Topic:  Opportunism and Wielding Power in Modern-Day Organizations

Select a topic related to Organizational Theory ( Power and Politics in Organizations ) in the 21st Century.

Discussion Board replies

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Additionally, you will reply to a minimum of 3 other classmates’ threads. Thus, you will have submitted substantive written responses to a minimum of 3 other classmates’ threads.

What is Substantive Interaction?

? The School of Business is committed to the collaborative learning model. In this course, collaborative learning requires each student to read and spend time reflecting on other’s postings, and then respond in a substantive manner to the postings of others. In composing

substantive responses, you can do several things, such as:

• compare/contrast the findings of others with your research;
• compare how the findings of others relate and add to the concepts learned in the
• share additional empirical knowledge regarding global business — or international experiences you may have had — relative to the postings of others.

required readings; and/or

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• Key Term and Why You Are Interested in it- socially responsible corporation(s)

1. Upon reviewing the initial chapters of this study, chapters one and two to be precise, my attention has been captured by the term “socially responsible corporation(s),” which I have chosen to delve deeper into. This particular term resonates with me on a personal level as I hold a strong interest in understanding how corporations contribute to the betterment of communities. Often, there exists a prevailing assumption that corporations are solely driven by financial gains, neglecting the welfare of the people within the communities they operate in. While this might not necessarily be an accurate portrayal, the discovery of the term “socially responsible corporation(s)” has been a breath of fresh air, inspiring me to broaden my knowledge about how corporations engage with and invest in their communities. My intention extends beyond personal enrichment; I aspire to share this newfound insight in future discussions centered around the same topic.

Explanation of the Key Term

A socially responsible corporation can be defined as an entity that actively seeks ways to foster economic growth and development within the communities it operates in. Such a company, to put it simply, chooses to be a catalyst for economic progress. An illustrative instance of this social responsibility involves corporations taking measures to mitigate their impact on the environment. By adopting eco-friendly practices, companies can label themselves as environmentally conscious, making them more appealing to consumers who align with similar values. Consequently, consumers who share these values are more inclined to opt for products from environmentally friendly sources rather than those that are not. This increase in consumer spending triggers a surge in demand, subsequently driving up production and thus contributing to economic upswing.

Major Article Summary

In the context of this discourse, I am inclined to delve into the expansion of the definition of a socially responsible corporation, along with the associated benefits and risks for both consumers and corporations. An article titled “The Anatomy of a Socially Responsible Corporation” authored by Prakash et al. in 2016 presents two distinct types of corporate social responsibility. The first type, responsive social responsibility, can be likened to a reactive approach. In essence, it involves responding to activities or actions initiated by the corporation itself (Prakash et al., 2016). For instance, a company might make charitable donations to an environmental foundation following an oil spill. On the other hand, adaptive social responsibility embodies a proactive approach. This type empowers corporations to anticipate the needs of their communities in advance and take preemptive measures to uphold a higher level of social responsibility. As an example, a corporation might donate to clean air initiatives in anticipation of upcoming factory development. As society becomes increasingly cognizant of various issues, consumers are raising the bar in terms of moral and ethical expectations from corporations. The consolidation of globalization and the diverse cultural perspectives it brings necessitates that corporations thoroughly understand the unique social challenges in the communities they operate within, and then align their social responsibility initiatives accordingly.

Discussion

• Cited Work Relationship to Major Summary and Assigned Readings

Chapters one and two of the provided academic material delve into the emergence and progression of globalization, unveiling the intricate cross-cultural challenges entwined with this phenomenon. For managers of multinational corporations, it is imperative to be well-versed in the cultural intricacies specific to the nations where their business transactions unfold. This acumen enables companies to establish strong rapport with the local communities, thereby building a reputable and trustworthy image. A positive social profile augments the likelihood of consumers choosing the company’s products over competitors.

• Cited Work Relationship to the Other 4 Articles
• Key Term and Why You Are Interested in It 
• Forum 1- Integration Versus Assimilation

During the course of my exploration into socially responsible corporations, I have intentionally sought out articles that shed light not only from a consumer perspective but also from a corporate angle. I aimed to move beyond the obvious benefits to consumers and inquire about the advantages from a corporate standpoint. While it might be relatively straightforward to deduce that corporations contributing positively to communities will likely experience increased sales, I was intrigued by the deeper implications. Is the concept of a socially responsible corporation truly a “win-win” scenario, or does it harbor potential downsides? I was pleasantly surprised by the wealth of information I unearthed, which greatly aided in deepening my comprehension of the multifaceted nature of socially responsible corporations. Three of the remaining four articles, entitled “Is the Socially Responsible Corporation a Myth? The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Corporate Social Responsibility” (Devinney, 2009), “Corporate Socially Responsible Initiatives and Their Effects on Consumption of Green Products” (Ramoni, et al., 2016), and “Promoting More Socially Responsible Corporations Through a Corporate Law Regulatory Framework” (Zhao, 2017), all touch on varying initiatives, and even rewards, for those corporations that strive to be socially responsible. Speaking unto the degree of which corporations’ benefit from being socially responsible, an article written by Prior, et al., in 2008 brings into question the ethics behind a corporation being socially responsible.

