More than ten years ago, Russia and the countries of Eastern Europe were integrated into NATO and the EU; however, very little has changed.  There were planned initiatives to bring the countries together; however, they did not come to fruition.  With the exception of Poland, Russia has made very little effort to participate with or include other counties in their planning and meetings.   Political decisions are unlikely to positively affect economic cooperation on a serious, long-term basis; however, they may contribute to its reduction. This happened in relations with Poland when they decided to abandon the import of Russian gas after 2022.   In addition, at the bilateral level, political means can improve relations only so far and the limit of opportunities is very small, especially for countries whose relations are contingent upon obligations (Ofitserov-Belskiy, 2020).

In a speech, Czaputowicz delivered in Vilnius to the foreign ministers, e said, “Russia remains the most important challenge and threat. We must fight the threat from Russia,” and he went on to say said, “It poses a threat to its neighbors, including in terms of non-compliance with disarmament provisions (Ofitserov-Belskiy, 2020).”  France, Germany, Italy and other EU countries may not have lost much from mutual trade and financial restrictions.  They continue to develop relations with Russia; however, for small European countries, the opportunities for export through third countries and the lack of influence in international institutions may make it difficult for them.   Looking at the future, the Eastern European countries should think in broader terms and change their political logic while setting new tasks and new goals.

I found another article, “Russia’s Shift from “Greater Europe” to “Greater Asia,” discussing Russia becoming more aligned with Asia and less with Europe.  Russia’s vision changed from a creating a greater Europe that would have unified economic space almost to the borders of China to a concept of a greater Asia from Russia’s perspective.  China has now replaced Germany as Russia’s primary supplier of equipment and machinery.  Analysts believe that Russia lost its influence in Europe and had little choice but to begin to turn their energy and initiatives toward Asia (Avdaliani, 2020).

Reference:

Ofitserov-Belskiy, D. (2020, March 24). Russia-Eastern Europe: Paradox of Relations. Retrieved April 17, 2020, from https://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-eastern-europe-paradox-of-relations/

Avdaliani, E. (2020, March 15). Russia’s Shift from “Greater Europe” to “Greater Asia.” Retrieved April 17, 2020, from https://besacenter.org/perspectives-papers/russia-greater-asia/

In order to thrive in the political-, social- and health-crisis world we live in, organizations must focus and carefully plan an effective risk culture.  Rick culture consists of the values and behaviors that an organization establishes.  Rick decisions, especially those made as a result of political and social situations throughout the world, should be based on the organization’s values and behaviors.

Communication is one of the keys to creating an effective risk culture.  The executives and leaders of the organization should communicate with all levels of employees what their current risks may be and what perceived risks exist in different countries that could ultimately affect them (Russo, 2019).  Open communication offers everyone the opportunity to participate and share ideas regarding the direction the organization will take in the event of a crisis.

Effective preparation and planning on the part of the organization can mitigate the probability or actual threat of such things as loss, injury, liability, etc. After planning and preparing, training, including formally developed programs, action items, technology where appropriate and simulation drills should also be an important part of the organization’s structure.  By preparing employees through emergency drills and emergency action plans, employees will not become complacent (Russo, 2019).

The adage, “inspect what you expect” is also applicable when developing an effective risk culture (Russo, 2019).  It is not enough to communicate, plan and train.  An organization also needs to assess the systems that have been put in place and analyze employees’ responses to training and drills.

Reference

Russo, F. (2019, December 3). Developing an effective risk culture. Retrieved April 4, 2020, from https://asiatimes.com/2019/12/developing-an-effective-risk-culture/

The article “Cross Cultural Communication Barriers in the Workplace” was published on June 6, 2019.  When considering cross cultural communications and the barriers that present themselves in the workplace, we cannot limit our thinking to good manners and tolerance, we must delve deeper into eliminating or at least diminishing the barriers and embracing the benefits that can be reaped from this environments.

Our world today is changing, and businesses are expanding into global markets with businesses abroad.  Communicating in an effective manner in cross-cultural markets can be extremely challenging.  Companies that ensure cultural differences are understood can have a significant positive impact for the business in this type of market.  Barriers such as stereotypes, ethnocentrism, anxiety and uncertainty are generally caused by lack of knowledge about different cultures and a lack of intercultural communication skills and practices (Jenifer & Raman, 2015).  Eliminating the cross-cultural communication barriers and training employees appropriately in cross cultural communication while exposing them to other cultures is key to breaking down the barriers.

