Non-verbal Communication between human beings

The best way for people to understand others point of view or behaviors is communication. It allows us to express feeling, opinions and judgments but not always this communication means the same in all countries or cultures, especially if we are talking about non-verbal communication.

Non-verbal communication is anything that helps us to communicate without using words. Symbols, body language expressions, eyes contacts and touch are all non-verbal communication. These aspects can have different meanings depending on the culture that we are in. Eduard T. Hall studied the levels of context in different countries and found that there are ones with more high context and other with low contexts, regularly, countries with high context are those that need too much explicit information in order to get the message and do not fall into misunderstandings, in the other side, low context countries can have implicit information and will get the idea of what is trying to be informed. In the picture it can be seen cups of coffee that say “ caution hot beverage” it is obvious that the coffee is hot but in high context this information have to be explicit in order to let people know that the  coffee they are about to drink is hot, therefore they might be cautious

In my opinion the human beings use more non-verbal communication than verbal communication, we are always expressing ourselves with our body, any movements, facial expression and attitude can say something. There are some expressions or symbols that can have different meanings and there are others that might have a global meaning like for example “have-five” action. And the O.K expression that means agreement. Another good example of non- verbal communication are kisses when people are greeting each other, kisses mean confidence this a very common way to greet in different countries but for example in Colombia is use only one kiss and men do not kiss other men, in Belgium also men kiss each other and in Spain it is use two kisses one in each cheek.   

      

References

http://www.sheknows.com/food-and-recipes/articles/804657/what-your-starbucks-drink-says-about-you

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:High-five.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonverbal_communication

http://www.bodylanguage.in/body-language-examples/

http://tecnoculto.com/2011/03/28/aniversario-de-ok/

Turks in Germany

Immigration is a phenomenon very common now-a-days. Some people consider it as a threat and others as an opportunity towards integration. Germany is one of the European countries with a high immigrant population especially from turkey, 2.4 % of the population are Turks.

During the 60´s Germans wanted to have cheap hand labor. Therefore, Turks got hired from German companies but what Germans did not expected were Turks to stay in the nation. Once little by little Turks established their lives in the German territory and also their families were migrating too. The first generation were expecting to come back to turkey but since they have their family and friends there they never came back, second and third generation got more adapted to the German culture and also learned the language easily what make Turks leave behind the idea of coming back to their nation. At this time, Turks are the biggest migrant population in Germany but due to the cultural and religious differences they are not integrated with Germans.

 Opportunities for this population are limited inside Germany; they are being rejected and in some cases discriminated due to their religious practices and differences. But they are working very hard to be treated equally and be integrated in society. The German government had created a low that recognize Turks born in Germany as Germans and will be treated equally, they have had better opportunities but are not being fully integrated in society.

Few Turks have had success inside organization in Germany as directives; the majority of these immigrants have jobs in which they do not have the opportunities to grow of be promoted. The Turkish market in Berlin is a very famous market where many different things are sold; the greater parts of visitors are tourists that are interested to know this market and taste Turkish food.

In the video above is showed a Turkish family from the second generation and they explain they feel in Berlin, they consider Germany as their home and turkey is just for vacations but at the same time they know how Germans feel with Turks presence in their territory.

References:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNQn_hshiMs

http://www.elmundo.es/blogs/elmundo/cronicasdesdeeuropa/2010/01/31/contra-la-pared-turcos-en-alemania.html

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi22S-GTaz9JcW-yChaUgA-zDvzny0XRMwWodZV_WlnneNE7MjtFKyqRX_Rcd8r-02_CvuAb1DPb2Nv629CMxhUkYr2eMiUa174a8ARGIpUHM_ips4OaI6m4Tjl7kcgn3HKgMeY0E5qkGQ/s1600/Muslim_Girls_Germany_25.jpg&imgrefurl=http://maggiesnotebook.blogspot.com/2010/10/angela-merkel-multiculturalism-failed_17.html&usg=__fyAA6f2E2D2uJuWaFkETgm5vNVw=&h=249&w=443&sz=30&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=RmJW4o0JvnYi_M:&tbnh=92&tbnw=164&ei=pWPNTffgAsiXtwfRwrX0DQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmuslims%2Band%2Bgermans%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D536%26tbm%3Disch&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=1464&page=1&ndsp=20&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0&tx=62&ty=70

Acquisition the startegy to face Globalization.

There are some challenges that companies need to face in order to survive in the globalization era, and also, achieve their goals. Competitiveness is one of the main issues that organizations look for, not only in local but in international markets.
merging and acquisition are methods often use for multinationals or big companies on order to growth and penetrate new markets having the advantage of a partner that knows the local market and culture, in that way risks are minimized. In Colombia, for example, there are some companies that are recognized in the local market thank to the important participation they have in the nationally but they might be losing participation and competitiveness due to imported products and services that are more competitive and satisfied customers. Local companies that are acquired by multinational and international organizations have the opportunity to receive all the technical knowledge and processes that help them to be more competitive, consequently, they survive in this globalization era without losing local customers and gaining more participation in the international one.

