BA 524 REPLIES
DISCUSSION
ROSS- Why aren’t more women selected for international assignment?
One of the reasons more women aren’t selected for international assignments is that upper management has this notion that certain assignments are either too dangerous or difficult (Dunn, 2021). According to Dunn (2021) it is hard for a female candidate to get her request for international assignment heard. Cultural barriers can also be an issue and is dependent on the degree to which a culture experiences globalization (Dunn, 2021). Global businesswomen are being seen first as businesspeople, secondly as representatives of their culture, and thirdly as women (Dunn, 2021). Despite only 12-16% of international assignees being women, cultural issues are not the only reason holding women back from these international assignments (Dunn, 2021). Family ties can also keep women from accepting these international assignments. Women with children can be thought of as being less mobile when compared to men. For this reason, some women are instead getting short-term assignments instead. I found the following exert to be a great example that did an excellent job explaining the current bias.
““If we look at hunter-gatherer societies, we haven’t evolved that much since,” says Clarke. He points out that society is evolving faster than we are. “Women are by necessity good at child-bearing and looking after the relationships in the family,” says Clarke, but they are also skilled at trading. “In developing societies, women do the trading at the markets — a strong commercial skill has evolved,” he says. In ancient societies, “the men were out hunting and banding together and cooperating to make sure they led the group and to keep out outsiders,” says Clarke. “You still see this kind of male bonding in boardrooms today,” he says.” (Dunn, 2021).
Women in leadership roles have been increasingly, I suspect this same increase will soon expand into international assignments. Women care about relationships a lot more than men do; this can help them in managerial roles.
References
Dunn, N. (2021, June 8). Becoming a career woman on International Assignment. Expatica. Retrieved December 6, 2021, from https://www.expatica.com/working/employment-basics/career-woman-101704/.
JUSTIN- A survey of 9,000 women in 70 or more nations showed a disparity that most of the population (71%) of female millennials want to work abroad during their career years. However, only 20% of the current internationally mobile population are women. It is a common blockage among women and underrepresented minorities in the workplace. It is hard to advance when people do not see anyone like them in a leadership position. This is no different with global mobility. The lack of female role models is the second-highest barrier to having women in international management leadership positions by both women (35%) and management leadership of both genders (34%) (Dishman, 2016). Being a leader takes hard work and dedication, which many people do not want to be in this position because it takes many hours of work, and there is much stress in that position.
Given that women are vastly underrepresented in organizations’ internationally mobile populations, this barrier will remain a challenge that cannot be fixed overnight. The top stumbling block for males and females is the persistent stereotype that women with families do not want to displace the family to take on an international assignment. Furthermore, Forty-three percent of men and women ranked as a top barrier, while global mobility management leaders ranked it third. This can be because the overwhelming majority (70%) of both sexes agreed that the best time to undertake an assignment during a person’s career was before they had children (Dishman, 2016). There are barriers that women may want to have children in the future, which will hinder their overseas position.
Nevertheless, it is essential to note that 41% of women surveyed who have children wanted to move, compared with 40% of men. Also, 45% of organizations reported to the survey have no clear view of employees willing to move. In addition, employees of both genders were frustrated by this. Almost one-third of women and 22% of men reported this barrier. From the employee’s view, there has never been more demand for working overseas, particularly among millennial women in today’s world. There are barriers that women may want to have children in the future, which will hinder their overseas position (Dishman, 2016; Gunn, 2021). There are many barriers to women going overseas to work. Still, employees can overcome these challenges by doing a PEST or SWOT analysis to see what they can do and not do overseas.
Reference
Dishman, L. (2016, March 3). Why aren’t women being offered international jobs? Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/3057433/why-arent-women-being-offered-international-jobs
Gunn, N. (2021, June 8). Becoming a career woman on International Assignment. Expatica. https://www.expatica.com/working/employment-basics/career-woman-101704/.
LEANNE- Why aren’t more women selected for an international assignment?
