[Jewelry making - Article 00419] - Re: [Orchid] Unethical dealers

[myredcar]

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Aloha Howard and Everyone,

    Being very honest about business and life in Hawaii, one has to look
    deeper than the skin color.  One should look at the dynamics on how
    a particular segment of ethnic people do business as regular
    business without thinking there is anything wrong to sell
    merchandise cheaper to one who can speak his or language than one
    who can't.  We understand this and look at it as what it truly is: A
    way of doing business handed down from generation to generation. 

>         Ethnicity is often an outstanding feature about people that
>     offers an easy way to describe them.  However, human nature is to
>     generalize...without generalization, we could not have inductive
>     reasoning.  The pitfall is that when we apply this quite basic
>     human thinking process in some negative way to humans, it is called
>     prejudice. 

    This too is very true and it is not true.  My company's designer is
    of a mixture of Hawaiian, Chinese, English, Nez Perce American
    Indian, and Melagesh. She was born in Hawaii, lived here most of her
    life and has travelled the world.  Prejudice is in the mind of the
    person who is thinking that particular habit, trend, attitude, might
    be biased based upon the ethnic background of the seller.  Looking
    much deeper into this sale, one begins to see how the seller's
    heritage affects the manner in how business is conducted.  Though my
    designer has Chinese in her, she does not speak Chinese but has some
    Chinese facial features. I believe one needs to understand a
    particular's ethnic background to understand how what is the best
    approach, what words should be used and not used.  It is not
    prejudice, it is understanding that culture is ingrained in much of
    humanities various societies.  What I am trying to say is very
    simple.  "Those undesirable traits" may not be looked at as
    UNDESIRABLE by the seller of a specific ethnic background when they
    sell products cheaper, give better terms, etc., to people who may
    speak their language.  This is how they were taught, how to conduct
    business, and it is still practiced today as it way hundred years
    ago. 

>         While a simple description is innocent enough, we need to
>     exercise caution not to use race or country of origin as a shortcut
>     when describing undesirable traits.  While most of us are above
>     letting such a description fester into prejudice, there are some
>     that lack the intellegence to judge humans as individuals.  Feeding
>     that fire is not good for any of us. 

    This is very true and untrue, it depends on how one looks at life
    and business.  Every person is different, has different ideological
    paradigms regarding business, it is understanding the sellers'
    paradigms that can lead a buyer to a fantastic buying spree or not. 
    Please, allow me to state some things without being placed against a
    wall in front of the firing squad. 

    While some of these sellers give better prices to people who speak
    their native language, one must understand the sellers' position. 
    Ask the seller if this is unethical and I bet some of us would be
    very surprised.  It is a natural by product of how one is raised in
    their own cultural style of business. 

    A part of that business is bargaining.  My designer has no qualms
    about asking for the best price.  If she finds a better prices, she
    will return to the original seller who sold her products and ask
    them to match it, or refund for the merchandise she purchased at a
    higher price, or ask for the difference in merchandise without
    further costs. 

    Living in Hawaii, she has learned her own style of business and
    understands that every culture is different.  While travelling for
    business many years ago, selling a different product, she went to
    Denmark, Sweden, Amsterdam, and Germany.  Looking at her, many
    people "assume" she is full blooded Hawaiian.  Stand her next to a
    full blooded Hawaiian and she looks very light.  Even Hawaiian's
    treat lighter Hawaiians differently, this is why in a Hawaiian/Local
    family the value of respect was taught to children of her
    generation, and many younger ones are not raised with the same
    values. 

    While travelling in Europe, she read all the manuals that pointed
    towards a single factor: European men liked dealing with a man. 
    That's what the books said, so please do not jump down my throat.
    She took a male manager, of European ancestry, and witnessed in
    horror, the "true meaning of what an 'Ugly American' was all about."
      As part owner of that business, she told her manager to take a
    long lunch break and decided to meet with these men herself, for
    anything would be better than a person who spewed caustic words to
    the person she wanted to sell.  When she stepped in, it was better
    to be a nice, compassionate, professional business woman than to be
    a caustic manager who made generalized statements that all Europeans
    were ______.  Or they were _______. She made the sales, got
    invitations to Belgium at her buyer's costs, was wined, dined, and
    given a carriage ride, and of course, her manger was with her but
    she informed him to basically remain as quiet as possible. Even
    though the books said that it was better to be a man doing business
    in Europe 17 years ago, she thought it would be much better to be a
    nice, woman, than an "Ugly American". 

    Understand one thing.  People are people regardless of what industry
    he or she is in and selling or buying.  How a person was taught to
    conduct business is passed from generation to generation.  This is
    where the differences of selling styles enter.  If a son takes over
    the family business, and is taught to sell to his people cheaper,
    then to him, it is not an UNETHICAL PRACTICE, it is just business as
    usual. 

    I hope I have not fueled the fire of prejudice but rather have shed
    some light on why there are variances of sellers of different ethnic
    backgrounds.  Simply put, conduct business without prejudice, I
    fully agree.  But to understand why the differences are so great or
    why they are there in the first place, one must take a deeper look
    into bringing of the seller in his or her natural culture and the
    attributes accumulated from their elders into the present day
    business attitudes. 


    We see people when we buy.  We see how the company treats us as a
    company.  We witness if there are unfavorable attributes which would
    preclude us from buying from a particular seller and no matter what,
    I still believe one must delve into the historic attributes and
    cultural paradigms that motivate specific ethnic sellers from
    selling in a manner that some call Unethical, and on the other hand,
    it is how they were raised to conduct business in such a manner.  I
    make no excuses for these sellers, but I say to understand how to
    get the best deals, treat everyone with respect. 

    In Hawaii, if we like a seller, we give gifts, it's an old Hawaiian
    tradition.  This Hawaiian cultural paradigm has opened new doors,
    but one could also say it was because of ethnic background, and say
    it without conjuring up images of prejudice.  It is the background
    of how the seller or buyer was raised that influences on how he or
    she will behave in the present sales of today's marketplace. 


    I am also waiting for another beautiful sunrise.  Our company wishes
    each and every one of you a safe, healthy, happy, and most
    profitable 2003. Respectfully, Barbara HQCE Proprietress 



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