FROM WASTE TO ENERGY: THE PATH TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT

 

When I first thought about what I was going to write the first thing that came to my mind when seeing the word rural development was farmers (I’m sure that the same thing happened to many of you). Then I started to go deeply into the subject. I asked myself a question, is it  possible for  farmers, the ones who give us the food we daily have on our tables, to be poor and not have enough to live on?

Please, watch the video below to understand the gravity of the problem:

Food Waste – A Story of Excess

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

Investigating a little more I noticed with surprise that the amount of food that is thrown away in the process of agriculture is gigantic. Why are the reasons behind this? Some “standards” of quality that have established the supermarkets and countries.

For 70% of the world’s poor living in rural areas, agriculture is the main source of income and employment. (http://datos.bancomundial.org/tema/agricultura-y-desarrollo-rural)

When we talk about poverty we talk about lack of energy for cooking, heating food, heating  the home and lack of electricity. Not having electricity means less chance of development. Food waste being a fact, what can we do? Something very simple as BIOGAS.

Biogas: how it works

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

Methane Biodigester

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

After watching the videos that explain very well how can we  produce biogas in a very simple way, the amount of biogas emitted in the process will be used to power an engine generator that will produce electricity that can be used to consumption. Also, the waste heat of the engine can be for heating .

With electricity children can study , can go to school and become literate . With biogas we can cook and heat food without damaging your health or the environment . It can be used as biofuel and also another great benefit is that waste can also get compost and bio fertilizer that helps the quality of agricultural land.

Thus we see that not only telling the farmers what they need to do is the key , the important part of this type of projects is working with them. The idea is to achieve capacity building , community engagement and empowerment. We need to stablish such a strong engagement that they will be able to hold it in a sustainable way and keep learning but also teaching .

And YES, all of this out of food waste.

Now I ask you a question , do you believe that food waste can help rural development ? The answer is here:

 

BIOTECH, India, Turning food waste into biogas – Ashden Award winner

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

Biogas Documentary by Pakistan Domestic Biogas Programme

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

 

Sources:

http://datos.bancomundial.org/indicador#topic-1

http://www.fao.org/sd/erp/workshopafrica2007/wdr08_focus_erp_en.pdf

http://www.fao.org/europe/activities/land-tenure/rural-development/en/

http://www.fao.org/docrep/003/x9808e/x9808e00.htm

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/TOPICS/EXTARD/0,,menuPK:336688~pagePK:149018~piPK:149093~theSitePK:336682,00.html

http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2014/02/19/passion-to-succeed-sri-lanka-farmer-overcomes-poverty

 


Comments Off on FROM WASTE TO ENERGY: THE PATH TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT / 27 Feb 2014 por Gabriela Pella Fernández
IMSD /

Our Pressures Treasure…

Sometimes we think we need to look far away to find malnourished children, not realizing that you can just find them around the corner.

Spain, a developed country forming part of the EU has one of the highest child poverty rates of industrialized countries (stated by UNICEF), where 3 million people survive with less than 300€ per month.

source: cadenaser.com

The number of families living under the poverty line in Spain doubles the figures of 2008, increasing during the year 2012 in 5 points up to 28,2%.  But even more astonishing is to know that more than 1 of every 4 children under the age of 16 in Spain live below the poverty line.

The economic crisis that the Spanish population is suffering in addition to the increasing decrease of income received per habitant, have been major problems. One of the greatest causes of this poverty expansion is due to a high rate of households lacking of a monthly income, fact that is rising at a high speed.

Government’s acts are insufficient, to worsen even more the situation, they have made cuts of 65% in the budget of social services network. Where does this leave all those families, which have a high dependency in these services for their survival?

