Enhancing Organizational Effectiveness through Alternative Dispute Resolution Management

Abstract

As organizations restructure and social stresses escalate, conflict in the workplace is on the rise. Whether in response to organizational goals such as resolving disputes with customers and clients, systemic problems in hiring and promotion practices, or interpersonal issues between managers, employees and co-workers, businesses and government agencies are finding it more productive and cost effective to be proactive in designing systems to manage conflict.

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) is a rapidly growing field, due to its popularity as an alternative to long and expensive law suits. Resolving disputes of any kind outside of the judicial system can save money and time as well as working relationships. ADR is responding to this important challenge by leading the way in designing integrated conflict management systems to effectively manage conflict both internally and with external stakeholders.

Introduction

Defining Organizational Effectiveness

An organization is an intersection of multiple influence loops; each influence loop represents a constituency bias within the organization. , In terms of its exchanges assessing the organizations activities. Organizations generate different assessments of effectiveness from its various constituencies; such as the distribution of organizational satisfactions, issues of organizational change and the time dimension as they relate to the overall institutional effectiveness (Connolly et al., 1980).

Cameron’s (1986) study of organizational effectiveness and its predictors suggest that the measurable for organizational effectiveness include:

• The most important factors associated with both static and dynamic assessments of effectiveness are environmental factors and management strategies.
• Proactive managerial strategies and those with an external emphasis are more successful than are reactive strategies and those oriented toward internal institutional affairs.
• Multifaceted managerial strategies are required in order for institutions to be effective.

Organizational effectiveness is inherently paradoxical. To be effective an organization must possess attributes that are simultaneously contradictory, even mutually exclusive. The presence of paradox is a paramount attribute in characterizing an effective post-industrial organization others include:

• Loose-coupling – encourage research, initiation of innovation, and functional autonomy-as well as tight-coupling-which encourages quick execution, implementing innovation, and functional reciprocity (Morgan 1981; Zaltman, Duncan and Holbeck 1973).

• High specialization of roles – reinforce expertise and efficiency-as well as high generality of roles-which reinforces flexibility and interdependency (Lawrence and Lorsch 1967).

• Continuity of leadership –permit stability, long-term planning, and institutional memory-along with infusion of new leaders-which permits increased innovation, adaptability, and currency (Chaffee 1984).

• Deviation amplifying processes –encourage productive conflict and opposition that energize and empower organizations-as well as deviation reducing processes-which encourage harmony and consensus needed to engender trust and smooth information flows (Maruyama 1963).

• Expanded search in decision making –allow for wider environmental scanning, access to more information, and divergence of input-as well as the creation of inhibitors to information overload-which reduce and buffer the amount of information reaching decision makers and lead to convergence in decision making (Huber 1984).

• Disengagement and disidentification with past strategies –foster new perspectives and innovation and inhibits defining new problems simply as variations on old problems-as well as reintegration and reinforcement of roots-which fosters commitment to a special sense of organizational identity and mission and past strategies (Tichy 1983).

Defining Organizational Conflict

In the organizational context, conflict is the process of expressing dissatisfaction, unmet expectations with an organizational interchange or disagreement with an interaction, process, product, process or service.

Conflict is a process and state of dissatisfaction; dispute is the product of unresolved conflict. This dissatisfaction can result from multiple factors: differing expectations, competing goals, conflicting interests, confusing communications, or unsatisfactory interpersonal relations.

Conflict is often ongoing, amorphous and intangible, a dispute is tangible and concrete – it has issues, positions, and expectations for relief. Clusters of disputes are simply one of the many ways that conflict manifests itself in an organization.

Discussion

Effectiveness of Organizational Responses to Conflict

Organizational conflict is really an organizational indicator of dissatisfaction. It is a signal of distress from within or outside the system. The organization may choose to respond to the distress call, but that does not mean that conflict ceases to exist.

Organizational conflict is manifested in several ways some of which include disputes, competition, sabotage, inefficiency, low morale and withholding knowledge. Chronic conflict in organizations is often due to internal disagreement and rivalry over how best to distribute the organization’s limited resources among competing priorities and components.

Measuring the effectiveness of conflict management involves looking at the results of dispute resolution efforts, the durability of the resolutions, and the impact on relationships. The effectiveness of conflict management efforts can be measured quantitatively or qualitatively; it can focus on the delivery of conflict management services or the results of conflict management interventions.

Conflict Management as a System

Emery and Trist (1972) pioneered the concept that improving the systemic functioning of organizations requires focusing attention on the social systems by which organizational members interact to produce results and on the technical systems that advance output and productivity in the workplace.

Open systems thinking encourage an emphasis on the whole and the interaction of the parts, not on the parts themselves as discrete, self-supporting entities. Open systems thinking require the organization be receptive and responsive to external changes.

Looking at conflict management as a subset of the many systems within the larger organizational constellation permits an enhanced understanding of conflict as it arises and a sharpened recognition of the opportunities for action in managing such conflict.

Characteristics of Conflict Management Systems

Conflict management as an open system operating within a larger organizational system and within a larger organizational system and within an external environment provides a useful framework for approaching conflict management system design and intervention.

The conflict management system gathers information through assessment, feedback and other participative methods. The open systems perspective in managing organizational conflict lends itself to attaining significant results like:

• Identification of key areas for inquiry regarding potential change within the input, transformation and/or output processes of the organization’s current conflict management system
• Uncovering dissonance, dysfunction, and dissatisfactions

The focus of conflict management systems design is to encourage and assist whole systems in recognizing and identifying conflict, learning how it operates, and actively involving management and stakeholders in designing and implementing systemic procedures that decrease dissonance and dissatisfaction and enhance achievement of the organization’s goals.

Alternative Dispute Resolution for Organizations

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) enables a process that holds the promise of protecting the statutory, economic and enterprise rights of the employee while avoiding the possibility of slow and expensive litigation procedures along with addressing employer specifics like loss of productivity, sabotage, theft, harassment and violence. ADR implemented as a structured process using constructive multi-attribute techniques and value focused thinking is a comprehensive human resource strategy (Gregory et al., 2001).

Organizations can design conflict management systems to deal with both internal and external disputes in a productive way, and in a way that preserves rather than destroys relationships. Instead of resorting to litigation, strikes, work to rule or withdrawing, disputants can use dispute resolution processes that will resolve their conflict efficiently and effectively. Designing an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system can help improve communication, reduce costs, maximize efficiency, and preserve or improve relationships.

All effective organizations have goals. Those goals may be to increase productivity, provide a pleasant work environment, improve team work and efficiency, empower employees, reduce costs, or increase profits. The organization accomplishes these goals through its corporate strategy or, for larger organizations, partly through its human resources strategy. ADR systems can help an organization achieve its goals. ADR processes have the flexibility to adapt to the organization and help it pursue its objectives.

