The Presumption of Innocence is Disappearing in Sweden

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One of the main principles governing Swedish law has been the presumption of innocence as a basic state. Before someone is judged and proven guilty they are assumed innocent. Unfortunately it seems that this state of innocence is slowly disappearing in Sweden.

The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of the Council of Europe says (art. 6.2): “Everyone charged with a criminal offence shall be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law”

Earlier not even media were allowed to call someone guilty for a crime before it had been proven in a court. Today the society is implementing more control to assert the guiltiness of people almost before they have committed the crimes. Instead of waiting for the crimes to take place they take a pro-active stance with larger sweeps and a presumption of guilt.

The main change in Sweden has been the implementation of mass-surveillance of their population in the form of the Data retention directive. This changed the basic state of a citizen from innocent and free to “suspected”. Even with nothing to hide people change their behavior when they know they are being watched.

moving away from presumption of innocence

data retention directive in sweden explained

The latest decline of the presumption of innocence has been made in the new controls (REVA) for “illigal citizens” residing in Sweden. More practically police have gone into public transport and demanded identifications from people with a non-Swedish appearance. This changes the state from “innocent” to “guilty-until-proven-otherwise” (with help of documents) of any “non-swedish” looking person in the public transport.

It’s sad to see Sweden lose its’ principles and becoming a police state where everyone is considered suspicious.

Why Everyone Should Learn Basic Programming

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Times are changing. Our information age puts higher requirements on everyone to process information more efficiently. People are talking about information “overloads”. A solution to this would be to use more programming.

why everyone should learn programming in information age

cc-by-nc-sa, aranarth

In the  past people were limited by physical factors in their pursuit of knowledge. Talking to people, exploring and finding the right book to read was ways of acquiring knowledge. If you were curious about something you had to find the right book or person for the answer.

Today all you need to do is use the right google query to find your answer. There is an “overload” of information accessible. The problem is how to find it and how to process the information.

Our biggest source of information, computers, are all based on logic. Programming is a language of logic and an efficient way of processing information. Thus, in order to better adapt to our information age, I believe that everyone should learn at least some basic programming.

A Chilling Effect: Commercial Interests vs Free Speech

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Recently the private organization ‘Rättighetsalliansen’ (a Swedish group fighting to increase copyright) decided to send a legal threat to the Swedish Pirate Party (PPSE) for hosting The Pirate Bay (TPB). Claiming that the website of TPB is illegal they accuse PPSE of “assisting illegal activity”. Basically they use chilling effects to silence free speech because of commercial interests.

piratpartiet threatened with legal action for hosting tpb

cc-by-nc-sa, visitmanchester

“A chilling effect is the inhibition or discouragement of the legitimate exercise of a constitutional right by the threat of legal sanction” – Wikipedia

Rättighetsalliansen is a pro-copyright company lobbying and threatening their way to an  extended copyright protection. Through legal threats they hope to scare people to comply with their demands even though the current service has not been declared illegal. PPSE is providing bandwidth to TPB and thereby acting in a simal manner as any ISP is doing when selling their services.

Considering that the people behind TPB where charged for assistance to copyright crimes this would technically be assistance to assistance to copyright crimes. Instead of going after who you consider to be the real criminals you try to break the infrastructure. Going after a smaller entity that can’t risk the consequences that might occur if they were proven guilty in a trial.

An off-line comparison to this would be to demand that the post-office delivering mails, that might contain illegal objects, should be shut down instead of trying to prove the illegal activity taking place elsewhere. The method used here is to threaten the mail-carrier working at the post office with legal actions against them (that they can’t afford losing) unless they stop delivering mails to the address that was considered “illegal”. Going after the weak link in the chain might stop the service temporarily (until the chain is mended again) but won’t affect the real “illegal problem”.