Owens- Illinois (O-I) is a multinational company which manufactures glass and it is specialized in bottles, O-I has presence in 4 continents and is the owner if one of the most emblematic companies in Colombia in the glass industry, Peldar. Peldar was already positioned in the national market as a glass manufacturer but it wanted to open the business to new markets and started to export to different countries.

Owens-Illinois was interested on acquiring the Colombian company because of the good references of the corporation and also because they wanted to growth in the Latin-American market.  by this acquisition, Peldar had the opportunity to export more qualify and competitive products and improve its manufacturing process thank to the experience, knowledge and techniques that O-I gave to them; O-I gain more participation in the global market, penetrate a new one and could had a new line of production in the company`s family because Peldar is the only member of the Owen-Illinois group that produces construction glass like for example windows and "vidrieras".

This is a good example of how could companies from the same industry can get positive results and keep facing globalization challenges by an acquisition.

Now-a-days Peldar is known as Peldar O-I, a qualified company with excellent products in local and international market with the support of a multinational in the industry.

References:

http://www.o-i.com/latin_america.aspx?id=1820&mode=1

http://www.vano.com.co/proveedores.html

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://runrun.es/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/owens-illinois.gif&imgrefurl=http://runrun.es/runrunes/6035/de-frente-contra-polar-por-el-costo-politico-chavez-decide-cercarla-por-todos-lados.html&usg=__cHZXATeB-ov0XdOp9g7bCSBwylg=&h=244&w=450&sz=11&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=oKSGaMZaX4e-EM:&tbnh=84&tbnw=155&ei=ktrBTeaQBoyCtgeezJC6BQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dowens%2Billinois%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D564%26gbv%3D2%26tbm%3Disch&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=258&vpy=259&dur=159&hovh=165&hovw=305&tx=175&ty=88&page=1&ndsp=21&ved=1t:429,r:8,s:0

solutions in moments of crisis

Differences among human being are normal issues that make each person unique. Interests, personalities, cultures, languages are all different, those differences, in some cases, can come up with some struggles.

In companies, it is known that not always people will agree there are some situations in which one would not like the way thing are done. Conflicts can be more common than what we thought and managing those conflicts can be ease when people are willing to listen to others and recognize their mistakes, but with close minded people managing change could be a nightmare. The principal cause of conflict is a bad communication, sometimes we do not take into account others opinions, and we misunderstand messages getting the wrong idea. In organizations people must have a constant communication in order to be connected in the same idea on what they are working on, understanding and accepting differences is fundamental to avoid conflicts in communication.

When working in a cross cultural environment where there are people from other places, with different cultures and languages it is important to take into consideration some key elements that will help managers and workers in general to have a better communication and avoid conflicts.

• Respect cultures beliefs like religion, customs, traditions and habits inside the organization. Respecting do not mean that someone has to adopt it just it is just to recognize the difference and respect people´s values.
• Difficulties with languages can be a big problem in communication but adopting a common language will help the organization avoid this issue.
• Close minded people are not healthy in cross cultural environments.
• Listening to others point of view and try to maintain a win-win situation could generate a better ambiance inside the organization.

Conflicts have to be faced, not facing them will generate more problems; avoiding the situation is not the solution, collaborating and collaborating are the best ways to follow. Not only managers must be compromised on conflicts resolution but every employee from directives to security personnel.

Conflicts do not have to be seen as problems inside the organizations, conflicts can also come up with new things that might represent benefits in the future the key is to know how to face them and give them the best possible solution where everybody involved in it feels pleased.

References

http://www.aasa-tqn.org/?p=100

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ru-dynamicallydriven.com/images/solution_big.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.ru-dynamicallydriven.com/conflict-management.html&usg=__lBXAU0PgFDHM_wYt_4ZSIUBmb_o=&h=266&w=746&sz=19&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=vZblJopYDz7c1M:&tbnh=69&tbnw=193&ei=Suy-Tc2KM82itgfMrbHiBQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dmanaging%2Bconflict%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26biw%3D1259%26bih%3D536%26tbm%3Disch0%2C241&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=251&vpy=137&dur=1352&hovh=134&hovw=376&tx=214&ty=74&page=1&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:13,s:0&biw=1259&bih=536

globalization affects in all aspects

A globalized world allows countries to be closer, borders and frontiers are disappearing more and more. People from all over the world have more opportunities to travel, learn and know new things, cultures, languages and get more experience in personal and professional aspects, these helps people to have better reactions in cross cultural situations. But being in a globalized world also means that any issue that affects one country has repercussion all over the world. It could be seen now-a-days with the conflicts in Arab countries. Societies are asking for their rights and conflict of interests and war took place in these countries.

