crime.jpg