Specifications for an Effective Integrated Conflict Management System

Rowe (1997) suggests that an effective integrated conflict management system would include the following basic characteristics:

• Values of the system: A commitment to fairness for everyone involved in a dispute and freedom from reprisal.
• Many options: A variety of interest-based and rights-based dispute resolution techniques are offered to employees and managers, and employed for the clients of the organization as appropriate.
• Multiple access points: People with concerns and problems can find access points of different ethnicity and gender, and varied technical backgrounds, to help them. They provide a degree of privacy and support for various options in the conflict management system.
• An organizational ombudsperson: designated as a neutral, available to help informally with any workplace concern, and to provide formal mediation as appropriate.
• Wide scope: The system is used by professionals and managers with concerns as well as by employees. The system takes virtually eve~ kind of concern that is of interest to people in the organization.
• Continuous improvement: An oversight committee is built into the system and meets regularly to improve the effectiveness of the system.

Alternative Dispute Resolution: Why It Doesn’t Work and Why It Does

Carver and Vondra (2000) discuss the limitations of alternative dispute resolution. Used effectively ADR delivers the benefits like lower costs, quicker dispute resolutions and outcomes that preserve relationships. Companies with litigious corporate cultures do not reap the benefits of ADR-based mediation. Ingrained attitudes work against an agreeable outcome. Few companies have made the corporate commitment to ADR wholeheartedly; they manage to turn ADR into litigation-in-disguise.

The Supreme Court of Canada on June 8, 2007 declared for the first time that collective bargaining rights are protected in the 1982 Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The decision to strike down legislation aimed directly at taking away the rights of working people is a landmark according to the labour movement. The court has validated the sanctity of a contract, thereby disclosing the administrative and structural impediments of a system that hurts workers whose complaints are not resolved in a timely fashion. The inherent delays in labour and industrial tribunals and the courts. Not to mention the budgetary constraints and limited resources that dim the prospects of prompt or effective solutions to employment injustices (Zack, 1997).

Collaboration and consensual methods of employment dispute resolution have emerged in federal sector labor relations as an alternative to traditional, rights-based collective bargaining. In many circumstances, such alternative methods of negotiation result in both more acceptable agreements and a more satisfying process for reaching agreement (Rob Kirkner and Steve Sharfstein, 2000).

Conclusion

Conflict in and of itself, is not inherently bad. If it is dealt with productively, effectively, and efficiently, it can help the organization to prosper and evolve. When a conflict management system makes recommendations about effective ways of dealing with conflict the organization is not admitting failure rather it is proceeding in a logical and productive way to minimize the cost and time spent dealing with conflict and maximize the benefits of dealing with it efficiently.

An effective organizational conflict management system can have multiple implications for many groups of people. Some parts of the system will reflect back on the individuals within the organization – by serving as a model of communication and problem solving techniques that can be used in daily life with co-workers, spouses, partners, children, parents, and friends. Other parts bounce back to groups within the organization – by setting up processes for joint problem solving that engage people of all types, preferences, and backgrounds in working together toward a common goal. There are aspects of the conflict management system that are bound to shine through to help create a changed culture of choice and acceptance of conflict.

References

Carver, Todd B. and Vondra, Albert A., “Alternative Dispute Resolution: Why It Doesn’t
Work and Why It Does” in Harvard Business Review on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, ed (Boston: 2000)

Cathy A. Costantino and Christina Sickles Merchant, Designing Conflict Management
Systems (Jossey-Bass 1995).

Chaffee E. E., "Successful Strategic Management in Small Private Colleges," J. Higher
Education, 55 (1984), 212-241.

Huber, G. P., "The Nature and Design of Post-Industrial Organizations," Management
Sci., 30 (1984), 928-95 1.

Kim Cameron “A Study of Organizational Effectiveness and Its Predictors”
Management Science, Vol. 32, No. 1. (Jan., 1986), pp. 87-112.

Kim S. Cameron “Effectiveness As Paradox: Consensus and Conflict in Conceptions of
Organizational Effectiveness” Management Science, Vol. 32, No. 5, Organization Design. (May, 1986), pp. 539-553.

Lawrence P. R. and Lorsch J, . W., Organization and Environment, Irwin, Homewood,
II., 1967.

Maruyama, "The Second Cybernetics: Deviation-Amplifying Mutual Causal Processes,"
Amer. Scientist, 51 (1963), 149-164.

Morgan, G., "The Schismatic Metaphor and Its Implications for Organizational
Analysis," Organizational Studies, 2 (1981). 23-44.

Putnam Linda L., Folger Joseph P., Communication, Conflict, and Dispute Resolution
The Study of Interaction and the Development if Conflict Theory,Communication Research, Vol. 15 No. 4, Sage Publications August 1988 349-359

Rob Kirkner and Steve Sharfstein, Aligning Traditional Collective Bargaining with Non-
Traditional Labor Relations, Interagency Labor Relations Forum, January 2001

Robin Gregory; Tim McDaniels; Daryl Fields (2001) Decision Aiding, Not Dispute
Resolution: Creating Insights through Structured Environmental Decisions, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Vol. 20, No. 3. (Summer, 2001), pp. 415-432.

Rowe, Mary. (1997) Dispute Resolution in the Non-union Environment: An Evolution
toward Integrated Systems for Conflict Management? In Workplace Dispute Resolution: Directions for the Twenty-First Century, ed. S. E Gleason. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.

Stitt Allan J., Alternative Dispute Resolution for Organizations: How to Design a System for Effective Conflict Resolution, John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. ISBN: 978-0-471-64295-4, January 2000

Terry Connolly; Edward J. Conlon; Stuart Jay Deutsch “Organizational Effectiveness: A
Multiple-Constituency Approach” The Academy of Management Review, Vol. 5, No. 2. (Apr., 1980), pp. 211-217.

Tichy, N. M., Managing Strategic Change: Technical, Political, and Cultural Dynamics,
Wiley. New York, 1983.

Arnold M.Zack (1997) Can Alternative Dispute Resolution help resolve employment
disputes? International Labour Review, Vol. 136 (1997), No.1(Spring)

Zaltman G., R. Duncan and J. Holbeck, Innovations and Organizations, Wiley, New
York, 1973.

Schadenfreude: Outsourcing Your Life

‘Schadenfreude’- This German loanword best describes the dilemma outsourcing presents itself with; 'pleasure taken from someone else's misfortune'. We live in a flat world where distance, measured physically, linguistically, and culturally, doesn't isolate our jobs from competition from far-away workers. In a post-industrial paradigm where sub-contracting all non-core activities is at the heart of what new economies do, the outsourcing of intermediate goods and business services is one of the most rapidly growing components in international trade.

