Non-Governmental Organizations - Essay Example

In numerous countries, NGOs have led the way in democratization, in battling diseases and illnesses, in promoting and enforcing human rights, and in increasing standards of living. (Christof Galli) Although most NGOs are working for aid and relief, they have other functions as well, for example promoting education, healthcare, for businesses, political or social goals etc. Also NGOs are not entitled to work in their own respective cities or countries; there are a number on international NGOs (INGOs) which work on an international basis, or by establishing partnership with NGOs of different countries to work towards a common cause.

As far as partnership among different NGOs is concerned, although they are all working towards a common interest, yet due to difference in their culture, economic state such as an NGO in a developing or a developed country, their working style etc differ from each other and thus=s leads to some problems. The purpose of this paper is to explore these problems that occur due to partnership between NGOs of different countries, from the perspective of both the developed countries such as Japan and developing countries.

When working with an individual or an organization, whether it is a profit or a nonprofit organization, one of the very fundamental rules it to know the 'rules of the house'. As in case of Japan there are certain etiquettes one needs to be aware of while dealing with Japanese people. Japan has a collective culture, therefore for you do business there you have to be part of the working pattern, and explain your stance rather than taking initiatives on your own.Another important thing to know about Japanese is that they avoid using direct style of negotiating and use vague terms rather than bluntly saying "no" to something.

According to Richard D. Lewis, "Don't try to be accurate in Japanese. The Japanese deliberately create ambiguity and so they answer questions indirectly - the famous thing about Japanese never saying no. They won't say anything to offend and when they are deliberately vague, they leave their options open. If you know Japanese grammar, they don't have persons like we have. There is a "going". You don't know whether you're going or we're going or he went. It's a vague language."Other tips, to be kept in mind while negotiating with Japanese include that Japanese usually view meetings to be aware of the other party's position on a certain agenda and look forward to private informal appointments for decision making purposes.

Also a decision is made via consensus of the entire group involved, therefore one should not display individuality.According to Stephen Pearlman, Public Relations Manager Japan Airlines, "One of the frustrating things for a non-Japanese person in a meeting is the lack of exchange of ideas. It's quite typical for it just to be a place to report information, so it's not the kind of aggressive throwing around of ideas that you probably experience in a non-Japanese meeting."In Japan, a lot of time is dedicated to work and the organization one is working for, which will be expected from anyone who is doing business in or with the Japanese.

Also, criticism is not expressed in public; rather more subtle ways are used to ask concerned questions.Japanese NGOs -- Their Origins and