There are a number of factors that can contribute to the lack of women working for companies internationally. These factors could be both for personal or professional reasons. I feel that personal reasons would be not wanting to leave their family or pick up and move their family to a foreign country, or another main reason while they may be qualified for the international position, they may not want to take that position for reasons unknown that they do not want to take the international position. There could be other reasons that could contribute both personally and/or professionally such as communication gaps between countries and cultures that make it difficult, and the general behavior of people in different cultures where some cultures may not have as much respect for women as they do for men, which can also bring up general gender discrimination. There could also be racial discrimination within a culture that they do not feel they need to respect people of both the different gender or race and with that kind of discrimination, no good can come of it for any kind of communication. It may not be a factor for some, but the climate of a region may be a factor as some people deal differently with heat or the cold. Women deal differently in different situations and the culture shock may be a very large factor as to how women need to conduct themselves and also react to how others treat them (UKEssays, 2018). Whatever a reason a woman has for not taking an international assignment within the company she works for is her choice and she herself doesn’t need to validate her reason to anyone.
UKEssays. (November 2018). Problems Faced By Women On International Assignments English Language Essay. Retrieved from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/english-language/problems-faced-by-women-on-international-assignments-english-language-essay.php?vref=1
CLAYTON- Why aren’t more women selected for international assignments?
Women aren’t selected for international assignments due to the hundred of years of mistreatment of women’s workers compared to their male counterparts. We see this in the unequal pay of men vs. women where men are paid more compared to women who have the same qualifications and years of experience. This also translates to who is chosen for projects, assignments, and here focusing on international assignments. It’s not that women don’t want to be selected for assignments, they are just turned down time and time again. “Despite having the same willingness as their male counterparts, 64% of women say they were never offered a move abroad.” (Dizik, 2016) Even when companies claim that they are willing to bridge the gap on diversity and women in leadership, time and time again there is no encouragement for women to explore international assignments, that is how we get to the staggering number of 64% of women not being offered an assignment internationally. There is also the stigma and the assumptions that companies have that women would be leaving their responsibilities to their families and therefore wouldn’t be able to leave, where men would be able to go on the assignment and the assumption is clear: The woman of the household would be the one that would take care of the kids. “Some firms assume that family responsibilities or obligations are obstacles holding back women in their careers, but not men in theirs,” Emrich says. (Dizik, 2016) Women are moving from their home country as they are now moving at a rate that is equal compared to their male counterparts. As women start to move abroad they also want to work in a different country at some point in their career and as younger women enter the workforce, the expectation of women in international assignments is expected to rise, now let’s see if companies will encourage women workers for assignments.
References
Dizik, A. (2016, September 30). Where are all the expat women? BBC Worklife. https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20160929-where-are-all-the-expat-women
HOT TOPIC
LEANNE- Explore small business issues in an emerging global economy
Being a small business isn’t an easy task. And staying profitable in this business era is even more complicated with the pandemic going on and also with the global economy moving forward day by day. Small businesses are a dream of one or two people that want to bring something special and unique to the economy they serve. This could be a small-town bakery, restaurant, or specialty shop. These entrepreneurs feel that their business venture is worth it and can contribute to their community in so many good ways. With so many global companies in competition for the consumer’s eye, small businesses may find it hard to stay competitive and stay in business. Small business owners need to have a good solid foundation of finance and money management skills, they also need to remember not to be dependent on only a few single clients and find the right balance of working long hours and having a personal life also (Beattie, 2021). More than anything, a small business owner needs to remain focused on their business and bring energy to their business, keep close track of all finances, make adjustments as needed, they need to learn to accept what they have to deal with for their business and economy, and above all have careful consideration for their employees, as they are relying on the success of their employer and want them to succeed also (Gray, 2020). With the global economy always lurking in the background as a competitor, small business owners need to plan carefully and strategically to remain in competition with other small businesses and global competitors. One step at a time, and they can do it and prosper well. I live in a small town and also near a few larger towns that have many small businesses available to me and use them as much as possible because they matter to so many and have amazing products.