Childhood is the population group with highest risk of social exclusion, in comparison with the rest of the population. Then why instead of trying to solve it and fight against this frightening problem, we make it even worse by reducing aids for  school canteens (which is sometimes the only meal that children will have access to in a whole day) or deteriorating the public health service to which they could have access to, limiting the opportunity of alerting of the health needs that they are lacking. To what extend is malnutrition growing in our country? We need to demand a much more transparent information, to understand the correct actions and actors we need to play with, to be able to stop or control the problem

source: rtve.es

The EU is highly concerned with the high increase of the levels of poverty in Spain, country that receives the highest quantity of European food aid, going up to more than 17%.

An increasing difference between lower and upper income society is growing at a steady speed, provoking that the majority of the people from the middle class vanish towards the low-income population. If this happens, who will be able to pay all those taxes that provide social services, or subsidies to those people?

Government needs to act and provide clear solution that will be beneficial for the society, to those that they supposedly represent and for the once that they argue they defend their rights.

Why them, the once that describes the situation, the once that own the power and the economic support don’t stop talking and just act towards the extinction of these issues?

Will we have future actions? Are we so blind that we don’t really see that they are the future of this country? Don’t they have the right to receive a dignified standard of living? What will Spain be in 20 years if we don’t protect one of our pressures treasures? The children.

References:


Comments Off on Our Pressures Treasure… / 27 Feb 2014 por mariagutierrez
IMSD /

Shanghai: Welcome to a New World

In two days right now I will be traveling to one of the biggest cities in the world. Obviously I´m quite nervous. I don’t know exactly with what kind of things I will have to deal there, but I´m sure that is gonna be an adventure. I don´t have had enough time to think about the situations that I will find in this country. I´m talking about Shanghai. Is my first time in Asia, and that is expected to be a very impressive fact, because it is going to be a new culture, with different tastes, sounds, food, colors, smells et cetera. To sump up, is an unknown world that I´m really excited to discover.

The purpose of this trip is understand how to make business in China and how to set up in Chinese Market. Well, as environmental scientist, I don´t know so much about how to make business in my country, for instance. Anyway, I find really interest this chance for introduce in a new country using a different point of view. All of us are aware that China is a huge country and is expected to grow rapidly in the following years, so I believe that this small trip is a really perfect opportunity to learn how to deal with this extravagant culture.

By the way, I think that EOI affords us a really relevant occasion to improve our knowledge and afterwords our curriculum. Thus, this travel for me is more than a tourism experience. I would like to come back from China having at least some of key points of how Chinese people work and how are they managing this amount of growth.

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

Also, in a very particular way, I would like to see what is the opinion of Chinese people about sustainable development, how a country that is going to lead the world in the future is fighting with poor, hunger and inequality for instance, and how renewables energies are allocated in the Chinese Market. In my  humble opinion, a country that is predicted to consume this amount of resources and become leaders from a economical point view, should be care about sustainable development, corporate responsibility and should be aware about environmental topics that they could affect with the economical model that they are using.

Finally, I hope to enjoy meeting new people from China or other countries and share with them ideas about relevant issues such as economy, society, environment and I really want to see how runs the world in the other side of the planet. I want to discover some traditions of this fabulous and millenary nation as well, and see how can different people make arrangement between them to the common good, afterwords, I think that this is one of the most important reasons of the travel. SEE YOU THERE…


Comments Off on Shanghai: Welcome to a New World / 27 Feb 2014 por guillermojoselatorre
IMSD /

Buy local, part of the solution or part of the problem?

Buy Local poster

“Buy local”. These two words have become a mantra for many people in recent years, the so called “locavores”. The idea is easy: to buy locally grown, the nearer the better. The issue comes when defining what is local, being for most of the people a limit of 100 mile radius (160 kilometres), in what is called the 100-Mile Diet. But it doesn’t imply only distance, also buying products that are seasonal and minimally processed from small farms. The supporters of this way of consume adduce the many benefits of local food:

With the strong idea of consuming just locally grown products, the concept of “food miles/kilometres” has gained strength, in the sense that it measures the distance that the food has travelled to reach the vendor. However, this food mileage doesn’t show the real environmental impact, because it depends not only on the distance but also on how it is transported and how it is produced.