However, outsourcing has moved on from being the purchase of inexpensive raw materials and standardized intermediate goods. Today concentrating growth in the company's core competencies, effectively utilizing internal intellectual leadership capabilities, maximizing market preeminence, lowering innovation infrastructural costs, optimizing corporate performance and enabling ‘guanxi’ is the strategic mission of the globalization and outsourcing agenda. (Grossman and Helpman, 2005; James Brian Quinn and Frederick G Hilmer, 1995)

Avant-garde corporatists with networked satellite or pod-like structured companies require nimble leadership that facilitate partnerships, collaboration, and sharing of time, personnel, resources, and credit with other units and organizations. Small business entrepreneurs want in on these cost-advantaged relationships that their corporate brethren have benefited from through outsourcing. The notion that - work gets done where it can be done most effectively and most efficiently is the guiding principle. Outsourcing has created a new economic reality where every person, just as every corporation, must tend to his or her own economic destiny as manifested within the global marketplace. (Arun Jacob, 2006; Edward E. Leamer, 2007)

In this era of outsourcing where every economic transaction is contested globally, intellectual work is readily commoditized and sold in global markets. New electronic technologies (e.g. personal computers, internet access, wireless information services) has greatly increased the productivity of those with natural intellectual talents but it has left the those with less talents with less to do and at a lower pay. Helpers are not required as individuals can source, create and produce their work independently. Educational and infrastructural investments are needed to keep the high-paying noncontestable creative jobs here at home and let the rest of the world knock themselves silly competing for the footloose mundane contestable jobs. Technology seems therefore to be taking us into a future where there are a few very talented, very well-paid people and the rest of us are doing the mundane computer-assisted tasks which don’t require us to read, write, or even think very much. (Edward E. Leamer, 2007)

Thomas L. Friedman in his book 'The World is Flat' speaks of a new global economic order which has come about from ten ‘‘flatteners’’ (three that connect individuals, six that facilitate collaboration, and a final one that enhances the first nine) and the "triple convergence" (Technological complementarities, Global business and communications networks, democratization of economic opportunity). Friedman surmises with the desirable characteristics for the workforce of the 21st century:

1. ‘‘specialization’’ (i.e., customizing products and services to specific demands),
2. ‘‘anchoring’’ (i.e., providing a geographically-dependent, inter-personal, or relational service) or,
3. ‘‘adaptability’’ (i.e., creating a market position as a low-cost or value-added provider relative to competitors).

Through the fragmentation of production into discrete activities which are then allocated across countries outsourcing and globalization poses a fundamental question about how companies respond to import competition and how their responses shape the domestic labour market. (Feenstra and Hanson, 1996). To successfully capture value from outsourcing, companies need to leverage their market knowledge, intellectual property, system integration and cost management skills. Most importantly a brand name whose value reflects its reputation for quality, innovation, and customer service will ensure maximum return on investment. (Linden et al., 2007)

"Following the customer" has shipped and packaged both the rust belt jobs (offshore manufacturing) and the high-tech jobs (outsourcing technology). Large and small companies alike are reducing engineering staff in higher-cost regions as they are no longer economically feasible. Unlike manufacturing jobs, which require significant investments in infrastructure, logistics, and facilities, white-collar service jobs require little more than a computer, software, and an uplink to the Internet. Without any differentiating skills, wages will migrate toward the global average. There’s bad, industrial-era outsourcing, where work is increasingly changing into a short-term contract culture, with long hours, adversely affecting employee loyalty, morale, motivation and perceived job security. Then there’s good, collaborative-era outsourcing., with the broad benefits of being able to connect into a rich, collaborative network of varied 'flat world' resources. Global companies create outsourcing value by transforming the innovations of others into products that consumers find useful and usable.(Byrant, 2006; Cooper, 1999)

Let us all remember what John Ruskin wrote in 1871: ``In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it''.

References

Robert C. Feenstra; Gordon H. Hanson, (1996) “Globalization, Outsourcing, and Wage Inequality” The American Economic Review, Vol. 86, No. 2, Papers and Proceedings of the Hundredth and Eighth Annual Meeting of the American Economic Association San Francisco, CA, January 5-7, 1996. (May, 1996), pp. 240-245.

James Brian Quinn, Frederick G Hilmer (1995) “Strategic Outsourcing”, The McKinsey Quarterly, 1995, Number 1

Arun Jacob, (2006) “Implementing an Effective Leadership Development Program for Community College Students”, Communiqué - Volume 7, Issue 1, ERIC #:ED492857

Grossman, Gene M. and Elhanan Helpman, (2005) “Outsourcing in a Global Economy”, Review of Economic Studies (2005) 72, 135–159

Leamer, Edward E. (2007) “A Flat World, a Level Playing Field, a Small World After All, or None of the Above? A Review of Thomas L. Friedman’s The World is Flat. ” Journal of Economic Literature 45 (March): 83-126.

Greg Linden, Kenneth L. Kraemer, Jason Dedrick, (2007) "Who Captures Value in a Global Innovation System? The case of Apple's iPod", Personal Computing Industry Center (PCIC), An Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Industry Center, The Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine

Cary L. Cooper, (1999) 'Can we live with the changing nature of work?', Journal of Managerial Psychology, Volume: 14 Issue: 7/8 Page: 569 - 572

Paul T. Bryant, P.E.,(2006) 'Decline of the Engineering Class: Effects of Global Outsourcing of Engineering Services', Leadership and Management in Engineering, Volume 6, Issue 2, pp. 59-71 (April 2006) doi:10.1061/(ASCE)1532-6748(2006)6:2(59)

Article

Ellen Gamerman (2007) "Outsourcing Your Life" Wall Street Journal, June 2 2007

ACCC Presentation

calcuLUST

Lust is an amazing sensation. To experience this exuberant feeling. To see it in another's eyes as they look straight into yours. That's the stuff poets speak of. It exists for one sole purpose to seek out the physicality from a relationship and explore the possibilities. It's egocentric, it's immediate gratification. It is urgent, it's selfish. It's amazing.

"For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." [1 John 2, 16]

And it is in this world that we live. So I'd recommend a shot of lust to all of you out there. Just to survive the inevitable facts of life. Now I propose we analyze what, why and when did lust become a psycho-pathological problem to reckon with. I'd presume the problems are primarily entrenched in social control, power and thereby domination. If women are excluded from these equations by steering them away from education, health-care and are left predisposed to excel by virtue of the only edge they have - 'sexuality'. Herein comes reason to curb the desires of men by issuing documents that pronounce: "Neither shall you commit adultery." "Neither shall you covet your neighbor's wife." [10 Commandments]

To come up with these laws was pretty ingenious to say the least... but don't blow it out of proportion the politicians of the time were only devising laws and rules similar to what their present day counter parts have done with TADA and the Department of Homeland Security ...

It was their way of keeping the masses enslaved, en shackled and under control. What better way to do that than obscure the very biological context for which we are made. Throw us out of the comfortable realm of mammalian existence and dictate on to us this manifesto of civility and socially accepted behavior.

Jousting moral turpitude and the destructiveness of affairs, we swim the waters of psychopathology. The moral disapprovals that we bring forth when we find that our cup is beginning to runneth over with some innocent tantalizing, promising, exciting uncertainty. Could it have just been efforts to make social occasions less boring; to celebrate the overcoming of one’s former social shyness and sense of social inadequacy.

Endorsing mainstream ideals of fidelity battling ambivalent, contradicting, and alienated personal values amidst it's evolution we try to duke it out organizing and regulating our social and sexual behavior. We obfuscate infidelity as a right, a privilege, or an entitlement. Do we blame it all on increased access and unfair social sanctions against infidelity skewed against females.

I pose the question is infidelity a sign of changing attitudes towards male sexual entitlement and conquest or is it a sign of depreciating psychological investment in a given relationship. Which brings me to my next question how effective is dissociating sex and love and to seek sexual variety.

So if we have figured out the biological need for sex, the moral proscriptions of lust, tell me where does passion find it's place and how about some psychological intimacy. Children of Men who among you can answer me. Fly to the skies and find me an answer.