Beattie, A. (2021, September 18). Investopedia. 5 biggest challenges facing your small business. https://www.investopedia.com/articles/pf/12/small-business-challenges.asp
Gray, A. (2020, September 21). Global Trade. The struggles of small business don’t bode well for the overall economy. https://www.globaltrademag.com/the-struggles-of-small-business-dont-bode-well-for-the-overall-economy/
OLUW- Explore small business issues in an emerging global economy
Small and medium enterprises have long been accepted as the engines of economic growth and development. The impact of SMEs in the global economy is a very crucial role in the construction of a society that is free of poverty. The reason is that not only do they provide numerous job opportunities to the different layers of society but also ensure the flow of money across the various levels of society and the world at large.
SMEs also play a very critical role in the world economy by contributing to the employment activities along with the input and output. Largely, most of the formal jobs that are available in developing markets are created by SMEs. The formal SMEs create around 33% of the national income and 45% of the total employment in developing countries at any point in time and if we are to include the informal SMEs in the list, the numbers rise even higher.
SMEs have numerous advantages by increasing the competition amongst their peers and heating up the market scenario. This continuous struggle for supremacy brings out the best in a business. SMEs have the remarkable ability to fuel economic growth in terms of creating new job opportunities, driving the bandwagon of innovation and expanding the tax base, new entrepreneurs bring forth innovations, ideas, and skills and act as a cushion against recession by adapting and innovating as per the changing circumstances.
Other many other advantages like playing a vital role in being service providers and traders to the primary industry, producing the finished goods as well as services and, contributing immensely to the development of various sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture, and ICT services.
Despite the attributed advantages to the SMEs, there are some issues being faced by the SMEs and these include but are not limited to the staggering rate of bankruptcy because once the product or services offered by SMEs do not sell, they go out of business so soon.
Sometimes in order to survive and be in the race, SMEs flood the market with cheap products and services. Although such products can temporarily replace the original product they often cannot survive the competition. This completely ruins the brand image and the value of aspiring SMEs.
Also, SMEs lack the basic capital needed for establishing as well as expanding beyond a certain limit. Money crunch bites deep in the SME and thereby eroding it bit by bit.
SMEs depend on innovation in order to survive. However, the continuous pressure to innovate and create new options results in uncertainty and confusion. Nevertheless, innovation remains the best option for an SME to survive.
Although the employment generated by SMEs is huge, they sometimes turn out to be temporary in nature. This is because quite a number of SMEs die out before they cross the five-year threshold. This results in further unemployment.
In conclusion, SMEs can produce a substantial rise in income, opportunities, and the overall GDP. If the business environment is conducive and supportive to new businesses, they will not only generate more employment but also create a variety of products and services for the consumer to choose from.
References
Bell, S., 2015. http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/financialsector/brief/smes-finance
Katua, D.N.T., 2014. The Role of SMEs in Employment Creation and Economic Growth in Selected Countries. International Journal of Education and Research, 2(12), pp.461-72
Savlovsch, L.I. & Robu, N.R., 2011. The Role of SMEs in Modern Economy. Economia. Seria Management, 14(1), pp.277-81
CLAYTON- Examine marketing practices in a foreign environment
When looking at the best practices and marketing strategies in the international environment, three things really stand out. First, you need to have a consistent brand voice and brand culture that stands out and where people can know what you stand for. “With the ever-more rising and expanding internet, brand structure has become more of a brand culture. To be more specific, it has become more prevalent nowadays that the brand you support reflects your culture.” (Luenendonk, 2019) If you have a brand that doesn’t support your culture, your product will fail and consumers will lose interest. Second, the next best strategy would be to make sure that you market with a unified approach. You don’t want to have different voices in different countries as again, that could compromise your brand culture and the support that comes with it. “Market as if there were no borders. Due to the proliferation of digital platforms, brands cannot always adopt different strategies per country. In a way, due to the internet, companies have to adopt a marketing approach that is more or less unified.” (Luenendonk, 2019) Lastly, with marketing being standardized across, the same is to be said with the rest of the business. You want to make sure that packaging, products are similar in each country, standard advertising messages, and coordination amongst product launches are all done the same across the board. Making sure that all organizations consider this in their marketing strategy will increase their chances of success marketing their product or service. Although this may seem like an easy task to complete there are struggles in international marketing including cultural and social influences, legal issues, and demographics to consider when marketing internationally.