2. Values

The key term that I am interested in diving deeper into is values. Within international business, one will find there are different values for every country. Within every country, there are also different values for every culture. The modern-day global economy is made up of diverse cultures, ideas, customs, and social behavior (Multiplier, 2023). Since the international economy expands to borders and cultures, the cultural differences of global businesses impact strategic direction within business. Understanding the values and cultures within different countries is crucial in creating business. When working with international businesses or abroad,  it is important to have a basic understanding of professional business and the common values shared.

Explanation of the Key Term

Values are accepted beliefs about what is right and wrong (Satterlee, 2023). Values are an interpretation of culture by social members by which society derives its culture from its history and environment (Satterlee, 2023, p. 66). The values of a society influence members within and develop social norms and decision-making. If someone believes and behaves according to social norms, they are less likely to stand out and more likely to be accepted. But, if someone does not behave according to the social norms, they will stand out and be questioned. Some examples of values are workplace etiquette, client relations, office dress code, and communication. There are also life values like integrity, respect, honesty, and kindness that would be important to learn how people in different cultures take and receive different values.

Major Article Summary

The article “Understanding The Role Of Culture In International Business,” by Global HR Practices from Multiplier, shares how important it is to understand different cultures and their business practices. The article shares how business culture refers to an organization’s values, beliefs, goals, behaviors, and communication patterns. These patterns impact business operations, decisions, and relationships. Culture is the coming together of different experiences, values, and beliefs that influence the behavior and attitude of a community or person (Multiplier, 2023). In international business, one must understand how their counterpart views situations and operates. The article explains the importance of overcoming cultural differences in global business by creating space for the cultural requirements of your colleagues and employees in a foreign country. Open communication is the most beneficial way culturally diverse teams can overcome their differences and work together. When expanding into new markets, understand that your home country’s approach and attitude towards the corporate structure may differ from others. For example, the Chinese and Japanese stress general group decision-making, while American teams tend to have a leader with ultimate authority. Lastly, the article summarizes the major socio-cultural factors that impact international business, which are culture, etiquette, religion, language, customer preferences, education level, customs and taboos, and attitude toward foreign goods and services (Multiplier, 2023).

Discussion

Understanding a company’s or individual’s values is crucial when conducting business. Showing effort to understand someone else’s values shows your commitment to making the relationship work. Four key work values include honesty, fairness, concern for others, and achievement (Williams, 2023). Along with respecting the values of your partner, adopting the values is the next stage of trust within the relationship. Businesses today not only need to understand the values of their workforce but also the relevant laws and policies of the country in which they operate. An example is how women are treated in Islamic culture differs widely from Western culture (FutureLearn, 2023). Such instances can lead to ethical dilemmas and problems if not known beforehand. 

Values play a crucial role in business internationally, influencing decision-making, relationships, and overall business operations. Some values beyond the general term include ethics, respect for cultural diversity, global citizenship, collaboration, flexibility, communication, long-term perspective, employee well-being, social responsibility, and risk management (Enderwick, 2019). These values guide businesses as they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by diverse cultural and economic factors. The values contribute to building strong relationships, growth, and maintaining a positive global reputation. 

Key Term and Why I Am Interested in It 

Integration Versus Assimilation

3. I have always been interested in learning about different cultures across the world. Just recently, I have discovered my passion for traveling when I went to Mexico for the first-time last year. My husband and I have big plans for exploring Europe, Africa, and Asia in the future. As we travel, we enjoy learning about the cultures and history of the people that live in each area we visit. It is fascinating to learn of traditions that have been passed down through families. Living as a Caucasian female in America with little knowledge of my ethnic background, I do not really have or are aware of an interesting or unique history of culture that has been passed down through my family. Once I began my corporate career and experienced working with a group of diverse individuals, I became fascinated learning of their histories and cultural traditions. As I was reading our textbook, assimilation and integration sparked my interest because of the concept of combining the cultures of different groups of people.  