If we are to go by what Shakesphere has to say about lust:

Shakespeare's Sonnet No:129

The expense of spirit in a waste of shame

Is lust in action; and till action, lust

Is perjured, murderous, bloody, full of blame,

Savage, extreme, rude, cruel, not to trust,

Enjoy'd no sooner but despised straight,

Past reason hunted, and no sooner had

Past reason hated, as a swallow'd bait

On purpose laid to make the taker mad;

Mad in pursuit and in possession so;

Had, having, and in quest to have, extreme;

A bliss in proof, and proved, a very woe;

Before, a joy proposed; behind, a dream.

All this the world well knows; yet none knows well

To shun the heaven that leads men to this hell

Casino Royale

The movie didn't stray away from the original formula to upset the aficionados yet there was a sincere effort on the director's part to breathe life into the franchise. It was kinda awkward to see Bond in this raw state. And since that was the nature of the character we the audience gave into the flaws. And the flaws in many ways added depth in character. We saw James bond with a female associate this time around. A bit more verbal sparring with this Bond Girl this time around. Who got a chance to show off her acting skills along with the usual skin... 007 almost got a chance to emote. It seemed like he did invest into his relationship with the banker. Now shouldn't a man in his line of work know any better. This emotion-business isn't the kind of a thing he should be dabbling with. Can he afford to be swindled him of his pride and hurt his ego. Did he have a choice but to leave it to the spin of the wheel... Alas it was Love,"I've seen this diamond cut through harder men"...Bond should have known better. It was quite the directorial effort to let us see how agent 007 wasn't afforded a sincere relationship and that's what turned him into this suave lady's man that we have grown fond of.

Parkour was a neat add-on to keep the movie hip and cool and cash in on the franchise. Parkour is likely to pickup in the rest of the world after this super endorsement Sebastien Foucan (of Nike and Scion Commercial fame) has done. So was Texas Hold'Em instead of the original Flemingisque Baccarat. The gadgetry and gizmo's were at all time low in this one and I can live that for now. But I must say I almost walked out of the cinema hall when I saw Bond drive a Ford Mondeo. And did anyone else notice how he parked it next to a Range Rover so elegantly. That was a $25 Million deal to have Bond drive a Ford. The Aston Martin was Bond's penis extension. Did everyone in Monte Carlo use only Sony Products. Or was it for the for the world to know that the MGM franchise is owned by Sony Pictures. What's with the Blu-Ray player for security camera footage, the Vaio laptops, the Sony-Ericsson phones...The "Is that a Rolex?" line was a kick in the face...or did it have to be a little more to the left?

This wasn't a movie about the refined dashing debonair super-spy we all so deeply love. We didn't get to see Q and his entourage of über-gadgets, Money Penny didn't giggle at us from behind the desk. It was a bout a rogue-agent who was finding his ways. He wasn't the most beloved agent on the payroll rather he was the most expendable one. Someone somewhere saw that he had in him what it takes to be a super spy but they weren't willing to bail him out when his chips were down. He had to find that himself. So here's a guy who we the audience know will go to the moon, dodge iron jawed & diamond studded villains, will sleep with Pussy Galore et al. But on screen his boss thinks he's a jerk with an attitude so we root for him, kudos to Martin Campell for the direction and Daniel Craig for being so utterly unbondable yet pulling it off with the panache that no one besides he could have.

Eysenck Personality Questionnaire

This test reflects the ideas of Hans Eysenck a pioneer in the field of personality research. Through research and statistical analysis he determined that personality is composed of three main elements: Extroversion, Neuroticism, and Psychoticism. Most current researchers agree on the significance of the first two traits, but there is less consensus on the third (so he may be wrong about it's central importance but it clearly plays some role in personality). Most people will score lower on Psychoticism. While Psychoticism implies more negative qualities than the other two traits (typically), a link has been found is several studies between higher creativity and higher scores on Psychoticism.

Eysenck's Test Results

Extraversion (57%) moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity. Neuroticism (47%) medium which suggests you are moderately worrying, insecure, emotional, and anxious. Psychoticism (68%) moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly selfish, uncooperative, and difficult at the expense of the well being of others

Take Eysenck Personality Test (similar to EPQ-R)
personality tests by similarminds.com

Prior to Eysenck's discovery of Psychoticism, he correlated his original two traits (introversion and neuroticism) with an ancient greek personality system known as the Galen types (Melancholic, Choleric, Sanguine, Phlegmatic). Below is a plotting of your introversion and extraversion scores on that map.

Personality : Choleric Sanguine

Melancholy 15%
Strength:4 Weakness:2

Phlegmatic 8%
Strength:1 Weakness:2

Sanguine 30%
Strength:7 Weakness:5

Choleric 45%
Strength:8 Weakness:10

Ocean's 13

Too much happening all at the same time to write down sometihng coherent and worth while...

For Example:

"Citizen: Shipwreck

Welcome aboard Euthanasia Airlines! We hope you enjoy the trip with us to pity city.

Our inflight movie will be "Sound of Music" starring Julie Andrews. For those of you not familiar with the storyline. You will witness Julie Andrews spinning around like a deranged wind-up toy after having redressed the Von Tropp kids in drapes. SPOLIER WARNING: The movie is about a family fleeing for their lives from the persecusion of the Nazi army.

Passenger safety is vitally important to us. Our inflight safety manual is adapted from the "Titanic". So if you find the aircraft is taking a nose-dive our safety procedures involve furiously rearranging the deck chairs to save all first class passengers aboard the aircraft.

Thank you for choosing Euthanasia Airlines!"

That was supposed to be a full fledged article-column served up as a dry-gonzoesque piece. I got side tracked with other things to complete it... And now I need to flush it out and go back to write it in the same frame of reference when the time is right.

Saw 'Casino Royale' the other day. It was Bond in all his raw glory. Just different enough to tickle your imagination yet true to formula not causing a radical paradigm shift. Dark nonetheless.

I still haven't seen Babel, Bobby and Borat. Oh Baby! That's quite the list. Although chances are Emilio's not going to win a Best Picture Oscar for Bobby this year, not after the way the NY Times ripped him apart. You really cant tell who are the takers this year, is Matt Damon going to get nominated for The Good Shephard and The Departed. Are they finally going to give Martin Scorcese an Oscar? Will Robert De Niro's Good Shephard walk away with a hand full of nominations? I'll let the academy deal with that. As for now all I know for sure is they're filming Ocean's Thirteen across the street. The stars have the trailers parked in my very block. So tommorow I could be running into Clooney, Damon, Pacino, Roberts....

Love Conquers All

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Our Strength Is People

GLOBAL STEEL PRODUCTION 2005 (in million tonnes) 1. Mittal Steel - 49.89 2. Arcelor- 46.65 3. Nippon Steel - 32.91 4. Posco - 31.42 5. JFE Steel - 29.57 6. Shanghai Baosteel - 22.73 7. US Steel - 19.26 8. Nucor - 18.45 9. Corus - 18.18 10. Riva - 17.53 56. Tata - 4.4 Source: Metal Bulletin

London-based Indian, Lakshmi Mittal, purchased the Luxembourg-based Arcelor early this year. I know that means jack-$hit to most of us! Let me try that again, Anglo-Dutch steel firm Corus has accepted an $8.1bn takeover offer from Indian rival Tata Steel. The Corus buyout makes Tata Steel the world's fifth largest steelmaker.

