Monsanto

This week our group is researching intellectual property issues of Monsanto, an American seed technology giant.

Here is the research I did on Monsanto:

                   
Monsanto holds over 400 plant technology patents. The company is allowed to patent seed trait technology because it is considered intellectual property—the U.S protects all intellectual property rights. After 20 years, a Monsanto patent expires and that technology is made available to competitors and the public in general. Monsanto has sued thousands of farmers for breaching their “stewardship agreement”. All settlement money is invested into scholarship funds for programs like 4-H and Future Famers of America, which both benefit youth in the U.S.
        
The most interesting part of all of this information is how Monsanto uses its settlement money. Why do they give money won from farmers back to future farmers? It seems like an odd cycle to be in. I suppose that their rationale for doing this is to create farmers who have a loyalty to Monsanto because the company funded their education. Creating loyalty between Monsanto and farmers will assure the company that those farmers will be good customers and abide by “stewardship agreements”. 
                

Misperceptions and Stereotypes: Keep an Open Mind!

Last year I studied abroad in France. It was an eyeopening experience, especially for an American who has only heard bad things about the French. Rude, mean, lazy, judgmental, stinky, dirty, unpleasant--all words that have been associated with the French. Upon arriving in Paris, I tried to keep an open mind. I didn't want anything that I had been told to influence me. Because I tried not to prejudge anyone, I could see people for who they really were and not what stereotypes they were or weren't fulfilling. I learned that the French were actually very nice people who would help anyone, tourist or not, with something. I found myself lost on the Metro a few times and the locals always were willing to help me out. They were never rude to me or unpleasant. Compared to other countries I have visited, I found the French to be much more friendlier and helpful. It was refreshing to see that many stereotypes were not true.

Something else that I learned to do to gain respect from the locals was to act as they do. This includes not being overly friendly, sticking to basic colors and outfits, using a soft tone when speaking, and not doing anything that could be labeled overtly American.

Geert Hofstede's Country Scores: Costa Rica

For class this week we are supposed to go to Geert Hofstede's website and pick a country to report on. The website discusses how each country relates to each of Hofstede's dimensions: Uncertainty Avoidance, Power Distance, Masculinity, and Individualism. For UA, Costa Rica is rated at 86, meaning that the country doesn't have a high tolerance for risk, uncertainty, or change. How can a company operate in a country like this? The company should implement rules, procedures, and regulations to decrease the of uncertainty. If everything can be controlled to avoid the unexpected, the managers will be able to work well in this country. Anything considered risky or involving lots of change should be worked around or discarded.

Costa Rica has a very low Power Distance of 35. This is the lowest score for PD in Latin America. A low PD indicates that there isn't a strong emphasis on wealth and power in society. Applying this to business, a low PD means that there is equality and equal opportunity for all, so there won't be equality/inequality issues among workers. Costa Rica also ranks low in its Masculinity rating with a score of 21. Low scores of masculinity mean that men and women are considered more equal and that discrimination between genders is low. This allows businesses operating in Costa Rica to have women in manager level positions because they will not be seen as less qualified or undeserving simply because of their gender.

Costa Rica is a collectivist country, scoring 15 in Individualism. Long-term committments and relationships in business are the norm in this country as well as close ties with the family. Loyalty is key to any relationship. Collectivism is difficult for American companies to deal with, as the US is very much an individualistic culture. Building trusting and loyal relationships with your employees and customers will aid in the development of business in Costa Rica.

My First Days at Pitt: New school, new culture

International Organizational Behavior....How can I apply this to my life right now as a student? I was thinking about this in class earlier this week. I guess the issues that a manager faces when going on an international assignment are similar to issues I faced as a new student at the University of Pittsburgh.

I grew up outside of Philadelphia, in an affluent suburb. I am Catholic and went to private, Catholic school from Kindergarten through 12th grade (all-girls in high school). My parents are both well educated--my dad hold three degrees and is a judge for the Commonwealth, while my mom has a Master's degree in Social Work and sits on the board of trustees for two local non-profits. My parents own our family home as well as a beach house. I grew up vacationing in Cape Cod and Florida. All of these things were commonplace among my friends. I was used to doing things a certain way, going out to nice places, having friends in similar socio-economic classes, and not having to worry too much about offending someone else.

August 2008:

Coming to Pitt literally felt like I had travelled to another country. Maybe it was just how college was supposed to feel, maybe it had to do with how I had lived the past 18 years--all I know is that I was definitely uncomfortable and felt like a foreigner. Suddenly I was in a city, with people I didn't know who were obviously from different socio-economic classes, religions, races, and had different thought processes than I had. I was incredibly upsetting at first because I felt like I couldn't be myself if I ever wanted to find and form friendships. I had to learn how this culture at Pitt was different from my culture. Gradually, I began to feel more and more comfortable in my surroundings. I started to make friends and I learned about where they had come from and their culture. I

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