Christopher Weber and H. Scott Matthews, of Carnegie Mellon University, carried out a life cycle analysis (LCA) of the average North American diet and concluded that 83% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions occur before produce even leaves the farm. In contrast, transport from the producer to the point of sale accounted only for 4% of the total GHG emissions. Another LCA of the British food chain made by Tara Garnett, of University of Oxford, showed similar results: transport from farm to vendor represents 10% of the total GHG emissions.

But another issue arises when buying local in high-income countries: agricultural subsidies. Although the subsidies that wealthy countries give to their farmers are classified as “non-distorting”, actually they allow developed countries’ farmers to sell on market at prices far below production value,  leaving small producers  in the developing world unable to compete. They also encourage excess supply, which further lowers world agricultural prices and render small producers  unable to benefit from price increases but exposing them when prices decline. It also creates a chain effect: livelihood insecurity of food producers generates high and volatile prices in local food markets, causing food insecurity for local consumers. Additionally, measures from developing countries’ governments to support local producers tend to clash with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

Given the circumstances, choosing between locally grown or imported food may suggest choosing between a closer, environmentally friendly way of producing or a big scale, industrial and high pollutant production. But it can also mean choosing between a subsidized production or a way of production that has to compete against distorted prices, where the producers are in the brink of extreme poverty. The choice is not an easy one.

Main sources

  1. DeWeerdt, S (2013) “Is Local Food Better?”, retrieved from  http://www.worldwatch.org/node/6064.
  2. FAO (2003) “Subsidies, food imports and tariffs key issues for developing countries”, retrieved from http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/focus/2003/wto2.htm.
  3. Ghosh, J (2002) “Why farming subsidies still distort advantages and cause food insecurity” in The Guardian, retrieved from
    http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/nov/27/farming-subsidies-distort-advantages-food-insecurity.

Comments Off on Buy local, part of the solution or part of the problem? / 27 Feb 2014 por juancarlosgomezmartin
IMSD /

A dish of livestock

Thoughts on Rural Development.

 

Source: Heinrich Böll Stiftung. (2014). Meat Atlas.

Growing up in Germany, livestock products such as meat, eggs or milk, came to our dinner table on a regular base. I remember my grandma saying that, for her generation, consuming animal products was something rather special. While the demand for animal products in the global north has increased over decades, it is now beginning to stagnate or even decline.

However, it is increasing rapidly in the BRIC countries, as well as in the global south. Consuming livestock products can be seen a sign of wellbeing and it contributes to an adequate and nutritious diet. Since the worldwide population and prosperity are growing, the demand for livestock products is increasing. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that the need of these goods will increase up to 70% by 2050.

According to FAO, around 1 billion poor depend on animals for income and food. In rural areas, the non-food use of livestock used to play the most important role to support the livelihood of people, bug due to new technologies and the growing income, the traditional purposes of livestock are replaced by the goal of generating food for humans. Since many farmers in rural areas lack important assets such as technologies, finances and knowledge needed for a sustainable agriculture, far-reaching consequences can be entailed.

Did you know that, according to the Stockholm Resilience Center, three of the nine planetary boundaries are highly influenced by agriculture and livestock production? In the last 50 years there were enormous changes in biodiversity as well as habitat losses, due to the increasing agricultural productivity. Furthermore, the worldwide land use has changed tremendously, mostly because land has been converted to agricultural or other human use. The growing demand of livestock products, and the raising use of fertilizers, also influences the nitrogen and phosphorus input. This leads to polluted waterways and may push marine and aquatic ecosystems across ecological thresholds. Furthermore, livestock production contributes to about 18 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and therefore has a great impact on climate change.

The question occurs, how we can ensure a more sustainable use of agriculture and simultaneously improve food security in rural areas while contributing to poverty reduction?

