A Rendezvous with My Professional Destiny: Making a Difference

By Belmont F. Haydel Ph.D

The books title is not an accident, as Belmont Haydel feels strongly about A Rendezvous with My Professional Destiny. Providence took him to Latin America and other places around the world in macro-economic pursuits. He found his work as an accountant, a military officer, and a diplomat not adequately fulfilling. Gods enlightenment directed him to higher education, where he spent most of his professional years. This book portrays his life through writings, speeches, and service in his chosen fields -- thus, Making a Difference with people and their lives. A compilation of Haydels academic papers and professional works, with selected themes portrayed in eight chapters, is not intended to be a professional autobiography; it constitutes a memoir, which also delves into some of the authors non-professional experiences.

The book serves as an historical reference for practitioners and scholars in international business and economics, as well as strategic management and business policy. This digest of the authors works and achievements is intended as an inspirational piece for young people seeking similar professions. Its content also sheds light on a small fragment of history, thus useful to professionals in the scholarly community. This book is not comprehensive; such a volume would be overwhelming.

Colleagues and former students contribute their thoughts in the Epilogue Expression section. Dr. Ruben Armiana, President, Sonoma State University, said, Working closely with Belmont, I learned to appreciate his deep commitment to a just and ethical society. this book, which encompasses over 40 years of Belmonts distinguished work in the diplomatic service, business, academics, and consulting, makes significant contributions to the body of literature of several disciplines. Ehab Al-Shihabi, CPA, Manager, KPMG Consulting, wrote, The most important day of my life occurred when I met Dr. Haydel in 1993, while I was an undergraduate student at the University of Jordan We often discuss economics, world affairs, science, religion [his knowledge of Islam I am a Muslim and Christian/Judaeo concepts is astonishing], politics, and law. His wisdom and vision for the future have helped me shape my life.

From another reference, Michael Skol, former U.S. Foreign Service Officer and U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela, remarked, This is no mere eyewitness account. It is a chronicle of how one intelligent and broad-minded American served his country and, at the same time, his own spiritual development throughout a distinguished multi-level career. The notable personalities and events are familiar; what is new and intriguing is how Belmont Haydels own unique personality intersected with all that history and led to making some of his own.

This compendium includes abstracts of Haydels Masters thesis (Finance and Economics) and Ph.D. dissertation (Management -- Organization Theory & Policy), which are relevant to socio-economic conditions today. Destiny carried him into international affairs, including diplomacy as a U.S. Foreign Service Officer, and academia. He presents his views and research on strategic management of multinational corporations and corporate social responsibility. He traces aspects of his Fulbright experiences in Uruguay (1989) and Jordan (1993), where he lived and worked, continuing to make a difference.

Haydel discusses his experiences as a diplomat in the 1960s, as presidential appointee of John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson, reflecting the economic tenor of the times, while he fulfilled assignments in the American Embassy, Rio de Janeiro, as vice-consul; the American Consulate General, So Paulo, as commercial attach; and the American Embassy, Buenos Aires, as economic/commercial officer. He presents segments of his economic reporting and commercial and investment pursuits of American businesses, along with his experiences during his protocol ass

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 14, 2003
• ISBN: 9781477162668

Belmont F. Haydel Ph.D

Haydel's experiences include military; diplomacy; business; higher education administration and teaching; and consulting with private business and international economic agencies. He holds a doctorate in Organization Theory & Policy, North Texas State University. Haydel served as a U.S. Army Infantry officer and a diplomat (U.S. Foreign Service Officer) in economic and commercial affairs in Latin America. He was executive director of a USAID-funded human resources project, the Inter-American Center, Loyola University, New Orleans, LA, training Latin Americans. Haydel has taught in universities in the USA and around the world. He was recipient of Fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson National Foundation (NJ), The American Graduate School of International Management (AZ), New Jersey Project for Internationalizing Curriculum, and Fulbright Awards to Uruguay and Jordan. He is currently faculty emeritus of Rider University (NJ) and associate graduate faculty of Central Michigan University's College of Extended Learning and associate professor of aviation business administration of Embry Riddle Aeronautical University.