The copyright mafia has been keen on using chilling effects to protect their commercial interests instead of working at the real problem. The pirate movement is often the target since they are fighting for free speech against the copyright mafia trying to increase copyright and setting their own rules. In the UK the pirate party (PPUK) were personally threatened with legal effects for hosting a proxy to TPB. Since the chilling effects used were in the form of personal legal threats the PPUK decided to take down the proxy because of lack of resources and fear of consequences. In Netherlands the copyright mafia is currently in court with PPNL who decided to take a defensive stand-point despite lacking sufficient resources for all the costs that a trial implies.

When commercial interests have the possibility of silencing competition with the help of chilling effects the society is going the wrong way. Not being able to utilize free speech because you might rub a big company the wrong way is a dangerous precedence to set.

Other, mostly Swedish, sources on this: Pirate Times (English), Anton Nordenfur, Fredrik Holmbom, Christian Engström, Marit Deldén, Upphovsreträtt, Frekar, Magnihasa (also writing about chilling effects), Hax, Falkvinge, Mina Moderata Karameller, Free Thinking, Sugbloggen, Erkstam. Sundsvalls Tidning, Norrköpings Tidning, Gefle Dagblad, Norrländska Socialdemokraten, Göteborgsposten, Helsingborgs Dagblad, Norran

Back, Content is King or is it Context?

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As you may have noticed this blog has been on a hiatus for a while now. The main reason being the start of my project with an international news service for the pirate party (located at piratetimes.net) which is a fairly big project with ~20 active persons. Pirate Times turned six months last week, it has achieved a lot for the pirate movement in these months. Another change has been the switch from being a student to working. I have a part-time job as a community manager for Designers Revolt since a few months back now. Running their social media (blog, twitter, facebook) takes time when I also have to figure out their branding profile and analyze their customers to get a better grasp on how to promote them.

The main reason I blog is to reflect critically on subjects I think about. Writing is a good way of expanding your thoughts but it is also a very useful technique for learning new areas. Words and ideas that get written down get stuck better in your memory.

I have felt the urge to get back to my blog again for some time now. Unfortunately I have been idle because I wanted to re-design this blog before I got started again. This has taken way too long, as you might have noticed, but I’m finally back with a design that still needs some adjusting but that brings a fresh start to the blog again.

Content should be king, not appearance and looks. Content on its own doesn’t do anything though. There needs to be an idea behind it, a reason to create it and most importantly a context to put it in.

Throughout my work with social media I have noticed how important it is being able to create interesting content. A good social media manager should either be good at aggregating content from good sources or making his own content. The main way of improving is just putting the hours into it through practicing. Thus my blogging here will be an exercise in becoming a better content producer for my professional career.

Why Your Email Marketing Campaign Isn’t Working [guest]

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A guest post by: Laura Kelly; a blogger who writes about international business, including money and lending policies in the U.S., Europe and Australia.

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email marketing is not dead

Some argue that email marketing is dead. But it’s really only dead to businesses that do not understand how to use it properly. Companies like Amazon and Dell continue to use successful email marketing campaigns that continue to reinforce their brands and gain customer loyalty and readership. Entrepreneurs dream of reaching success at this magnitude but more times than not, goals get lost in the email marketing shuffle as implementation fails and simple solutions are overlooked. Read through our reasons why your email marketing campaign may not be getting you results and how to fix it.

 

 

Users Don’t Know How or Where to Sign Up

It may seem silly but it is a simple thing easily overlooked. Do your customers know you have an email list? Do they know where to sign up? Make it known that there is an email list to join. Place noticeable plugins on your website home and about page. If you have a store front, give customers the option of giving email contact information at check out.

You Aren’t Making and Updating Contact Lists

Your email lists are the foundation to your email campaign, create them strategically and wisely. Segment lists that match the tactics of your campaign. Update lists regularly as new clients are gained and lost, as goals are altered and demographics change. Sites like JangoMail mass email service allows for detailed management and user-friendly upkeep of lists.

