Business Musings
* Business owners and managers should realize that a business corporation ultimately exists through the endorsement of the society in which it operates. Although it is hard to tell what is considered "socially responsible behavior," because it varies so tremendously from society to society and from continent to continent; the company should always try to engage in this behavior to a satisfactory level of the society in which it operates.
* It is an established truth that business changes rules and trends in the world, determines the speed and standard of life in various continents, and influences the level of development of countries it operates in. Is it therefore difficult to figure out who carries the ultimate responsibility for instigating and executing a change in the inequality between various nations of the world?
* Business owners should be aware that business, as a phenomenon, will always be the centerpoint of criticism, be it for obviously bad or essentially good reasons. When a business corporation is merely draining a society from its resources without giving back, criticism will emerge, and for the right reasons. However, when a business corporation, by its very establishment in a city or country, causes accelerated development, there will also be criticism, especially from those who are change-averse. However, this form of criticism will ultimately fade away as soon as the benefits of this change start surfacing.
* Depending on the country in which a business is established, there will be more or less governmental regulations to deal with. Although governments generally have good intentions with business regulations, in favor of protection of society, some administrations are so rigorous in their rule-settings that businesses consider these locations unattractive to establish themselves. Logical consequence: flight of business corporations to more receptive environments, and inevitably, flight of jobs to these oftentimes cheaper labor markets.
* If globalization (which is predominantly executed as the establishment of multinational corporations coming from wealthy countries with specific exertion of their principles, customs, and work formats into the host
countries) can be transformed into localization (which is the establishment of multinational corporations in host countries with adoption of local ways of operating, in order to benefit from resources, procedures, and methods available in the host country, while, at the same time, elevating the quality of life in the local community, and expanding the corporation's horizons by learning new ways of executing operations), the gratification level of all parties involved could improve: business corporations, the corporation's employees in the host country, the corporation's employees in the home country, societies on both ends, and ultimately, the entire world.
About the author:
Joan Marques emigrated from Suriname, South America, to California, U.S., in 1998. She holds a doctorate in Organizational Leadership, a Master's in Business Administration, and is currently a university instructor in Business and Management in Burbank, California. Look for her books "Empower the Leader in You" and "The Global Village" in bookstores online or on her website: http://www.joanmarques.com
