THE LORD OF WAR AND TODAY'S ANALOGY

This movie explores a consequence little known about the end of the Cold War: the enormous quantity of weapons that suddenly remained available for selling them to the developing countries (especially of Africa). This fact, although it lead to many violence and dead, it became a very profitable business for the well developed countries such as The United States, China or the European Union, and people began looking for excuses so they could feel relieved for the many damage they were causing to poor societies when they got involved in the weapons business.

The story shows an admirable level of analysis and make us think about the truth, the freedom and the justice involved in today’s real conflicts in which the personal welfare is above the collective welfare and thus, life is not respected and the value of human integrity is sold as if it was one more weapon in the saharian country…

 In Colombia we sadly count with many illegal organizations that, even if they were fighting for justice in the beginning, they lost their objectives along the way and today, blinded by money and power, they built a whole network of illicit activities in which vulnerable people is recruited because they receive promises of a better life, and then, when they realize that promises are not real, it is too late to leave such a cruel, unscrupulous, and persuasive monster of violence and greed that takes the lifes of many innocents in its desperate efforts for success.

DOING BUSINESS IN BRAZIL AND CANADA

BRAZIL

 The business relationships in Brazil have a clear personal component. Before buying, selling or doing a commercial agreement with another company they need to trust in its representatives and since trust is gained only by time, a foreigner must know that negotiations can take time and must be patient.

 To accede to the Brazilian market it is advisable to work with a local contact known as “despachante” who analyses and solves the bureaucratic processes that will always appear along the negotiation.

Punctuality is not their strength and people should always understand their delays and accept their excuses. The meetings tend to be extensive enough, due to the amount of questions brasilians ask and the detailed presentations – exhibitions they expect.

 Accepting invitations to restaurants or bars is well seen as they are very easy going people that treat business partners as friends, and NEVER setting meetings or commercial visits during final soccer matches or  carnival (their must important celebration) is more than a suggestion, it’s a business rule.

 CANADA

 The Canadians are friendly people and because of the important migratory phenomenon that characterizes the country, they are very open to foreign cultures and their traits. Their business are inclusive and hierarchic, women plays an essential role in society and is very common to find a woman leading a business group.

 Leadership, creativity and innovation are constant elements in the daily business life of this country. They can go directly to business topics, but in the French-speaking Canada, there can be a more general conversation before such as the trip details.

 The Canadians listen to the speaker without interrupting. The use of the word is alternated in a polite form and the sense of humor is very valued, especially in moments of tension or uncertainty.

DOING BUSINESS IN GERMANY, NEW ZELAND AND IN THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

 GERMANY

 German organizational culture is characterized mainly by a high emphasis on efficiency. People try to be as productive as possible and there is no time to socialize, except from the resting periods. In the same way, enterprises are highly hierarchic  and there is a considerable amount of respect and formality in the interactions between employees with higher levels chiefs.

Germans like to work on a well-structured basis of plans and deadlines and they only take decisions based on facts as they normally reject risk taking behaviors. Their meetings are very organized and planned and they are the previous stage of consensual decisions taken in group.. Punctuality is always required and interruptions are not tolerated.

Although negotiating with this culture may seem stressful because of their rigid style, one must be aware that once a german trusts you and your enterprise, only good things can come in the future of business landscape.

UNITED ARABE EMIRATES

When entering the United Arabe Emirates with commercial purposes, it is useful to have in mind that arabs prefer to do business first with family and friends, so establishing relationships and personal contacts may be the key or the path for beginning a prosper business with them because it opens doors and facilitates the business operations.

To be always on time for the meetings is well received, nevertheless, one must be

 prepared for delays or last-minute cancellations, since time for them is not necessarily linked to money. A conservative outfit and patience are very important elements when negotiating with arabs, their local customs and way of life is traditional, not agitated and they are directed by a slow flow.

Business meetings in tend to be less formal than in west; there can be others in the room where a meeting is being held ,interruptions are not considered as a lack of respect and before talking about commercial topics  they like to have silly conversations . One must always accept coffee or tea when it is offered by s business partners, however, having more than three cups is  not educated.

Finally , remembering  that the United Arabe Emirates market is a door to do business in the whole region is crucial, many companies don’t end up closing business there but must of them  receive offers for operations or activities out of the country, so an open attitude will enable wider options and huge opportunities.

