vol. 2 núm. 2 (2009)

The organizational culture differs widely among the countries in the world. IKEA has a very special culture which is one of its competitive advantages and used in their organizations in the countries they are situated in. This research is about how IKEA handles their organizational culture in the border crossing and what problems that may come in the way. It is mainly focused on the implementation strategy and the cultural differences that have created both success and obstacles when IKEA with its “culture carriers” are expanding their organization into other countries.

This research aims at demonstrating Procter & Gamble corporate culture an vali¬dating Proctoids as members of a real culture. An empirical interview methodol¬ogy is applied and the respective Hofstede dimensions are obtained. The results suggest that a homogeneous culture does exist within the organization analized.

During 30 years, China has stand out over other countries due to the accelerated growth process that it has been presenting, also for having an emergent economy with the highest foreign investment indicators which allow the country to count with a dynamic international trade. But all this success is not for free; to accomplish a rapid growth, this country had to take some special measures like the creation of technological and economic development zones, industrial parks, between others that permit China to be an attractive country for foreigners. But even though the country is achieving its main economical objective; the situation China is living today in the interior of the coun¬try, makes all the economical efforts worthless. The majority of income resulting from direct foreign investment and trade is only staying in the hands of few people and the gaps between urban and rural zones are getting bigger by the day, situa¬tion that impulses migration at a scandalous growing rates. There is also a lack of work regulations which result in multinationals augmenting their greed of earning more money by reducing costs at the expense of scarifying their employees´ right of counting with a safe and healthy work environment.

The present paper studies the impact of returning migration in five cases. First, the recent case of Afghanistan is analyzed, then the Chinese case. The paper con-tinues to evaluate the impact of returning migration in the Indian, the Irish and finally the Italian case. Specific policy recommendations for the phenomenon’s occurrence in Colombia are drawn based upon the case analysis. The results sug¬gest among others that effective mechanisms for management and monitoring migration flows should be created and the linkages of the Government with its Diaspora should be improved.

The world we live in today experiences the movement and relocation of goods, services, capitals and also humans. When regulations strengthen and coming into a country becomes more difficult, irregular migration practices take place, and the phenomenon floods many spheres of society, but due to the nature of migration processes and countries’ selective criteria, at the end, those who undergo on ir¬regular migration are usually low income or poor people. The aim of this research is to evidence, by different means, that although globalization is an international trend that apparently includes everybody, it has left aside the less wealthy ones, which are those who get their visas denied, who are not allowed into countries through customs check points, and similar. This ends up generating a big interna¬tional social issue that is irregular migration, where people risk many things, up to their lives, in order to pursue a dream, a dream that in many cases, ends up being nothing else than a fairy tale.

The landmines are a subject of world-wide concern since the 1990’s when the in¬ternational community undertook a campaign for their ban. The prohibition came with the Ottawa Convention, signed by two-thirds of the UN Members. However today, more than ten years after that declaration, many States, including Colom¬bia, face the threat of landmines. As international cooperation is one of the instru¬ments contained in the Convention, this article reviews the cooperation policies implemented by Canada as one of the nations committed in the search for a solu¬tion to Colombian landmine problem.

The aim of the present paper is the following: (1) to provide an overview of recent advancements in the International Business Studies at the Universidad EAFIT, and (2) to comment on the articles published within the new edition of the Revista de Negocios Internacionales. The paper presents the salient issues regarding In¬ternational Business in Colombia, and reflects on the importance of the proper understanding of these issues for the International Business discipline.

The following research takes a look at the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) focusing on the good and bad aspects it presents. The analysis is supported by three theories: (1) CSR and the Competitive Advantage by Kramer and Porter (2002), where CSR is seen as tool to achieve competitive advantage not only benefiting the company but the society around it, (2) Stages of CSR by Zadek (2006), presenting CSR as learning process for the organizations and the society, and (3) Development of Community/Company Relationships with CSR by Marin, Rubio and Ruiz (2009), considering CSR as a key for a good perception of consumers and the relationship established among the company and its consumers. Finally there is a study of a Colombian company really active in the implementation of CSR. Taking this approach will allow for greater understanding on the importance of CSR in addition to its wider significance in society and with a direct link to Medellin, Colombia.

In Colombia, there is few literature on the case of volunteering in higher education; however due to the importance of this subject and the literature found about this topic at the international level, the present research was carried out in order to explore the importance of volunteering in Colombia, the demographic characteristics of volunteers and their perceptions towards volunteering including for instance the benefits they receive. This research was focused on EAFIT University, located in Medellin, Colombia -which promotes those actions among its students as a social commitment and personal realization. The study included nine volunteering groups of this university. The results of the study were similar to the international trends related to this matter, although the development and the importance that the students involved attribute to volunteering is completely the opposite.