Table of Contents

Part 1 .................................................................................................................................... 1
Not if they are doing it! Group influence on consumer choice ......................................................... 1
Living and working in different cultures. A comparison between Canada and Ireland. ..................... 1
Development Economics and New Emerging Economies ................................................................. 2
Part 2 .................................................................................................................................... 3
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 4

Part 1
Not if they are doing it! Group influence on consumer choice
By Carrie Trimble

This lecture was given by Professor of Marketing who teaches at Millkin University in the US. In
the beginning, we have been asked to identify what could be the differences between Belgian
and American culture. After active discussions, we have switched to the theoretical part of the
seminar which was about the consumer choice and the group influence on it.
People have to make a choice on a daily basis and there are several factors which influence our
decisions. Individual influences comprise: the personality, attitude and motivation of the
person while making their choice. Among group influences are: family, reference group, social
identities, etc.
US vs Them groups has an influence on the decision-making process of the person.
Furthermore, there are several reference groups which can be categorized. To begin with,
formal groups are the ones which require membership, aspirational groups with people willing
to be like those in the group and dissociative group with people who don’t want to be like
everyone.
Reflection
I have chosen to attend this seminar because I have been curious for a long time what is the
decisive factor for people to buy a certain product, was wondering whether this is influenced by
the psychological pressure. After attending this seminar, I have learnt that there are numerous
factors which have an influence on the decision-making process of a person. This can be caused
by individual influences or influences arising from the group.
In my opinion, it was a great chance to participate in a different set of interactive cases to gain
more insights on this topic.

Living and working in different cultures. A comparison between Canada and Ireland.
By Deborah Duffy
This lecture was given by Deborah Duffy who was born and raised in Ireland and moved to
Canada later on. To begin with, we have been given a description of both countries.
Canada
Canada comprises 10 provinces, 37 million of people. Canadians are extremely polite, willing to
help and politically correct.
When speaking about lifestyle we have been told that Canadians are very focused on nature
and camping is the part of their lifestyle. People are not restricted when discussing personal
achievements and accolades.
Workplace culture in Canada has its own norms. For example, decision-making goes by
consensus and work-life balance is valued.
Ireland
After the lecturer switched to the essentials of Ireland. To begin with, there is a difference
between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland which is the part of UK. Ireland is famous as
second biggest exporter of software, people are straightforward and humour plays an essential
part in the daily life of Irish citizens.
Lifestyle of Irish people is community driven. Irish people are fond of national sports and their
history.
In the workplace conflict is typical, power distance is weak and deadlines do matter.

After the analysis of 2 countries the lecturer gave us a piece of advice concerning looking for a
job in both of the countries. She highlighted that Networking is essential when applying for a
job and people have a chance to find a job quicker. Secondly, gaining local experience is
required, CV has to be adjusted to global level. Thirdly, there is a need to keep a story prepared
relating to past experiences (STAR method).
Reflection
In my opinion, this was a very useful seminar which introduced me to the essentials of both
Canada and Ireland. Personally, I liked the practical part of the seminar when Deborah Duffy
was speaking about her story of moving abroad. More than that, those tips and
recommendations at the end of the lecture are very valuable for me as a student without
sufficient experience and will definitely benefit me in future as I will be more prepared when
applying for a job and going through selection process.

Development Economics and New Emerging Economies

By David Van Moppes

This lecture started with the statistics which was provided by famous statistics analyst whose
name is Hans Rosling. There is a prediction that the population will reach 10 billion in the
nearest future.
Further on, we have been focusing on the emerging economies and their development. The
lecturer gave us a definition which states for the development. “Development is increasing
people’s freedom by enlarging the range of their choice variables.”
After the lecturer gave us some criteria on which we could base our decision whether the
economy is emerging or not. Among those criteria are: macro-economic stability, political
maturity, quality of education and openness of trade.
In the end, we have been talking about the indicators which help us define the development of
certain economy. Gross Domestic Product, Gross National Happiness and Human Development
Index were of greatest importance when making an analysis.
Reflection
To my mind, I must say that it was a beneficial seminar which covered a big part of Economics
course and definitely gave me more knowledge about it. The most interesting part was at the
end of the seminar when we had been given a test on the material we have gone through
during the seminar.
I have learnt new Economics terms such Gross National Happiness and Human Development
Index and started understanding the criteria relevant for the emerging economy.