NEW ZEALAND

 In New Zealand, relationships are influenced by their individualistic behavior. Not being punctual can be interpreted as a lack of seriousness or of respect for the time of the others. In general, the meetings occur in a very relaxing mood, in which the first minutes are used for a small informal chat before going to business. It is essential to have complete informative material, photos and graphs given that they place a high value on the interest of people and their preparation time.

Being concrete is crucial also, they are extremely practical. The negotiation process usually takes time.  Trying to accelerate it using pressure tactics can determine the failure of the business relationship.

Negotiating with China and Japan... an eastern style to be understood.

Facing a widely globalized world requires being prepared for negotiating with people from any nationality at any moment. When negotiating, what we all expect is to get a benefic situation and build long term relationships, which can only be possible if a positive interaction occurs. This interaction will be evidently determined by the cultural traces that define the way in which individuals behave, and thus, if wanting to succeed in the business field, a deep understanding of the cultures involved in the negotiation process is essential so that the other’s behaviors can be comprehended and adaptation efforts can be put into place.

Currently, there`s no doubt about the dominant role played by the eastern nations in economy. At the same time, there’s no doubt about the enormous differences that exist among western negotiation habits and those of countries such as China and Japan.  In the case of China, one must be aware of the important reflection of religion (Taoism, Confucianism, Buddhism) in business. This aspect highly influences a negotiation style based on the preservation of harmony which embeds the respect for hierarchic structure, austerity acceptance, emphasis on relationships (“Guanxi”) and protection of face or dignity above all (“Mianzi”). The previous elements will help a person to go through a negotiation process with Chinese people while accepting and answering properly to collectivism, neutral and long term driven practices and manage to resolve possible existing conflicts in a positive way.

When doing business with the Nippon people, similar aspects will influence the interaction between parties being also the hierarchic group the structure selected for working, bowing as the way to express respect, presenting with a card as an important meeting protocol and so on. In Japan, instead of Guanzi and Mianzi philosophies, there are two other concept that describe social phenomena; Honne that refers to a person's true feelings and desires and Tatamae that involves the attitudes and behaviors that must are shown in public. Specifically talking, the role of women in the japanese business world deserves  attention because of her increasingly activeness in today’s processes, opposed to historic discrimination and censure.

After studying and analyzing the eastern negotiation influences and approaches, a western negotiator will thus be prepared to give and receive presents, place high importance to business presentation cards, value the tea time, take care of physical distances  and never have a “No” as a definite  answer among others. The understanding of a culture does not only give tools to interact with it but also develops sensitivity that creates integral negotiation professionals and succesful exchanges.

North Korea, a remaining comunist trace

North Korea´s current situation and future perspective is so worrying and critical that it  invites us to think about the contradictions of the globalization system and its supposed consequent integration. While the majority of the humans beings live surrounded by development, highly exposed to information and communication technologies and aware of what happens in the opposite site of the globe within just a few minutes after, we still ignore that there is still a country that remains freezed under the cold war schemes and where freedom has a manipulated and erroneous meaning.

Is precisely in North Korea, where the population has to worship its former leader Kim Il Jong and its refuse is punished through “corrective” measures that go from public humiliation to hard work (in a sort of concentration camps intended to “educate” those who don’t support the leader and his system) where none of the characteristics that must of the worldwide population experience exist. The country counts with highly developed technologies in the military field representing the 9^th global nuclear power but still, half of the population suffer malnutrition and life quality is way under the world´s average.

Repression methods and anti-capitalism brain wash tactics  are so tough and deep that year after year, children must reaffirm their hate to the United States, masses are daily mobilized under the announcement of a possible enemy attack, colored clothes are strictly forbidden, any sort of external communication is filtrated and extinguished, internet is inexistent and the social equality promised as a reward is not precisely applied to the elite government members that enjoy luxurious cars and parties.

All of this features contrast with the nation´s neighbor, South Korea, which obtained, in spite of the lack of resources and shared overpopulation, a market economy that ranks 15th in the world and is one of the fastest growing economies nowadays, a highly ranked life quality, a cohesive social system mixed with stable politics and the potential of becoming, according to Citi Group, the position of the  10th richest country in the world measured by GDP per capita in 2020.