Email Messages Are Unclear

Whether it’s unclear subject lines or wordy messages, it’s important to make sure that emails are clear, clickable and brief. Think about the amount of time you personally take to read B2C emails. Seconds maybe? Recipients should know exactly what the email is about by reading the subject line. If subjects are vague or confusing, you are bettering your message’s chances of being moved to a trash folder. Once you get a reader to open your email, don’t lose them in a wordy message. Get to the point! If the purpose is to have them go to a social media page clearly place CTA’s on the top of the email. If the purpose is to sell X product for Y holiday, say so.

Your Messages Aren’t Personal Enough

It’s difficult to make mass-sent emails personal, but it isn’t impossible. Through proper list segmentation you can send automated emails to demographic-specific groups. Most email marketing services have formats with messages specifically addressed to the recipient. Instead of saying “Dear Valued Customer,” the email can say “Hey Greg,” or “Hi Michelle.” Check with the service your business is using to see what your options are.

There Are No Rewards

Giving users exclusive offers, discounts and access to special deals are ways to get people signing up to your email lists and staying on board. Customers need an incentive before divulging personal information. What’s in it for them? Are you offering anything?

You’re Not Mobile-Friendly

More than ever before people are opening emails on mobile. Nothing will lose readership like emails that do not convert to a mobile format, contain flash and javascript not easily downloaded onto mobile and tablet devices, broken links and images that take minutes to download. Making emails tablet and mobile-friendly requires simple coding and can be done in minutes.

Incorporating Branding Strategies Used by Top MBA Programs (Guest)

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Juliana Davies writes about contemporary business issues facing entrepreneurs and young executives, and this post focuses on branding strategies essential for success. These issues have been discussed on the blog before, but Juliana’s take is a somewhat different one: by analyzing how business schools themselves brand their coursework and programming, she uncovers valuable advice about how to structure a successful plan. Many of Juliana’s other pieces are featured on a business education site that recently released the top MBA programs of 2012.

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The Differentiated MBA

CC-BY-SA, opensource.com

Though branding is one of the most important steps towards growing a business that is sustainable in the long run, too many young entrepreneurs still fail to capitalize on their products through effective branding strategies. When they do attempt branding campaigns, many startup leaders make mistakes that can have long term negative effects. For instance, many MBA students are taught to look for trends, but this can lead to inconsistency. Certainly it is important for business leaders to be aware of what captures the attention of their consumer base, but relying too strongly on what is popular can tempt marketers to frequently alter their message and change their approach. While this may lead to short-term spikes in sales, over time the approach creates a murky, indistinguishable brand that consumers may find confusing and off-putting.

When building a brand, marketers and business leaders must remember that, today, their consumer base likely has myriad options for whatever service or product a company is offering. Successful branding campaigns establish a company’s expertise while creating loyalty, and in so doing are often able to attract more business even while charging higher rates. Perhaps the most important branding tip is offered by Frank Goedertier, teacher of Brand Management and Marketing at the Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium. Goedertier asserts, “The best slogans reflect the essence of a company, its very soul. And the best way to achieve authenticity is to work from the inside out, asserts “In an age of information overload, less is most definitely more. Keep it short, keep it simple, keep it clear.”

The importance of branding is not lost on the marketers of top MBA programs. In 2009, Penn State University’s Wharton Business School began to assess the steps it would need to take to better grow its own brand. “One of the challenges was to look at [websites of] the top 20 schools,” said Wharton’s Dean Robertson to The Wall Street Journal. “Take off the brand names and see if you could tell which school was which. Even putting Wharton in there, they all looked very much alike.” Robertson then convened an 11-person faculty committee which, using proprietary software, crowdsourced thousands of stakeholders to create a brand that would differentiate the school from the competition with a compelling and authentic campaign. The committee’s efforts to refresh Wharton’s brand lead to use of the tagline “Think Bravely: We believe that business can be bravely led, passionately collaborative and world changing.” “[The tagline is] a sensible attempt to draw an even closer association with the idea in the mind of the marketplace,” says Tim Westerbeck, founder of Chicago-based consulting firm Eduvantis.