Part 2
Struck you as particularly true

I completely agree with the author that vastness of the territory and harshness of the climate
has definitely influenced the formation of Russian values and beliefs.
To clarify this assumption, we can refer to the book of Fedor Dostoevskiy “Crime and
Punishment” where he made a comparison between Russian people and their land saying that
people are as spacious as their territory. (Russia IC, 2006)

Struck you as not true

I don’t agree with the author’s statement concerning The Second World War as he advises not
to talk on this topic because we are defensive against aggressive neighbours and haven’t heard
of your version of history.
According to the article after the Red flag was raised over the Reichstag the whole Russian
troops started celebrating the victory and one of commanders reported to Stalin that Russian
soldiers have too many manners and after this Stalin had ordered to show more “initiative”.
By referring to this phrase, I would like to highlight that Russians do value the long-awaited
victory over fascism but we have never been proud of murdering and raping German citizens
and soldiers by the Stalin’s’ command. Personally, I remember that back in my secondary
school we had been told about bravery and courage of our soldiers but also about the innocent
people who have been murdered after the War due to revenge.
In my opinion, I wouldn’t say that Russians feel defensive against aggressive neighbours but
would leave the first sentence which says that we don’t like to talk about the Second World
War but not because of our defensive attitude towards the neighbouring countries but because
of endless sorrow, blood and tears left at that time. (Rees, 2011)

Information that is important in this culture is missing

To my mind, after reading the first sentences of the report and coming across the world
disintegration which “eliminated the gigantic, multicultural phenomenon” I was a bit puzzled.
Nevertheless, many countries fell apart but the people of the country are still culturally
heterogeneous and unite.
To begin with, Russia of today is considered to be one of the biggest countries with different
ethnic group and nationalities. More than that, I would also like to note that ethnic groups of
Russia can be generally subdivided into 4 groups: European group, followed by Central Asian
group, Siberian group and finally Caucasus group.
Personally, after living for a long time in different parts of Russia I want to share my opinion by
saying that I have never seen so many ethnic groups living side by side in a very peaceful and
friendly manner. (Hays, 2008)

In what way is the author biased according to you?

In my opinion, the author has given a wealth of trustworthy material (vastness of the territory
and its influence on the core beliefs) but, nevertheless, has not provided with the practical
recommendations. For example, his advice to drink alcohol in between the negotiations in
order to build bridges is vague. To clarify, I must say that Russian people do value relationships
but they will never become your trustworthy partner or friend if you start drinking alcohol after
negotiations. They value qualities of people in the first place.
But on the other hand, taking into account the year of edition of the book many of the things
the author wrote are still very well suited with the Russian values and beliefs. For example, love
to children and respect to seniors take place.
It would also be very appealing if the author would be able to embed the term “Russian soul”
which basically explains the aspects of Russian life and was used in the novels of Dostoevskiy
and Tolstoy and would definitely convey the mind-set of Russian people.
To sum up, I must that that the author has made a good job but he lacked something realistic
and was giving his personal preference and opinion rather than practical knowledge in some
statements. (Ostapenko, 2015)

Bibliography
Hays, J. (2008). Retrieved from http://factsanddetails.com/russia/Minorities/sub9_3a/entry-
5093.html
Ostapenko, R. (2015, 06 8). Retrieved from http://cambridgeglobalist.org/?p=993
Rees, L. (2011, 03 30). Retrieved from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/hitler_russia_invasion_01.shtml
Russia IC. (2006, December 25). Retrieved from http://russia-
ic.com/culture_art/traditions/336/#.WvOJIa2B3-Y