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CONTENTS

Preface

Prologue

Chapter I

Chapter II

Chapter III

Chapter IV

Chapter V

Chapter VI

Chapter VII

Chapter VIII

About The Author

PREFACE

For many years I have contemplated compiling my academic papers and other related professional works, while juggling time and professional requirements, despite the fact that I opted for early retirement in 1994 from Rider University, which should have given me time to complete this work sooner. This retirement option did not really free me in order to develop this book. I did, however, pray on the matter, mostly begging for inspiration from above. Obviously, it finally came.

The book’s title is not an accident. Since I began my work with the State Department, as a diplomat, once having experienced several years in the army and in my parents’ business as an accountant, I have always felt that I was rendezvousing with my profession in a sort of pre-destined way. I could not help but believe that God’s Providence would take me to Latin America and other interesting places around the world in macro-economic pursuits. When learning that diplomacy was not sufficient nor adequately fulfilling, God’s enlightenment led me into higher education, where I spent the better part of my working years. This book portrays my life’s tale, mainly through my writings and speeches.

The Table of Contents gives the reader a sense of the direction this book takes. This book is meant to serve as a compilation, not a summary or a complete presentation of my professional activities. Although not intended to be an autobiography, it does delve into some of my non-professional experiences. A major purpose is to serve practitioners and scholars in international business and economics, and strategic management and business policy as a historical reference. In addition, it serves as a digest of my significant works and achievements over the past 35 years, as a piece of posterity. It may also be useful as an inspirational piece for those young persons seeking similar professions. This book is not comprehensive, since such a volume would be overwhelming and perhaps tiring. Yet, its content may also shed light on a small piece of history, thus useful to some segment of the scholarly community.

Chapter I states, verbatim, the abstracts of my Masters and Doctoral theses, exactly as they appear in those documents. Chapter II expresses my personal views about my two Fulbright awards, following the completion of these fruitful overseas activities. Chapter III presents the abstracts of significant academic papers and related writings, most of which were refereed. Chapter IV presents, in full, some of my selected speeches and other academic contributions, with little modifications or grammatical rearrangements from their original formats. For that reason, in the speeches, bibliographical references have been omitted where individuals have been cited. Chapter V lists those employment opportunities that represent my most valued professional experiences and contributions to society. Chapter VI presents several of my awards and commendations. Chapter VII lists a few of my significant life connections. Chapter VIII, the Conclusion, serves as a wrap-up of some final thoughts. Lastly, the Epilogue consists of expressions from former colleagues and ex-university students.

Also, I have indulged in presenting several personal incidences in this book: a letter from Senator John F. Kennedy; an invocation that I was privileged to give at the wedding reception of Jacqueline and Dominick Callandriello; a booklet I wrote about my dearly departed mother, Elmira Haydel; reflections about Freddy Salazar of Ecuador; and dedication of a statue of Blessed Katharine Drexel. By such presentations, I do not wish to imply that all other incidences in my personal life are less than deserving of mention, but mostly that I chose to single out something personal to share with the reader.

Segments of the economies of Latin America and the United States are reviewed, in historical terms, along with approaches to strategic management and social responsibility in business, both domestic (USA) and international, albeit in limited spectrum, through the prism of several professional collaborators and me. Emphasis, by nature of my research and employment, is on the post-World War II years and the Alliance for Progress period (both during and after this international endeavor), which some economists may refer to as the beginning of democracy and modernism in Latin America. Given my early education in Mexico, further studies in Latin American societies, along with Spanish and Portuguese languages, and my work in Mexico, Central and South America, this is where my energies have been directed. To say that I have made any major impact on economic and social progress in this region of the world, or to the field of strategic management, would be a gross exaggeration, although I have certainly tried to do my part. On the other hand, I have personally witnessed much progress in Latin America since I first went to Mexico in 1948. I firmly believe that what I have accomplished has been God’s plan for me, to which I will always remain grateful. My life has been a fulfilling experience, to say the least.