Still makes no sense? What if I were to make this ubsurd proclamation that all this consolidation is about cutting costs and staying competitive in an era of soaring Chinese steel production. I suppose these booming south-asian economies are going to need some bad ass quantities of iron and steel. I wonder how many steel workers are worried about their pensions. Are thinking about the jobs they are going to lose with all the low-cost steel thats going to available in the world market now. What can I say it's the sign of the times: ailing high-cost undesirable North American and European industries pegged against ambitious managerial talent from India.

Hey 'Days of our Lives' fans this isnt half as complicated as the plotlines you are used to. Mittal bought Arcelor, when Arcelor was interested in buying Dofasco. Flipping Dofasco to ThyssenKrupp AG in the process. Wow! Now that's what I'd a call an incestuous relationship.

Iron-ore oligopoly stories hardly make a dent in our lives. I blame Tomkat, Bennifer, Nick and Jessica for that!

I'm beginning to get the feeling the steel maharajahs 'Lakshmi Mittal' and 'Ratan Tata' think the tagline "Our Strength Is People" suits India best!

Gillette Occam

If Gillette came up with a new model called 'Ockham'. How many blades would it have?

Byzantine General's are regularly faced with questions pertaining to constructing social contracts and defining the 'greater good' to promote self-interest while maintaining the illusion of assured democratic governance. Their tolerance is based on the commitment to justice spliced with Faustian deals where power tends to invariably shield those to whom the corridors of power are accessible.

The moral ambiguity of the social fabric let's us progress through life without any grounding principles . Shamelessness is the binding contract to which humanity subscribes itself. How does someone refusing to be tied down to an ideological boot camp exercise personal power. How does one exercise personal power when dealing with gross negligence, engineering incompetence, environment issues and sexual aggression. When attrocities are rationalized in the name of truth, justice and freedom how powerful are we. How do we as the human race rationalize statements like "Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values. (Golda Meir, according to Spielberg)" as they exercise their personal power.

A friend of mine has an interesting outlook on this predicament. She tells me,"Just remember the concept "leadership is creating a space for the other to sense their power" and everything else seems to fall into place." She proposes blending authenticity with ethics and moral development, empowerment and possibility.

How do those shrouded in a veil of ignorance practise this craft of empowerment? How do marginalised folk break the shackles? When interests are purely monetary and liberty is a pipe dream refered to in public documents stored away along with the 'notwithstanding clause' which makes it worthless anyway.

When those in the upper echelons of power cook up plans to come up with the highest pay off for the worst outcome, does ethical decision making stick it's head in the ground. (If Gillette came up with a new model called 'Ockham'. How many blades would it have?) When and why do people lose the desire to understand others?

What happens if I am wearing my "V for Vendetta" Glasses and have this 'vengence view' of morality. When the fabric of society has lost the capacity to cultivate in others the capacity to care how does personal power find its place?

And like Grissom said,"A moral compass can only point you in the right direction. It can't make you go there."

Lights and Wires in a Blog

"This just might do nobody any good. At the end of this discourse a few people may accuse this reporter of fouling his own comfortable nest, and your organization may be accused of having given hospitality to heretical and even dangerous thoughts."

These are Edward R. Murrow's lines from his speech at the RTNDA Convention Chicago, Illinois October 15, 1958. As I read the speech a thought pounced on me: 'If Murrow were around today would CBS have offered him space in the blogosphere?' Would they let him have an RSS feed titled 'Blog It Now'?

So what does a corporate blog do for a company? Is it about capitalizing on the opportunity for employees to speak directly to the customer or is it about appearing higher in search engine rankings, personalizing the company and giving it a human face?

If corporate blogs are about keeping an ear to the ground and hearing what's going on in the blogosphere. Does censorship find place in the corporate blog? Mark Jen nods his head violently on hearing that line. (Mark lost his job at Google for something he wrote on his blog.) Technorati executives have asked their employees to have their weblog posts reviewed by staff members before posting. To suppress blog posts from employees and having grass-root corporate conversations vetted through a marketing mouthpiece is more than likely to discourage bloggers from writing.

Blogs allow for some soul-baring and straight talking. They are fun to read because the writing has a gossipy flavor. You can make blasphemous prophecies and get away with it. When a boardroom blogger tries blogging that's like when your grandmother starts saying "O-Snap!"

Does having corporate guidelines, securities and disclosure rules, and prominently displaying disclaimers on blogs make this new found internal communication strategy more trouble than its worth. Or will more companies jump on this bandwagon since its interactive and cheap to deploy.

How does the public sector and not-for-profit sector deploy this technology in enhancing their operations? Will we ever get to hear what makes the public servant blogger’s blood boil and what upsets them? Will actual voices ever be heard from behind the corporate wind bagging and mechanical PR? How will criticisms and rumors be dealt with? Does our charter of rights and freedoms guarantee blogging as one of the freedoms?

In the words of Edward R. Murrow, “This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference.”

This weapon of blogs could be useful.

Cultural Learnings of Dawson for Make Benefit Glorious College of Mohawk

“Dzień Dobry! Jak się masz? My name is a Borat, when I is go college in Montreal I is execute not the educate.”

Borat's description of the recent "blockbusterings" in the province of Quebec shouldn’t be mistaken for an episode of "Colombine Idol", "C.S.I.:Montreal" or “"This CEGEP has 22 strenchcoats!"”

The fatal shootings at Dawson College in Montreal, leaves many unanswered questions. This is likely to take a while for all of us to come to terms with. The reality of why such an atrocity was ever committed.

Pointing fingers at the goth culture, listening to heavy music and violent video games is a sad exercise in stereotyping and ample proof that people even in this day and age associate rebellious youth behavior to criminal behavior. Who has a minute to understand what really went on in Kimveer Gill's life?

I am sure he was giving out warning signs. His cries for help probably went unaddressed and reinforced his homicidal urges. If only one of his college counselors provided him with ‘Emotional Counseling'. It could possibly have helped the 25-year-old loner Kimveer Gill.

Unfortunately, if the HPRAC (Health Professions Regulatory Advisory Council) get their recommendations to be considered ‘Emotional Counseling' might be the thing of the past. Ontario college students' can kiss their access to counseling and psychotherapeutic services goodbye. Human Service Graduates' trained in emotionally supportive counseling skills may never get to practice their craft.

Colleges will have to stop providing students with access to counseling services and close shop. Human/Social Service programs will be sucked dry of content if the restrictive regulation goes through.

The crux of the existence of community colleges happen to be - 'access' and 'diversity'. This new regulation would jeopardize those very core values.

So I ask the Hon. Minister Smitherman, Ontario's Minister of Health and Long-Term Care do you think regulatory practices that exclude competent professionals from providing affordable and accessible services to CAAT students across Ontario is going to be well accepted?

Dziękuję!

Broadcast Engineering: Challenges for the Next Decade

"Video Killed the Radio Star" sing 'The Buggles' nostalgically of the golden age of radio. The song tells of a singer whose career is cut short by television. Looking back broadcast automation was the 'most unkindest cut of all' to the thousands of radio station employees who lost their jobs to computerized automation systems that could smoothly and professionally run less personalized shows in a consolidated industry.

