Success of call centers in the Philippines

             One thing I found interesting about this subject is how the Filipinos' amiability is one key factor to their success. I believe that besides having any of kind of effective gimmick for a business to work, having a friendly and approachable disposition can guarantee success, especially when it comes to ICT. In this case, when foreigners use call centers and encounter Filipinos on the other end of the phone, the Filipinos are essentially setting a good example of how a business should operate, and not just through effective strategies. Everyone can practically depend on a person who is always true to their word and is diplomatic in every approach in their work.
        To conclude, is it truly effective to have a friendly disposition when operating in a direct-contact business such as ICT to ensure maximum prosperity?

Ukraine crisis

Pro-Russian activists have also taken to the streets in the south-eastern city of Donetsk in recent days
 


















 Main points

• 97% of Ukrainian population support separatism of Crimean peninsula from Russia
• Russia launched an incursion on Ukraine
• EU published an official list of 21 sanctions against Russian and Ukrainian officials

 My thoughts:

           This story just shows how politically unstable these European countries are. I heard that politics and any matter or opinion relating to the subject is extremely sensitive and that people may be offended at even the slightest implication of opposition. For both locals and foreigners, this type of situation is extremely dangerous and can be a frightening ordeal especially when violence and bloodshed are involved.

Socio-cultural exchange: Cultural diffusion

         Cultural diffusion is when one culture willingly accepts the ideas and beliefs imposed by another culture. This can take many forms and one of them is through transnational corporations. Depending on the country of origin, when a company presents their ideas and/or inventions, they are essentially bringing their attitudes to the rest of the world. Two famous transnational corporations are Apple and Dior.
         Apple is an American technological company founded in April 1, 1976. As time passed on under the leadership and ingenuity of Steve Jobs, the company flourished into a grand business empire that extended beyond the United States. Almost every country is a customer for Apple and they follow the corporation not just for their products, but also for their ideology. Many technological businesses like Apple have every intention to try and modernize and improve the people's lives for the better. Since humans tend to desire convenience and comfort so much, they often put their faith in these companies with the hope that their expectations will be fulfilled.
           Dior is a French fashion company in December 16, 1946. With the company's own ingenuity, they were able to capture the attention of their with their idiosyncratic perception of style and beauty through their clothing and other accessories. When Dior spread across the world, this gave birth to a new culture comprised of "fashionistas" or passionate individuals who believe that looking attractive or fabulous is important. A common ideology for fashion companies like Dior is that humans always want to be better than the other and often say that committing sins to a certain extent is acceptable. One way is through physical, external appearance, or being proud of one's own vanity.
            Transnational corporations are major catalysts of cultural diffusion for promoting consumerism. The companies often strive to protect the interests of their customers in hopes that they can grow from the profit and spread their ideologies to the rest of the world. The people who run these companies deliberately do so because they believe they are benefiting humanity and winning their love and respect, especially for their own gain.

Pros and Cons of Globalization

 Pros

• Allows ingenuity from outside countries (Philippines and Apple)
• Sharing of cultures (US and Japan)
• Social tolerance and appreciation (Philippines and Dior)
• Less travel time (aerial travel)
• Contributions to global economy (EU)

Cons

• Technology used for illegal trading of goods via black markets (online drug trading networks)
• Can promote political discord like money laundering, corruption, and governmental subversion
• Exploitation of humans (older men talking to pre-teen girls via social networking.)
• Elite jobs are vulnerable to abroad operations.
•  Companies only focus on profiting instead of fulfilling public missions (Inhumane working conditions for Amazon company workers)