The greater part of this story began to unfold after I received my MS Degree in Finance & Economics from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 1962, and upon receiving a presidential appointment from John F. Kennedy in September 1963, shortly before his untimely death. I had met Senator Kennedy in 1959, during his campaign for the US Presidency. My first diplomatic assignment carried me to Rio de Janeiro as vice-consul, in January 1964; then to Sao Paulo, Brazil, as a commercial attache, where I remained until 1966. My short stay in Rio de Janeiro was occupied mostly in Portuguese language training at the American Embassy. While I begrudged being transferred to The American Consulate General in Sao Paulo, it was a very rewarding experience, which afforded me visits throughout the industrial heartland of Brazil in the state of Sao Paulo. My next assignment in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as economic/commercial officer in the US Embassy, involved my doing CERP reporting in fruits, wines, woods, fishery, and sugar cane industries, as well as promoting commercial and investment opportunities for both Argentine and American businesses. I had occasional assignments with USIS scholarships for Argentines selected to go to the United States.

When the apex meeting of the Alliance for Progress was being planned, I was selected to work with the State Department’s Office of Protocol under James Symington (son of former Senator Stuart Symington of Missouri), as one of several American diplomats to perform numerous protocol duties at the Inter-American Conference in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, March/April 1967. President Lyndon Johnson was, of course, the highlighted personage. Johnson’s three-day stay at this beautiful South American beach resort kept our small team extremely busy, writing short letters for Mr. Johnson and other U.S. senior diplomats to sign, along with selecting and preparing gifts for them to present to the distinguished Latin American leaders attending. I believe that my previous experiences in the U.S. military and language fluency in Spanish and Portuguese facilitated my role, under the direction of Secretary of State Dean Rusk, whom I served in coordinating his temporary stay in Punta Del Este in the home of the then-Supreme Court Justice of Uruguay.

After these enlightening years in diplomatic service, in 1969, I became the assistant to Fr. Walter Janer, S.J., then acting executive director of the Inter-American Center (IAC) of Loyola University of New Orleans—a motivational and leadership training program for Latin American grass-root leaders and professionals, funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. My job entailed providing Janer with a realistic view of Latin America’s economic and social conditions at that time. When Janer departed several months later, I became the IAC’s executive director. I had been personally asked to join the Center by its founder, Fr. Louis J. Twomey, a Jesuit priest in the society’s U.S. Southern Province, whom I had met before my diplomatic appointment. I had previously assisted Fr. Twomey, in 1962, in preparing a proposal for the U.S. government that would sponsor the IAC (founded 1964-1966), initially for Central American participants. On his deathbed, in 1969, succumbing to a lung disease, Fr. Twomey and I conferred about this encouraging task, which I later expanded into Brazil, Argentina, and Chile. Funding was sizably increased under my leadership, through the continued support of the Louisiana Congressional delegation, notably Congressmen Edward Hébert and Hale Boggs, and Senators Russel Long and Allen Ellender. Their vision helped to foster such development. The IAC successfully trained more than 1,000 participants through short seminars lasting from two to six weeks, conducted mainly on Loyola University’s campus. From these two years, I cherish most today the contacts I made with future leaders in many countries and knowing that the program made a difference in effecting democracy and economic and social changes in many corners of this region.

Following these productive years, my professional journey led me down another career path: higher education teaching, administration, and scholarly work, first at Texas A&I University at Laredo (Laredo, TX); later at North Texas State University (Denton, TX), where I obtained my doctorate in Management—Organization Theory & Policy, specializing in international business; at the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP) where I developed the College’s International Trade Program and Curriculum; and at Rider College (later named Rider University), Lawrenceville, NJ. My highlight at Texas A&I, CCP, and Rider was conceptualizing and administering international trade and international business programs, each with its own character. In the interim, I enjoyed two Fulbright lecture awards, one at the Christian Management Association, Montevideo, Uruguay (1989) and the other at the University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan (1993).

These rewarding experiences have carried me from my first career in the military as an infantry officer (on active and reserve duty, as retired Major), then as an accountant in small business, then economist and international commercial specialist as a U.S. diplomat, then higher education, and now to my new career, I deem my retirement career—five distinct career areas.

As the Almighty God has blessed my works,

I respectfully dedicate this book and all that it represents to my beloved and departed parents, Belmont and Elmira Haydel, without whom these memoirs would not be told. For, it is my parents who first gave me life and who supported all my endeavors that brought about the works enumerated in this book. May every act found here give testimony to Almighty God’s goodness and His eternal creation, notwithstanding my everlasting thanksgiving to my parents.

