(Niagara Falls, USA)

There are plenty of information sessions by companies at Penn to attract fresh young minds. Two stand out in my mind. One was from Vanke, a property developer in China, and the other was Mahindra, an Indian conglomerate. They stand out because they are not the typical set of Western companies that come on campus to recruit.

These incidents represent to me the human resources imperative that is now integrated into the strategies of these emerging markets companies. The companies are starting to go global and they are looking at foreign students not just as a source of capabilities, but also as cultural ambassadors who can prepare their staff for work in a global environment. Mahindra wants people from different backgrounds to interact with their senior staff to help build cultural competency.

Without observing data, I suspect Indian and Chinese firms are putting in much more effort to secure foreign talent as part of their globalization strategy relative to firms in South Korea or Japan, especially at a junior level. Indian firms have an advantage here as language is less of a barrier to communication. While both Chinese and South Korean firms tend to target their respective Diasporas, South Korean firms face greater difficulty in capturing diverse talent because of the homogeneous ethnic identity of Koreans. Chinese firms, through managing slightly dissimilar people from different parts of China, have more experience in managing diversity.

(Havana, Cuba)

It is our pleasure to let you know that your submission to the MIT International Review entitled “Ethical Decision-Making Under Uncertainty” has been selected for inclusion for our Winter 2008/’09 Issue.

Along with two wonderful co-authors at Wharton, I managed to publish another paper. It has been a great week academically and it is nice to have an opportunity to share some of our ideas. The summary is below and the full paper is archived here.

There have been increasing opportunities for investing in North Korea since market reforms in 2002 and European firms have responded with increased interest in the North Korea market. Any business operating in North Korea has to interact with a government that actively and systematically engages in alleged human rights violations. The extensive and systematic violations of human rights in North Korea and paucity of information from North Korea creates a situation which we call ethical uncertainty. Many products or services with dual use have the potential for ethical violations. Companies do not know with certainty whether their product is being misapplied. Thus, companies planning to invest in North Korea need a framework that encourages consideration of the ethical dimensions in terms of such uncertainty. Given this situation, our paper will examine failures of existing approaches under this unique situation, and develop a practical framework based on an appropriate ethical theory that can guide investment decisions and operations in North Korea.

(Niagara Falls, USA) Beautiful memories

At the city of Buffalo, supposedly the second largest city in New York state, I found myself wandering in a ghost town at 7pm on a Sunday night. It was eerily quiet. The suburb system in the US and the hollowing out of the inner-city, stole life from the inner-city found in other cities of the world. After searching for an hour, I found two open restaurants. In Canada, I remember a lady telling me how Tim Hortons, a fast-food deli, was “always open” when I wanted to get a meal at 11 at night. In Buffalo, even Tim Hortons was closed.

When I got to New York City to change to the bus heading to Philadelphia, I realized that someone had stolen my ticket. At 5pm in the morning, the information desk was not very accommodating. The lady could not care less, stared disinterestedly into space as I described my predicament, and kept repeating that there was nothing she could do. I managed to remain calm, remembering from Negotiations Class how I should manage my emotions, and got her to agree to allow me to board if I can get a printed itinerary.

I rushed out, triumphant, to find somewhere I could print at 5pm in the morning. Eventually, I managed to do so at the business center at a hotel for $8. Relieved that I had saved my return ticket, I rushed back and showed the itinerary to the lady. At this point, she told me “oops! I thought you had a different type of itinerary. I can’t help you there.” She proceeded to ignore me.

I decided to take a shot at boarding the bus anyway. I went up to the bus driver and showed him my printed itinerary. I looked back and said the lady told me to get on the bus…and I did and was on my way back to Philadelphia.

(Niagara Falls, USA)

I spent the night on the Canadian side of the border in a backpacker’s dorm with two Koreans and a Swiss from Bern. The Swiss was studying neurological psychology and was preparing to do his PhD. The current financial crisis does not bother him at all. After all, he has his own dreams that he can and wants to fulfill. How lucky!

The more I meet such people, the more I am interested in pursuing a PhD in management research someday. Being a professor seems to be the best mix of work and lifestyle that I can achieve. I enjoy generating new ideas, research and teaching. At the same time, I enjoy the greater control I would have as an academic over my time, which I can channel to interesting and entrepreneurial projects or initiatives. I would also still have the time to travel and meet people. Perhaps someday I can run a major business school. It is ironic considering how I spent the last two years griping about the business school culture…perhaps I can change that culture?

(Philadelphia, USA) Tomoyo whom I met in a hostel in South Korea. She decided to visit me in Philly.

Crossing back to the US, I had a rather unpleasant experience with the border guards. Seeing that he was not serving anyone, I walked up to the counter. The officer sarcastically said “Can you read English? Did you not see a sign that says to wait until I call for you?” I walked back and did not find the sign. But I avoided bringing this up as I did not want to escalate the situation.

(Niagara Falls, Canada) The possibilities that exist…

As I waited for a bus that would take me to Buffalo, I ran into an American who was talking on the phone to his significant other. He wanted to move to Germany and mentioned how he was “treated like shit” in America. He had gripes about the healthcare system here. He also felt “special” being different on the other side. Perhaps he is right. Perhaps it is just that the grass always seems greener on the other side. I admit that I too wonder how my life would be different if I had attended another university instead of Penn/Wharton.

