Human Barter, Communication and Decisions

¶ … human barter, communication and decisions were relatively simple. Two men met: One man had a product such as food or clothing. Another man had payment such as beads or a tool. The two men decided on the terms of the arrangement. Honesty and integrity were normal: someone gave his word and kept it. Since the swap was only between two individuals, there was some, but not significant, impact on a larger community. The value of product was utilitarian aspects, not more vagaries such as its image or endorsement by someone else. Since both individuals were from the same social group, they had similar cultural values.

As business and trade became increasingly complex, so did the issues involved. Today, with the emphasis on globalization and mounting competition among countries worldwide, the simple barter system has become very complicated. Rarely do black and whites exist, mostly shades of grey.

Cultural differences among buying partners creates complications. In the simulation of OCP's intended product sale to Ryberg, several factors had to be placed into the equation: OCP's long-term commitment to respecting the global marketplace; Ryberg's culture that emphasizes caution over fast response, such as reporting business results on a six-month vs. A quarterly basis; and the challenge of the OCP sales managers not only to meet the expectation of their supervisors that may be in conflict with the culture of the buying nation but also to meet professional goals and be rewarded for personal efforts.

In this situation, it was necessary to find a mutual agreement that provided the best product in the most reasonable time frame. Just as important, it was essential to keep the customer in the loop: not trying to keep negative information hidden or making promises that could not be met. Sometimes one has to accept less in the short-term for long-term gains.

Marketing products these days is anything but easy. With so many different interest groups, a company has to weigh all the alternatives before making a decision. I also has to realize that it may have to alter its decisions after made based on changing circumstances. In order for Shout to make its initial price choice, it should look at its ethics mission and the image for which the company stands. If it still feels that the higher price is warranted, then it has to proceed with alternatives in the wings. One company cannot take on the sins of the world -- such as being worried about all crime because of an earlier incident -- but it should be true to its shareholders: it appears that most interviewed believe that Shout has to rethink its relationship with Daze.

Although not mentioned, it seems that Shout should have done some more focus groups and marketing research prior to making its decisions about Daze. It is very possible that some of the problems that arose including possibility of increased crime and hip hop lyric concerns would have been known in the decision-making process. It may be better to spend some additional money on this end of marketing and less on the advertising and PR later on.

The simulation about confidential information is personally most difficult because of the ethical considerations that arise. As noted in the simulation, there are no "right" or "wrong" answers for everyone involved. Rather each person has a different set of ethics and values that they have to take into effect when making decisions. When someone goes to an auction, the best way to proceed is to set a limit of how much one is willing to spend on a desired item. The same holds true, especially in this present environment of sellers' market of homes, when buying a house. If a person does not set a limit and keep to it, he/she will end up compromising his/her financial situation. The situation is similar when deciding what to do with confidential information, except that the stakes are much higher: ethics rank much higher in values than does money (or so it is hoped). A person has to honestly decide what limits he/she has with ethical considerations and stay true to those ideals, even if it may mean having to look for another job. If a person pays too much for a house, bills cannot be paid and compromises must be made for food, clothing, entertainment and the like. Even worse, if someone goes beyond one's personal limitations, he/she is not only compromising ideals but losing part of his/her integrity and self-esteem.

These simulations and other information I acquired in this course have been very useful, especially since I have had some business experience but not for a larger corporation where the issues are often more complex. I realize that many of these situations I will be facing one way or the other in my future career. The sooner I consider them and how I will react, the better.

In terms of my personal statement and these simulations, the cultural considerations are easiest for me to understand and determine. Because of my own cultural background, I already have had to face some tough challenges. Being a minority presents one with a number of situations where difficult decisions must be made.