Finally, I wish to acknowledge my wife’s understanding and support as I have proceeded to develop this book. Nina has given me much guidance, including editorial review and assistance in word processing. I wish also to acknowledge Dr. Nydia Rivera Gloeckner, Professor of Spanish, Department of Foreign Languages & Literatures, Rider University, for graciously agreeing to edit the Spanish text in this book; Dr. David Suk, a genuine friend and associate professor of Finance, Rider University, for his assistance in correcting numerous computer glitches while compiling this manuscript; Ms. Carol A. Beane, a reference librarian, Rider University, for her assistance in providing library services; and Terry Morrisette and John Boland for their assistance in preparing some of the draft manuscripts and some scanning work, along with Robyn S. Rosenbaum of Rider University’s Collegiate Press office, who also scanned documents and collated the final version of this book. I am grateful to my friend and colleague in Latin American economics, Tom Riegert, who reviewed the part of my experience as a diplomat in Latin America. I also acknowledge Dr. Gerardo Baldassarre for reviewing the political facts on Argentina during my diplomatic stay there; and Ruben Armiñana and Sylvain François for reviewing the part on the Inter-American Center. I recognize Dean Mark Sandberg and Associate Dean Thomas Kelly, College of Business Administration, Rider University, for reviewing the part related to my association with the University. Although not singling out numerous other contributors by name here, I wish to acknowledge all my former coworkers along with those numerous supervisors for their participation in my professional growth and the rewards that have followed. Lastly, I owe so much to my former students who, while they have been mainly on the receiving end of my classroom involvement, have also taught me much about life and the reality of the times. I realize how much of the real world could have escaped me had it not been for their interaction. No persons other than myself can be blamed for any errors in this book, either in content, facts, grammar, or otherwise.

Belmont F. Haydel

PROLOGUE

This book serves as a partial compendium of one man’s contribution to society. No physical entity could possibly reveal all the accomplishments of Belmont Haydel, Jr. and his impact on the lives of family, friends, students, and colleagues.

You will find in this treasured volume an accumulation of speeches, lectures, published journal articles, academic research, awards and commendations, and life connections in three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. These represent the brilliance of an inquisitive, sensitive, logical mind.

At this time in Belmont’s life, as a 72-year-old scholar and mentor, it is only appropriate to join him in examining decades of endeavors that have spanned several continents, particularly the United States, Latin America, and the Middle East. His professional expertise has enabled him to impact many lives through his sharing of knowledge and foresight on the economy and world affairs. His philosophical and religious acumen has altered many lives through his enlightened views of temporal and ephemeral worlds.

As his wife, I enjoy the unique position enabling me to observe Belmont’s continued growth, emotionally, professionally, and spiritually. There is nothing too difficult or too time consuming for this man to attempt. His desire to continue developing through learning has led him to study at the Princeton Theological Seminary, where he has added to his already vast religious, ecumenical knowledge. With a unique understanding, as well as sensitivity to the human condition, Belmont has offered advice to many of our friends and colleagues and even to our friends’ friends. He seems to be on call to meet the requests of those in conflict. I have seen him put aside his own needs to provide comfort in tragedy or direction in decision making. He has officiated as a lay clergyman at a cemetery internment of a body, when the minister was unavailable. Without any notice, he has delivered a keynote speech at an awards banquet, impromptu lectures, speeches, prayers, and even intellectual scoldings. Belmont ghostwrites letters and reports for those with less language proficiency and prepares, as well as edits documents for many of our paid professionals. Through his intervention, countless lives have improved and futures been redirected, particularly for those from developing countries. His personal attention has created educational, vocational, and social opportunities for many, including marital destinies. Personal accolades and letters of appreciation fill our file cabinets, in fitting tribute to such a man.

One needs only to meet his students to appreciate the impact he has had on their personal and professional lives. As a distinguished professor of international business, strategic management, economic and business policy, his classroom presence is overpowering. A former student recently established contact with Belmont after ten years beyond graduation. I have chosen to include Donald Rice’s entire email here, to show the significance of one office chat with a student and to share the respect and love Belmont has received from his students.

