Global Business and Aracruz Sim

I think the Panamanian Carlos Ramirez exercise was a really eye-opening way of illustrating a type of business culture completely foreign to us (literally). The tips for getting on the inside track with people of a different culture are not just useful for business visits, but in general. It reminded me of how I felt several years ago when I was a hapless Spanish-language student in Costa Rica on a study abroad summer program. My extended family had business partners in San Jose (Costa Rica) with whom I stayed for my first few days before I joined the rest of my school group, but throughout the trip I mainly relied on my American contacts to help me make sense of the country. I now see that I missed out on a really good opportunity to let my local friends act as my cultural mentors, and should have focused more on what they could have shown me. I'm holding out for a next time!

In the Aracruz simulation, I think my group had some really good ideas for solutions for the conflict. When we reconvened with the entire class, it was very interesting to hear what the other groups came up with as well. What I noticed out of that class discussion was that the simulation generated creative solutions, but it ended up being idealized versions of the real thing. Joyce's description of what happened in real life was far more messy, greedy and hostile than our little summits. This is probably due to our detachment; we care, but we're not really emotionally invested in the ramifications of our decisions and discussions quite like the people in real time were. Our land is not at stake, it's not our money that's getting spent, and we don't have to deal first-hand with the violence. As such, we're a lot more able to sympathize and compromise with each stakeholder, as evidenced by the solutions we ratified--acting for Aracruz, I probably conceded on many more points than would have someone concerned with Aracruz's bottom line. Another interpretation of my actions is that my style of teamwork includes compromising a lot and pleasing the other members in the interest of arriving at an agreeable conclusion.