The U.S. and China are two of the largest trading partners in the world.  Both of these countries are vying to cement their influence in Latin American countries, each one implicating the other in being a bad influence for Latin American countries.  Venezuela and Brazil, along with a few other Latin countries have severed ties with the United States and instead decided to partner with the Chinese government.  These countries feel that while partnered with the U.S. their economies were stagnant or even worse than before.  The Chinese government has set up loans and land leases to these countries which at the onset, seem wonderful opportunities to help these economies grow, but which are predatory at best.  The U.S. has attempted to point these deals out to the Latin countries, but America’s track record of predatory deals precedes them.  China is setting up communications facilities and spaces that will facilitate greater access to space.  The U.S. does not agree with this under the guise that the Chinese government Is very secretive with their plans for these locations and due to the fact that the Chinese government spies on and controls the media which is exchanged in their country, and now has the ability to do so in these Latin countries.  In reality, the U.S. is afraid that China will have better access to spy on the U.S. and will have a greater real estate in space exploration.  The U.S. and China have their own best interests in mind when “helping” these Latin countries.  Instead of helping these countries stand on their own and establish themselves in the world they want to assert their own global dominance in these countries.  In the end, as predatory as these countries are, the alternative, Russia, does not seem like it would be any better.

References:

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York: Routledge.

Woody, C. (2019). 4 ways China is gaining ground in Latin America, according to the US’s top military commander in the region.  Business Insider. retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/southcom-4-ways-china-is-growing-influence-in-latin-america-2019-12

Women leaders are important to global business.  In order for businesses to operate on a global scale, leaders must include people of different cultures.  In our changing climate, it must also include women. Globally, women are rising to the top and becoming outstanding leaders.  As the world changes, so do the leadership and customs of the Middle East.

The dominant culture in the middle east is the Arab culture.  While not all countries in the Middle East are Arab a good number are.  Women’s roles in Arab culture differ from country to country. Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014) indicate that in some Arab countries, women run the household while men work.  Some women work outside of the home and have a rich education, whereas in some countries women do not know how to read.   

Aguirre, Cavanaugh, and Sabbagh (2011) describe that in the Gulf Corporation Council (GCC) countries, which include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, women are playing a bigger part in business and government.  Women involved in the governmental aspect of these countries are setting standards in which women are respected and accepted in the business world outside of traditional gender employment. Women are pushing themselves to step out of their comfort zones and attend universities and obtain leadership roles in companies that were mostly male-dominated industries.  

Women leaders in the Gulf Corporation Council countries also face the same roadblocks as many women in America.  They face the challenges of work-life balance and the challenges of not being taken seriously. As the global culture changes, these countries are realizing that women must be included at the table in order to be taken seriously on a global scale.  Women lead companies in GCC countries are excelling and prospering. Women leaders have started mentorship programs to encourage other women to attend university and further their education. Just as in most parts of the world, it will take time and effort to make these changes, but thus far the GCC economy has excelled with more women in the room.

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York: Routledge.

Aguirre, D. Cavanaugh, M. Sabbagh, K. (2011).  The Future of Women Leaders in the Middle East. Strategy + Business, 2011(63). Retrieved from https://www.strategy-business.com/article/11209?gko=b6b18

Emotional intelligence is an important characteristic of a good leader. High emotional intelligence helps a leader gauge and assess the needs of those around them. In the negotiation process, especially in a global context, it is important to be able to “read the room” and figure out which aspect of the negotiation process is working and which are not in order to obtain the desired result.

Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014) indicates that the five important components of emotional intelligence are: Self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Women often have been groomed by society to possess higher emotional intelligence than men, and this makes having a woman at the negotiation table very crucial.

Tariq (2018) describes that women are often more empathetic than me and are better able to understand the positions of other people and build relationships based upon that. Women tend to be expected to express their emotions more freely than men in society, therefore making women more self-aware and able to self-regulate better. Moran, Abramson, and Moran (2014) assert that being self aware is the ability to not only understand your own mood and emotions but also how they affect other people and help to realistically assess a negotiation situation. Self-regulation allows a person to control themselves and be seen as a trustworthy person which is crucial in negotiation. This helps women to be able to influence other people that their position is the best. Moran, Abramson, and Moran describe negotiation as “a dance where partners in the dance influence each other” (p. 71).

Tariq (2018) says that women are more sensitive to peer feedback. In negotiations it is important to listen and comprehend feedback from peers in order to find a solution that benefits both parties. Quay (2016) further emphasizes that women and men are fundamentally the same and can both be strong negotiators, the tough situations that professional women are exposed to often require women to hone in on their emotional intelligence.

References:

Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (9th ed.). New York: Routledge.

Quy, L. (2016). Using emotional intelligence is a woman leader’s secret weapon. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/womensmedia/2016/11/02/using-emotional-intelligence-is-a-woman-leaders-secret-weapon/#2aeaabb919f7

Tariq, A. (2018). 4 reasons emotional intelligence gives women an upper hand as negotiators. Entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/321370