Isn’t it paradoxical?, the answer is no, its just the well known consequence of a repressive model that was created to disappear 20 years ago.

THE MICRO-SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION & THE SOCIAL ORGANIZATION IN INDIA

While the Macro level of religion describes the historic changes, innovation, conflict, rise and fall, religious market processes and the place of religion in the social history of culture, states and economies, the meso level deals with the divisions within societies, how they are broken apart by income, ethnicity and the like and , when religion focused, it includes church organization, religious movements, religious demography and the entwining of religious with politics among others. In the case of the micro, intimate level , it deals with the daily actions and interactions of people in society observing everything as closely as possible and going deep in the details that conform the complex reality of current lives.

In India, where 79.8% of people belongs to Hinduism religion, its sociology is analyzed from the caste system that divides the population into four groups and an unrecognized fifth group. The belief states that each individual was created from a specific part of Brahma being the Brahmin caste the replacement of Barhma in earth,  the Kshatriyas the Kings, Soldier warriors, Agriculturist and nobility the Vaishya caste the Marchants, cattle herders and artisans, the Shudra caste the craftsmen and laborers, and the Dalito Outcaste also named as the untouchables. This social structure also coexists with secondary religions such as jainism, sikhism, a zoroastrianism (parsis), and budist and even if such structure is the reflect of discriination, the indian peple accept their role in the society  and live according to it.

When a dream becomes a nightmare (story of an immigrant in Panama)

Last year, when doing my internship in Panama, i had the chance to meet a colombian girl named Luz. It was a sunny sunday and i went to the salon because i wanted to do my nails.

When i got there and asked if there was someone free, the manager (a panamenian 50 years old woman) said: "Yes, there´s a colombian".

Luz introduced her self and i could perceive she felt relieved when she realized i was colombian too. She was tall, with red hair and big, brown eyes. She began doing my nails and asked me what was i doing there, i told her about my job and she asked: "But are you legal here?", she was surprised when i answered that i was and then she began telling me about her...

"I'm 27, and i was bored in Medellin, i had my motorcycle there and it was the only asset i had for working. Ilm hair styler and i used to visite my clients in their own homes.. until when i got robbed. There was when i lost my job because without the scooter, the transportation became really expensive and its wasnt worthy. So, i dedicated to look for a job and i never could get one. There was when a friend's friend told me about Panama and the huge amount of money i coud get here. She told me i needed no visa, and as a tourist i could stay  for a month..then, i just had to hide from immigration police and get a job, earn in dollars, save, and go back to colombian with the amount of money necessary to establish my own beauty salon... so i left everything and i came.

Im here since three months ago and at the beginning i was really excited and happy. The lady who told me about this, contacted me with a friend of her and this friend received me for two weeks while i got a job...but the situation wasnt as easy as i thought.. i visited every salon in the down town and they werent interested in new personnel. After those two weeks, the host told me i had to pay or to leave...and i had no money at all so  i had to beg and implore for more time... se was almost feeding me with some rice and soup at night.. and during the day i could only buy some bread.. i cried a lot and felt desperate...i had never have to beg for nothing.. and i began missing my life in Colombia but i insisted  and tought on how coward would i look like if i came back that soon... so i tried to handle it longer...

Until when i found a guy who knew Karla (the salon owner) and she hired me. I thought i had found the remedy and i was really thankful...but the rest of the people here (the other 5 girls; 4 panamenians, 1 from Dominic Republic) werent good at me...they began doing comments and jokes against me calling me hore or saying they were going to call the police...i've cried a lot and now that, on top of that, the owner is paying me half of the wage she promised at the beginning, i wanna leave, i hate this country, this people...i havent left case im waiting until i save enough money for paying at least the ticket cost...but im counting down...i just cant wait"

That was the first and only time i saw Luz. Two weeks after, i came back to the salon and i didnt see her, so i asked the manager and all what she said was that the police went to the salon surpresily and had deported her, that she was may be in Colombia or in jail.

(Panama receives more ilegal immigrants form Colombia and Venezuela than any other country in the region. The government has no mechanisms designed to face the situation and provide the legalization opportunities, proper employment, job security and adequate incomes that any person deserves)