As today's broadcast engineers battle with static, hiss, pops and fades caused by multipath, noise and interference. A new paradigm gains momentum in the form of IBOC – In-Band On-Channel digital audio broadcasting and the IBOC-based HD Radio technology. HD Radio technology enables AM and FM radio stations to broadcast their programs digitally – a tremendous technological leap from the analog broadcasts of the past.

As broadcasters transition out of analog broadcasts and begin to offer HD Radio a robust digital architecture will have to be in place, for enhanced services such as increased data capacity, surround sound or other multicasting solutions to be made available across unused bandwidth.

To feed the consumers insatiable demand for higher-definition wide-screen pictures iconoclastic broadcast engineers will have to negotiate the balance between terrestrial, satellite and cable networks. Increased variety of digital programming available to the consumer will call for revisiting how broadcasts are to be delivered and receivers are engineered.

Broadcasting solutions for the digital domain are scarce, such as digital rights management (DRM) for digital broadcasting based on home servers (DBHS) using receivers with large-capacity storage devices.

Video-On-Demand systems require broadcast, multicast and unicast transmission technologies to be developed to select the appropriate delivery channel and quality of service for each customer.

Efficient networking distribution, efficient spectrum usage and dynamic sharing of the maximum data rate among several applications will be challenges broadcasters have to face with the ongoing evolution of software-defined compression, modulation formats and receivers. Obstacles for future communications architecture will be employing bandwidth management policies and using available broadcast bandwidth for effective multimedia information delivery.

New business models will dictate how file-based audio-video content is broadcast to consumers in today’s fringe markets such as wireless network operators and internet service providers. Tomorrow’s broadcast network services will be carrying interactive data services with both high data rate and high mobility.

Organ Trade, e-Ursury and India

"Salah, ek dum phulto bhankas kidney mila dha yaar...Masth karkey mein woh madherchoud ko bhej detha... kider se aay maayth nai yeh lund fakir chini mera sale poora ullat phulat liya re..." "Kahan se mein aaj ka FDI online sale quota reach karooon... yeh job ich poora ek dum pakaao hein re!!!"

That's a line to be uttered in a chai-walah's dabbha in Mumbai 2020, by some savvy call-center employee trying to make an honest days living. What's he selling- a couple of kidneys, livers, sickle cell anaemic cure packages, organ donor compensation fund diwali savings bonus, still born babies for stem cell research, LGBTQ child care savings pack, the list goes on...

His job description involves snipping for better deals, bidding wars, trying to get the best price for his client - an 'anghutta-chaap ghatti' in rural india selling his/her organs at premium for a signing bonus of 6 months supply of drinking water for the family.

"Innak endhinaada monjathi pennu, kaarukunnah aad porey!" asks an entrepreneur in North Kerala to a young man who applies for a visa to go to the Gulf, his gullibility and will to rid his family of their poverty will succumb him to rent his wife's womb to a gay couple in North America who will in turn sponsor his trip and family for the next 9 months. The entrepreneur will be the effective middle man who make's sure he gets his cut.

Online snipping for last minute deals on organs will be quite the lucrative venture capitalist enterprise to take off. Call centers, will have blackberry wielding hench men on the streets look out for a prime candidate.

Fuzzy moral arguements and kosheresque trade sentiments find no place in the potential of the commerce in flesh trade. Once state support will be acquired the flood gates will have opened. The Halal kidney store on Mohammed Ali Road, will have SMS of a "Gora khoon - 5 litre" CS Shivaji Airport will accept the FedEx package and Visa payment for the trade. When an elderly Paris Hilton wants a new liver, because her old one was damaged she will have the power and prowess to acquire one from the shoe-shine kid who sits in front of Infosys, Bangalore. Nicole Ritche might prefer an organic solution to skin grafting than the 90's botox treatement Cher had. Bahraini National Mohammed Jaffer (formerly known as Michael Jackson) will have the "Peal the World" Campaign to raise awareness of the organ trading little boys have to undergo...

In the words of Appu,"Thank You, Come Again!"

Implementing an Effective Leadership Development Program for Community College Students

Abstract

Community colleges are a democratizing force in post-secondary education, different from but equal to universities. They offer an expedient route to the labour market. This suggests the need for colleges to focus on the development of their students' leadership ability and to implement strategies for evaluating the success of leadership development efforts on college campuses. Student leadership development administered as a comprehensive, integrated and complimentary program is a proactive and strategic investment in the students’ educational experience. The goal of this paper is to document some of the ways community colleges can further promote student leadership development and implement innovative approaches to increase student engagement.

Click here for full paper.

I Wanna Be Like You

Artist: Louis Prima
Song: Wanna Be Like You
Album: The Jungle Book Soundtrack

"Now I'm the king of the swingers
Oh, the jungle VIP
I've reached the top and had to stop
And that's what botherin' me
I wanna be a man, mancub
And stroll right into town
And be just like the other men
I'm tired of monkeyin' around!"

That's my theme song in my graduating semester in 'Electronics Engineering Technology' a 3 Year Diploma Program here at Mohawk College. Why?

My 'terminal education' credits can't be 'transfered' to an undergraduate degree in any university in the province of Ontario. Elitist educational institutions (read universities) consider the occupational mobility of college graduates is better restricted because of the narrow skills and credentials college students' possess. So I better start 'cooling-out' because there's an unskilled, low-level service sector job with my name on it. I don't know if I will be as fortunate as some of my peers who will very shortly be employed in paraprofessional/assistant level jobs working under university graduates, in jobs divorced from all conceptual level work.

Today as I ride my 'cycle of despair' dodging motivational difficulties I ask myself did my diploma strengthen my academic skills and how did it lead to higher educational attainment. As my terminal vocational training comes to a close, I cringe thinking of the tommorow when I wait in line to be the next hired hand. I am disoriented as I try to comprehend this system of dual expectations and it's ambiguous commitment to democracy and education for all.

I have demonstrated by compliance to the system, have I not? I have jumped through all the attritional hoops of academia to reach thus far, ready to advance to the next ideological boot-camp. But then why isn't my diploma being considered an objective indicator of knowledge, why do the registrar's at universities treat me like a leper when I ask about transfer agreements.

Are there any educational reconstructionists in the theatre tonight? Anybody out there who's interested in improving my position in the educational hierarchy. Maybe you could ask the loyal gatekeepers who have pledged their allegiance to the system. How absurd would it be to demand for a "call of change", to be accepted as equal participants in a flat global terrain. It would be impossible for today's college graduate to continue to adhere to many of the traditional claims of the college system. The fallen statue of Mercury (Roman god of trade, profit and commerce) at the old Mercury Mills site is a reminder of why we don't study at the Provincial Institute of Textiles.

Are there any professionally competent, socially responsible and interculturally literate college students out there? Can you help me address this socially untenable system of implied superiority of an elite community of post secondary students and the rejection of all others. Would you help me examine the social inequalities in access to technology and its implications for educational equity.

Bombay Dreams

I was reading up my older blogs and noticed the last cpl of months that stuff I had been getting was very strait jacket like ...Now that I'm on the cusp with no major projects that I have undertaken I can kick my legs up and write something sinister... Something doggone stupid.. something un-nerving... preposterous... necrophilia, world war 3 they were all topics i had thought of... but here's something better...

