Africa is a place where there is a lot of potential for growth in so many ways. However when we think of Africa we can imagine movies we have seen about all trouble there is as a whole on the continent. Movies like Blood Diamonds Hotel Rwanda all looks at the trouble and issues that are going on in Africa. As global leaders we should focus on how we can make that area of the world more productive and grow.

 

Some countries in Africa are well off and the growth are pretty good in places like Egypt and Morocco. These places are very popular with tourism which can drive the economy of a country by itself. But when we look at other places where there is growth we have to worry about how safe it is in that area. When we look more west of Africa like Sierra Leone this could be a place where there is great opportunity but the risks are high.

 

A country like Sierra Leone was plagued with Civil War for a very long time and the rebels in this country were using children as solider for their own personal gain. Being the Diamond market of the world this lead to a lot of corruption in the government and the rebel used these diamonds to for their financial gain. Just recently there was a huge Ebola outbreak in that region of the country and which cost the lives of a lot people becaue of how poor the healthcare system is there.

 

So although there is a lot of potential in Africa global leaders will have to be very selective in what part they are willing to invest in. Even though some of these areas are not the best we still cant ignore them because there are still people living there and there living conditions are not the best. Being are global leader also means being a great humanitarian.

Russia and Eastern Europe very similar to one another even though they are different countries since they are close together they share a lot of similarities. For starts the two countries have a long history of communism which they both have overcame. This was a great achievement in both countries and they are now more of a democracy which is govern by the people. Their culture are also very similar to one another and in spite of them being two separate countries. Some of the countries that are in eastern Europe are Hungary, Poland, Romania and Lithuania among others. There is a lot that we can learn from this neighboring place that we can see it in everyday life ourselves.

We can look at the two regions and ask the question “why do they get along so well?” and in this case, we can see that the people from both regions have very similar if not the same history as one another. So, makes it very easy for them to see eye to eye about a lot of different issues that other people might disagree with.  In our lesson, we learned that the genetics can play a role in the way people treat each other and since people who are similar in almost every way we can see how their own genetics are links to one another.

Since the people of both Russia and Eastern Europe shared genetic origins they also shared a lot of the ideology that the communist party in the Soviet Union shared as well. So according to lessons the communist mindset was in bedded in the people from both nature and nurture. If in turn the two sides were not so close together they would not have shared the same ideology and reasoning when it came to the communist party. So for argument sakes if the two sides where completely opposite from each other like on the other side of the world would there mindset be as similar as they are now?

Although they are similar today Russia is a Super-Country with power resources and a strong military. This makes them elite as a country as the United States is also a super-power country we are also elite among other countries. This means that they hold a strong presence in the world market and other countries will look for them as they look towards the United States for help.

So what makes up Western Europe, the CIA defines western Europe as the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands and Ireland. However, some people also take into consideration some of the surrounding countries as part of western Europe as well like Spain, Italy, and Portugal. So, depending on who we are talking to we can get mixed information on which countries are included in western Europe. This conversation can lead to many to a lot of back and forth on what part of Europe certain countries are but after some research it is safe to say that no one can really be wrong in this argument.

Either way there is a lot of history in his western Europe that has made way for a lot of things that we see today. We can look at language for example as many of us already know that the modern languages that we speak today has its roots in Greek and Latin which both came from Western Civilization in Europe. Most of the medical terminology is still spoken in these languages as these cultures have influenced the modern world. In addition to that when we even look at law we see Latin or Greek terms for certain things that is related to the legal system. Which is our lessons we see mentioned the fact that the very word Democracy which we currently live in the United States of American is a word from the Greeks where “Demos” means people and “Kratia” meaning power or rule so Democracy means ruled by the people which makes a lot of sense since we live in a democracy.

