hey,
i have a paper due for my international mangagment class which i have to interview a person from another culture, basically ask questions on how a diff. culture handles authority i.e. a manager or supervisior as in International Managment. Anyone interested in helping me out i'd REALLLYYYYYYY appreciate it. It wouldnt take real long, I'd just ask questions. I could do it thought a text messanger or on aim or through e mail. I'll be making up the questions tonight, any takers??? Buddys, pals, good friends? I am from the United States by the way.

thanks,
ash

What ... this is Yoooonited Staaaaaaaaaaaaaates ... OK I guess I am foreign then ... BTW I got myself too amurricanised ... maybe I am not ideal.
I scoff at authority ... then I kick its ass ...
Cool.
Srinath.

PM if you think I'll do. Been a manger for a long time, about to retire.
English WASP. (P = Pagan in this case)

I have a good friend from Ely (or Eli) England.  He is pagen as well.  

Odd, that.  
Is that common?

If it's Ely (pronounced EEEEE LEEEE), Isle of Ely in East Anglia it probably is common, Druid country. Incidently Eli would pronounce E-Lie so I assume its the former as I have never heard of Eli.

My Paganism is based on lazyness and a social cop-out really, I'm not high priest material at all.

Awsome guys thanks! I actually need two people. I'll make up the questions later this morning aka 3 or 4 am and post them or e-mail them to ya'll. I really appreciate it.  
thanks,
ash

Ok guys here are those questions WAY later then I had hoped. Anyone still interested? You can reply here or e mail me @ ash93316@yahoo.com. Thanks guys!

-Name, age, gender,

-Occupation/ industry, and how you got into it

-educational/trainning background(schools, college)

-What part of the world are you from? What country, city..? How did you end up there? (family, career..)

-What are some major industrys, what is the climate/terrain like?
What might it be well known for?

-In your work place are managers/supervisors seen as being approachable w/ ideas/comments? Do they normally have a big office off somewhere else or do they work in a similar area as the indvid. under them?

-Would you say there is more value placed upon the diligant worker that always comes through or the unorthodox mavoric that comes up w/ unique solutions?

-Is your work enviroment more group oriented or individual? Is one expected to excel at a young age and become a stand out employee or is ones accomplishments only as strong as the overall groups?

-Are employees expected to be very decisive and dominant w/ an emphasis placed on work above all else even cutting into time w/ family members? Are things like high salary and an important title highly sought after?

-When a new employee is hired are they given enough training to just get them started or a lengthy training to give them all the skills they need?

-Are motivations typically based upon immediate incentives or are more long term incentives based upon comany goals?

-If a mangager/ supervisor were to pull an employee to the side for some "constructive critisim" would he/she be treated differently if they were friends or would that have a bearing on the conversation?

-During interactions w/ coworkers are the topics of conversation limited to work related matters or subjects such as personal life or even jokes work their way in?

-Would you say status is based more upon achievement  and hard work or more upon things like age and attending a prestigious school?

-Does company planning go very long term or short? Is there a roll with the punches kind of approach?

-Say your company had a project thats completion is influenced by the weather. Would "rainy days" be allowed into the time frame? Or would it be looked at more as mother nature will do as it may.

Ok and that is the last one. Just try to answer as honestly as possible and formality is not an issue. Once again, thanks guys!!!

-ash

Ok guys here are those questions WAY later then I had hoped. Anyone still interested? You can reply here or e mail me @ ash93316@yahoo.com. Thanks guys!

-Name, age, gender,

Srinath Seshadri, 36, Male.

-Occupation/ industry, and how you got into it

Software engineer. Currently in Banking. Have a bachelors in Civil engineering. Did a lot of number crunching programming back in school, then went to work for a software sales division selling number crunching software to engineers, decided to jump ship when the right opportunity came along from a factory that needed an engineering re-design.

-educational/trainning background(schools, college)

B. Tech (equivalent of a BS) from IIT madras in civil engineering. 1987-1991.

-What part of the world are you from? What country, city..? How did you end up there? (family, career..)