One important approach has been submitted from FAO: Since stakeholders, such as producers, governments, civil society and international organisations, have realized the complexity of the challenges around the sector, they have joined forces and established the Global Agenda for Sustainable Livestock. The agenda aims to ensure continuous improvements by focusing on three main goals:

The approaches from the Global Agenda of Sustainable Livestock tackle important cross-cutting issues around sustainable farming and food security in poorer countries. However, I believe that we should all question our consumption of livestock products – do we really need animal products on a daily base, or would it be enough to have it every once in a while, so we can promote a more sustainable farming and contribute to worldwide food security?


Comments Off on A dish of livestock / 27 Feb 2014 por claravalentinakupper
IMSD /

GMOs: Solution or Problem

What is a GMO?

A GMO or Genetically Modified Organism is an organism (plant, bacteria, animal or virus) whose genetic makeup has been modified for a particular purpose (PUB). This modification is not spontaneous, so with this kind of genetic alterations we can get, for example, that a plant protect itself against insect pests modifying to carry an additional gene found in another living thing (such as a bacteria).

The term GMOs is most commonly used to refer to crop plants created for human or animal consumption using the latest molecular biology techniques. Is a really controversial topic nowadays, because of the huge demand of food that we have, the strict standards of quality that consumers have in terms of food and the lack of knowledge in long term of this modified organisms (Prakash, 2005).

The GMOs were supposed to be the solution for huge problems around the world, for instance, the poverty, hunger and the unfair distribution of food. However, afterwords they have converted in another way to give more profits to some companies and continue with the unsustainable system. Furthermore, GMOs have been inserted very fast in the markets without enough research about future consequences of them consumption. We are not sure about the damages in our health and in our environment that modified organism could make.

Advantages of GMOs

GMOs increase crop yields and promote efficient land use. Food production uses a significant quantity of land natural resources, but according to biotechnology companies with GMOs will improve the livelihood of farmer around the world (Cummins, 2o1o).

Use of transgenic plants increases yields and decreases the need for pesticide use, preventing the ecological damage.

With this biotechnological model food could be improved and search for the best quality standards and tastes to put into the products.

Disadvantages of GMOs

Biotechnology is not an issue of poor countries. The research and investigations that are behind GMOs are just focus on develop countries of the world, with the needs of developed countries in mind (GMF). They could be focus on support the climate changes in Africa, for instance, contributing to improve the food security in one of the most hunger regions of the world. This might be done in the future, but it has not been done yet.

Unknown health consequences are a common objection to transgenic organisms. Although numerous studies found that GM crops have passed existing safety reviews and they concluded that GMOs are not harmful to human health (Academic review, AFNZA), further studies are needer to support this claim (Randerson, 2008).

Another problem is allergic reactions. Genetical modifications often mixes or adds proteins that weren’t indigenous to the original plant, causing new allergic reactions to the human body, according to Brown University (Kantor, 2010).

Cross pollination with the wild type of GM species may lead to genetic contamination of the wild type, which could affect local ecosystems (Cherry, 2010).

5 Myths about GMOs (Antoniou et all, 2012)

1) Myth: Genetic engineering is just an extension of natural breeding.

Truth: Genetic engineering is different from natural breeding and poses special risk.


2) Myth: GM is just another form of mutation breeding and is nothing to worry about.

Truth: Mutation breeding its own problems and should be strictly regulated.


3) Myth: GM foods are strictly regulated for safety.

Truth: GM food regulation in most countries varies from non-existent to weak.


4) Myth: GM foods are safe to eat.

Truth: Studies show that GM foods can be toxic or allergenic.


5) Myth: GM foods have been proven safe for human consumption.

Truth: The few studies that have been conducted on humans show problems.

Pinche aquí para ver el vídeo

GMOs and Nigeria

So much controversy has been generated over the adoption of genetically modified foods in Nigeria. The United States has been giving genetically modified foods to developing countries like Nigeria to help alleviate the problem of hunger and poverty in this countries. However, the issue of long term effects of GMOs on human populace and the ecosystem in general also needs to be adressed and properly researched to reveal and prevent any posible risk that may be associated with the consumption of GMOs (Subulade et all, 2007).

