A Fresh Perspective from Southeast Asia
Only last week I returned from across the globe, having traveled to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. My worldly travels were through participation in a study abroad course offered through my MBA program. The course, titled Consumer Behavior, required approximately 15 pre-departure class hours where we covered general history, culture, and consumer behavior in each country. But we of course knew that the real learning would partake during our immersion experience.
I was amazed by the beauty, development, and unique nature of each country. I had the opportunity to chat with the natives, taste diverse cuisines, and even met with business professionals. In an effort to share my experiences, I will be composing a few subsequent blogs.
Food ingredients come in the freshest of form in Southeast Asia. In cities like Hoi An, Vietnam and Siem Reap, Cambodia, you shop at the local market – supermarkets do not exist. Families typically plan out a few meals and head to the market to do some bargaining. The market is not only where you shop for food, but also for clothing, furniture, and living necessities. Each market is organized by category, each with a unique purpose – i.e. produce, jewelry, meat, clothing, etc. Continue reading
Corporate Social Responsibility. Do You “Walk the Talk?”
Codes of conduct, ethics, sustainability, and social responsibility policies are mainstreamed in today’s corporate culture. It is rare to find a public company without some kind of written code of conduct or ethical guidelines outlined in their mission statement. However, just because companies have a social responsibility message, doesn’t mean they are employing it.
Corporate America has a history of “social dumping,” in which business operations are relocated to areas of the world, often to third-world countries, with fewer laws and limitations. In the 1990s, many corporate shenanigans were uncovered such as Nike’s child labor scandal thus sparking a demand for social responsibility policies in the US. While many companies have adopted policies since then, they were not necessarily being monitored or put into effect.
The actual enforcement of these policies started around 2005, when the International Labor Rights Fund and workers from Bangladesh, China, Nicaragua, etc., sued Wal-Mart in Los Angeles court for an alleged breach of their code of conduct (i.e. overtime work, cases of violence against employees). Continue reading
How to Increase Productivity – Hire a Dog.
Doctors provide the treatments, but dogs have shown to give patients something the doctors can’t prescribe: happiness.
According to Therapy Dogs International (TDI), “The optimism and happiness a Therapy Dog can provide to a patient is one that cannot be measured by a doctor’s instruments or recorded on a patient’s chart.” Dog therapy is used in a variety of settings such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and assisting with learning and physical handicaps.
So what about dogs in the workplace? Continue reading
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