Madras Now Chennai, Southern India. I was born there and lived there till I was 22.

-What are some major industrys, what is the climate/terrain like?
What might it be well known for?

Major Industries. Software in the new world. Old world was Granite, cotton clothing (bleeding Madras shirts), leather, and metal products like castings on man hole covers etc. That is what gets exported. Internal consumption pretty much covers the entire spectrum.
Climate - Hot and humid year round, Rains in the monsoon season (November to March).
Terrain - Fairly flat.

-In your work place are managers/supervisors seen as being approachable w/ ideas/comments? Do they normally have a big office off somewhere else or do they work in a similar area as the indvid. under them?

In India they are very approchable. They have offices but there is a very family sorta atmosphere. The one and only place I worked at back in 1991 was very in formal. managers had offices while we all had desks out in a open room, but most of the time they were sitting with us. On out calls I'd share rides with them etc. They really go to bat for you too. It becomes a family. Usually people dont get laid off or fired. A job lasts as long as you want it. Promotions are sorta timed in. Very secure. It has changed nowadays though, I dont have a real experience with that.

-Would you say there is more value placed upon the diligant worker that always comes through or the unorthodox mavoric that comes up w/ unique solutions?

I would have to say there is equal value. In case of in comptence they will shuffle you out of the critical path. Other wise they will mix in the other 2 types and have a team environment going.

-Is your work enviroment more group oriented or individual? Is one expected to excel at a young age and become a stand out employee or is ones accomplishments only as strong as the overall groups?

If you excel and get noticed you'd get shuffled into a faster track and will work with your strengths. If you put in the effort but lack the brains to get something done, you'd be teamed up with the smarter young ones and get a more balanced team. When you are the new employee usually they will be checking with your skill level and seeing what you can do well.

-Are employees expected to be very decisive and dominant w/ an emphasis placed on work above all else even cutting into time w/ family members? Are things like high salary and an important title highly sought after?

Work can take as much or as little of your time. Some people are low performers for one reason or the other. They'd be shuffled off the front lines.
Family time is more important, salary is not the highest priority for most people, we always counted satisfaction and advancement and overall comfort above salary. For example, just to get a higher salary people wont let them get transfered to another city or out of the region where they liked to live. Remember - in a new city in India usually there is a different language (not dialect - different language - Russian vs english difference) spoken.

-When a new employee is hired are they given enough training to just get them started or a lengthy training to give them all the skills they need?

Traning is fairly detailed and very much oriented to equipping the new employee toward every aspect of the whole company.

-Are motivations typically based upon immediate incentives or are more long term incentives based upon comany goals?

Long term.

-If a mangager/ supervisor were to pull an employee to the side for some "constructive critisim" would he/she be treated differently if they were friends or would that have a bearing on the conversation?

Being friends wont have too much of a bearing on it, but it can turn into a argument if they disagree. That was the old world. That employee might get moved into a different manager. Not sure about now. Evidently we are mimicking the US style work place and hence getting a lot of variations from the old style.

-During interactions w/ coworkers are the topics of conversation limited to work related matters or subjects such as personal life or even jokes work their way in?

There is no line between work and personal. Its a big family now. Very common to see people yak all day about everything.

-Would you say status is based more upon achievement  and hard work or more upon things like age and attending a prestigious school?

Status is based on acheivement. Though better school etc will land you at a higher starting point, not neccessarily work throughout your career.

-Does company planning go very long term or short? Is there a roll with the punches kind of approach?

No idea.

-Say your company had a project thats completion is influenced by the weather. Would "rainy days" be allowed into the time frame? Or would it be looked at more as mother nature will do as it may.

You are expected to be in at work, however it is common for people to work a thinner schedule. Public transportation and roads etc aren't neccesarily up to the weather usually.

Ok and that is the last one. Just try to answer as honestly as possible and formality is not an issue. Once again, thanks guys!!!

-ash

Cool.
Srinath.

Sorry I was so long, have e-mailed replies direct.
Hope it's some use mate.