Being that there is so many different countries with many different backgrounds western Europe and Europe as a whole in general is a huge melting pot full of history from all over Europe where in one form or many others has shaped the way we do things and the way the many different countries do things as well. The European Union has sought to preserve the cultural heritage that they all share so they don’t get lost in history. Things like cinema and dance along with art and architecture are among the few things that they are fighting to protect so generations to come came know about the rich history that they have.

Full with history Europe has come a long way, a lot of the things that we have today and how we have shaped modern society have a lot to do with the history of Europe. Things like building great cities like new York for example can compare to the great city of Rome. Modern language to the very government that we live in today can go back and compared to Western Europe. We have to give thanks to there history as it helped shape ours and as we look towards the future we as they are need to preserve the history of our culture in order for the next generation and the generation after can see all of our magnificent accomplishments.

 

https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654180

Japan is a country that is rich in history dating back centuries ago. Throughout the years, they had gone through many changes both in the economy and socially. Throughout the years, they have gone through many emperors and many wars. There was even a time where the army of japan didn’t use guns to go to war. The samurai was a groups of elite warriors that defended japan or rather the areas in japan from occupation from other areas. This story is greatly depicted in the movie The Last Samurai where it showed how modern weaponry was used to out number the samurai and pretty much take them out.

There was a time in the history of Japan that they build an empire before world war II that included Taiwan, Korea, Manchuria and parts of Northern China. This was a great advantage for japan and made the country more powerful. However japan then focused on and promoted westernization by hiring advisers in banking, mining and military affairs. This helped the rise of japan and the growth of western theory and practice of things one in particular was medical science.

The future of Japan after some careful reach seems to be a very difficult one, when millennials looking at the future see themselves caring for a rapidly growing elderly population. The same millennials are looking at  things like the pension system that seems to be a broken one however they don’t see their government fixing it anytime soon. Such of the students in Japan are looking at getting out of Japan when they graduate because they don’t see a Future there as the economy is getting worse.

 

History of Japan. (2017, March 31). Retrieved April 01, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Japan

In Japan, world’s gloomiest millennials see a future of struggle. (n.d.). Retrieved April 01, 2017, from http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/24/national/social-issues/japan-worlds-gloomiest-millennials-see-future-struggle/#.WOA-mYgrJeU

The counties of China and India are very similar to one another when it comes to the Hofstede scale. When it come to the strategy of a global leader, I believe that according to this scale and the countries being very similar to one another that the universal leadership strategy would be more effective in both countries. This can actually be benefitable to both countries and to the global leaders themselves. One thing that we can look at in this case is that the leader doesn’t have to change their leadership style.

Countries that score high in the power distance have of a lot of its power in the government and the people have accepted that there is a way of life that there are people that have and people that are have nots. A global leader in this case would have to see the demographic of the people they are hiring. This could help them be better leaders in these countries.

Even though the two countries are very similar with each other. There are areas of improvement in both. Long-term orientation for example is an area of opportunity where we as global leaders can help improve in these countries. Reports like the Hofstede scales can be used by global leaders to not only look at the information to see where the strong points are but to also look at the information where they can say “Where are the area opportunity and growth.” This and be the major difference between all the leaders.

 

Canvaslearning management system. (n.d.). Retrieved March 26, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654104

Mexico was a country that was very interesting to read about and how they rank on the Hofstede’s dimension was even more interesting. When we think about Mexico, what we mostly think about? When talking to my friends and asking them what they think about when they think of Mexico most of them say vacation. This comes from knowing about vacation spots in Mexico like Cancun and Los Cabos, which is understandable. But learning how they are ranked in comparison to the rest of the world on Hofstede’s Dimension it raises more questions about the country.

When we look at the power distance score of the country it is really compared to the rest of the world. When a score of 81 compared to the rest of the world that averages 59.31 we can see how much of a difference that is. In North America not including Mexico is only 44.33 yet on its own Mexico stands at an 81. Having a score this high means that the people in Mexico have accepted that there are pretty much two forms of society, there are the haves and the haves not. For the most part this is very unsettling, because once people have accepted this into their lives where in the room to grow and become better. They would accept what is and work all their lives thinking that this is it. They would accept that people will not gravitate to them because they are the have nots and people will want to talk to and build with people who already have.

