Mary's Multicultural Dilemma
Abstract
In today 's business world it is not unusual to find that both the United States and members of the European Union are making important and growing contributions to development through the transfer of technology and modern practices in management, by strengthening the capability of transitioning the development of countries to produce goods and services that meet global standards. There are employees that, due to their position in an international corporation, find themselves traveling between the different countries where the company has representation, and in addition to the main boss in the U.S., has secondary bosses to report to in those countries. It is important, to avoid culture clashes and subsequent confusion that those employees will be exposed to, to become familiar with the way of life in those countries, and also their working customs, ethics, and labor laws. Mary 's Multicultural Dilemma In the United States and in Europe employers and employees are bound by established rules and regulations designed to guarantee the peaceful coexistence between employers and employees. It is recognized that both employees have diverse rights from their employers, but due to fundamental differences on how these two dominant territories conform to labor relation issues due to the different cultural customs involved, it is evident that an employee that is involved with an international corporation based in the United States and with any of the twenty-seven countries European Union, (Member Countries, 2012) will be unavoidably confused, and at a complete disadvantage, when working with employers and employees in those countries; their ethical and compliance guidelines may be different to those in place for the company based in the United States. Such is the case for Mary, an administrative assistant employed for only four months in such an institution that manufactures home decorations. During this short time, Mary has already traveled to
In today 's business world it is not unusual to find that both the United States and members of the European Union are making important and growing contributions to development through the transfer of technology and modern practices in management, by strengthening the capability of transitioning the development of countries to produce goods and services that meet global standards. There are employees that, due to their position in an international corporation, find themselves traveling between the different countries where the company has representation, and in addition to the main boss in the U.S., has secondary bosses to report to in those countries. It is important, to avoid culture clashes and subsequent confusion that those employees will be exposed to, to become familiar with the way of life in those countries, and also their working customs, ethics, and labor laws. Mary 's Multicultural Dilemma In the United States and in Europe employers and employees are bound by established rules and regulations designed to guarantee the peaceful coexistence between employers and employees. It is recognized that both employees have diverse rights from their employers, but due to fundamental differences on how these two dominant territories conform to labor relation issues due to the different cultural customs involved, it is evident that an employee that is involved with an international corporation based in the United States and with any of the twenty-seven countries European Union, (Member Countries, 2012) will be unavoidably confused, and at a complete disadvantage, when working with employers and employees in those countries; their ethical and compliance guidelines may be different to those in place for the company based in the United States. Such is the case for Mary, an administrative assistant employed for only four months in such an institution that manufactures home decorations. During this short time, Mary has already traveled to
References: Complaints to the European court of justice. (2011). Eurofound. Retrieved from http://www.eurofound.europa.eu/areas/industrialrelations/dictionary/definitions/complain tstotheeuropeancourtofjustice.htm Employment and social affairs. (2012). European Union. Retrieved from http://europa.eu/pol/socio/index_en.htm Find it! in DOL. (n.d.). United States Department of Labor. Retrieved from http://www.dol.gov/dol/findit.htm Member countries of the European Union. (2012). European Union. Retrieved from http://europa.eu/about-eu/countries/member-countries/index_en.htm Overview. (n.d.). U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Center. Retrieved from http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/retaliation.cfm The ILO: What it is. What it does. (n.d.). International Labour Organization. Retrieved from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/--- webdev/documents/publication/wcms_082364.pdf