Misunderstanding and/or a lack of knowledge may be the most common barriers to cross-cultural communication (Jenifer & Raman, 2015).  Every culture has its own norms and acceptable behaviors.  What one culture finds acceptable and appropriate may be high offensive to another culture.  It is human nature to expect others to conform to our ways, our culture; however, when multiple cultures come together in the workplace, the lines blur and everyone must be open to learning and understanding the differences in cultures in order for the business to prosper.

Businesses that expand into cross-cultural arenas and operate successfully train their employees in three competency components.  These components are cross-cultural sensitivity, cross-cultural awareness and cross-cultural ability.  Cross-cultural sensitivity training equips employees with the ability to appreciate the differences in other cultures (Jenifer & Raman, 2015).  Cross-cultural awareness enhances the cultural awareness within the company and creates a higher level of self-awareness for employees.  Cross-cultural ability involves knowledge training.  It is important for employees to recognize and understand the differences in values beliefs, interpretations and perceptions through basic cross-culture training classes.  In addition, language training is also be an important element in cross-cultural communications (Jenifer & Raman, 2015).

The time and money a company allocates for training and preparing employees in cross-cultural communications, the more successful it will be in overcoming the cross-cultural barriers.  Ultimately, the company will emerge with a new cultural enterprise, one in which everyone understands and appreciates differences as well as similarities and all work together toward common goals.

 

Reference

Jenifer, R. D., & Raman, G. P. (2015). Cross cultural communication barriers in the workplace. International Journal of Management, 6(1), 332–335. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333640758_Cross_Cultural_Communication_Barriers_in_Workplace

 

It is Oscar weekend and regardless if you follow movies or Hollywood in general, you cannot miss the  overwhelming news of more diversity in Hollywood. It started to gain momentum when top executive males started getting called out and charged with their treatment of women and minority. The call for action is still a long way from coming to a comfortable equality for all place which is still a sad state for many of us regardless of the industry.

While Hollywood is still trying to move in a more diverse direction with more women and minorities snagging top producing and acting spots this weekend, we will still see a predominantly white list of nominees (Wolf, 2020). While the Oscar is the top prize the general population is starting to recognize that in the United States, we are more interested in seeing a more diverse cast on screen and in the credits.

According to UClAs latest Hollywood Diversity Report, women make up approximately 50% of the United States population and minorities make up approximately 40%.  In contrast, out of the 139 files with the highest global ticket receipts of 2018, 41% of the lead roles went to women and 26.6% went to minorities.  Among all acting roles in those same films, 40.4% went to women and 30.9% went to minorities.  Things improved slightly in 2019 when lead acting roles went to 44.2% women and 27.6% to minorities (Wolf, 2020).  Statistically, Hollywood has a way to go before leading roles reflect equality for women and minorities.

Even behind the scene, women and minorities are not proportionate to the overall population in the United States.  For example, in 2018, 7.1% of the directors of top-grossing files were women and in 2019, women made up 15.1%.  In 2018, minorities held 19.3% of the directors of top-grossing films and in 2019, 14.4% (Wolf, 2020).  It appears that diversity is not making big inroads in Hollywood just yet, even through even small steps are considered progress.

Since Hollywood’s success indicator is based on the credits a person has, writing, directing and acting jobs are critical to women and minorities.  Again, in the writing and directing roles, diversity is making some strides but not enough.  In 2018, women earned 14.8% of the writing credits for the films analyzed for this article and in 2019, 17.4%.  In that same category and time, minorities received 10.4% in 2018 and 13.9% in 2019 (Wolf, 2020).

The Hollywood Diversity Report also reported on workplace analysis of 11 major and mid-major studios.  The results were alarming because 91% of C-level positions were held by whites and of that 91%, 82% were males.  In senior executive positions, 93% were held by white people and 80% of them were men (Wolf, 2020).  In other words, white men are still making most of the big decisions in Hollywood.

Diversity is important to Hollywood not only from the financial aspect, but including diversity in films, movies, TV shows, etc. also helps people relate to the diversity of the characters, how they cope with the story line, and how they relate to one another.  It helps viewers see and feel that what they encounter in real life can be part of the big picture in Hollywood as well.

Reference

Wolf, J. (2020, February 6). 2020 Hollywood diversity report: A different story behind the scenes. Retrieved February 9, 2020, from http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/2020-hollywood-diversity-report