The scores between the different categories in the Hofstede Dimension justifies one another and we can see how just based on the numbers. They prefer to work in numbers or groups for the benefits of the group as a whole. This behavior can come from the fact that in the power distance they rate so high, they can’t depend of the people that have so the defend themselves and help each other grow and build their own communities.

Something that we can see as leaders in Mexico is the Masculinity is pretty equal to that of North America in which there is men in similar roles to that of men in the North America and females in the same roles as Administrators and occupations like those. This is something that we are working on here in the United States so it’s safe to assume that if Mexico is similar to us here when it comes to Masculinity that they could be working on the same things themselves.

 

Canvaslearning management system. (n.d.). Retrieved March 17, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654153

South America has grown a lot throughout the years and with 12 countries in it 6 out of the 12 are among the top in the world. This comes from the continued efforts from the people and there governments to be better and to evolve to a better tomorrow and also to remain competitive when it comes to the rest of the world. One particular country for example which is Brazil grew tremendously and has evolved and got connected to the world.  This came from there communication to the use of the internet.  They have even gone to hosting the Olympics in 2016 which was a great thing for the country as Brazil is already a great tourist location with hosting  the Olympics as well just brought that much more people from other parts of the world to come and enjoy Brazil. These people probably would have never been to Brazil had it not been for the Olympics.

 

Doing business in Brazil could be very rewarding especially when in comes to the resorts and tourism in the county. Brazilian people are very hospitable and courteous when it comes to visitors. So if someone was to open up a resort and invest in hotels hiring the people of Brazil will be a great investment. On the flip side to that is that communication could be a challenge depending on from where of the region someone is from. This comes from the many different dialects that is spoken in the country. Even though Portuguese is the official language of the country some of the regions speak it differently then others. When I comes to this I can relate from a personal experience or as we all have experienced.

 

Technology has played a huge part in the growth of the economy in Brazil. The country produces everything from automobiles to airplanes which makes a huge impact in the economy. Which also shows the growth in technology in the country and how far they have come. When it comes to airplanes for example, Embraer is one of the largest airplane manufacturers in the world. They are headquartered in Sao Jose dos Campos in Brazil. This is a clear  example of Brazilian companies taking lead and being competitive in the market. The use of technology has always set some countries back because of lack of resources however this was something that didn’t hold back the country of Brazil.

 

In order to save businesses and help the countries continued effort to expand the way they do business played a role in this as well. We see that in even the way they negotiate a business transaction. One of the rules that is applied by Brazilian business people are relationships over tasks. They prefer to focus on the relationships of those involved in the business transaction then  the tasks at hand. This a concept that we can all learn from as relationship plays a major role in the future of a business and how often they do business with one another.

 

 

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. London: Routledge.

 

Canvaslearning management system. (n.d.). Retrieved March 3, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654104

 

Jets, E. E. (n.d.). Award-Winning History with Executive Jets. Retrieved March 03, 2017, from http://www.embraerexecutivejets.com/en-us/about-embraer/pages/history.aspx

Doing business in the middle east can be a very rewarding business but you can have your ups and downs like any other business. However, we would have to be careful when doing business in the area, as they are very religious. Turkey for example pushes out up to 1 million barrels per day in oil from the Caspian region. This is great business for the country and keeps them competitive the world economy. There is also a lot of opportunity in the country that a investor could take advantage of. Even though the neighborhoods need more improvements they have a lot of natural resources that people can invest in. Some of their natural resources include coal, iron, gold, limestones, and marble. All of these resources can make for good business investment. One thing that we would have to be a little worried about is Turkeys politics and complex bureaucracy.

