FINAL THOUGHTS

as I sit and think back on this past semester, what I'll remember about this class, other then our last class case study, will be this:
If you believe in the golden rule, you'll think of the consequences of your actions, in your personal life and business, and how those actions will affect the lives of others. DB

Mazda's Dilemma

Mazda's "social responsibility" to Hiroshima is maintaining a viable/profitable company and by doing this it is able to keep the profits and workforce in the community.
Mazda is resisting pressure to shift the production away from the domestic plants, but they're slowly following analyst advise about moving their facilities off shore.
By moving slowly through the process of moving off shore, maybe some jobs in Hiroshima can saved while the other part of the workforce moves off shore. This might cut into the company's profit, but will help the community stay financially healthy. DB

Making the Most of Cultural Differences

3M has shown that a multinational company can be successful. 3M didn't try to change Russia into a foreign United States, but worked with the employees in the culture they lived in and could relate to. By hiring the supervisors from the area, the workers knew what would be expected of them. By training the workers against taking bribes and corruption, 3m has turned a potential problem into something positive. 3M went into Russia to make a difference. They did their homework and knew what they would need to do to make this venture successful.

3m has succeeded in complying with Richard DeGeorge's guidelines to help corporations fit in and be successful. In addition, they have taken the UN Global Compact agreement seriously and have lived up to this agreement.

Making the Most of Cultural Differences

Any smart businessman should take the time and make the effort to know and understand his labor force whether operating at home or abroad. From time honored practices like sending birthday and anniversary wishes, to being able to ask an employee about important events or people in their lives, treating people as people and not machines is not only good business, it's the right thing to do.

When operating if a foreign country, this task is even more difficult because it's much more difficult to relate to your employee's on a personal level because of the different experiences that they have due to cultural differences.

The example of 3M in Russia is enlightening because it shows how a company that is willing to make the effort can break down the barriers that would naturally lead to distrust between the company and it's employees. By capitalizing on the natural strengths that a typical Russian employee would bring to the table and trying to help with the challenges that they might face in their day to day lives, they have not only made themselves a place that people would want to work. They have also given their work force good reason to be loyal and try to do a good job and go the extra mile to get the job done when necessary. DB