“What makes Wharton’s self-examination so interesting is the comprehensive approach they took, trying to define the essence of their business school, and involving faculty, students, staff alumni and recruiters along the way,” Matt Symonds, chief editor of MBA50.com, recently told Forbes magazine. Wharton’s analysis of its own image by students, staff and faculty provides a model that could prove advantageous to any school, startup or established company. By acknowledging their own strengths while looking to the desires and needs of their core demographic base, Wharton is setting itself up for the future in ways that many branding experts agree could provide long-term growth and success.

Digital Will: Facebook Friends, Twitter Followers and iTunes (Guest)

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A guest post by: Julio McPartland

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digital will testament

CC-BY-NC-ND, nebojsa mladjenovic

As more and more of our identities are being kept in digital forms, it is important to take into account what will happen to all of it when we pass away. Valuable digital items, like your iTunes library or your Facebook account or Twitter, will fall into a gray area when death occurs and as these things become more valuable—and more of our lives move into the digital realm—it is important to know how to deal with such things when we move on. The digital will, just like the old fashioned will, deals with your entire digital life. Just like with the aspects of an actual will, which deals with all of your physical assets that you will leave behind, a well thought-out digital will ensures these digital aspects to your life will go to the right people or organizations.

When it comes to taking over a deceased person’s Twitter, the site requires that survivors of the deceased send in an email or fax stating that the account holder has passed on. This is to ensure that the person hasn’t actually had their identity stolen through identity theft, as digital criminals prey on both the living and the dead. One solution for this is to get a service that will monitor your banking accounts; you can follow Lifelock on Twitter and learn more about what they can do to help you to prevent credit fraud. They can also keep up with a person’s credit cards and social networks and catch identity thieves before they strike. Otherwise, a dead person’s Twitter account can be used by identity thieves to deceive people and often times no one will know about it.

Starting with an iTunes library, someone who owns tens of thousands of digital downloaded songs can bequeath them to a relative or friend, just like they would tens of thousands of records in the decades prior. A similar thing can now occur with eBooks and magazines that have been collected by someone—however, unlike someone who was getting a garage full of books, records or movies that they could tangibly have, hold and sell, all of these items will be in digital form. While this will take up a lot less space, it may be tough to sell without impeding on copyright laws. When it comes to including this in a digital will, it should probably be kept within a family or donated to an organization.

The same thing goes for Facebook, or any of the other social networks out there. Telling those close to you what to do with these social network accounts when you die is integral to protecting your identity after death. It also gives surviving friends and family a sense of closure, as they won’t see your photos or updates on their feed or in their friend pages. The less they see of you doesn’t mean they will forget you, but it will help them to move on from the grief of your death.

Then again, a digital will could also say to leave a Facebook page open or a Twitter account active, giving someone a certain sense of life after death. This may be good in some respects for some people, though it may be a bit unsettling to others who haven’t dealt with your death in the same way. However a digital will treats these decisions should be followed as per the wishes of the person who wrote them. Just take into account all the implications your digital life can have on others around you after you are gone, as this part of life is slowly becoming more and more important.

Didn’t United Learn Customer Service #UnitedBreakGuitars ?

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This post is about the customer service United Airlines failed with during my loooong flight to Mexico. A long and a bit angry rant since I was treated very poorly by United Airlines. After their incident and PR disaster with #UnitedBreakGuitars  I believed the airline would care much more about their customers than I experienced.

bad customer service united airlines

CC-BY-NC-SA, Wayan Vota

The PR disaster I mentioned is named UnitedBreakGuitars. It started when a musician traveled with United and got his guitar broken. From his airplane window he witnessed when the baggage handlers threw his guitar around and even managed to drop it. When he picked his guitar up from the baggage it was obviously broken. He tried to get compensation since he knew what had happened and why his guitar was broken, unfortunately he was only met with a bad attitude from United Airlines. He then decided to write a song about United’s poor customer service and the video very soon went viral with United losing a lot of money on the negative attention that followed it. After this PR disaster one might think that United Airlines worked hard with improvements of their customer service…

 My Trip

I had booked what seemed like an easy and quick trip between Sacramento and Mexico City with a small stop-over in San Francisco. This turned out to be false when my first leg of the trip was cancelled due to fog in San Francisco.