 Whereas conflicts get bigger and bigger countries from other continents like for example the U.S and some European union take advantage of the situation and want to participate on the conflict they know that it will be better for them to democratize the Arab countries in order to enter them into capitalism and obviously take advantage of them and have benefits in commerce. The U.S, I personally think, is a country that sees opportunities in all territories and knows that the Arab countries have lost of petroleum which is an important resource for them and their industry. In the other hand this conflict can have consequences in commerce, the Arab countries are good exporters of petroleum if they are completely focus on war commerce will take a second place this could mean an increasing cost in exports affecting commerce in other countries; also relationships can be affected due to this conflicts, negotiations, conversations and deals might have delays or even can be cancel due to this problem.

This issues are a good representation of globalization, countries are more connected, not only look for opportunities inside their territory but outside, being closer and having good international relations could help to develop more advantages, especially for those potential countries that are always looking to get more and more in order to maintain their power and their position.

leadership and managers

Leadership is a special characteristic that not all individuals have; it is the capacity to influence an individual or a group in order to achieve a specific task. Leaders have some skills that allowed them to guide in the better way others; a good leader is who listen to others´ opinions and find the best way to align people and achieve goals successfully. In the video attached at the end we can find a better explanation of the characteristics of a leader.

I considered that in companies it is very important to identify who is a good leader in a specific situation and when it is better to stay as a follower.  Inside the company a manager has to care about developing some leadership skills in order to manage employees and companies in the right way, not always a good manager is a good leader, it is important to differentiate one from another. In some cases managers who do not have enough skills as leaders can find support in someone who does and together could complement the job and get better results in the business. Being a good leader does not mean that all people is going to be agree with all the decisions, opinions and statements that the leader have in that case it is important to generate trust among people and leave a space where they can express what they think; in the case of managers, the decisions that they take almost always can be irreversible but it does not mean that employees and people cannot present their opinions towards managers directions; in companies with low power distance it is possible to talk directly to the manager and let him/ her know about the opinion and critics that the employee have but I think that arguments are necessary to supports those critics, I have to remark that disrespect and bad attitudes won´t be allowed and would never be taken into account in a positive way; in high power distance cultures what employees or any person could do is to talk with the leader, present the critics and, if it is possible, bring up some solutions. I consider that all members in the company are important and are part of the organization therefore, everyone should have the right to say and present what they think towards the organization direction and all proposals are welcome if they are for the organization benefit. Leaders take an important role when people and workers want to present their disagreement with some manager´s directions, workers should present them in a positive and proactive way rather than just criticism and leaders should be able to align workers, support them and let managers know about what people, within the company, think and feel of the directions. I think that dialogue between managers, leaders and workers is fundamental for the company sake.

 

sources

• http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yopsicologo.com/files/anonymous-leadership-5000373.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.yopsicologo.com/files/tag-liderazgo.html&h=324&w=450&sz=17&tbnid=A4EiA0Egym2rzM:&tbnh=91&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dleadership&zoom=1&q=leadership&hl=es&usg=__mBBjFbMjCbLHSgV60DlQmvL5mig=&sa=X&ei=4yt0Ta3fHMu2tgeso8T-Dg&ved=0CEMQ9QEwAw
• http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://culturewav.es/system/images/513042/original/leadership.jpg%3F1281281390&imgrefurl=http://culturewav.es/life/new%2520era&usg=__giiK_KqCfHWCHLzEIsWNdbc0UGY=&h=500&w=500&sz=62&hl=es&start=0&zoom=1&tbnid=1jSdOrDw5aUfWM:&tbnh=137&tbnw=137&ei=Xyx0Tei8Eo-ctwf2qIGQAQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dleadership%26um%3D1%26hl%3Des%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1276%26bih%3D564%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1&iact=hc&vpx=307&vpy=61&dur=129&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=131&ty=141&oei=PCx0TYTMAdCDtgfm9IX8Dg&page=1&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:0
• 
  

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhxINyIZ454

1. Crony capitalism: societies based on a close relationship between businessmen and the state; in these societies the success of a business dependent on the favoritism that is shown to it by the ruling government in the form of tax breaks, government grants and other incentives. The need of maintaining power is very important and that is why government and networks works together, to keep the power. Capitalist. “This requires businesses to operate closely with the government to achieve the greatest success.”

This information was based on Investopidia dictionary.

2. Banana republic might be societies with dictatorial, military and absolute governments. The author compare India with a banana republic because of the influence of the government, they tend to manipulate the population increasing taxes.

3. From my point of view I think that the media is already a corporation and it can bring up many problematic that might affect societies and organizations. The media manipulates bunches of information and not always these information is right so in different levels information can be wrong and misunderstood generating the wrong perception among people. They also have control of the opinion they can manage information as they want and can gain more power little by little and then people´s opinion will be transmitted just in the way that the media wants.