Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Cross-Cultural Perspectives

Introduction

Many US organizations have shifted their operations abroad as a mean of escaping the strict US regulations regarding exploitation of children in the labor force and poor work conditions. Most of third world economies like China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and South Korea among others do offer an easy access to abundant and readily available cheap labor. Such US corporations view this cheap labor availability to be of great advantage in meeting needs of consumers; although, simultaneously able to maintain the cost of production low in the production of offshore. These malpractices of these organizations have gained the attention of the media and Nike Corporation received criticism based on its organizational culture. The aim of this assignment is to explore a global firm, and determine cultural issues that have effected interactions of the organization outside US.

Discussion

Cultural Issue within Nike

Nike is one of the renowned organizations across the globe. Since the start, Nike Corporation has its operations across the world countries. The company headquartered at Beaverton, Oregon while expanded its business operations to other countries with an objective to reach the emerging markets across the world to boost business profitability. One foremost reason of these ventures is to reach and achieve cheap labor. Bill Bowerman and Philip Knigh are pioneers of the Nike Corporation. They opted to penetrate in emerging markets, such as Japan to save money for labor cost and production cost. This corporation emerged as a Blue Ribbon Sports firm that operates in US while later penetrated in the international markets to expand the product line of the company.

Nike Corporation has managed to develop and broaden its outsourcing to countries across the globe, such as in Pakistan. Nike Corporation came across several cultural issues in Pakistan, such as issues of poor working conditions and use of children for labor. These accusations varied from situations where children were employed to stitch footballs, as well as sports garments. Several reports signify that Nike has been manufacturing footballs for many years in Sialkot, Pakistan, and it is approximated that children in huge numbers have been employed as workers in the process of production of the Nike's goods.

There are various cultures in the world, and each culture has different perspectives regarding the responsibility that children must be provided. Researchers asserted that infancy is perceived in different manners, and this is not merely across world economies; however, as well as across various ethnic groups and in a specific culture (DeTienne & Lewis, 2005). For example, most of the poor and underdeveloped countries, such as Pakistan where caregivers or parents have no issues when their children works in the labor force as they perceive this as a mean to support their families. On the contrary, in United States, child law laws are quite strict as US provide protection to US children from being employed as laborers at the early age. Since, most of families living in Pakistan are struggling with poverty, they view that it is essential for children to work as ...