Since GMO has found its way into Nigeria, there is need for caution. According to a report by the Centre for Food Safety, Nigeria still accepts GMOs as food aids, an the only condition for the importation is that the genetically modified food aid be milled. Nowadays there is no law governing the production of food products by companies using genetically modified ingredients. There are many challenges ahead for the government, especially in the areas of safety testing, regulation and internal polices.

Conclusions

With this post, I would like to transmit an objective idea about GMO. There is to much research to make, before we eat them. As a consumers, we have all the rights to know how kind of damages could produce in our organism these products and in our environment as well.

GMOs could be a definitive tool to mitigate hunger and poverty in the world, or just another way to destroy and corrupt it. We have research lots of useful arms to fight against inequality and to develop a sustainable world, but the last step is to use these arms correctly and it is in our hands do it well or not.

“There are people in the world so hungry, that God cannot appear to them except in the form of bread.”

Mahatma Gandhi

 

REFERENCES


Comments Off on GMOs: Solution or Problem / 27 Feb 2014 por guillermojoselatorre
IMSD /

A step towards the unknown

In a few days I will be landing in the land of business opportunities. A country, which is nowadays discussed pretty often in the news, but for me, is still unexplored.I can forecast in advance that in order to avoid misunderstandings while being there, spending some time studying the Chinese cultural and social values is from my point of view crucial when considering doing business with the Chinese community.

I also suppose that having a reference in China appears to be essential when trying to do business there. This is linked to the aforementioned point. Since we are not experts, having some locals who can guide us as well as introduce us in the market more easily and efficiently is also something that I think is important.

It would also be interesting to adjust to the Chinese tastes when trying to sell a product or a service. I think it is important to contextualise. Even though some products may be sold pretty easily in Europe or in the United States, it is far from clear whether they will do it in China.  So, maybe when doing business there one should adapt their products or services to the culture, history and tastes of the Chinese society.

Trust should also be taken into account when doing business. Working on relationships is an important aspect if you want your business outcome to be positive. It may take time and sometimes money but if you are not keen on building a trustworthy and long-term business relationship it is far from clear whether you will actually end up succeeding.

I also believe that they are based on a rather hierarchical society due to Confucianism. The treatment may vary depending on your age, education and position. Therefore, I am expecting to find preferential treatment depending on the characteristics mentioned above. Once you know this, it is essential not to feel disrespected or undervalued. It is hence essential to contextualize.

My last point is related to the dressing code. Even though clothing is so internationalized in the business arena if one has to adapt to the Chinese culture, I am assuming that the business attire should be rather conservative without any type of clothing that could be considered to be revealing. This may sound irrelevant at a first glance. But the first impression in business is something that I consider important.

All these aforementioned variables should be taken into consideration when trying to acclimatize oneself to a Chinese business domain.  Nevertheless, I am excited to see whether my preconceived ideas match the reality and what I can end up getting from this new experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Comments Off on A step towards the unknown / 25 Feb 2014 por inescamarero
IMSD /

The land of few is the future of all

Five months in Madrid far away from Colombia, and maybe few days less since I am cursing this master in Sustainable Development and Corporate Responsibility, has been more than enough for me to see how most of the development issues we have considered, are reflected in my country in a big problematic. My objective, more than going further and analyzing the conflict in Colombia through these blog posts, is to try to find solutions while being critical and constructive. By the way, at the end of the master I am going back to my country willing to be part of the change.

 

In this chapter: land property.