Some other things to consider when doing business in turkey is human rights there is a high percentage of child labor that happens in the middle east that would be illegal for an American company to be part of. However, these children are probably working in order to make a better living for their family not because they are forced to do so. This would be something that American companies would have to handle with white gloves since there are so many. Along with these we have to consider the corruption that can go on with American companies, because we are Americans.

Safety would also be at the top of the list when doing business in the middle east. We unfortunately have to think about terrorism that can come from people not wanting us to be doing business in their country. Even though more people will be accepting on doing business in their country because this can bring jobs to the country and help the economy, it’s the one that don’t agree with it that we have to worry about because they are the small groups that  operate in silence to make a big statement usually involving people getting hurt.

 

Overseas Business Risk – Turkey. (n.d.). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/overseas-business-risk-turkey/overseas-business-risk-turkey

Contact CIA. (2016, April 01). Retrieved February 26, 2017, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/

Teamwork is at the very foundation of any corporation whether it is a domestic company or a multinational one. At every level of the corporation there are group of people working hard and working together for a common goal of the company. As long as everyone is on the same page they will achieve the goals set forth by the management teams and the executives that run the corporation. The synergy that makes the unit run smoothly is at the heart of all successful companies. Synergy is something that we see when people are working together as one. However we have to be realistic not everyone works good together and at times people will bumps heads with each and they can hurt the performance of the team.

Low synergy is an example, when the synergy of a working group is low the production tends to be low as well. High synergy will work the opposite way and bring up the production. But in order to have high synergy we have to be not only willing to work together but to also get along with one another. In addition to the basic of synergy that we have we also have to factor the synergy that can come from people with different backgrounds. This is considered to be cultural synergy and this can be a problem in some cases because of the cultural differences that everyone will have.

In the textbook “Managing Cultural Differences” on page 273 there we find human factors that can make for professional synergy within working together. Some of the examples that is mentioned in the book is having new member organization training on the project, clarification on the individuals roles and motivating behavior and reward expectations. The last one is really important to drive great behavior on the part of employees and promotes everyone to do a great job.

Overall we all have to learn to work together and realize that we are in a global market. We will all have to learn to work with people from any different background and understand that there culture can and could be very different then what we are used to here at home. Global leaders have a challenge that they will face when traveling overseas and working with companies or governments that they will have to learn more about to have a lasting impression.

 

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences. London: Routledge.

The topic of social learning can be viewed in so many different ways and interpreted in the same manner. We can easily say that we are our own person and that we all learn differently which could very well be true. However when we look at society we can see how our environment can shape our behavior. With social learning, we learn by watching others and how they behave, Bandura in one of his articles he mention how people produce and are products of their own environment. When I comes to scenarios like this I always think of how people act when they grow up in certain areas. On a global setting this can be a challenge to global leaders because of the different cultures from around the world that as leaders we have to sensitive to.

In order to learn we have to make sure that the culture doesn’t feel offended by the way we deliver the message and make sure that the company interest doesn’t conflict with their everyday lives. Multinational Companies with businesses overseas have this very same issue when operating abroad. However, motivation can be a useful tool in order for people to learn from each other, people see how others are focused either here or abroad and they can feed into the same energy to push themselves. People will give themselves goals and think about the consequences if they don’t execute their plan. Schein mentions that “no change will occur unless there is motivation to change” which I can defiantly agree with. Change has to come from within and consequences of not changing is probably what will drive that change, so with social learning this will also help others do the same.

At the end when it comes to change Schein’s three changes which are freezing, changing and refreezing are stages in which organizations and society can lock in a specific behavior. The ultimate goal here will be to have everyone with a different mindset then in the beginning and freezing it in that stage. This would give someone a clear direction as well as embracing change and learning from one another with all the things that might get introduce during the course of the these stages.

 

 

Bandura. (1996). Retrieved 1996, from https://www.uky.edu/~eushe2/Bandura/Bandura1996SCT.pdf

 

Canvaslearning management system. (n.d.). Retrieved February 09, 2017, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1826457/modules/items/21654113