Mortal Dowry

There are many social issues in India to deal with. However, this entry is mainly focussed on one important and common tradition in the country. The "Dowry" is a financial gift that the family of the bride has to pay to family of the groom when they are getting married. Traditionally, the purpose of the dowry was to give the husband a financial support and to thank his family for choosing their daughet and releasing them from the spinsterhood (which is still considered a curse in India).

Usually the amount of this "gift" is iracional so people must get into high doubts in order to fulfill the demands of their family-in-law. "In a middle class family, the expenditure could rise to 300.000 and 400.000 rupees (between 5.400 and 7.100 euros, something exorbitant in a country where the per capita income rises to a little more of 2.700 euros per year)"1. If the family of the bride refuses to accomplish this amount, the bride is mistreated, physically and emotionally, and sometimes even murdered. The most common way to kill the wife, is by burning her, since it is easier to make it look like an accident."In 2006 more than 9.800 cases related to violence due to the dowry were reported"2

Having a daughter in India and the payment of the dowry is so stressful to the level that even in one abortion clinic there was a poster that quoted: "Invest 3.000 rupees today and safe 30.000 rupees in the future"3. This might be the cause that now-a-days in the country, it is prohibited to know the sex of the children before they are borned. Also, many families prefer to kill the daughters or starv them to death before they grow up, in order to safe that money. This is why, in India there are more men than women, even though many campaigns are trying to change those numbers.

This tradition is supossed to be prohibited in India since 1961, with the 'Dowry Prohibition Act'; however, there are few cases that have really been taken to trial. This proves that tradition is greater than common sense, and they hide it by calling the dowry "a gift". In many cases, the family of the groom brives the police so no charges are made against them.

However, not everyone in India is in favor of that tradition. There are many young men and women in the country who are against the dowry, even when they (men) could get a signficant amount for getting married. An example of this is the website: idontwantdowry.com, a place where all young people against the dowry have the opportunitty to meet other people with the same beliefs. Many traditional families are agains this website, and they tell their sons that it is crazy to do that since they are really succesfull and have a good carrier, which in caste system means that they can charge a lot of money and luxury things for that.

The creator of the website, Satya Naresh, states that: "There are still a lot of challenges in the merriage system in India, such as the religion barriers, caste, region of origin, and economic diferences. But the dowry is the most serious thing. It is the most threatening of the social curses because it involves money, and people can kill for it"4.

Even though this website is really positive, and many efforts are beign made in order to abolish this tradition in India, the reality is that there are still a lot of families who demand the "dowry", if not before the wedding, after it.


References:
1. La dote, rito mortal en la India (2007). Retrived from: http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2007/05/21/solidaridad/1179746513.html
2. Íbid
3. El problema de la dote en India (2008). Retrieved from: http://www.softwarelibre.net/el_problema_de_la_dote_en_india_0
4. India: Yo no quiero dote (2007). Retrieved from:http://paraula.espacioblog.com/post/2007/10/09/india-yo-quiero-dote

Business in China

Doing business in China? Well if you are planning to, I really advise you to take into account that the Chinese culture is very unique and there are some protocols that must be followed in order to have a succesful deal with them.

Something very important to know is that this culture is highly influenced by Confucianism, which stands for the harmonious relationships between ruler-subject, husband-wife, father-son, brother-brother and friend-friend, so the society as a whole will function smoothly.

Also, here are some special characteristics and tips that might be useful:
- Adress to a person by his or her family name (last name. Do not insist either on them to call you by your first name
- The meeting starts with a hand shake and a slight nod of the head. Try not to be too enthusiastic when shaking hands because they might interpret it as agressive
- Physical contact is not well seen, so make sure not to touch someone's hands or pat/put your arm around someone's shoulders
- In general, be consious about all your moves in order to remain in a calm position and not look too agressive.
- The relationships are very formal, and are directed towards business. Avoid jokes and distracting commentaries. It also good to have an intermediary, who could be an interpretor and a reference person.
- There are some specific gestures that are considered rude, like: pointing the index finger,finger snapping, showing the soles of shoes, whistling. However, this does not mean that there are not Chinese customs that are annoying to western people, such as: spitting on the street, failure to ask permission to smoke, slurping food, talking while eating.
- When exchanging business cards, hold out your card using both hands with the writing facing the recipient
- In China, it is assumed that the first person that enters the room is the head of the group
- At a formal banquet, be prepared to give a short, friendly speech in response to the host's speech
- Punctuality is vital when doing business in China
- Prior to any meeting always send an agenda
- One known strategy for Chinese negotiators is to begin negotiations showing humility and deference. This is designed to present themselves as vulnerable and weak. You, the stronger, will be expected to help them through concessions.

I hope these tips were useful and that you keep them in mind when doing business with Chinese people.

References:

http://www.protocolprofessionals.com/articles_china_print.htm
http://www.china-window.com/china_business/china_business_tips/business-etiquette-in-chi.shtml
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/etiquette/doing-business-china.html

Korean, Japanese and Colombian Management

In this entry I would like to show a table that contains the main differences between the Korean, Japanese and Colombia managerial skills. However, it is important to note that these differences might not apply to all cases, especially on those internationalized firms, because it is well-known that globalization has made that all firms around the world tend to unify the management models.



Reference
Lee, J., Roehl, T.W., and Choe, S. (2000). What makes management style similar and distinct across borders? Growth, experience and culture in Korean and Japanese firms. Journal of International Business Studies, 31, 4: 631-652