References
Luenendonk, M. (2019, September 23). Global Marketing: Strategies, Definition, Issues, Examples. Cleverism. https://www.cleverism.com/global-marketing-strategies/
JUSTIN- Examine the role of Global Supply Chains and the related risks and opportunities
The role of global supply chains is significant in today’s business environment. The raw material required to run the business cannot be procured locally at all times. At times global supply chains prove to be the best option to run the business. In today’s industry, the suppliers and the customers are getting global, and hence the company that the organization’s business must also get global. If not, the organization would be out of the race. However, the global supply chain comes with some risks and opportunities.
The risks are economic, environmental, political, and supplier risks. Financial risks are that these vulnerabilities reflect a diverse set of global challenges facing organizations. This political and slowdown upheaval is impactful on the supply chain. When currency fluctuations, instability in demand and prices change, labor costs, and inflationary pressures will make it impossible for firms to plan their investment in foreign markets. These companies must instead opt for a shorter and simpler supply chain for many organizations. If outside procurement is necessary, companies will need to keep close communications with suppliers to ensure the companies are flexible enough to monitor and quickly react to changes in the market (SupplyChainBrain RSS, n.d.).These environmental risks can be internal and external, depending on the situation.
Natural disasters and other primary extreme weather conditions make up the bulk of external environmental risks businesses will face. Earthquakes, winter storms, flooding, and tornadoes can close off airports, docks, and roads, delaying the shipment of goods. It makes it impossible to arrange travel and communication in and out of supplying countries. Internal risks arise from improper health and safety and goods management procedures. Also, these can cause spills, fires, chemical leaks, and many other environmental hazards that will result in the shutdown of facilities in storage or shipping. Thus, weather conditions are next to impossible to account for (SupplyChainBrain RSS, n.d.). The reaction times and recovery plans can be developed to establish a list of guidelines and expectations for the business supplier in the case of these sorts of disruptions.
Furthermore, political risks involve energy crises, upheavals in other nations, and political unrest. If a country pulls out of a beneficial trade deal or starts to pursue protectionist policies, it can severely affect the terms of the international dealings. At the same time, the possibility of expensive shipments that are being hijacked or a delivery channel being closed due to security threats is also a genuine possibility. In addition, trusting an essential part of the organization’s operations to an outside party means that a person is vulnerable to misinformation or delayed shipment, messy communications, unresponsive and inflexible operations. Included in is even the threat of a supplier going out of business, which is essential for the organization to conduct due diligence and screening before selecting suppliers and to carry out periodic assessments to ensure there are no changes in compliance or delivery of goods (GCE Logistics, 2021). This prevents an organization from losing revenues and resources, which can affect the operations.
Opportunities are with the international use of the companies’ supply chain, and there is a strong possibility of the companies getting cheap labor. For instance, there is a large human workforce in countries like India, and labor is available at a meager cost. It allows the companies to get raw materials lower than domestic markets. It also gives the possibility of accessing the markets quickly. The globally distributed systems will enable manufacturing organizations to react to the volatility of the technology in the marketplace (GCE Logistics, 2021). The assistance of specialists such as export management companies is available to the manufacturers at the global level.
References
GCE Logistics. (2021, June 27). 4 core risks in the Global Supply Chain. https://gcelogistic.com/4-core-risks-in-the-global-supply-chain/
SupplyChainBrain RSS. (n.d.). Four risks most supply chains face, and six ways to manage them. https://www.supplychainbrain.com/blogs/1-think-tank/post/33355-four-risks-most-supply-chains-face-and-six-ways-to-manage-them
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