(Niagara Falls, USA) Absolutely majestic…

My bus journey to the Niagara Falls was rather uneventful as I slept through most of the 14 hour journey. We got to Ithaca, where I realized how far away Cornell really was, and moved on to Rochester. I was hoping to see more of the smaller towns in America through my bus ride, but the lack of sleep the night before conspired to keep me unconscious.

At Rochester, the border patrol boarded the bus to check our identification. A young lady, whom I had met in New York City, was hauled up by the border patrol for what I assumed was her lack of a proper visa (since she had her passport with her). I wonder what her story is and how that story will end. Where was she from? What did she want to do? I remember that at the New York City station, she was asking the driver if the bus was going to the Niagara Falls but was insistent that she did not want to cross the border into Canada.

At Buffalo, I transferred to the local bus and took 2 hours to get to the Falls. Along the way, I watched factories pass by and wonder if they will stand for long. One of bus stops was called the GM plant stop. With the carmaker in bankruptcy, it might soon shut down.

(Niagara Falls, USA) That’s me by the river.

The weather at the Falls was perfect. I slept on a log on the river feeding the Falls until it was time to make my way across the bridge to Canada. It was beautifully idyllic. On the other side of the border, I bought a cup of hot chocolate at Tim Hortons, a fast-food chain, and realized that I was finally in a country where “small” really meant “small” when it comes to food.

(Niagara Falls, Canada) The Horseshoe Falls at night .

(Niagara Falls, Canada) The view from the other side.

One Tuesday morning, I woke up deciding that I wanted to see more of the US. An hour later, I had a Greyhound bus ticket to Buffalo, where I would make my way to the Niagara Falls and eventually cross over to Canada. Last Friday, I returned from job interviews in Boston and in the intervening 2 hours I had in Philadelphia, I packed my bag, sent out some emails and found myself on a 16 hour bus ride to the Niagara Falls. My two day sojourn was an adventure as I bathed at public toilets, hunted for food in a near-deserted city, ran into racist border guards (on the US-side), and had my ticket stolen from me on the return leg. It was fun (once I got over the frustration).

My bus arrived in New York City at 4 am in the morning. The bus to Buffalo leaves at 5.40am and I tried sleeping in an awkward position on the cold metallic bench. It always strikes me how deprived and tired the public infrastructure is in the US. Since most people drive, Greyhound buses serve the poorer segments of societies. The service is terrible (the staff is frequently rude, unhelpful, and frequently gives the wrong advice) but there are few choices at the bottom of the pyramid. The consumer is king only when the consumer has money - and lots of it.

As I drifted in and out of sleep because of the cold, a homeless person sat next to me. He started discussing politics with a pastor, another traveler, and a lady. “Obama” was of course the topic of discussion and the fellow strangers bonded quickly over their common faith in the presidential candidate. It is amazing what acts of kindness one sees in the hellish conditions of a Greyhound station: the lady referred the homeless person to a friend who could provide a temporary shelter. At this point, I boarded my bus feeling a little warmer and happier.

(Seoul, South Korea) Probably should have a picture of China up here…

Last year, I started researching China’s Harmonious Society and its impact on corporate responsibility. Initially, I was optimistic about its promise for reforming the business sector, but at the end of my research, I identified institutional gaps that prevent China from achieving this objective. In light of the recent milk poisoning scandal, the article I wrote up based on my research findings looks prescient. I am sadly validated. I hope to spend my time in China next year exploring what can be done to resolve this issue.

On another note, the paper on which I based my article on had been accepted for publication at the Journal of Business Ethics - the number 2 journal in the field. I also have been invited to be a reviewer for the journal. I do have to issue the caveat that it is a niche field - one that receives less attention than it should.

Dear Mr. Oikono,

I have received the reports from our advisors on your manuscript, “Harmonious Society and Chinese CSR: Is there a link?”, submitted to Journal of Business Ethics

Based on the advice received, I have decided that your manuscript can be accepted for publication after you have carried out the corrections as suggested by the reviewer(s).

The task for the next president

Joseph S. Nye proposed the theory of American soft power: America’s ability to lead the world community not through military coercion or economic pressure, but through engendering admiration for its values and systems. Prof. Nye wrote about this many years ago. The world has changed since.

Soft power stems from moral standing: having systems and values that are widely admired and conforming to those values. At a point in time, America was seen as a protector of free nations abroad and freedom at home, and had an enviable economic system. However, a disastrous war in Iraq makes mockery of US opposition to Russian aggression in Georgia. Guantanamo Bay and the suspension of habeas corpus demolished the moral high ground of the US when it claims to promote and protect the freedom of others. And now, financial instability threatens US claims to a superior economic system. Beyond the financial instability, a gaping fiscal deficit will remain for a long time that will eventually need to be funded.

It is an exciting if depressing time to be in the US. It would be interesting to see how the next President deals with all these challenges, and how this watershed period changes (or does not change) the configuration of global politics.