Subj: Gruezi from Switzerland

Date: 01/17/2001 1:22:25 PM Eastern Standard lime

From: [e-mail] (Rice, Donald)

To: [e-mail]

Hello Dr. Haydel,

I am so pleased to be back in contact with you and hope this mail finds you well. I am astonished to think how quickly the years pass. I believe the last time we saw each other was during my final semester at Thunderbird (American Graduate School of International Management, Glendale, AZ) back in 1994. Can that be?

I am equally pleased to see how busy you have been during that period. You continue doing what you do best: educating. The last six years have been busy for me as well. And destiny has taken a peculiar turn I could not even have wildly imagined at our last meeting in 1994… let alone the chat* we had in your Rider office 2 years before that when we visited the idea of me doing graduate work at Thunderbird… let alone as a naive Business Admin student in the late 80’s!

I work for the 2nd-largest money center bank in Switzerland, where I develop mutual funds products and structured investments for the European and global markets. To make a very long story short, I have recently achieved the position of Director. There has been a lot of hustle to achieve all that. But it has also been immensely exciting. Not just the work, but also living in Switzerland and as such rather central to the rest of Europe. I have met many extraordinary people and traveled extensively. So it’s been great.

*The Chat: I could go on for ages filling in the gaps, but the important thing is to be back in contact again. I have achieved a lot with my own blood, sweat and tears, but if I had to select a pivotal point, it would certainly be that fateful day in 1992 (?) when we had that chat in your Rider office. It was then when you told me to consider (again) going for graduate work at Thunderbird and of course your subsequent strong recommendation that helped pave the way for my admission. I wonder if in my haste and given the frenetic world I live in whether I ever adequately thanked you for our chat. If not here it is. THANK YOU!

Sincerely,

Don

This collection of works cannot be read in a continuum. You, the reader, have the privilege of entering the window of a complex mind by topic and/or language, in order to share the intricacies that make up the person behind the words. To understand the value of this collection, one can appreciate the following excerpt from Sir Francis Bacon’s famous essay, Of Studies: Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. This book fits all of Bacon’s categories. Most importantly, its value lies in its representation of a man’s life and works.

Nina J. Haydel, Ed.D.

July 2003

CHAPTER I

Abstracts of Academic Theses

What is new about abstracts of academic theses? Little, I suppose, except that they have special meaning to the respective authors and some value to persons who wish to learn the nature of the theses. I fit the category of the former: my Masters Thesis and my Doctoral Dissertation, defended and completed in 1962 at Louisiana State University and 1983, at North Texas State University (NTSU), respectively. Both abstracts speak for themselves, I believe, sufficient enough to shed light on these documents.

Aside from the requirements at these two universities for obtaining my degrees, I do vividly remember what prompted me to pursue these subject matters. From the day I commenced graduate studies, I knew that I would venture into the world of international affairs, whether in diplomacy or private business or academia, so it was a natural for me to choose these topics. While getting an MS in Finance, I became interested in historical commercial banking, mainly international transactions, which led to my thesis research in United States commercial banks’ financing of American foreign trade. The data were mainly from the Federal Reserve System and other governmental reports, statistics from nearly five decades (1914 to early 1960s) and other historical material stemming from the founding of the American republic in the late 18th century. Since completing this thesis, U.S. commercial banks have significantly changed their roles of financing foreign trade, especially as compared to the 1920s and 1930s, along with changes made in the organizational structure of their foreign trade departments. My theses advisors, Drs. Eric N. Baklanoff, Stanley W. Preston, and Donald E.Vaughn, were most helpful, as well as interested in the topic. I started my MS studies in January 1959, and was graduated in June 1962. Fortunately, there were no personal pains in completing this work, particularly as I was fortunate to have much family encouragement, including the support of my two living parents.