The two options I was given and the negative parts about them.

  • Option #1 – Rush to SFO with a car in [[time]] hours to connect with my next flight. 
    -Fog at SFO cancelled first flight, why not second?
    -2.5hrs drive (and 2.5hrs back) if someone wanted to drive me (Paying for gas down to SF and at the same time my lost flight)
  • Option #2 – Wait for the next flight that would depart tomorrow. 
    -19hr delay
    -Flight leaves 5.50AM and saying I should be there at 4AM which is very early to fly.

Fog is nothing United can do anything about or control. The two options where pretty much all they were able to provide as well but the least they can do is maintain good customer service and keep everyone that missed a flight as content as possible. I was treated with a very poor attitude from the United staff where they clearly didn’t care about what happened with me as long as they did what was required of them. Three ways United Airlines could have improved their customer service:

1) Apologized even if it wasn’t their fault and kept a good attitude whilst talking with me
2) Given me a food voucher (19hr delay definitely means I’ll get hungry)
3) Waived the fee for my extra bag I needed to check in

Since my treatment from the United Airlines agent at the airport had been very bad and dismissive I decided to call their customer service to see if they were more helpful there. The first problem I encountered with this was trying to find the right number to their customer service. After spending a while on their website I found one number leading to “reservations” that I thought might work. Calling that number just lead to one of those automatic “sorting services” where you make a lot of choices to get into the right line. This meant that my search for the right number was a waste since any number would suffice to reach customer service. After waiting a while and talking briefly with an agent I was redirected to another line where I waited another 20mins. This wait is normal in phone support and would have been fine if they hadn’t chose to blast their ads every few minutes (not very appreciated by someone trying to reach customer service). Once I got through the line and made a few questions I found out about a third option:

  • Option #3 – Fly out at 12.30 AM with a 3hr layover in Las Vegas
    -3hrs at an airport in the middle of the night is not very comfortable and one reason I booked the flight I did.

I politely declined this offer since I had made new plans when I thought my flight would leave first in the morning. What suprised me was that this option #3 had not even been mentioned by the United agent at the airport. It only confirmed my belief that the agent didn’t care about me and did the least amount required regarding the cancelled flight.

Previously, whilst looking for the phone number to customer service, I had found a section titled “12 customer commitment points” on United Airlines homepage which seemed to be an attempt at treating their customers in a good way. When enquiring and asking about some of these points I found out that the phone agent didn’t know about them. A customer commitment is only empty promises if not anchored with the staff interacting with your customers.

The following day I woke up in the middle of the night and went to the airport for my checkin at 4AM. With a small delay at takeoff we finally lifted towards LA. During this flight towards Los Angeles we had to land in a small airport in Santa Barbara because of fog in LA this time. At the runway in the Santa Barbara airport we waited about 2hrs seated in the plane. The staff on this delayed plane were friendly and the passengers were calm despite the delay. We were given something to drink and small pack of pretzels but were left to figure out how to deal with the delay and connecting flights on our own. People started calling customer service from their phones and arranging new flights but this was not an option for me with an international phone card. I would have to wait until I arrived in LA.

After a 3.5hr delay we arrived in LA. Here I was forced to stand in line for my customer service for 1.5hrs. A flight would leave for Mexico City later that night which I was hoping to get on. Turns out the flight was full. If I had done as the rest of the people on my delayed plane by calling customer service myself to complain a bit and fix the problem myself I had probably been able to get on. Customer service was yet again lacking to those customers that didn’t immediately complain but waited for a fix. Once I talked a bit more with the customer service desk the agent managed to find another flight that left almost at the same time the same night. I was told (again) that there was no way of waiving my baggage fee for this flight if there was another one imposed despite my delays of more than 24hrs at this stage. The delays were due to causes outside United Airlines control but refusing to take any sort of good-will approach only breeds annoyed customers.