The Hindu speakz of a drug bust in Calcutta. Some bad ass amount of E, so now I ask you dear reader, did u really expect IT, Spicy-India-Chai-Tea and Old Navy T-Shirts to be only exports to the west. I was just about waiting to dig this up and show case it..... Sure every one knew abt the slave trade in philipines, the child porn in Thailand, the opium trade of yester years out of China, the desginer drugs out of Hong Kong. But the ganja land of south asia couldnt be safe haven for synthetic drugs now can they...

The Frontline sez Indian immigrants bring drugs to honky-tonk towns and damage the urban youth... that's a hoot if you ask me..

But hey how about the raves in B'lore...read The Hindu ... see the beauty of the drug milieu in India is paan waalah's can sell u XTC, ICE and crack... the big boyz in bombay's underworld will make a cut... and so will the local goondahs... professional college students are just where the west wants them to be... rattling the cages of cultural confines and ready to do something daring and rebellious... call center telemarketers make too much expendable money so do the software code gurus ... and the stress of the western work style taking it's toll on the youth...

Goa, Bombay and B'lore are the prime circuits for these outfits to take camp... but i'dnt be surprised when the peddler on Marine Drive, Kochi comes up with a line that's globalization .. that's outsourcing... the west taught the sepoy's to smoke their crummy cigarette's and provided hootch and cigarette's to them for free...Opium and heroin can move over as designer synthetic drugs will rule the roost... txt msgs will fly across the globe about how when and where the payload will be delivered... It'll be 6 sigma efficient and supply chain managed.. The way I see it for every brown-nosed white apologetic ass in a MNC job there's a disillusioned unemployed sorry ass with just as much potential.. and all those kids need to keep busy and make a lil dough while they are at it ... but be careful kids ...there might be snitches..the TOI sez there will be... the Shashi Kapoor from Don wanna be's...

So India... Bombay Dreams are just around the corner.. Rohypnol is just a click or SMS away.....

What Classic Movie Are You?

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

Developing an Effective Leadership Development Program for Community College Students

Abstract

Community colleges are a democratizing force in post-secondary education, different from but equal to universities. They offer an expedient route to the labour market. This suggests the need for colleges to focus on the development of their students' leadership ability and to implement strategies for evaluating the success of leadership development efforts on college campuses. The goal of this paper is to document some of the ways community colleges can further promote student leadership development and implement innovative approaches to increase student engagement.

Click here to read the complete draft.

INCIDENCE DE L’ÉCONOMIE CHINOISE SUR L’ÉCONOMIE DE L’AMÉRIQUE DU NORD

Lentement, solennellement, Napoléon a tracé de l’index le contour d’un vaste pays sur une carte du monde et a dit de ce « géant endormi » : « Quand la Chine s’éveillera, le monde tremblera ». Cette phrase prophétique prend tout son sens aujourd’hui. La Chine est bien réveillée, sur le plan économique et sur le plan stratégique. Sortie indemne de la crise financière de l’Asie orientale et de l’épidémie de SRAS, l’économie chinoise affiche une progression inégalée sur la planète qui l’a fait passer au sixième rang dans le monde en termes de PIB. En 2003, la Chine était la seconde économie du monde, tout de suite derrière les États-Unis et affichait le taux de croissance le plus élevé de tous les grands pays, sans parler du fait qu’elle a été accueillie à bras ouverts au Conseil général de l’Organisation mondiale du commerce, après sa transformation d’usine du monde en marché du monde.

C’est une réussite à double tranchant. Du haut de sa puissance économique, la Chine défie l’Amérique du Nord sur le plan économique. C’est un peu comme si elle disait : « Faites comme nous ou c’est nous qui vous dicterons votre conduite! ». Il suffit d’observer avec quelle lenteur l’Amérique du Nord répond à ces défis et l’agilité croissante de la Chine en matière économique et politique pour savoir qui occupera le bureau du coin dans l’économie mondiale de demain. L’avenir appartiendra à l’économie qui saura fournir à ses travailleurs toute l’étendue et la profondeur de la formation scientifique nécessaire dans le nouveau milieu du travail. L’élue recevra une partie des fruits de la nouvelle richesse. Une économie lente à bâtir sa capacité scientifique et technologique c’est une économie qui ne connaît pas le remède aux ajustements structurels constants qu’exige la mondialisation.

La contestation par la Chine de l’influence économique et stratégique de l’Amérique du Nord commence à peine à se dessiner. Il faudra à celle-ci encore des dizaines d’années avant de rejoindre l’Amérique du Nord sur le plan technologique et sur le plan de la gestion.

Pour comprendre l’incidence, au niveau mondial, de l’émergence de la Chine en tant que grande puissance économique, il faut savoir que la répartition de la main-d’œuvre mondiale à la fin du dernier millénaire était très artificielle. L’isolement volontaire de la Chine a empêché le cinquième de la race humaine de participer vraiment aux systèmes mondiaux de commerce et d’investissement. C’est pour cette raison que l’intégration accélérée de la Chine à l’économie mondiale amorcée au milieu des années 1990 a entraîné une vague de délocalisations en Chine d’industries à forte intensité de main-d’œuvre.

La transformation de la Chine en superpuissance industrielle a entraîné la marchandisation de presque tous les produits qui peuvent être fabriqués de nos jours. La concurrence de la Chine, avantagée par de faibles coûts de revient, a fait baisser considérablement les prix des biens vendus dans le monde, notamment en Amérique du Nord, où les profits reculent.

La partie ne se joue pas à armes égales. La Chine ne fait pas grand-chose pour endiguer les violations de brevet et de droit d’auteur qui contribuent à la production de copies bon marché des produits de ses concurrents. Elle sait aussi s’y prendre pour obtenir des transferts de technologie qui aideront son industrie à se développer.

La réponse de l’Amérique du Nord est loin d’être exemplaire. Les sociétés transnationales jouent un rôle clé dans la mondialisation de l’activité économique. Le commerce international, l’investissement étranger direct et les ventes des filiales étrangères en Chine augmentent beaucoup plus vite que leur PIB. Une grande partie des échanges internationaux des transnationales interviennent entre divisions d’une même multinationale (échanges internes) et non entre sociétés indépendantes l’une de l’autre. La localisation des activités économiques des transnationales locales et étrangères est de plus en plus tributaire de la conjoncture économique et politique, des mesures fiscales et des encouragements à l’investissement. Autrement dit, les transnationales se préoccupent de moins en moins des conséquences de leur comportement.

Les Nord-Américains ne pourront plus très longtemps vivre dans une région vouée au libre-échange et par conséquent moins portée au protectionnisme. Les Chinois ont su contrer cette éventualité et s’assurer un accès à leur plus gros marché d’exportation et alimenter ainsi le moteur de leur croissance. L’adhésion de la Chine à l’OMC empêche les États-Unis de décider impulsivement et unilatéralement de remplacer les approvisionnements économiques en provenance de la Chine en suspendant la Permanent Normal Trade Relations Act et de relever les droits de douane sur les importations en provenance de la Chine. L’adhésion de la Chine à l’OMC rehausse la fiabilité de la Chine comme fournisseur régulier des marchés d’Amérique du Nord.