On the other hand, my doctoral dissertation, dealing with the esoterics of organizational theory and multinational business, was much more involved and took almost five years for me to complete, from late 1978 to mid-1983, including data gathering and writing. Nonetheless, I began my doctoral studies at NTSU in 1974, as a Teaching Fellow in the College of Business Administration, and completed all course work by 1978. I started my dissertation work during one of the most trying times of my life. My father died in 1979, leaving me as executor of his estate, and soon thereafter, I became the trustee (intervivos) of my mother’s affairs, which required much personal attention. Throughout this time, I also held two full-time jobs, first at the Community College of Philadelphia and later at Rider College (I retired from Rider in 1994.), along with attending to arduous family affairs. On many occasions, I thought I would never finish my dissertation. However, my project advisor and Major Professor Dr. C. Littlefield, Organizational Theory, and Minor Professor Richard I. Armey (who later became Majority Leader in the U.S. Congress), Economics, demonstrated sincere patience, as they watched my struggle; they never faltered in support, always encouraging me to forge ahead. I can remember Dr. Littlefield’s words during 1977 and 1978, I’m still waiting for you to get started with your dissertation. I never let him down. The nature of this dissertation took me to Brazil and several parts of the United States to conduct interviews with multinational business executives and search for other data.

Admittedly, my confidence level was as high as my grades in my academic pursuits. So, despite all hardships and roadblocks, I felt the effort would one day pay off. It has!

I do not see any empirical correlation between my two academic theses and any successes I have achieved, but I certainly feel that without these vital works, my professional life would have taken another direction. A question, then: does empirical evidence prove professional growth? Like the adage, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Since attaining these two degrees, life has surely tasted better for me.

A.

Abstract of

Masters Thesis

The Role of United States Banks in Financing Foreign Trade

Master of Science, in Finance

Louisiana State University

Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1962

United States commercial banks have played a significant part in the financing of American foreign trade since 1914. Increases and decreases in the volume of their financing have occurred as a result of changing world conditions and the varying ability of other organizations to finance foreign trade.

This thesis concerns the organization of commercial banks in the international field, presenting historical and general information on overseas branches, foreign departments of domestic banks, and foreign correspondents. The trends and the present position of American banks are shown through an analysis of statistics relating specifically to short-term claims on foreigners as compared with yearly exports of merchandise. Additional emphasis is placed on New York banks, which execute the largest portion of international finance operations in the United States.

With the anticipated increases in the volume of American foreign trade, banks are expected to continue to finance foreign trade in the same general proportions as in the past five years; however, banks are not expected to resume the role held during the 1920s and the early 1930s. Assistance in guarantees will probably be increasingly sought through the Export-Import Bank in connection with the new programs adopted in 1961. More commercial banks are expected to enter into the field of international finance, and this should effect an overall expansion in overseas branches and representatives.

The responsibility for maintaining a strong position in American foreign trade in the coming decades is a problem of the Government, exporters and importers, and financial institutions, of which commercial banks comprise the leading division. The economic challenge from abroad is certain to increase as industrial nations expand their production and improve their methods of financing. These changes demand continued evaluation of commercial banks with regard to their role in the financing of foreign trade.

B.

Abstract of

Doctoral Dissertation

"Strategic Management and the Effectiveness of Selected Social

Responsibility Programs in Selected Multinational Corporations

—Empirical and Case Approach, with Perceptions of Top

Management"

Doctor of Philosophy, in Organization Theory and Policy

North Texas State University

Denton, Texas

1983*

Dedication: To my mother, in presenting this copy of my doctoral dissertation to you, I do so in memory of my father and continued love and best wishes to you. I trust that the labor of this work shall not go in vain and that it may please our Heavenly Father, God the Creator. Love, your son, Belmont, December 20, 1983.

The research examines perceptions of top management in U.S. Multinationals (MNCs) about strategic management processes involving social responsibility, particularly issues on plant and employee safety, education and human resources, and health delivery and services. Strategic management processes consider setting objectives, environmental analyses, and evaluation of social responsibility programs emphasizing planning activities. The study focuses on firms’ decision making in planning and execution of social responsibility programs and their impact on foreign country environments as perceived by company executives, at corporate headquarters and regional/subsidiary offices. Two sub-purposes concern (1) MNCs’ practices in identifying issues, setting objectives and policies, designing and adopting programs, developing communication networks, implementing and evaluating: and (2) review of participating MNCs’ strategic management models for planning selected and other social responsibility programs.

