This is the final activity for this class. Please, read the following paper and then answer these questions:
1) How can social capital participate to create development?
2) Describe the importance of social links to build cooperative enterprises
3) Do you think this model can be applied in Mexico? Expose your arguments.
1. Some Italian buisnesses have started to adapt a system of so called ”social cooperatives”. Social cooperatives include volunteers, other individuals and service users in significant roles within the associations alongside the normal workers, and they also maintain links with the community. These social enterprises take, in their business conduct, into consideration the values and interests of people and groups that are involved in the collaboration and they work for the general interest of the community and for the social integration of the citizens. This social capital can create development for the enterprises, since it is the people who are involved in the collaboration with the enterprises that capture the needs, interests and requirements from the social environment and that come up with ideas and innovations for the enterprises. The social capital also creates development for the community, since the enterprises more easily can produce the products and services that the community needs and since the collaboration creates many links between the community and the enterprises, the success of the enterprises will transfere into community welfare as well.
ResponderEliminar2. Social links are very important in the building of cooperative enterprises. It is the people who are involved in the collaboration with the enterprises that create important social links between the enterprises and the community. As already said, it is through these links that the enterprises can capture the interests, needs and requirements of the community. With this information it is possible for the enterprises to create and supply specific and unique services and products for the costumers. Social links are also important, since it is easy for the enterprises to rapidly capture developments and changes in the community and therefore adjust their services after these changes.
3. I do not know much about Mexican enterprises, but I do not think that this model would work in Mexico. This is because many enterprises in Mexico are small enterprises, that might not have the capacity to develop into cooperative enterprises. Many enterprises are also family-owned and family-based enterprises, where the influence of other people might not always be very appreciated.
Q1-Social capital is the network and relationship among people, with this kind of link, people can share their experiences, knowledge and ideas with others and thus can create more development (mentally and culturally)
ResponderEliminarQ2-There are two kinds of social links, strong links (particularly relevant and constant relations that connect cooperative enterprise members) and weak links (relations that connect cooperative enterprises and the related strong links to other social environments), both work to build cooperative enterprises. Strong links strengthen the cohesion between organization members so that they can better cooperate. Weak links capture interests, needs and requirements from the social environment and activate entrepreneurial innovations.
Q3-This model may work in Mexico but there are also some difficulties regarding the specific social environment in Mexico. On one hand, this model is built on the multiple relations and networks within the community, here in Mexico, individualism is not very emphasized and people value family and personal relationships with others, thus, it is easier for people to establish such a network because they need to attach and trust each other so that the whole system can work. On the other hand, this kind of social network needs the participation of outside stakeholders, e.g. volunteers, politicians, entrepreneurs…Here in Mexico, poor people and their communities are isolated from the main stream society, therefore it is important to get more people (rich people, middle class, young college students, politicians…) to pay attention and work with those poor communities. In this way the model will work to generate more social capital and development to the poor.
1) Social capital means the networks and links between people and companies. With social capital, in general, we refer to the connections between people. This will lead into development since being connected with different people spreads, first of all, knowledge but also ideas. These aspects will help with having a broad understainding of the situation and coming up with ideas how to develop what needs to be developed. In the article more than the links between individuals the social capital refers to the links between individuals and companies. This can also lead into development since the companies become more aware of the situation and interests of the individuals and take this into consideration in their actions.
ResponderEliminar2) Social links are very important for the companies. It is the people that create the company and without being connected with the customers, stakeholders, decision-makers etc. the company cannot grow. It is also very important for the company to know the ground they are playing on (the needs and interests of the community it is serving) and this will not happen without having a broad social capital.
3) I think this model could work in Mexico since there is a lot of development to be done. I think connecting different societies with each other would be a great way of spreading knowledge and know-how among people and could this way benefit both sides of the deal. The companies could learn about the situation outside their offices and the poor people could learn about the corporate world and hopefully this would lead into cooperation with these two parties. From my point of view Mexicans in general are very good with their social skills and they value their social relationships a lot. This is one of the reasons the model could work in Mexico.
Riia
1) How can social capital participate to create development?
ResponderEliminarSocial capital means basically relationships and networks. This i something that we all depend on, we lean on family and friends in our personal life and in our profesional life we have coworkers and cooperation between companies and working places. As the text says, ”social capital, whether organizational or relational, is fundamental.”People is our strongest and most important asset, without them we wouldn’t be able to do much and the world would’t look like it does today. Thanks to cooperation, between different groups, we have reached a development that we can see today. No man is an island.
The text takes up the example of voluntary work and that is something that we can refer to the earthquake in Mexico City in 1985. People helping each other and creating different smaller groups of people in order to help the injuryed was the reason that people survirved and could be rescued.
2) Describe the importance of social links to build cooperative enterprises
Without social links there wouldn’t be any cooperative enterprises, our globalized world is built up on just that, social links, cooperation and mutual understanding. One quite easy example is the fact that we are here on a exachange. Our universities have created an agreement with Tec de Monterrey and built a relationship concerning studies. Thanks to this we can spend one or two semesters here.
This kind of relations are based on mutual understanding, trust and reciprocity. Nowdays, a handshake or a verbal yes are not enought so that is why you are writing diferent kind of agreements and putting your signature on it. And that is what cooperative enterprises are doing as well. They are agreeing on trade, labor or goods and when they are both satisfied they are united in the cooperation.
3) Do you think this model can be applied in Mexico? Expose your arguments.
I think so but it needs some work. Relations and relationships are a big part in Mexico. You have big families and many friend and you do value them. The thing I think needs some work is the trust part and the that you have to be more precise in your dialogue with others. You might trust the people you have around you but when it comes to more formal relations (and the government is the clearest example of this) it doesn’t seem to exist. Furthermore, somettimes there is more talk and action and changes take a long time to implement. With more direct actions and struction of the work I think Mexico can go a long way and I think it is a good idea to include everyone, whether they are at a regional or local level, people in the poor areas and big companies. Working together is the only way we can get rid of the strong hierarchy that we can find in Mexico.
Jeanna