Colombia is a country with a high land concentration, it’s GINI coefficient for land (a measure of land concentration that ranges between 0 and 1, where 0 represents total equality) is 0.87, one of the highest in the world.[i] More over, the land has an under-utilization for agricultural proposes; only the 22.7% of the land surface with agricultural potential is used for crop establishment. In contrast, of the 39.2 million hectares used today in livestock, only 21 million are eligible for it. [ii]

Although this problem has historic reasons, the armed conflict in the country has increased this situation because of the high rates of dispossession and forced displacement. An estimated 6.6 million hectares were stripped by violence in the past two decades, this constitutes 15% of agricultural land area. Due to the before mentioned conflict, the government created in 2011 a new law called Ley de Restitución de Tierras. This is a legal procedure looking to restore the land and formally recognize the victims of dispossession and forced abandonment that have been presented since January 1 of 1991 during the internal armed conflict.

Picture: www.semana.com

It is important to take into account that this law seeks to restore just 2 million hectares of the total territory stripped, which is between 6.6 and 10 millions. Besides, until December of 2012, the administrative unit in charge of the enforcement registered 31.111 return applications that corresponds to 2.246.664 hectares. However, in one year of the law validation, they have restored less than 1% of the land claimed by the victims.[iii]

Furthermore, the rural population in Colombia does not only live in poverty, they live in misery. A well-known magazine in Colombia called Semana, published a shocking report[iv] in 2012 about the rural land in the country and revealed some of these figures:

Taking this context into account, one can say that the rural issues in Colombia are not only about the armed forces and the more than 5 million inhabitants displaced by the violence. The situation is about how the government has wrongly valued the land, how economic priorities related to industrialization have prelate above the rural development and how farmers and their knowledge have been forgotten.

Picture: www.vanguardia.com

The Millennium Development Goals seek for a world without hunger, but in Colombia 12.6% of the population lives in hunger despite the fact that the economic growth has increased in almost 4% and that the land is sitting there waiting to be harvested for food production. “The FAO estimates that worldwide there are about 2.600 million hectares usable for agriculture that are not being used for cultivation. Of these, 900 million are in seven countries: Brazil, Congo, Angola, Sudan, Argentina, Bolivia and Colombia. The land of Colombia are being targeted investment speculative international.”[v]

My conclusion about the rural reality in Colombia is that we need more than just a law for returning the land and more than a peace agreement to recuperate the trust and confidence. We need to ensure the protection of farmers, their properties and their Human Rights. We need to invest in rural development and boost the work of small holders yields to improve food production, we need to reduce inequality and create opportunities, also for the rural population. This means to also to take civil society into account for decisions and peace agreements. All in all, for me our best asset is our land, and although all these ideas cannot develop from one day to another, I believe we have a great opportunity in our hands and land is waiting for our assertive actions.

” We will not solve hunger and stop climate change with industrial farming on large plantations. The solution lies in supporting knowledge and experimentation of farmers and peasants and increased revenues to help smallholders and contribute also to rural development”

Olivier De Schutter, U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

[i] Nazih Richani, “Cuadernos Colombianos”, September 26, 2011. Retrieved from: https://nacla.org/blog/2011/9/26/latest-undp-report-colombia-its-rural-economy-stupid

[ii] Oidhac (Oficina Internacional de Derechos Humanos – Acción Colombia, “Tierra en Colombia: entre despojo y negocio”, Marzo, 2013, p. 3.

[iii] IBID. p. 5.

[iv] http://www.semana.com/especiales/pilares-tierra/asi-es-la-colombia-rural.html

[v] IBID. p.3.

http://restituciondetierras.gov.co/

http://www.srfood.org/es


Comments Off on The land of few is the future of all / 23 Feb 2014 por anamariarocha
IMSD /

Business beyond our Borders

“What I personally think is important to take into account when doing business in China”

Source: http://ciid.dk/education/portfolio/py/courses/computational-design/work-posters/greetings-ujjval/

Each time I have decided to work abroad, I have been bombarded with anecdotes and stereotypes about what I should expect, but rarely have these encompassed what would be expected of me. Though business profiling and anticipations vary from country to country, the impact of your first impression, from the moment you greet someone, does not.