Les fabricants nord-américains de produits à forte intensité de main-d’œuvre destinés à la vente sur les marchés intérieurs, des économies où les revenus sont élevés, diminuent maintenant leurs frais de gestion en réduisant la diversification géographique des unités de production. Une partie croissante de la production est maintenant localisée en Chine parce que les coûts de main-d’œuvre y sont moins élevés que dans les quatre grands de l’ANASE [Indonésie, Malaisie, Philippines et Thaïlande].

Les compagnies nord-américaines doivent se concentrer davantage sur les services à valeur ajoutée de la chaîne d’approvisionnement mondiale – conception, service après-vente, design, conception simultanée, ainsi que financement et assurance de la qualité. Pour exploiter les possibilités que présentent les marchés émergents et soutenir la concurrence de la Chine, l’Amérique du Nord doit forcer sur l’innovation et la productivité en investissant dans la recherche-développement, la fabrication et le génie, le capital humain et la révision des réglementations.

En bout de ligne, la seule manière pour les fabricants d’Amérique du Nord de soutenir la concurrence et demeurer rentables consiste à offrir un produit différencié – répondre aux besoins des clients par une spécialisation, une conception et un service fonctionnels à un degré que personne d’autre n’offre.

Le potentiel de croissance de la Chine et son savoir-faire économique laissent présager une hégémonie future. L’orientation future de la Chine, le rythme des réformes et de la restructuration des institutions et une bonne partie de l’activité du secteur privé dépendent de l’action du Parti communiste, guidé par ses dirigeants de Pékin. Le défi pour la Chine consiste à créer 20 millions de nouveaux emplois par an rien que pour empêcher le taux de chômage d’augmenter. La Chine n’est pas en mesure d’employer du capital local pour créer davantage d’emplois dans le secteur privé, la demande de produits de consommation grimpe en flèche et le système bancaire est inefficace : la Chine a un bon nombre de problèmes socio-économiques à régler. Tout montre qu’elle est en voie de le faire.

Les extraordinaires résultats économiques et commerciaux de la Chine ont modifié les rôles de l’État et du secteur privé dans ce pays qui s’ouvre à l’économie de marché. L’expansion économique spectaculaire de la Chine est alimentée par des rentrées d’investissements étrangers directs considérables. Environ 60 % des exportations de la Chine vers le marché nord-américain proviennent de compagnies nord-américaines qui y ont installé des usines de production.

Une autre caractéristique de l’expansion économique de la Chine est l’importance des industries de haute technologie particulièrement dans les domaines de l’électronique et de l’informatique. La Chine n’est pas seulement une superpuissance industrielle, mais aussi un maillon des chaînes d’approvisionnement mondiales des fabricants. Elle n’est pas simplement un centre mondial de fabrication de produits bon marché à forte intensité de main-d’œuvre, mais elle est aussi devenue la source d’une demande importante de fournitures techniques évoluées à forte intensité de capital.

Pour les fabricants et les exportateurs d’Amérique du Nord, la Chine est une source de croissance commerciale, de même qu’un moyen de réduire les coûts de revient, d’améliorer l’efficacité de la chaîne de production, de stimuler les profits et de réduire les prix pour les clients. La Chine ne peut pas exporter en Amérique du Nord sans importer, mais cela exigerait une refonte complète des structures de production de l’est et du sud-est de l’Asie. Un thème sous-jacent s’impose : prospérité ou disette, mais pour qui?

L’arrivée de la Chine dans la fraternité économique par son adhésion à l’OMC ne fait pas que stimuler la sécurité économique. C’est un champ de force qui la protège contre les sorts que pourraient lui jeter la Permanent Normal Trade Relations Act des États-Unis et les nécromanciens du Congrès américain maîtres de son statut de nation la plus favorisée.

L’ascension de l’économie industrielle de la Chine continuera d’avoir des retombées de grande portée sur la logistique mondiale des biens et services et sur l’avenir du secteur manufacturier en Amérique du Nord. La Chine pose déjà d’importants défis aux entreprises et aux gouvernements de l’Amérique du Nord et à son économie dans son ensemble.

L’émergence de la Chine sur le plan des exportations et du PIB au-dessus des cinq économies développées d’Asie de l’Est [Hong Kong, Japon, Singapour, Corée du Sud et Taiwan] présente un important défi aux gouvernements d’Amérique du Nord; il y a la question du recyclage des travailleurs qui perdront leur emploi dans le secteur manufacturier au nom du libre-échange. Les fondements du gouvernement vont vaciller quand la volonté politique et la politique économique s’affronteront pour déterminer s’il faut imposer des mesures protectionnistes au lieu de financer des mesures d’adaptation pour aider les travailleurs des secteurs touchés.


Il est temps que l’Amérique du Nord se réveille! La montée de la Chine ne sonne pas le glas de la fabrication en Amérique du Nord. Elle entraînera sans doute une transition vers des opérations de transformation à plus grande valeur ajoutée et davantage d’emplois dans le secteur des services. Elle forcera une rationalisation des opérations des entreprises et stimulera l’innovation et la productivité. La concurrence de l’économie chinoise s’est intensifiée en Amérique du Nord et dans le monde entier. L’expansion rapide de l’économie chinoise présente des perspectives extrêmement intéressantes sur le plan du commerce et de l’investissement pour les entreprises américaines et élargit la palette des importations à des prix très concurrentiels. Cette expansion augmente parallèlement la concurrence sur les marchés d’exportation nord-américains.

La Chine grimpe rapidement dans la chaîne de valeur. Vu la mobilité des capitaux et des ouvriers spécialisés dans le monde, l’Amérique du Nord doit combler l’écart au chapitre de la productivité et des revenus pour attirer et retenir des activités à forte valeur ajoutée et générer un vigoureux cycle d’accumulation de capital, d’afflux des cerveaux et de forte croissance économique.

Les fabricants d’Amérique du Nord devront profiter des possibilités d’externalisation de leurs activités que présente la Chine de même que des possibilités d’exportation sur le marché chinois ou d’investissement et de fabrication en Chine. L’avantage concurrentiel des fabricants d’Amérique du Nord dépendra de la proximité de l’entreprise de ses clients et de ses rapports avec eux. Les compagnies capables de s’adapter rapidement jouiront d’un avantage sur le plan des délais d’exécution et de la personnalisation des produits et services.

Pour pleinement profiter de l’intégration économique avec la Chine, les économies d’Amérique du Nord devront surmonter des obstacles formidables et devenir des destinations très compétitives pour l’investissement, les travailleurs spécialisés et les activités à forte valeur ajoutée. Les entreprises devront réduire considérablement les coûts de transport, d’information et de communication, faire des progrès rapides au niveau des techniques de production, et faire de la prospection au niveau des marchés, des capitaux, du capital humain et des activités à forte valeur ajoutée à l’échelle internationale. Il est par ailleurs crucial que les gouvernements encouragent la conclusion d’ententes commerciales bilatérales, régionales et multilatérales pour permettre à l’Amérique du Nord de contribuer à sa manière à l’internationalisation de l’activité économique.

Click here for English version