With the promise of my flight leaving the same night I went to pick up my bags and traveled to another terminal half-way across the airport. When attempting to check-in I found out that the United agent had booked me on the wrong flight! The one he had booked me on was not scheduled to leave until the same time tomorrow night. Thus I had to grab my bags again and travel half-way across the airport to get back to the United customer service desk. After waiting in the line again I arrived at the customer service desk but didn’t manage to see the agent that booked me on the wrong day. I got help from another agent that put me on the stand-by list for the first flight that night (the one I wanted to be on the first time at this desk). Yet again without an apology or compensation for the mistreatment received by the other agent.

Before I got on the plane there was another delay (this time United’s fault) but I was still relieved since I managed to get on the plane with my stand-by ticket. The flight went smoothly after the delay and I arrived in Mexico City 29hrs later than I was supposed to according to my original itenerary. On this last stretch of the flight the staff on the plane were apologetic about the delay and handed out a voucher. We still had to pay for the meal on the flight though. Giving me a voucher to fly again won’t make me very happy, better off giving me something I get immediate happiness from such as a free meal on the plane.

For a flight interary that was supposed to take eight hours and ended up taking 37 hours I was never given a single apology by staff working at the airports. Not by the first agent when flight was cancelled, not at the customer service when I already suffered a +24hr delay due to fog at two instances and not even by the agent that talked to me after I had been forced to run back and forth across the airport because of an agent booking me on the wrong day. At this stage of my flight I was happy about just getting off the plane and being able to leave United and their service behind. I would have been much happier with just some smiles and understanding from the airport staff when talking with me even if most of the delays were not United’s fault.

Fog wasn’t the fault of United Airlines but mistreating their travelers by poor customer service definitely was. It’s sad to see their empty promises in the “12 customer commitment points” and that they clearly haven’t learned much customer service even after #UnitedBreakGuitars. The only case I saw good customer service was at the last flight delay where the staff had been trained to do a routine if delayed a certain number of hours. What United Airlines has failed to learn is that good customer service is not a trained routine, it is something that runs through all levels of the company and an attitude of the employeers. Only a smile and a sorry is enough in most cases.

Romancing the Stone, how De Beer Changed how we see Diamonds

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A case study written for my brand management class in 2010 about Romancing the Stone (how De Beer changed the branding of diamonds)

diamonds are forever

1. Why did De Beers change its audience to women, instead of men, who are the main purchasers of diamonds?  Discuss the differences between the targeting of women and targeting of men in terms of communication strategy.

Because they are not the ones taking the decisions about what type of diamonds to buy. The men are influenced by the women. Men almost never buy diamonds for themselves. Thus to change the desire for a certain type of diamond they have to market it to the ones that need to desire it. The targeting of men is more towards the emotions they hope to evoke by giving “the ultimate gift of love” whilst the communication towards women focuses more on the uses the diamond will have on their personal image. For men the communication needs to focus on the message that is delivered along with the diamond when it is given as a gift.

2. What are the difficulties in the brand moving from symbolizing a love relationship to one focusing on the woman herself?

Since men are still the ones buying the diamonds the symbol of love still has to be strong in the brand. If the brand changes to much into a focus the women herself the men might think that the women could buy the diamond themselves instead.

3. What are the implications for the brand strategy of the complex psychological relationship between couples?

The complex relationship requires a giving and a taking. There needs to be a balance between the two of them in order to maximize the brand impact. Since men are the buyers and women are the ones they are buying for the desire has to be awakened in the women whilst the men needs to find more of a practical use for the buying decision.

4. How could De Beers maintain their sales of traditional less expensive diamonds while focusing the brand on Solitaires?

