Thinking Global

Question 1:

If I were an international firm I will feel partly responsible for these social trends. There is no way that an international firm could avoid their responsibility towards the changes in social trend. I am sure that as an international firm, efforts are put into marketing products, encouraging purchases and promote brand recognition as it is the all- time goal in business regardless of business size. This is just an ethics dilemma that international firms will face. From a capitalist point of view, to plan a marketing strategy that encourage purchases and brand recognition is the basic role of a for profit international firm. There is still a field to argue, where after all the "tricks" the marketer use to encourage purchases and brand recognition, the customers is still the ultimate decision maker. Customers should be wholly responsible for the act of purchase. Undeniably, as the example given in the case - Roopa Murthy, she eventually follows the trend willingly. Asian society tends to perceive people who could afford luxurious goods as the wealthy and successful and those with Westernized lifestyle are modern people. The society has even shift to a pace where the parents would feel proud of their kids if they could afford branded products.

However, the blame is not supposed to be all on the consumers solely because they are the decision maker. International firms should be partly responsible for influencing consumer in decision making and encouraging brand recognition. Of all the marketing strategies used, there must have a significant impact to the society. For example, in an advertisement of the Volkswagen Passat mentioned that owning a Passat means class. While the international marketers take part of the blame, simultaneously, Asian should not just imitate the Western culture blindly. In fact, they should learn to earn benefits through the process of globalization and meanwhile embrace their own culture and lifestyle.

In many Asian countries, people are starting to adopt Christian names rather than given name. Besides that, it is not necessary that a person must dress like the Western to be a modernize person. Another example, in Malaysia, people could just have a simple drink in mamak stall rather than drinking in pub which is much more costly. Imitate is just the first step. Other than that, the urban Asians have slowly shifted from collectivism to individualism. In the past, pre-marital sex, cohabitation is considered as huge sin the Asian were to do it in the past but has now become common. Instead of abandoning their own culture and values, Asians should impose more of their cultural values besides than the Western values to stay unique and shine. Imitation will not get a country far, but innovation will. Be the pioneer, not the follower.

Being an international firm, in order to ease the tension of the host nation, international firms could help to preserve the local culture. The international firm could require the employees to display the local culture in the firm by the way they act and dress. Language plays an important role whenever an international marketer is conducting business in a foreign country. International firms may require the employees in the firm to learn the local language and use it when necessary although English is the international business language in the business world. Besides that, the international firm can sponsor cultural events during local festivals to encourage local culture to be preserved and get the employees to involve themselves in the event. For example, sponsor cultural event that introduces the cultural values, clothing, traditional dress wear, cultural history and etc. This event could help increase the awareness of the importance of embracing and retaining the traditional culture.

Other than that, telecommunications and media are the main medium that could influence a person neither direct or indirectly. International firms are encouraged to have commercials that could reflect the cultural value of the country. For example, many international firms such as Pepsi, Coca Cola, Shell and others always have commercials during festival seasons that imply the values of being obedient, thankful and grateful. It is important that international firms must be of a firm that is accepted by the local people by being cultural friendly and not to cause uneasiness to the society. By taking these steps, international firms could hard up the gap between the changing social trends that are occurring and then upholding their traditional values.

Question 2:

To certain extent, globalization has changed people's thoughts and behaviors. Although globalization might significant influence in terms increasing incidence of divorce rate, which I believe it happened due to the factor - economic improvement due to globalization. Globalization in terms of economic, have a significance influence to the increment in divorce rate. According to Hofstede's five cultural dimension studies, Asians is a high masculinity region where women do not have equal rights as men do. In the past, women are not given job and education opportunities and they do not play an important role in the economic world. Even though some of the Asian countries like Japan, Korea or China still have a high masculinity score, however due the globalization, women nowadays understand their rights and are capable of earning sufficient income to support them which has make women to be less dependent to man. Hence when marital problem arises, divorce might appear as an encouraging solution rather than getting stuck in the relationship like how it was in the past. To be more specific, the increments in these incidences are due to economic development and industrialization. (value of the culture towards divorce rate)

However, globalization might be a push factor for increasing crime rate as people are becoming more realistic however it is not the main reason to explain the increment. I would say crime rate and drug abuse should be held responsible by the government. I believe that many of the social problems had already existed in the country for years and globalization is not the only factors to be blamed. The problems most of the Asian countries are facing is having high corruption rate. A country can have a tight policy but corruption defeats all. Globalization invites more companies to invest in the country and provide the people in the country with more job opportunities. When the people have job with income, this would eventually increase the country's people wealth in average. The increment in wealth would give them an opportunity to go for higher education and a better living condition. A better education background would decrease the possibilities of crime rate.

Other than the crime rate, drug abuse is