How Not to Write About Africa
Think about this piece while/after watching KONY 2012
The eternal sunshine of a civil society
A functioning civil society is important to every aspect of our communities. From the global to the local. From business to politics. Civil society keeps us all on track. It draws focus back to the important stuff like equality and sustainability, it is the homeostasis of society.
Cycling in China – an embodiment of culture
You can learn a lot about Chinese culture by jumping on your bike and navigating your way around the quagmire of traffic in any Chinese city. It can be scary and frustrating as a laowai (foreigner), but so is living here if you don’t know the rules.
The culture of collectivism – living in Beijing
There is nothing like a bit of cultural emmersion to drive home exactly how diverse cultures can be. Recently I have been living with a Chinese family in Beijing. I want to share a few experiences that have reiterated just how important it is to understand cultural difference, or as commonly phrased, cultural intelligence. Read More…
Does big business have the patience?
A friend recently shared with me the TEDx speech by Melinda French Gates: What non-profits can learn from Coca-Cola (watch below). But does big business have the patience to practice what they preach when it comes to corporate social responsibility? Read More…
China and CSR in the West – Things are different there
Often when we think about CSR and China an image of big Western multinationals and sweatshops come to mind. But as the Chinese economy develops and foreign direct investment (FDI) out of China increases we start to see the flipside of the CSR coin. How will Chinese companies navigate the rules of engagement when it comes to CSR in the West? Read More…
Things are different here – CSR in China
Foreign companies implementing Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in China often face an uphill battle. A quote from an individual working in the textiles industry in China highlights:
“One of the biggest problems with ethical manufacturing guidelines in China is that often people do their best to work around them, regardless of what company policy requires.”
So why does it seem so hard? Read More…
The spirit catches you and you fall down
“If you can’t see that your own culture has its own set of interests, emotions, and biases, how can you expect to deal successfully with someone else’s culture?” (Kleinman in Fadiman 1997, p.261).