In the US, I was expected to shake hands with each of my bosses and all my customers, in Costa Rica I often had to replace this ritual with a kiss on the cheek, and in Japan I had to move away from direct contact entirely and greet others with a bow.

Beyond the initial greeting, in certain countries, body language can play a huge role in business. In Japan, you could use the most formal vocabulary and present the most appealing business plan, but you will never be taken on as a business partner if you cross your arms in front of someone. I trust that I will be exposed to such customs and rituals in China, and hope to learn the correct etiquette for greeting others, exchanging business cards and setting business hours.

From the Chinese employees I have met abroad, I have the impression that working hours in China are much less flexible than in other countries. Nevertheless, flexibility is relative. In Hungary, working hours are similar to those in Spain, i.e. late-starts, coffee breaks and long-lunches. This, however, obliges you stay in the office far longer than you are required to. In contrast, in Costa Rica, I was strictly required to be at my desk working by 8am, but also had the freedom to leave at the hour stated on my contract. As a family-oriented country with strong business aspirations, I am interested to see how social and work life are balanced in China.

I can only assume that such social structures will vary a great deal within the country, given the sheer size of China. Nearly comparable with Europe, China could be its own continent, so when doing business there it is important to consider that someone from the North may be as different from a Southerner as a Swede is from an Italian. As a lover of languages, I generally try to learn some key phrases before travelling somewhere new, but with China this is tough considering the number of dialogues that exist throughout the nation. It is essential to remember that people will always prefer to conduct business in their native language and to show a little respect for their origins.

Overall, I think the most important concept to take into consideration when doing business in China, or any other country for that matter, is that each person’s behaviour is shaped by their traditions and regional values. As foreigners, if we hope to form business relations, we better be observant and quick to adapt!

 

 


Comments Off on Business beyond our Borders / 22 Feb 2014 por anabeatriceacuna
IMSD /

Business in the land of the dragon

What I personally think is important to take into account when doing business in China.

 

A week from now I will go on a study trip to Shanghai in order to learn more about how to do business in and with China. But what are my expectations and what do I think is important when doing business in the land of the dragon?

Living in different countries and cultures, I have already experienced how important it is to adapt to local habits, show respect towards the people you are working with and gain the trust of your counterpart. However, I do not have many experience in working abroad and I am excited to learn more about China during this trip.

Since I expect China to be a very diverse country where different languages are spoken and where each region has unique cultural and economic characteristics, there is probably no one single path of how to do business in China. Usually I like to have at least a basic vocabulary – but would I be safe to go with Mandarin, Shanghainese or rather choose another dialect? In order to circumvent any embarrassment in your first meeting, it might be helpful to find a local partner who can not only help you with the language barrier, but who can also link you up with important contacts and assists you while dealing with the jungle of local regulations.

Furthermore, I believe that you should have at least a basic knowledge of local customs and the proper business etiquette. From friends and family travelling to China, I have heard that it is quite important to build a good business relationship over time and, as everywhere in the world, make a good first impression. The way of how you exchange business cards is only one point which needs to be considered. Morevoer, it is crucial that you do not cause someone losing their face or, as we would say, their reputation. While Germans are usually quite direct when it comes to making business, one should be more patient in China and not expect a decision to be made right at the first meeting. Some important decisions might rather be made during a business dinner and not at the conference table.

However, these are only some statements which I have heard about the Chinese business customs. I am curious to learn more about the habits in the land of the dragon and experience it first hand – such as the business meeting etiquette, how to negotiate and the differences in non-verbal communication. Let’s see what this study trip will bring.

 


Comments Off on Business in the land of the dragon / 21 Feb 2014 por claravalentinakupper
IMSD /

« Anteriores
Siguientes »

Este sitio web utiliza cookies para que usted tenga la mejor experiencia de usuario. Si continúa navegando está dando su consentimiento para la aceptación de las mencionadas cookies y la aceptación de nuestra política de cookies, pinche el enlace para mayor información.plugin cookies

ACEPTAR
Aviso de cookies