Explanation of the Key Term

           The term integration describes the combination of two or more aspects of something, to create a larger whole unit. In the context of integrating cultures, it means that parts from two or more cultures are combined to form a new larger culture. Typically, this new culture would include the better parts of each individual culture. Assimilation is the opposite of integration in that it describes the process of conforming two or more aspects of something into the dominant aspect and eliminating all others. When speaking of assimilating cultures, it describes converting everyone into the more dominant culture and foregoing all the individual/ minority cultures of groups of people.

           Assimilation and Integration are important to understanding international business; globalization cannot be completed without the merging of different cultures. Integration is more preferred than assimilation however, historically, there have been more accounts of assimilation, such as when African slaves were taken from their home cultures and transferred into the United States, where they had to convert to the new culture of the land in which they were residing. It is important to understand the two terms as they are key to creating successful integration of economies and societies across the world, termed globalization (Satterlee, 2023).

Major Article Summary

Amanda Alencar and Mark Deuze conducted a cross-cultural study to understand how the news affects immigrants in the Netherlands and Spain. Through literature searches, the authors discovered a correlation between acculturation and the news media. Research has shown trends between acculturation, the process of adjusting to a new culture, and the news media; acculturation can be positively influenced by the news media by helping immigrants interact with their host country’s culture. To understand how the news media positively influences an immigrant’s ability/ process of integrating or assimilating into the host country’s culture, the authors conducted qualitative group interviews among forty-nine immigrants living in Amsterdam and forty-nine immigrants living in Madrid between 2014 and 2015. In the group interview settings, participants were asked questions regarding the role that the news media plays for them, what factors influence their news media viewing, and how the news media reception of migration affects them. The researchers discovered that, in general, the news media allows immigrants to learn of services available to them in their host country, helps them maintain their cultural identity by keeping them informed of the happenings of their home country, and fulfils their desire to learn about worldwide issues regarding other countries. Overall, this study found that immigrants mainly used their host country’s news media as a way to assimilate, however their home country’s news was used to stay connected to their true culture, perhaps leaning more towards integrating aspects of both cultures (Alencar & Deuze, 2017).

Discussion

A. Cited Work Relationship to Major Summary and Assigned Readings

           In the research conducted by Alencar and Deuze, they explain the relationship between assimilation and integration using the term acculturation. According to Alencar and Deuze, acculturation consists of four models or strategies: integration, assimilation, separation, and marginalization (Alencar & Deuze, 2017). Acculturation is the process in which immigrants go through when adapting to living in a new society. This term acculturation speculates that in order to adjust to a new society, an individual must either integrate their culture with their new society’s culture, grow to assimilate/ completely abandon their original culture for their new society’s culture, keep their culture separate from their new society’s culture, or decide to be neither culture but something in-between and different all together. In our textbook, we have learned that globalization cannot occur without either the integration or assimilation of cultures (Satterlee, 2023). Globalization involves creating relationships between all groups of people across the world. As these relationships become deeper, the groups of people will begin to be influenced by one another, causing cultures to either be merged (integration) or one to become dominant (assimilation). Similar to globalization, Alencar and Deuze discuss throughout their article about how immigrants with time, end up either integrating or assimilating their culture when moving to a new country or society (Alencar & Deuze, 2017). With globalization, businesses begin to interact more internationally. As they do so, they begin marketing their products or services to all types and groups of people. With this, businesses have to consider either integration or assimilation. By integrating, the business can market their products internationally by keeping in mind the best features of each nation’s culture, however, with assimilation, the business can decide which majority culture to use and disregard any concerns regarding the culture of the minority. By thinking through assimilation versus integration, it makes more sense that a business would integrate so that more individuals could relate to the product or service since it would be incorporating aspects of many different cultures.

B. Cited Work Relationship to Other 4 Articles

Four additional articles were researched in preparation for this discussion board entry. Consistent with the article summarized above, all four articles discussed assimilation and integration in the context of immigrants moving to a location with a new culture. Acculturation was a theme across all articles that were researched as it describes the process of adjusting to a new culture and can be conducted using integration or acculturation, including two other additional forms. The articles researched discussed the psychological perspective of the immigrants going through acculturation, how the workplace can help with migrant employees going through acculturation, and how the news affects immigrants acculturating. Each of the articles researched provided a different perspective of how it is to be an immigrant in a new country, learning of its new cultures. Immigrants seem to feel social pressure to assimilate when living in a new country. From learning of this perspective, I now wonder if globalization causes individual countries to feel more pressure to assimilate to the dominant culture instead of learning and incorporating aspects of other cultures into their own.