Because the basic concept was still in the brand. Diamonds are a sign of love. The difference with a Solitaire is that they made it a little better than a normal diamond since it is unique. Thus they have created a perception that buying a normal diamond is a perfect sign of love but a Solitaire is a little better sign. 

[pic: CC-BY, jurvetson]

Cultural Differences Between USA and Japan Affect Business

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An analysis I wrote for my course in International Strategic Management during the spring semester of 2012. This text was written together with Elisa Tervakoski.
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hofstede cultural dimensions power distance masculinity

CC-BY, Mike Licht

When doing business across cultural boundaries it is important to try and understand the cultural differences. If no time is spent on mapping and comparing differences the negotiations might break down because of basic misunderstandings that could have been prevented. The following analysis is done using Hofstede‘s theory of cultural dimensions. The case study analyzed can be found on in the book Deresky; Helen (2008) International Management; Managing Across Borders and Cultures. Pearson, Prentice Hall

Power Distance
Japan and USA has a fairly similar Power distance. USA on 40 and Japan on 54.

We can still see some differences between the two countries. One is that Moto has a problem using first names for people he doesn’t know very well. Moto would like to know the background but for Kubushevsky and his boss it’s not very important.

In japanese culture the person in a lower position is the one that has to pour the drinks. This can be seen when Moto pours a drink for Kubushevsky which is normally the role for a junior (when Kubushevsky shows Moto around he takes on the senior position).

Uncertainty Avoidance
The differences in Uncertainty Avoidance between Japan and USA are very big which can be seen at the different approaches to this deal the firms have. The japanese spent a year and a half researching before approaching Allmack. In comparison the American boss says he “has a good feeling about this deal” which points to much more willingness to take risks.

Another episode that shows the huge differences between the two countries is when Moto asks for records from the past five years of the cement place. Kubashevsky does not understand this at all and thinks it should be enough with his trust. At the end they accept their differences and Kubashevsky gives Moto any kind of papers he asks for.

A third example of Uncertainty Avoidance can be seen when Kubashevsky increases the speed of the car and Moto becomes very nervous.

Masculinity
Japan is a much more masculine country than USA. Moto takes great pride in his achievments such as being a top English student at University, knowledge about US history and customs and also taking ettiquete lessons to be more knowledgeable. Most of the skills his accumalated can be seen in his business card which the Americans are quick to dismiss by not even looking at it.

We can also see that the Americans are quite masculine since they interrupt the talk by bragging about being “best in the business”. The boss also wants to show off his house that “he had an architect” build for his wife (amplifying the different gender roles in American society). Some more feminine values can be seen from Kubushevsky when he complies with the requests from Moto of seeing more papers. He works towards integration and harmony. Another big difference is when Moto says that Tokyo might understand that the lawyer was female since this was America.

Individuality
Japan is a collectivistic society and there is clear contrast to the individualistic society in USA. The collectivist side of Japan can be seen in that Moto’s wife is very involved in the business by spending a long time selecting the perfect dolls to gift the Americans. The dolls symbolic importance would be explained better “when they knew each other better”. When Moto gives the dolls and Crowell “dismisses” the gift by planning to give them to his kids Moto pretends he doesn’t hear to avoid “losing face”. This protection of honor can also be seen at the negotiations when the presidents eyes were closed to avoid shame.

Kubashevsky shows several examples of how individualistic the Americans are. He has “no home” and loyalty is lacking when he tells Moto he will leave the company and suggests he should join him. This disloyalty to the “extended family” can also be seen when he calls Crowell’s wife a dog.

When the Japanese and American compared their families a big difference can be seen. Kubushevsky hardly ever saw his wife and two kids. Kubushevsky’s bond with his family was very weak. Moto missed them a lot being so far away. Moto adjusts to this individualism a bit at the end where he had accepted that Kubushevsky would eventually leave the company. Another acceptance of change can be seen where Moto did not care about the loss of face from the argumentative closing of the deal.

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