Pertinent questions were (1) Are there emerging formal and systematic methods in setting social responsibility objectives? (2) Does top management perceive increase demands to undertake social responsibility programs? (3) Has top management increased its awareness of such programs through relevant action? (4) Is there positive correlation between profitability and social responsibility programs? and (5) Are searching, learning, and deciding processes affected in social responsibility programming by different technologies and environments?

The sample consisted of eighteen MNCs responding to a general survey, and four selected MNCs responding to a larger survey at corporate and overseas offices with interviews, on anonymous basis. Case studies examined management processes on separate distinct issues for three disclosing firms: E.R. Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, and Gulf & Western.

Findings show MNCs’ positive responses to increased demands, with limited utilization of systematic methods in establishing objectives. Use of relevant programs is increasing, with top management perceiving positive correlation between their firms’ profits and programs. While different technologies and environments affect organizational processes involving social responsibility, little is understood by top management about this phenomenon.

*[Course work in my doctoral studies were done at (1) North Texas State University: organization theory, business policy and strategy, and economics; and (2) New York University: international business, including management, marketing, finance, economics, and business policy]

CHAPTER II

Conclusions of Fulbright Awards

I had long dreamed of culminating my educational career with some distinguished award, such as the Fulbright. This dream was eventually realized, not once, but twice, in 1989 and again in 1993, with two Fulbright lecture awards (further described below). In every person’s professional pursuit, there should be a highlight of some nature, whether in writing, creating, dedicating, or whatever. In my case, this apex was my lecturing in Uruguay and Jordan to professionals and students seeking advancement in their own rights, albeit in two distinct geographical areas of the world with significantly different cultural affinities. Although my lectures were similar in content in both Uruguay and Jordan, the two sets of students did not perceive the material equally, which underscores the variances in culture and values of these two geographical groups, one, Latin American and Christian; the other, Middle Eastern (Arab) and mostly Muslim.

I count the many blessings of my Fulbright experiences, and thank Almighty God for these benefits, especially as I reflect on the vision of Senator J. William Fulbright, with whom I had the pleasure of talking at a Fulbright Association meeting in Washington, DC, October 1993, a few years before his death. To the Honorable Mr. Fulbright and the U.S. Fulbright Commission, I am grateful for these honors.

As you endeavor to understand the review here of my Fulbright experiences in Uruguay and Jordan, I caution you, in advance, that it would have been virtually impossible in the scope of this book to paint with the stroke of my pen the fullness of the days spent in my teaching and my learning about these countries and their people. I give you here some highlights, not ever intending to shed deeper light on the events and stories that I witnessed. What I actually savor remains in my heart as cherished remembrances of an unforgettable past. Behind each event and story are countless experiences and interactions among those with whom I had contacts.

A.

Christian Association of Business Managers

Asociación Cristiana de Dirigentes de Empresa(ACDE)

Montevideo, Uruguay

1989

I taught at ACDE (a private institution dedicated to training business executives), Montevideo, during July and August 1989, as a Visiting Fulbright Lecturer. Uruguay was not unfamiliar to me, having lived in Punta Del Este for about six weeks, as part of the U.S. delegation (coordinating protocol affairs) to the Alliance for Progress Meeting of Chiefs of Hemispheric States, April 1967. Señorita Renée Abaracón, Fulbright Directress in Uruguay, graciously attended Nina and me upon our arrival and served as a remarkable coordinator of my official functions throughout our entire stay in the country.

I categorize my remarks into five areas: l. observations of the Participants; 2. Extracurricular Activities; 3. Housing Experience; 4. Administrative Support; and 5. Closing Comments.

l. Observations of the Participants

I taught a total of 14 business leaders, government officials, and university professors in two one-week seminars (Strategic Planning and Business Policy, and International Business Management); both courses were taught in the Spanish language. I considered the participants to be very matured, highly motivated, and interested in the two subjects. On a cultural note, the participants were not always as punctual as I had expected, some of them arriving as late as an hour for our morning sessions (classes were held 8:00 am—12 noon; no afternoon sessions, although there were occasional evening sessions.) ACDE